That morning, the sky over Akarius looked gray, with clouds hanging low as if reluctant to move. Atop Oxiom Fortress—an old stronghold full of cracks and barbed wire, standing proudly at the borderline between Oxoford School and Primanoel School—a student in a black-and-blue jacket stood staring far ahead, a sniper cradled in his arms. On his jacket sleeve, the Juantice Team logo was clearly printed. The shield at the center of the logo looked bold, with two symmetrical wings on each side, a blade of light splitting it, and a broken chain beneath.
"Juantice Team… the last justice force of this school…" he muttered inwardly, sweeping the front area through his sniper scope.
He squinted, then took a deep breath. "Hmm… looks like there's no sign of threats from that school…" he mumbled, slightly bored. His voice was calm but weary. Three hours on watch, and nothing but wind and the fading sight of the city's ruins.
Beside him, a short-haired girl with brownish hair and sharp eyes replied while holding a long telescope.
"I agree. It's so quiet it's making me sleepy. Maybe they're hibernating, or on vacation." she said jokingly.
"Hibernating? That's for bears, geez…" the boy thought with a small chuckle.
The girl wore the same uniform, complete with a dark blue combat cap and protective vest. On her back hung a DMR rifle strapped with a sling.
"How about we take a break?" the boy asked, leaning slightly against the wall.
"Sure. I'm bored of sitting too." the girl replied while stretching her shoulders, "But don't fall asleep, or you'll end up babbling about your ex… like Zack did during night duty."
They both chuckled.
The laughter stopped instantly.
BRRT!
A bullet whizzed. The next second—BANG!
"Huh?"
The boy's head jerked back. His helmet flew off.
"RAKA!!" the girl screamed in panic. She quickly ducked and shouted through the radio on her shoulder.
"Post 4 is under attack! Post 4 is under attack!! There's a sniper from the ruins of the old Oxoford building!"
A red alarm immediately blared from Juantice Team headquarters behind the fortress.
WEEEENG! WEEEENG!
The Juantice Team troops, who had been training, instantly grabbed their weapons. Bullets clinked into magazines. Footsteps flooded the underground corridors of the base.
Moments later, several combat tanks with the Primanoel School logo emerged from behind the ruins. They moved slowly, then—
BOOM!
A rocket shell hit the wall of Oxiom Fortress. Concrete collapsed, fragments flying. Dust filled the air.
From the other side of the fortress, a girl with black hair tied into twin tails appeared, wearing a purple-and-yellow jacket, a black cap, and white gloves. In her hands was a heavy Karl-9A rifle with a glowing red laser trigger.
She was Harusa, a core member of the Juantice Team, an 11th grader at the Elite High School.
"Troops! Take cover behind the ruins! No one stands exposed! They have snipers!" Harusa shouted, her voice loud but measured. The sunlight glinted off the trigger's metal.
"Damn… I just showered for two minutes this morning… and now I get greeted by tanks." she grumbled inwardly.
The troops retreated, looking for cover. But their formation scattered, some left behind. Amid the chaos, a calm but firm voice came from a loudspeaker.
"ALL UNITS, HALT!"
A student from Primanoel's side emerged from behind the tanks. He wore a neat gray suit, a purple tie, and an elegant round cap—completely out of place in the chaos around him. A white mask covered the lower half of his face.
He raised a silver revolver and walked forward slowly. Each step echoed softly among the ruins.
His name was Guy, a 12th grader from Primanoel High, known for his eerily calm demeanor.
"Hmph… so quiet. Just rubble and the smell of iron. Cowards." he muttered softly, but loud enough for the enemy to hear.
Meanwhile, Harusa and a Juantice Team soldier hid behind the collapsed wall.
"Isn't that… Guy's voice?" Harusa whispered, her brow furrowing.
"Yeah! We can't show ourselves. He's the best revolver marksman. If he sees our heads, we'll blackout instantly." her comrade answered nervously.
"Tch! You think I'm a rookie?" Harusa growled inwardly, gritting her teeth.
"Have you sent a signal to Commander Mila?" Harusa asked.
"No! The radio's jammed!"
"In that case, I'll call her directly."
Harusa pulled a phone from her pocket, her hands trembling from the tank shell vibrations, and pressed the call button to Mila—the student council president, currently far from the front lines.
