Chapter Twelve: “The Announcement”
Chapter Twelve: "The Announcement"
Tournament Arc – Prelude I
The sky above Tenkai shimmered with unnatural stillness. A ghostly wind swept through the ancient floating academy, carrying whispers and rumors between students of all years. In the center of campus, the colossal Sky Arena stood like a god's eye — surrounded by concentric terraces carved from spirit-forged stone. Students filled every level, standing shoulder to shoulder, murmuring with growing unease.
Then the wind stopped.
A pulse of energy cracked through the air like a thunderclap. A beam of light surged upward from the arena's center, blinding in its brilliance. The murmurs ceased.
And from within the pillar descended a man draped in black-and-silver ceremonial robes, his face half-veiled by spirit silk — the infamous Headmaster Yorei, a legend even among the Six Clans.
He landed on the central platform with no sound. Only pressure.
His presence hit like gravity.
"Two days from now," Yorei's voice rang out, calm but resonant, "the doors to the Crest Clash Tournament will open."
Gasps broke the silence like glass.
Even among the upperclassmen, the Special Year students — those trained beyond rank — there was a shift in posture. Whispers erupted in waves.
A tournament? So soon?
Yorei lifted one hand and silence returned, almost involuntarily.
"This is no ordinary event. It is a Council-sanctioned Advancement Trial. Every student — First Year to Special Grade — may challenge upward. You may duel any opponent, regardless of rank."
Shock rippled through the crowd.
"Victory means elevation. Fail, and your crest may be stripped. No teacher interference. No substitutions. No surrender."
He paused, and in that pause, all of Tenkai held its breath.
"Rise. Or be forgotten."
The light engulfed him, and the Headmaster was gone — leaving behind only his echo.
Takashi stood among the Fourth Years, silent, his hands buried in his jacket pockets.
Around him, reactions fired like chain lightning.
"Wait, anyone can challenge anyone?"
"This is suicide for First Years…"
"I'm aiming for Zenin clan students. They're too cocky."
Akihiro cracked his neck, eyes locked on the empty arena. "I just finished healing from the last mission… and now this?"
Airi, calm but visibly tense, tapped her fingers against her soul beads. "This is our chance. We've seen real battle. They haven't."
Sakura, arms folded, murmured under her breath, "So we climb… or we fall."
Takashi didn't say a word.
But inside his chest, something old and quiet stirred awake.
Later that day, far from the noise of the academy, Takashi stood alone beneath the roaring waterfall of the Tenkai Inner Forest. His breath steamed in the cold, the air thick with elemental pressure.
The water pounded his body like hammer blows. But he didn't flinch. Didn't tremble.
He'd been there for hours.
Practicing aura cycling. Controlling Oblivion thread flow through his limbs. Activating sealed circuits in his spirit lines. His hands shook — not from weakness, but from containment.
He was evolving.
His muscles stretched and contracted under spiritual load. His bones hummed. His core heated — not with fire, but with density.
Not just power.
Control.
He remembered the words of a woman he'd never met, but had heard in Rengoku's voice, buried in memory.
"Burn for both of us."
The sky above the waterfall cracked with red lightning.
Takashi screamed into the air and the his aura flared dangerously wild but controlled tearing the water away for a while.
"Oops".
By morning, a different boy stepped from the mist.
Taller. More defined. His once-lean frame was now sharp with muscle — a slim, sculpted powerhouse. Eight rigid abs cut down his midsection, wrapped by black threads of aura that flickered like embers.
Even his posture had changed.
Balanced. Confident. Ready.
He stood on the stone floor of the dorm training deck, shirtless, his breathing slow and measured.
He wasn't showing off but admiring his new physique
"Two days," he muttered to no one. "I'll be ready to face anyone who challenges me"