Jin's pov
"Is this for real? Akira? I still can't believe it. You finally came back."
Kev's voice trembled slightly, his eyes glistening as he struggled to hold back his emotions. His disbelief was evident, and honestly, I couldn't blame him. Even I found it hard to accept that the former Rank One of Sensō High was standing right in front of me, alive and well.
Something stirred deep inside my chest, an odd sensation I couldn't quite place. My heart pounded relentlessly, making it difficult to breathe. I stared at Akira, trying to make sense of this uneasy feeling clawing at me. There was no doubt—it was him. The moment he revealed his face, I knew.
"About time you'd show up," I muttered, masking my unease with a facade of indifference.
Akira merely smirked, the same calm expression he always wore. With slow, deliberate steps, he closed the distance between us.
"So, you knew it was me, huh?" he asked, amusement lacing his tone.
His words weren't particularly surprising, but the way he carried himself unsettled me. The others around us were just as stunned, their expressions frozen in a mixture of awe and confusion. All except Ken, who seemed completely unfazed—as if he had expected this all along.
"So why have you been following me?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him. "Wherever I go, you're always lurking. What's your deal?"
Akira chuckled before settling onto one of the open seats, draping an arm lazily over the backrest. "Because you caught my interest."
His response was casual, almost dismissive, as if this entire situation was nothing more than a game to him. That only irritated me further.
"Are you messing with me?" I clenched my fists, trying to suppress the growing discomfort pooling in my gut. Something about him felt... dangerous.
"I wouldn't dare, Jin." He chuckled. "As you can see, I'm outnumbered by your little army. What could I possibly do?"
His tone was dripping with sarcasm. I wasn't buying it.
Before I could retort, Ken suddenly burst into laughter, his loud cackles breaking the tense atmosphere. Everyone turned to him, confused by his outburst.
"Bastard!" Ken wheezed between laughs. "You could take out everyone here without breaking a sweat!"
He continued laughing like a madman before finally shifting his gaze to me, a knowing smirk on his face.
"Don't be fooled, Jin. This guy—he's a monster. His power rating is over fifteen thousand."
The moment those words left his mouth, I felt my body freeze. A cold chill ran down my spine as my mind tried to process the number. Fifteen thousand? That was beyond insane.
I wasn't even in the same league as him.
"Don't spoil the fun, Ken," Akira pouted playfully before flashing us a wicked grin. "But yeah, I could beat the hell out of everyone here if I wanted to."
His confidence wasn't just arrogance—it was fact. And that terrified me more than I wanted to admit.
I swallowed hard, pushing my doubts aside. "So? Are you actually going to help us, or are you just here to gloat?"
Ken leaned forward, his expression turning serious. "Yeah, Akira. Are you sure about this? If you're in, there's no turning back."
Akira sighed, stretching his arms before reaching for the bag slung over his shoulder. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't serious. It's about time I put Shiro back in his rightful place."
With that, he pulled out a sleek laptop and opened it. The screen illuminated his face as we all instinctively gathered around him, eager to see what he was about to reveal.
A few clicks later, a series of documents appeared on the screen. Rows of information, names, photos—each file meticulously organized.
"These are the data I've gathered over the past few months," Akira explained, scrolling through the endless lists. "Personal information, combat stats, power ratings—everything you need to know about our enemies."
My eyes scanned the files, recognizing familiar names. Phantom Six. Akami Army. Each with detailed descriptions of their strengths, weaknesses, and personal backgrounds.
Then I noticed something else.
"Wait..." My voice trailed off as I scrolled further. "Why the hell are we in here too?"
Akira chuckled, clearly amused by my reaction. "Come on, Jin. If I'm going to strategize properly, I need intel on everyone—including you."
Briana frowned. "How long have you been watching us?"
"Long enough." His tone was casual, but the implication sent a shiver down my spine.
Akira was always a step ahead. It was unnerving how much he knew about us—about me.
He continued scrolling until he reached a specific section, enlarging a file. "Now, this is what we're really interested in."
It was a detailed breakdown of Phantom Six's key members. Shiro Ryota. Ivan Yuroiji. Jiro Matsuda. Hero So. Each of their strengths and weaknesses laid bare.
"Through this data, we can pinpoint their vulnerabilities and use them to our advantage," Akira stated matter-of-factly. "With proper planning, we can level the playing field."
Despite my lingering unease, I had to admit—this information was invaluable.
A small smirk played on my lips. "So, you really are here to help, huh?"
Akira met my gaze, his expression unreadable. "Let's just say... I have unfinished business with Shiro."
I wasn't sure what kind of history they had, but one thing was clear—Akira was no ordinary ally.
He was a game-changer.
