Ana's corpse lay twisted on the cracked asphalt, her lifeless eyes staring into the dark. The faint buzz of broken streetlights flickered overhead, casting erratic shadows over her mangled form. Blood had spilled in every direction, drying into a dark red smear that marked the alley like a kill zone.
A loose circle of "I" Rank Kageshiki surrounded the body. None of them spoke. None of them needed to. Death had come fast, and violent.
At the center, Araki Miyazaki knelt. His coat brushed against the bloodstained pavement as he leaned over the body. Gray eyes scanned every inch of her, unflinching.
"Tsk." Araki clicked his tongue. "Her body's been devoured… by a Shikiban."
Souta's voice came from behind him, tone dry. "The Shikiban King?"
Araki didn't look back. "Yeah. Not a guess. Look at her forehead."
The mark was clear as day. 禍 — seared right into the flesh.
Souta crouched beside him. His gloved finger grazed the skin, tracing the symbol. "Shit. Regular Shikiban kills leave the mark blue. This one's burned red."
"Just like the other bodies we covered up last week," Araki muttered. "The King's picking targets now."
"The public finds out, we're done." Souta stood and turned toward the agents behind him. "Hide it. Now."
Without hesitation, the agents moved. A black vehicle pulled up at the curb. The body was wrapped, lifted, and gone in seconds.
Koharu lingered a moment longer, hands clenched. "Why are Shikibans so brutal?"
Hideaki snorted. "Still asking questions like that? And you're supposed to be Kageshiki?"
She frowned. "I just don't get it. They're intelligent, right? So why eat people alive?"
"Because they can," Souta replied, watching the body vanish into the car. "Because it's not about hunger. It's about control."
He didn't mention the real reason.
Because deep down, the Shikibans weren't monsters.They were predators. And humanity was prey.
KAGESHIKI HEADQUARTERS — MAIN HALL
The doors slammed open.
Kenjiku entered.
Silence followed like a shadow. His presence hit the room like a wall.
The remaining trainees stood in two tight rows. None dared move. The ten "I" Rank agents behind him flanked him like statues.
"Congratulations," Kenjiku said, voice low but steady. "You survived the training."
His eyes scanned them, slow and cold. "Barely."
Reika crossed her arms. She didn't blink. Beside her, Daigo cracked his knuckles, while Ishigo adjusted his glasses without a word.
"This old man is terrifyingly respectable," Ishigo muttered.
"Brutal too," Daigo added. "Can't imagine how bad the real test will be."
"If it's worse than the training," Reika said, "it means they want perfection."
"Why?" Daigo asked.
Ishigo's tone dropped flat. "Because Shikibans aren't animals. They're smart. Smarter than us. They bend reality, move faster than sight, and smell fear like blood. You can't survive unless you're better than perfect."
Daigo grinned. "Then I'm overqualified."
Reika smirked. "You'll die trying to show off."
"You might fall in love with your killer," Ishigo added.
"Depends. Is she hot?"
"They're hideous when they shift."
Before anyone could respond, a loud beep broke through the hall.
A holographic screen appeared in front of Kenjiku. The numbers weren't surprising—but they were brutal.
╔═══[KAGESHIKI TRAINEE REPORT — SYSTEM LOG: 0138.ALPHA]═══╗
┃
┃ ▶ INITIAL CANDIDATES : 200
┃ ▶ INJURED — BEYOND RETURN : 45
┃ ▶ CONFIRMED KIA : 60
┃ ▶ REMAINING ACTIVE TRAINEES : 95
┃
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Reika's arms tightened. "So we're down to 93."
Ishigo shook his head. "Wrong target. Our enemies aren't the other trainees."
She didn't respond.
Kenjiku's voice cut through the silence. "The weak have been eliminated. Now… we begin the real test."
The atmosphere shifted. Tension pulled tight like wire.
"There are five levels," Kenjiku continued. "Each one worse than the last."
He paused. No one moved.
"Level One. No weapons. You fight barehanded. One-on-one. Shikiban spawn. If you survive, you move on."
A few trainees flinched. Someone swallowed hard.
"Level Two. You'll receive a knife. It's not a normal blade. It evolves—feeds off the soul energy of every Shikiban you kill. Every death makes it stronger."
Reika frowned. "Soul-fed weapons?"
Kenjiku nodded once. "By Level Five, your weapon will take its true form. Shaped by your emotional core. Rage. Fear. Hatred. Whatever drives you, defines it."
Daigo's eyes lit up. "Hell yeah."
Another trainee raised his hand. "What about Levels Three through Five?"
Kenjiku smirked. It was the first expression he'd shown. It wasn't comforting.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Murmurs rippled through the room. Someone near the back looked ready to throw up.
Daigo whispered, "Five days. Five levels. No breaks."
Reika's voice was low. "You rest, you die."
"Correct," Kenjiku said, already reading her. "Level One begins tomorrow morning. Level Five ends on the fifth day."
A shaky voice broke the silence. "We just finished the pre-test! We need time to recover!"
Kenjiku didn't blink. "To become Kageshiki, there is no rest."
Silence. Hard silence.
He turned on his heel. The "I" Ranks followed. The doors slammed shut behind them.
Only the trainees remained now—ninety-five survivors.
Reika stared straight ahead, jaw clenched. "If I die in that arena, they'll never even find my body."
Ishigo nodded slowly. "That's the point."
Daigo rolled his shoulders. "Then we don't die."
"No," Reika said. "We fight. We win. We survive."
The room stayed still for a moment longer. The tension didn't fade. It just sank deeper into their bones.
Outside the Hall – Night
Souta leaned against the side of the building, eyes tracking the full moon.
He lit a cigarette, barely inhaled.
"If she survives tomorrow," he muttered, "I might actually respect her."
Hideaki chuckled behind him. "You mean Reika?"
"Yeah."
"What about Daigo?"
"He'll survive. That one's too stupid to die."
Koharu walked past them, her expression hard for once. "And Ishigo?"
Souta paused. Then flicked the cigarette onto the pavement.
"…That one might surprise all of us."