"Come on Mila… pick up… we need you now…"
---
The Oxoford School corridor was silent. The sound of footsteps echoed softly, mixing with the faint laughter of two people sitting on a wooden bench near a large window. The afternoon sun streamed through the glass, shining on Kaito and Mila as they finished their lunch.
"This risol you made… honestly makes me want to retire from teaching and open a snack shop," Kaito said with a small chuckle, having just eaten the last bite.
Mila blushed. "Hehe… don't joke like that, Sensei."
But the calm moment shattered when Mila's red cellphone rang loudly. She sighed, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the screen.
"Huh… who's calling at a time like this?" she muttered, then saw the name flashing. "Harusa…?"
"Who's that, Mila?" Kaito asked, raising an eyebrow while sipping water.
"Harusa. My deputy at Dioxiom. If she's calling at this hour, it's gotta be something serious…"
Mila immediately stood and picked up. The voice on the other end was panicked.
"Commander Mila! Our base is under attack! Primanoel School just came out from behind the ruins! They brought tanks!!"
Mila's eyes widened. "What!? Okay, I'm on my way! Hold your position until I get there!"
Click.
She hung up, her breathing uneven. Her gaze turned sharp—like that of an officer on the battlefield. Kaito, who had been relaxed a moment ago, now stood as well.
"What's wrong, Mila?" he asked calmly, though his tone carried alertness.
"Our Dioxiom base is under attack… Primanoel's on the move."
Kaito stared at her in silence for a few seconds. A breeze came in through the slightly open window. He lowered his gaze briefly, then muttered inwardly:
"So… they're moving again? This world's still not at peace, huh…"
Not wasting time, Mila began striding quickly toward the door. But before she could get far, a hand caught her wrist.
"Wait, Mila."
"Huh?"
Kaito looked her straight in the eye. His gaze was no longer that of a laid-back teacher—it was like that of a soldier forged in the flames of battle.
"I'm coming with you. I can help."
Mila blinked in surprise. "Hah!? Help us? What are you gonna be, our photocopy guy?"
"I can be your commander," Kaito said firmly.
"Commander?" Mila frowned.
Kaito gave a small smile. "Before I became a Flying Teacher, I used to lead a unit back in 6th grade. We won 80 battles in a row. That's not a small number, Mila."
Mila blinked again. "In elementary school… seriously?"
"And now I hold the rank of Major. Youngest ever. Age? Doesn't matter."
Mila was silent for a moment, then exhaled deeply.
"…Alright then. I'm leaving this battle to you, Sensei. Win it for us."
"Got it!" Kaito clenched his fist with enthusiasm.
---
Oxoford Library – 10 Minutes Later
The library doors swung open quickly. Haruka strode out, followed by Anwar, who still clutched two thick books to his chest.
"Hmm… where are the teacher and Mila?" Anwar muttered, scanning the area. Then he looked down and saw a small piece of paper lying on the floor.
"Another letter?" He picked it up and unfolded it, finding it signed by 'Kagura.'
Before he could read further, a silver-haired girl with brown eyes stood beside him.
"Excuse me, may I pass?" she asked gently, holding a novel and an M14 rifle in her arms.
"Oh, please go ahead," Anwar said.
After Hana—the girl—walked away, Anwar's phone vibrated.
A message from Mag appeared:
"Anwar, tomorrow Duv and I are coming to your library to look for books. Please help us."
---
On the Road to oxiom
The clock's hands were close to twelve when Mila and Kaito walked out of the Oxoford School gates.
"Mila, is Dioxiom close from here?" Kaito asked, glancing at his watch.
"Far. We have to cross two districts."
"What are we taking?"
"I… have a bicycle."
"…Why didn't we use it earlier?"
"Ehh… I forgot."
Kaito pinched the bridge of his nose. "Unbelievable…"
Then Mila stopped, pointing toward a garbage truck parked near the park.
"How about we use that instead?"
Kaito stared wide-eyed. "Hah!? You have the keys?"
"Of course~" Mila replied, flashing the keys with that smug rival-girl smile straight out of an anime.
A Few Minutes Later…
A garbage truck sped through the city streets. Inside, Mila gripped the steering wheel like a pro racer. Kaito was tossed around in the passenger seat.