And with him on our side, maybe—just maybe—we had a chance to win this war
As we listened to Akira's discussion about the members of the Akami Army and the Phantom Six, Ken's phone suddenly rang, breaking the tense atmosphere. Instantly, all our attention shifted toward him. He hesitated, staring at the screen for a long moment, debating whether to answer or not. His fingers hovered over the phone, his brows furrowed in deep thought.
"Who is it, Ken? Just answer it. It might be important," I said, urging him to pick up the call. Still, he hesitated. Finally, he answered but didn't hold the phone to his ear. Instead, he placed it on the table and put it on speaker mode.
["About time you answered the fucking call."]
The voice on the other end instantly made my entire body tense up. Shiro. He finally decided to contact us.
["I assume you already know that one of your comrades is with me, right? That means you no longer have a choice. You will do as I say."]
My hands curled into fists, anger simmering beneath my skin. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to lash out, but I forced myself to stay calm. If I let my emotions take over now, I might put Kai in even greater danger. I gritted my teeth, silently vowing that if Shiro had done anything to Kai, I would hunt him down—even if it meant chasing him into hell itself.
"So, what do you want us to do, Shiro?" Ken asked, keeping his voice steady despite the tension crackling in the air. We couldn't afford to act recklessly. If we lost control now, we might push Shiro into doing something worse.
["I want to end what we started a few months ago."]
Shiro paused for a brief moment before continuing.
["If you really want to take Yuzu back, then defeat both Phantom Six and the Akami Army at the same time. But I must warn you—you'll be facing an even bigger problem this time."]
I had expected this. It was the most logical demand in exchange for Kai's freedom. But knowing it was coming didn't make it any less infuriating.
"When and where?" Ken asked.
["I'll send you the coordinates. Meet us there before sunset tomorrow."]
There was a slight pause before Shiro added, ["Don't you dare run away."]
And just like that, the call ended.
My blood boiled. Did he really think we were cowards? I would make sure to drive my fists into his face soon enough. But first, we needed to get Kai back.
A few minutes later, Ken received a message. The location. My eyes flickered toward him as he opened it.
"Here's the location that Shiro sent," Ken announced, showing us the address on his screen. "So, what's the plan?" His gaze swept across the room. "Does anyone have any ideas?"
For a moment, there was only silence. Then, Akira Yuiji finally spoke up.
"Give me the coordinates, Ken. Let's see where this battle will take place," Akira said, extending his hand.
Ken handed him the phone, and Akira began studying the location. "Understanding the terrain will give us an advantage. We need to use every opportunity we can to level the playing field," he added.
He had a point. While we were strong, we weren't invincible. Shiro had carefully picked his battlefield, and there was no doubt he had chosen it to maximize his own advantage.
After a while, Akira found the location on his map and turned the screen toward us.
"It's an under-construction building near the school," he revealed. "I don't know why Shiro picked this place, but I do know one thing." He then turned his gaze directly to me. "He wants to fight you one-on-one, Jin."
A heavy silence fell over the room. I exhaled sharply.
So that was his goal. It made sense. Shiro and I had unfinished business, and he wanted to settle it once and for all. No more running, no more hiding, no more playing safe. This time, we would end it.
"Before we finalize our plan, we should wait for them. They're on their way," Kev suddenly said, making me frown.
"Them?" I asked, turning toward him.
Before he could answer, the door to our hideout creaked open.
"So, how should we wrap this up?"
All of us turned toward the doorway as a familiar figure stepped inside. My breath caught in my throat.
"You're finally here, huh, Akira?"
"It's been a while, Damian."
As the four strongest members of Dark Knights, with the absence of Dwayne West, walk towards us, we now have the strongest team possible. Maybe, just maybe, we could really beat the Phantom Six this time.
"For starters, let's form a strategy to beat the crap out of those shitty Phantoms," Damian Jung began, placing two sheets of paper on the table. "This is the information we managed to gather while we were out." Akira took the papers and started scanning them. "We have a few problems. First, with Akami and Shiro teaming up once more, they're nearly invincible. Second, we noticed that Satoshi Cruz has already awakened. I can sense that he's even stronger than both me and Akami. He's been holding back until now, but he's about to show his full potential. He is, without a doubt, a big threat to all of us." Damian Jung paused for a moment before revealing another document. "And the worst problem is... King joined them."
I froze. My blood ran cold, and I could feel my skin turning pale. This is bad. Really bad.
"What the fuck?! What is he thinking?! This isn't good." Surprise, confusion, and fear were all written across Jerzey Lim's face as he spoke.
"What are we going to do? Now that they've gained such a powerful ally?" Briana asked, looking at me and Akira for answers.
