Following the chaos of the courtyard fight, the five brothers were summoned to a secluded training hall at the edge of the Academy. Standing in the center of the hall, draped in a cloak the color of fresh blood, was a man whose very presence made the air vibrate.
Red King. He wasn't just a teacher; he was their assigned Team Leader. His eyes scanned the five sons of Mufasa with a look of unimpressed boredom.
"So," Red King spoke, his voice sharp as a razor. "You are the famous Team 5. You have titles, you have contracts, but in my eyes, you are just cubs with loud roars. If you want to work under me, you have to prove you can touch me. See these five feathers on my belt? Take them."
Lam smirked, his evil grin flashing. "Just feathers? Asad, let's show him what speed really looks like."
Asadullah sparked with golden electricity. "On it!"
The duo launched a synchronized War-Tech Combo. Lam fired a series of tracking drones to pin Red King down while Asadullah moved like a lightning bolt for a pincer attack. But Red King didn't even draw a weapon. He moved so fast that he didn't just dodge—he seemed to teleport. With a casual flick of his fingers, he redirected Asadullah's momentum, sending the G.O.D of War crashing into Lam's drones.
"One hour," Red King yawned. "You have one hour before I fail the lot of you."
For sixty minutes, the training hall was a blur of failed attempts. Red King was a ghost. No matter how much Urza they pumped into their attacks, they couldn't even graze his cloak.
With only minutes left, Lam signaled his brothers. No more solo glory. They needed a Chain-Link Strategy.
Bayu moved first. Instead of attacking, he used his wind to whip up a massive cloud of micro-dust, blinding the entire room and clogging Red King's sensory range.
Draz followed instantly. He didn't attack the man; he attacked the air. For exactly 0.5 seconds, he unleashed a Nullification Pulse, freezing Red King's Urza flow.
Krodh lunged through the dust, slamming his fists into the floor to create a massive upward shockwave that forced Red King to jump into the air—the only place he couldn't dodge.
Lam was waiting. He aimed his heavy Tech-Gauntlet, now transformed into a Hyper-Pressure Cannon. "Eat this!" he roared, firing a blast of pure energy.
Red King smiled for the first time. He raised his hand to block the massive cannon blast, but that was the trap.
Asadullah, hidden within the light of Lam's blast, used the energy as a cloak. He accelerated to Mach 3, bypassed the block, and swiped all five feathers in a single, golden flash.
The dust settled. The five brothers were panting, bruised, and exhausted. Asadullah held up the five feathers, a triumphant grin on his face.
Red King adjusted his cloak and nodded slowly. "Coordination. Sacrificing your ego for the mission. Perhaps there is hope for you yet. Team 5... you are now my students. Welcome to the real war."
CLIFFHANGER:
High above the training hall, sitting on the edge of a gargoyle, the Five-Armed Person sat in silence. He watched the brothers celebrate their small victory. He began to drum on his cosmic drum with two of his hands, while a third arm played with a small, glowing stone.
He tilted his head, his five eyes glowing with an eerie, rhythmic light.
"Team 5..." he whispered into the wind. "Ah, Five. My favorite number. Let's see if they survive the first 'Gift' I send them."
[CHAPTER 6 END]