"MILA!! Can you slow down a bit?!"
"NO! We have to hurry!"
"What if we crash?!"
"Relax, I used to be the illegal drifting champion!"
Kaito screamed inwardly, "Dear god, am I being kidnapped by a schoolgirl street racer?!"
The truck rattled over potholes.
Kaito could only hold on, staring at the sky.
"War might not be as bad as this…" he thought.
---
[Dioxiom Fortress Ruins – Foggy Dusk]
The soft sunlight seemed to act as a silent witness to the absurdity of this small-scale war. Dust still danced in the air, mixing with the lingering scent of gunpowder—like the battlefield itself refused to be forgotten by the wind. Guy stood calmly among the ruins, one foot resting on a cracked block of concrete, his body leaning slightly forward, the silver revolver twirling lazily on his index finger.
The evening wind moved his long gray coat, making him look like an anti-hero who hadn't showered in two days but somehow still looked cool.
Inwardly, he muttered lazily:
"Still quiet. Too quiet. And for some reason… a vibe like this just makes me want to shoot something."
His sharp eyes scanned the rubble like a lazy cat waiting for a mouse to come out of hiding.
Suddenly—TATATATATAT!
Several Juantice Team soldiers burst from cover, firing wildly. They shouted one name with the enthusiasm of contestants in a shouting contest at a night market.
"GET GUY!!"
From another corner of the ruins, Harusa—the Juantice Team commander—peeked from behind a collapsed wall. Her face hardened.
"Hah?! Why are they charging?! I didn't give that order, are they all brain-dead?!" she yelled, hair messy from falling debris.
"Are these supposed to be elite troops or boxed-lunch troops?! I'm gonna have an early stroke at this rate…"
Guy raised one eyebrow, completely unfazed.
"Tch… bringing friends to play. Lame," he muttered coldly, his low voice almost like a broken cassette—deliberately flat but dripping with sarcasm.
Bullets whizzed dangerously close.
From the left, a short-haired girl in a black combat helmet suddenly appeared—Aru, a tough Primanoel student. She leapt forward carrying a massive shield emblazoned with a golden bird. Like a superhero entrance, she planted herself in front of Guy, blocking the hail of bullets.
"Hiding here? Fine, use my shield, boss," she said, half-annoyed, half-irritated.
"How can this guy be so chill like he's on a picnic while getting shot at…"
Guy glanced at her briefly, then raised his revolver. Moving slow but with deadly precision, he aimed at one Juantice soldier.
"Here… let me teach you how to shoot properly."
BANG!
One clean shot—right in the helmet. The soldier dropped unconscious instantly, almost like a slapstick gag.
"YOU IDIOTS!! GET BACK UNDER COVER!!" Harusa shouted from the ruins, her face bright red.
The Juantice soldiers panicked, scattering back into hiding like cockroaches after bug spray.
Guy twirled his revolver again, pointing it toward the rubble.
"Cowards. You think you can play hide-and-seek with me?"
He opened comms to the Primanoel tank units via the device on his wrist.
"All tank units. Target: western ruins. Time to say hello."
And then—BOOM.
The Primanoel tanks fired rockets in unison toward the ruins. Explosions thundered, the ground shook, and clouds of dust rose high like an old man's talcum powder mishap.
Most Juantice troops were forced out, coughing and disoriented. Guy, moving like he was dancing through battle, started picking them off one by one—always headshots. The result? They dropped like dominoes stacked without care.
At that moment, Aru threw up her hands in frustration.
"GUY!! Can you just once follow the operation plan?!"
Some Primanoel students arrived, looking half-impressed, half-stressed watching Guy solo like some discount anime protagonist.
"Guy, seriously. From here on, let us handle it," Aru said, trying to keep her tone calm as she adjusted her headset.
Still shooting, Guy replied coolly:
"Too many still standing. I'm not done yet."
"I need this adrenaline. I need something… before I can finally stand face to face with Mila."
Aru shook her head quickly, frustration written all over her face.
"Hey! The commander's original order was just to escort the tanks here! After that, I lead the operation. Remember? Or are you only here to act like a bad boy in some anime?!"
Guy glanced at her, a faint smirk on his lips.
"I'm staying… until Mila shows up. Until then, don't bother me, kid."
