The beginning of the end
For two days, they remained unconscious.
Takuma had stayed awake the entire time.
His exhaustion didn't matter-what mattered was the dark mana he had sensed lingering in the air.
It was still out there, watching, waiting.
When his students finally awoke, they were greeted with the warmth of rest and recovery.
Akemi and Hiritsu stretched, laughing as they felt the soreness in their limbs-a sign of how much they had pushed themselves. But Aiki...
Aiki was silent.
His disappointment in himself was clear.
He had been so close-so close to victory, yet his body had failed him.
Takuma didn't address it.
Not yet.
Instead, he met with each of them privately before calling them all to the garden.
He had tested them in everything-endurance, intelligence, combat prowess.
Now, the only thing left was to sharpen them into the strongest warriors this world had ever seen.
They weren't ready yet.
But they would be.
Akemi was unparalleled in her mana reserves-even surpassing Takuma himself.
If she were to master higher-tier magic, even forbidden spells, she could become unstoppable.
Hiritsu was a genius in battle.
His mind worked faster than most, and his combat experience made him a master of both close and long-range engagements.
He was the perfect strategist, capable of creating openings for others to exploit.
Aiki was an assassin by nature.
His speed, precision, and unpredictable swordplay made him a terror in close combat.
He didn't fight with brute strength, nor overwhelming magic-he fought with instinct, flowing like a shadow through battle.
Individually, they were powerful.
Together, they were invincible.
If they reached their full potential, nothing-no dungeon, no battlefield-would stand against them.
They would become the frontline against the horrors still plaguing the world.
But their enemies were not just monsters.
There were beings so powerful, so feared, that even now, their names sent shivers down the spines of the strongest warriors.
Count Dracula, a creature of the night, immortal and unkillable by conventional means.
The Demon King, Beelzebub, who had ruled for fifty years, leaving nothing but destruction in his wake.
His magic was the same as Aiki's-spatial manipulation.
But unlike Aiki, Beelzebub specialized in long-range devastation, a god of the battlefield.
And beyond them, there were countless others.
But the greatest threat of all...
The Holder of the Ring.
A being consumed by power.
The ring didn't grant strength-it devoured the soul, twisting its bearer into something unrecognizable.
There was no salvation for those who wore it.
They could not be spared.
They had to be killed.
Because if they weren't-
They would kill everyone else.
The continent of Kaitogawa was once a land of unity, named after its great ruler-King Kaito.
He was a sovereign like no other, the father of three powerful heirs:
Taki,Aguni, and Arthur.
In his era, the entire continent thrived under a single rule, his dominion stretching across the vast lands like an unshakable empire.
But with his death, the unity shattered.
The land was divided among his children:
Arthur's Kingdom, later named Arthuria, flourished with knights and honor.
Taki's Kingdom, renamed Takion, became a stronghold of warriors and mages.
Years passed, and power shifted.
The Queen's Kingdom, once independent, saw the growing threat of demons looming over the lands.
Recognizing that they could not stand alone, the ruling Queen made a fateful decision—a contract with Arthuria.
Through this pact, the Queen's Kingdom and Arthuria merged into one powerful empire, a force strong enough to rival the tides of darkness.
Together, they would stand against Takion's ambitions and the demon threat.
This union reshaped the balance of power, creating a single, unbreakable Kingdom of Arthuria in the current age.
Aguni's Demon Realm, cast into the distant oceans, cursed and forsaken.
The demons of Aguni were not content in exile.
Across the ages, they launched invasions, claiming land after land, their thirst for conquest unending.
Eventually, their shadow loomed over Takion, igniting a war that would be remembered for centuries.
At first, it was a war of power.
But before the battle had even begun, Aguni uncovered the truth-
Taki had betrayed him.
What was meant to be a war for dominance turned into something far worse.
A war fueled by hatred.
A war of revenge.
Eras passed, and the demons carved their claim into Kaitogawa, their corruption spreading like wildfire.