"Shiro wants Jin, and we'll give him what he wants," Akira stated, turning his gaze toward me. "You'll face him one-on-one tomorrow. We'll do our best to make sure no one interferes in your fight."
I always knew I'd have to face him again someday. But that 'someday' is now tomorrow. I've prepared for this. I've endured so much just to be ready for this moment. This time, I'll settle our dispute for good.
"I've been waiting for this," I muttered, a small smirk forming on Akira Yuiji's lips.
"Here's the actual photo of the location." Akira pulled up an image on his laptop and turned the screen toward us.
The site was filled with scaffolding, the building itself looked like it was on the verge of collapse. Fighting inside such an unstable place was dangerous. We needed to lure them outside. I knew Shiro would be inside that building, waiting for me. I had to beat him this time.
"Any suggestions on what we should do? We need to think of a way to fight them under these conditions," Ryu asked. A heavy silence settled over the room. Everyone seemed hesitant to speak first. After a few moments, I decided to break the silence.
"Fighting them inside the building is too risky. We need a plan to draw at least half of their people outside. There are over two hundred fighters expected to clash in a single location, so avoiding combat inside would be ideal. We have to keep the number of our forces entering to a minimum." I laid out my reasoning, and everyone seemed to be considering it seriously.
"So you're saying we have to lure them out. But who will handle that part?" Jacob Sy, one of the Dark Knights' captains, asked.
"We could do that," Kise interjected. "There's not much we can do if we go inside. Fighting outside with the other members seems to be the right move for us." He had a point. If they could pull that off, it would make things much easier for us to engage Shiro Ryota.
"This will be the plan," I began, and everyone gathered closer to the table. "Me, Akira, Kev, Ken, Ryu, and Damian will be the ones entering the building. I expect that some of their key members—including King, Akami, and Shiro himself—will remain inside as well." I grabbed a pen and a sheet of paper, sketching a rough top-down view of the building. "We will divide our remaining forces into four groups. We'll surround the building and split their forces. We also need to avoid these areas with scaffolding." I circled the hazardous zones on the drawing.
"So you're saying we should divide our forces to split theirs as well? Would that really make a difference? Why not just launch an all-out attack from the front?" Atsushi questioned.
"They have greater numbers, but we have stronger fighters. If we split them up, we can weaken their army while keeping our core strength intact. If we go for an all-out attack in one spot, it will be harder for my team to enter the building. Split attacks might be our best course of action." I explained, and from the approving nod Akira gave me, I knew he agreed.
"So, who's with who? How will we divide the teams?" Chord Ruiz, another captain of the Dark Knights, asked.
"All Dark Knight captains, except for Faith, will be in Team One. Team Two will consist of Faith, Kise, and Atsushi. Team Three will include Claine, Briana, and Jerzey. Lastly, the Maki Brothers will lead Team Four." This was the best formation I could come up with given the absence of Blake Ryoma and Kai. "Team One will attack the left side of the building, Team Three will attack from the right, the Maki Brothers' team will handle the back, and Team Two will take the front, creating an opening for us to enter."
The building is still unfinished, meaning there were open passages on all sides. If my prediction is correct, Shiro would split his forces as well to guard each entry point.
"That plan might work," Briana interjected, drawing our attention. "But instead of entering through the front, I suggest you go in from the back to catch them off guard."
That was a solid idea. We all agreed with her suggestion. Tomorrow was going to be a bloody day.
"That settles it. We'll meet at the coordinates. You may all go." One by one, everyone left, including the Dark Knights, until only Akira and I remained.
"There's something you want to say to me, right?" I asked, watching him closely.
He met my gaze, his expression serious. "This isn't the last battle, you know." He sat on the sofa across from me. "Once this is over, another battle will come. That's just how Sensō High works." I stayed silent, listening. "No one has ever truly conquered Sensō High. Even I couldn't do it, despite being at the top."
What was he trying to say? But... I knew one thing for sure.
"I don't care about conquering Sensō High. All I want is to beat Shiro Ryota. That's it." I stated firmly.
Akira just smiled and stood up. "This is the first time I'll be following someone else's lead." He chuckled. "I'll be standing beside you from here on out." He then handed me a paper bag.
"What's this?" I asked, eyeing the bag curiously.
"Use it only when you absolutely need to—especially when you need to protect yourself or someone close to you." With that, he turned and left, leaving me alone in the hideout.
I stepped toward the metal railing and looked up at the sky. It was an endless, brilliant blue. A lone crow perched on my shoulder.
We're just a bunch of crows, struggling and fighting to reach our own goals. Flying high, seeking freedom on our own terms. I lifted the crow from my shoulder, releasing it into the open sky. I watched as it soared higher and higher, disappearing into the clouds.
This might be the last fight between us and The Phantom Six.
I'll come after you, Shiro.