The gates of Tengen High opened slowly.
Not dramatically.
Not with explosions or mana storms.
Just the deep, heavy sound of ancient mechanisms shifting after a long time.
And somehow… that made it feel more important.
Hiko stood at the front of Class 1-C as they walked back into the academy grounds.
The buildings were the same.
The sky barriers floated peacefully.
Students were everywhere again—laughing, talking, running to dorms, complaining about assignments.
Normal.
Too normal.
After Goram Swamp… after the shadow beast… after Shinjaku Ryukasei…
Normal felt unreal.
Goru walked beside Hiko, hands in his pockets, Glorious Claws hidden under reinforced gloves. His leg still hurt faintly from the black flame wound. It hadn't fully healed. It probably never would.
"…Feels weird being back," Goru muttered.
Hiko nodded. "Yeah. Like we stepped out of a war and walked into a school festival."
Around them, Class 1-C looked the same way.
Aren kept scanning rooftops.
Mira flinched every time someone raised their voice.
Dain's shadow refused to detach from his feet.
Hinata walked quietly, holding her bag tightly with both hands.
They had all changed.
Even if nobody else noticed.
Then every screen in the academy lit up again.
But this time…
It wasn't just text.
It was mana.
Pure, overwhelming mana.
"ALL STUDENTS. ASSEMBLE AT CENTRAL ARENA. IMMEDIATELY."
The tone alone sent chills through the campus.
Students poured out of buildings, flooding toward the massive arena.
And the moment Hiko stepped inside—
He felt it.
Eight presences.
Not oppressive.
Not crushing.
But absolute.
Like standing near mountains that could decide to move whenever they wanted.
The arena was packed.
Tens of thousands of students.
Floating platforms hovered above, but this time, they weren't occupied by normal instructors.
They were occupied by legends.
At the center platform stood Fujiwara Tenko.
And behind him…
Eight figures.
The moment the students realized who they were—
The arena exploded.
"No way…"
"Is that really—"
"They're all here?!"
"ALL of them?!"
Hiko's eyes widened slightly.
Goru went silent.
Hinata's mouth opened a little in shock.
The Eight Radiances.
The Master Ranks.
The living ceiling of sorcery.
---
Gold Prasso stood at the front.
Tall. Calm. Wearing his usual golden coat, hands behind his back. His presence felt warm, stable—like standing near a sun that would never burn you unless you deserved it.
He smiled faintly at the crowd.
"Still this noisy, huh?"
Next to him stood Rougen Ray.
Hands in his pockets.
Yawning.
Hair messy.
Eyes half-lidded like he was bored out of his mind.
And yet, the space around him felt wrong.
Like reality was pretending he wasn't dangerous.
"Wow," Rougen muttered. "That's a lot of kids. Did we always have this many?"
Third was Zephyr Qe Ming.
A tall man with long silver-blue hair tied in a loose braid, wearing flowing robes that moved even without wind.
The air around him constantly spiraled.
Not violently.
Elegantly.
He smiled gently, eyes calm.
"Such young faces," Zephyr said softly. "The storm of the future."
Fourth was Hero Vetro.
Short hair. Wild grin. Jacket half-open like he didn't care about formalities.
He was literally bouncing on his heels.
"This is awesome!" Hero laughed. "I haven't seen this many rookies since the last continent war!"
Fifth was Jinkaru Zen.
Silent.
Pale.
Six ghostly arms floated behind his back, semi-transparent, moving slowly like they had minds of their own.
His eyes were closed.
Nobody knew if he was awake.
Sixth was Tartarus Redd.
A massive man with magma veins glowing faintly beneath his skin, arms crossed, expression permanently annoyed.
The ground near his feet was slightly melted.
"Hmph," Tartarus grunted. "If one of these kids explodes, I'm leaving."
Seventh was Feril Verrel.
A woman with long green hair, wearing a gambler's coat full of glowing cards floating around her.
She smiled brightly and waved at the students.
"Oho~ so many future investments~"
The eighth platform was empty.
Fujiwara spoke.