A quarter of the continent now lay in their grasp. And deep within these conquered lands, far from the demon realm, resided the current Demon King, Beelzebub-a monstrous ruler who had left destruction in his wake for fifty years.
Both Takion and Arthuria longed to reclaim their lost lands from the demons.
But it was too dangerous.
Far too dangerous.
No one knew how to infiltrate the demon territory, let alone defeat the Demon King, Beelzebub.
His power was beyond human comprehension, an existence that defied logic.
If war broke out again, it was almost certain that the demons would crush the kingdom entirely.
A decade ago, seeing no other way to survive, the Queen of Arthuria and the King of Takion forged an unprecedented peace treaty.
A pact to unite against the demons.
For ten long years, they sought warriors strong enough to break into the demon's domain and end Beelzebub's reign.
But no such warriors came.
Despite all their efforts, none had the strength to challenge the demons.
The human forces were far too weak.
And with the sudden disappearance of the continent's top two ranked mages, their hopes dwindled further.
Against the demons-especially Beelzebub-no human stood a chance.
But Takuma had a different vision.
He had trained warriors before, but none were ever enough.
Now, with the students he had gathered, he saw a new possibility-a chance to forge warriors who could stand against the darkness.
He made a decision.
He would push them beyond human limits.
For an entire day, he pushed their bodies and minds to their absolute breaking point, forcing them to use every last drop of their power.
They had to feel the edge of death, to learn the true depth of their strength.
Yet, amidst their grueling training-something unexpected happened.
Takuma, the legendary mage, suddenly collapsed.
The exhaustion had finally caught up to him.
After days of no sleep, fueled only by his unrelenting will, his body had finally given in.
And as he fell unconscious, the shadows of war loomed closer.
Takuma had collapsed from exhaustion, but it did not last long.
After only a few hours, his eyes shot open as if awakening from a nightmare.
His body tensed, his breath short-but before he could react, his students calmed him down.
They had been waiting.
Watching.
And for the first time in years, Takuma realized-he was not alone.
Though Aiki remained his usual silent self, Akemi and Hiritsu had grown close.
Their bond was unmistakable, a connection as clear as day.
Some might even call it love, though it was too early to be certain.
Their idea of joking?
Throwing massive fireballs at each other.
Each explosion, each counterattack-it all strengthened their bond.
But for Hiritsu, this bond was dangerous.
Unknowingly, he was walking a path where his secrets could shatter everything.
If anyone learned the truth of his ring, it wouldn't just be his parents he betrayed.
It would be Akemi, Aiki, and Takuma too.
Yet, Hiritsu remained oblivious.
His kindness, his laughter-so pure, so genuine-allowed him to connect with everyone.
He didn't see the danger.
But Takuma did.
For two relentless years, Takuma honed them into warriors.
Aiki became an assassin beyond human limits.
His stealth had reached a terrifying level-he could now walk among enemies without a shadow, without a sound.
His spatial magic, once crude and weak, had evolved into something fearsome.
He could now summon over a hundred blades, each one a death sentence to his enemies.
Hiritsu became a master of the impossible-a mage who fought up close with daggers, yet controlled magic so powerfully that the battlefield always bent to his will.
Every step, every strike-calculated and decisive.
But it was Akemi who became something beyond mortal comprehension.
Her spells no longer resembled the magic of the common world.
Some whispered that she had already risen to the top 20 strongest mages alive.
She had mastered forbidden magic, spells so powerful that Takuma himself had to warn her-
"Do not use them unless it's your last option."
She was no longer just a warrior. She was a force of nature.
This team-this unstoppable force-was finally what Takuma had dreamed of.
A team that could change the world.
A team that would reclaim their stolen lands.
A team that would eradicate the monsters who had ruled for far too long.
And as Takuma watched them stand before him, no longer students but warriors ready to face fate itself, he knew-
The war for Kaitogawa had truly begun.