"Y-You… are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Aru half-yelled, half-worried.
Guy shrugged.
"Not really. I'm just… not interested in living too peacefully."
Aru clenched her fists, her face red from holding back anger. But in the end, she just sighed.
"This guy… is insane. But damn it… he's good."
While the battle eased for a brief moment, behind a wall of blackened, soot-covered rubble, two Juantice Team members—uniforms already ragged and bodies caked in dust—were still crouched like mice trapped under a refrigerator.
Explosions still echoed in the distance, the ground occasionally shaking from the Primanoel tanks firing at anything suspicious.
Soldier A let out a heavy sigh, his cheek pressed against the rubble, still gripping a rifle that now felt heavier than ever.
"How long are we gonna keep this up?!" he complained, voice raspy with frustration.
Soldier B, who had been huddled with his knees to his chest the entire time, turned to him lazily, his face as blank as a freshman after three days of hazing without a shower.
"I dunno… but I think we'll faint from exhaustion before reinforcements get here," he answered hopelessly, breathing like he'd just run a marathon despite only crouching.
"Is this war or a prank? They call us an 'elite unit,' but here we are playing hide-and-seek on the battlefield."
Soldier A straightened his back, trying to look brave despite the slight shake in his knees.
"Huh… we can't just give up! Listen, this isn't about winning or losing. This is about pride!"
Soldier B shot him a skeptical glance.
"You blind or something?"
Soldier A glared back.
"I'm not blind. It's because I see the reality that I refuse to just sit here! I'd rather faint from fighting… than faint from hiding like a rabbit in winter!"
He slapped his friend's shoulder—too hard.
"At least… if I get caught later, I can tell my future kids and grandkids (if I live) that I tried."
Soldier B sighed deeply, leaning his head against the wall.
"Mm… suit yourself. I'm staying here. Once it's quiet, we'll just pretend to be survivors."
Soldier A stood up, fueling himself with forced determination. He checked his magazine, took a deep breath.
"Huh! Hiding was pointless anyway!" he grumbled, peeking through a gap in the rubble at the smoke-filled blue sky.
With the expression of an anime knight ready for a dramatic death, he whispered softly toward the heavens:
"If this is my fate… then please, God, at least don't make me look stupid."
And with that, he leapt from cover, throwing in an unnecessary somersault, and sprayed bullets toward Guy while yelling like an overconfident side character.
"GUY! TAKE THIS!!"
A flurry of bullets flew.
Of course, in a perfectly predictable anime-veteran fashion…
CLANG!
Aru appeared again from the side, wearing an expression of extreme annoyance, her shield blocking every shot that almost hit Guy.
"Again? You pop out of nowhere like some bugged NPC!" she yelled, then glanced at Guy. "And you! Can't you say 'thanks' even once?!"
Guy turned to her calmly. He raised his revolver, looking at Soldier A—now frozen, panting, but still standing.
"You really do want to faint in the name of fighting, huh…" Guy said coldly.
"Heh… at least… make it a little dramatic…" Soldier A muttered in resignation.
Guy aimed at his head. But just as his finger tightened on the trigger—
BOOOOOM!!!
A massive explosion shook the ground. Several Primanoel tanks that had been standing tall suddenly blew apart, bursting into flames. One by one, they detonated. Fire licked the sky. Black smoke billowed upward.
Aru and Guy both snapped their heads toward the blast. Some newly arrived Primanoel students dropped flat in panic.
"Rockets?! From where?!" Aru shouted, startled.
Guy narrowed his eyes, peering through the haze… toward the Juantice Team base, now flickering with lights. The silhouettes of heavy troops were starting to move in the distance.
"Heh… finally."
He holstered his revolver, his face showing no shock—only satisfaction.
"The real fight's just beginning. Mila… you're there, aren't you?"
With a quick shoulder roll, he turned away.
"Aru. You might need some help."
"Hah?! Why do you sound like you're about to 'teach me a lesson' again?!"
"Because I am."
"You—! Ugh, you annoying revolver freak!"
Meanwhile, Soldier A, still standing stiff, whispered toward Soldier B, who was still crouched behind cover:
"Bro… I went out there and didn't die…"
Soldier B replied without looking up.
"That's not bravery… that's luck."