"Muscle XZeno is currently on duty, guarding high-risk prisoners."
Murmurs spread instantly.
"Even he's not free…"
"Isn't he the one who surpassed Rougen in his prime?"
Gold smiled faintly. "He would've been bored here anyway."
Rougen shrugged. "True."
---
Fujiwara raised his hand.
The arena fell silent.
"Students of Tengen High," he said. "Before you stand the Eight Radiances. Also known as the Master Ranks."
Every student felt their heart race.
"These individuals represent the highest authority of sorcery in our world."
Gold stepped forward.
His voice wasn't loud.
But everyone heard it.
"We're not here to scare you," Gold said calmly. "We're here because the world is changing."
Rougen added lazily, "And you're gonna be the ones dealing with it."
Hero laughed. "So congrats! You're all probably in danger!"
That did not help.
Zephyr spoke gently. "Calamities are increasing. Beasts are evolving. Evil sorcerers are emerging faster than ever."
Tartarus growled. "Which means a lot of you are gonna die if you stay weak."
Feril smiled. "So let's cheat a little~"
Gold raised his hand.
Behind him, floating devices appeared.
Watches.
Sleek, black, glowing with faint mana.
"Starting today," Gold announced, "every student will receive a Magic Watch."
Gasps.
"What?!"
"For free?!"
Feril spun one on her finger. "These things have every magical utility app you can imagine."
Rougen added, "Mana tracking. Spatial maps. Spell calibration. Emergency teleport. Recording. Training simulations."
Hero leaned forward. "Even a food app."
That got applause.
Gold's tone became serious.
"But there is one app you must never misuse."
The watches glowed.
A single icon appeared on every screen.
PROTECTION
Gold continued. "If you activate the Protection App, a high-ranking sorcerer will be dispatched to your location immediately."
The entire arena erupted.
"No way…"
"That's insane…"
"That means we can't die anymore!"
Tartarus snorted. "Wrong. It means you won't die stupidly."
Rougen yawned. "We won't always arrive in time."
Gold nodded. "This is not a safety net. It is a last resort."
Zephyr smiled softly. "The purpose is not to protect you from danger."
Jinkaru finally opened his eyes.
"It is to let you face danger… without disappearing from the world."
The words hit harder than any threat.
Fujiwara spoke again.
"You will now return to your classes. Training under your assigned sensei groups will continue."
The Master Ranks stepped back.
Gold looked directly at Class 1-C for a moment.
Hiko felt it.
Not pressure.
Recognition.
Then the assembly ended.
And Tengen High exploded with noise.
---
Back in Class 1-C, the room felt different.
Everyone was talking at once.
"Did you see Tartarus?!"
"Hero is insane!"
"Feril winked at me!"
Aren leaned back in his chair. "So… who's your sensei again?"
Goru and Hiko glanced at each other.
"…Yogan," Goru said.
The room went quiet.
"…The mech guy?"
"…The one who erased the sky?"
Rex whistled. "Damn."
Hinata looked nervous. "Isn't he… scary?"
Hiko smiled faintly. "Yeah. But he kept us alive."
Dain muttered, "That's enough."
Mira looked at them. "You two always get insane teachers…"
Goru shrugged. "At this point, I think normal would feel weird."
---
After school, the sun was already setting.
Hiko and Goru walked home together, hands in pockets, Magic Watches glowing faintly.
The city felt peaceful.
Too peaceful.
A giant holographic billboard flickered to life above the street.
"MYSTERY BOX!"
The ad was bright, colorful, overly energetic.
"GET A RANDOM TAMED BEAST!"
Goru stopped.
"…That's suspicious."
Hiko stared at the screen.
"…That's extremely suspicious."
The ad continued.
"One-time offer! Limited stock! Guaranteed summon!"
Goru slowly smiled.
"…We almost died like three times this week."
Hiko nodded.
"…We deserve something stupid."
They walked toward the shop.
The screen flashed again.
"WARNING: Results are completely random."
Goru looked at Hiko.
Hiko looked back.
They both stepped inside.
And the door closed behind them.
To be continued.