Snow dusted the academy paths as Ryuu, Hana, Tetsu, and Eri walked back from the market, their bags full of winter snacks and training gear. Laughter filled the air—brief and lighthearted—until Tetsu paused, his foot brushing against something by the door.
It was a weather-worn envelope, unmarked except for a single word scrawled on the front in bold ink: "READ."
Hana bent down, picking it up cautiously. "What is this?"
Eri tilted her head. "Did someone drop it?"
Ryuu scanned their surroundings, instantly on alert. "No… this was left here."
Hana opened the envelope and unfolded the single piece of paper inside. Her hands trembled as she read aloud:
"If you're truly interested in stopping Kurojin and his elite, the coordinates to their main base are on the back.But beware—every fighter is connected to a machine that enhances their abilities. Elemental types, speed types, shadow types, and worse. Strike now while their synchronization is incomplete.
You have five days. After that, they become gods."
The back of the page held a long string of coordinates etched in clean ink.
No one spoke for a long moment.
Tetsu broke the silence. "This could be a trap."
"Or it could be real," Ryuu said, eyes narrowed. "And if it is… this is our one shot."
Without wasting a second, the four of them rushed to find Kaede. They found him in the strategy room of the academy, surrounded by maps and reports from recent missions. He looked up when they burst in, saw the seriousness in their faces, and accepted the note with a frown.
As he read, his face darkened.
"You did the right thing bringing this to me," Kaede said grimly. "We need to alert the Headmaster. Now."
Minutes Later, In the Academy War Chamber
The Headmaster stood at the center of the war chamber, Kaede beside him. Around them, holographic maps projected the coordinates from the back of the letter, zooming in on a vast, hidden mountainous region cloaked in ancient fog and hidden magic. Beneath the surface—detected only by satellite scans—were chambers, war machines, energy signals, and thousands of power-enhancing conduits.
"This is it," the Headmaster declared. "Kurojin's stronghold."
A wave of tension spread across the room as elite Wielders and instructors processed the reality.
Kaede turned toward the crowd. "We don't have long. We strike in five days."
He raised his voice. "This won't be a small mission. This is a war. An invasion. Over one thousand Wielders across the world will be mobilized. We'll hit every entrance, every outpost, and the heart of their empire."
Everyone stood silently as the magnitude of the coming battle hit them. Kurojin and Team Darkshade had already proven they were capable of slaughter, manipulation, and near-unstoppable power. But now, with machines enhancing them?
If left unchecked, they could become gods.
Meanwhile:
Far from the academy, deep within the secret mountains, Kael Renji stood under the night sky, his hand still crackling with Kurothar energy. He was unaware of the war forming in his absence—unreachable, his phone long forgotten in his bag, set permanently to Do Not Disturb.
He had just mastered a move that let him vanish and reappear with black lightning, warping like a living storm. But inside him, a sense of unease brewed, as if something massive loomed just out of sight.
Back at the Academy:
Ryuu, Hana, Tetsu, and Eri stood in the training dome, looking at the sky through the clear glass ceiling.
"Five days," Ryuu said.
"Five days until the world changes," Hana whispered.
Tetsu clenched his fists. "We need Kael."
Eri shook her head. "We need to prepare… with or without him."
And with that, across the academy, training erupted. Wielders from every corner of the world began to arrive, elite squads forming, simulations launching, tactics being shared. This was no longer an academy.
It was the beginning of a rebellion.