The academy didn't feel like a school anymore.
It felt like a battlefield waiting to explode.
Students spread across the entire Reikosha grounds, some running through corridors, others scanning the open fields, rooftops, and even underground paths. The earlier panic had turned into urgency. No one was laughing now. No one was relaxed.
They were searching.
For bombs.
Kairo wiped the sweat from his forehead as he ran past the training yard, his eyes scanning everything around him. "How the hell are we supposed to find bombs in a place this big…"
Yura moved beside him, calm but sharp, her gaze sweeping every corner. "Think. If you were them, where would you plant it?"
"Somewhere hidden," Kairo answered quickly. "Somewhere we wouldn't notice."
"Wrong," Yura said. "Somewhere we would notice… but too late."
Kairo clicked his tongue. "That doesn't help at all."
"Then keep moving," she replied, already stepping ahead.
Not far from them, Kimimaru moved alone through the forest edge near the academy walls. His steps were quiet, controlled, his eyes scanning the ground more than anything else. He wasn't rushing like the others.
He was observing.
"…If it's real," he muttered under his breath, "they wouldn't make it obvious."
A faint disturbance in the soil caught his attention, but before he could move closer..
A voice called out from behind.
"HEY! I FOUND SOMETHING!"
It was Reji.
Covered in dirt up to his hands, kneeling on the ground with a half-dug hole in front of him. His breathing was uneven, but his eyes were focused.
"I think yeah… yeah, this is it!"
Kairo and Yura rushed toward him, Kimimaru following silently from the side.
Reji dug faster, pulling away the dirt until a small metallic device became visible. It was compact, almost unnoticeable, but the faint blinking light on its surface made it clear.
A bomb.
Kairo's eyes widened. "No way…"
Yura crouched slightly, examining it without touching. "It's real."
Reji smirked despite the tension. "Told you I wasn't just strong for show."
Kimimaru stepped closer, his expression unreadable. "…There's more."
Before anyone could respond-
A distant explosion shook the ground.
Then-
Another.
BOOM.
The force rippled through the academy, sending birds flying into the sky and students stumbling from the shockwave. Dust rose from the far side of the campus as screams echoed faintly in the distance.
Kairo turned instantly. "What the hell was that?!"
Yura's eyes narrowed. "Two bombs… already detonated."
Reji clenched his fists. "Damn it… we're too late."
Kimimaru looked toward the direction of the explosion, his gaze cold. "…No. They did it on purpose."
"What?" Kairo asked.
"They wanted us to find the others," Kimimaru said. "To panic. To split up."
Yura stood up slowly. "Then we don't play their game."
Another voice cut in-
Hero.
He landed nearby, slightly out of breath, cards floating loosely around his fingers. "The east wing took damage, but no one's dead yet. Teachers are already there."
Kairo exhaled in relief. "Good…"
Hero looked at the bomb Reji uncovered. "…So this is what we're dealing with."
"Yeah," Reji replied. "And there's definitely more."
Yura turned to all of them. "Then we stop the rest. Fast."
Meanwhile, inside the faculty, Tine stood near the window, her expression unusually serious as she held a piece of paper. Symbols, names, and warnings were written clearly across it.
"The Sacred Crown royal guards have betrayed us."
She repeated the words softly before folding the paper neatly.
Judas watched from behind. "You're spreading it?"
Tine nodded. "The world needs to know."
She stepped outside, raising her hand slightly as a bird landed gently on her arm. It tilted its head, almost as if understanding her.
Tine tied the message carefully to its leg.
"Go," she whispered.
The bird took off instantly, flying high into the sky, carrying the truth beyond Reikosha Academy.
And not just one.
More birds followed.
More messages.
The warning spread.
Far away, in Cindervale...
King Leonard stood inside his chamber, staring at the message in his hand. His grip tightened slowly, the paper crumpling under his fingers as his expression twisted with anger.
"…They found out."
The air around him grew heavy.
"They weren't supposed to find out this fast…"
One of his guards stepped forward carefully. "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"
Leonard's eyes darkened.
"…We stop hiding."
He stepped forward, his voice cold and filled with rage.
"If they already know, then there's no point in subtlety."
He turned sharply.
"Prepare all forces."
The guards straightened immediately.
"We attack."
A slow, dangerous smile formed on his face.
"Not just the academy…"
His eyes gleamed with madness.
"…All of Reishin."
Back at the academy, the wind shifted slightly.
Yura looked up for a moment, her instincts reacting before her mind could process it.
"…Something's coming."
Kairo frowned. "What do you mean?"
But deep down
They all felt it.
This wasn't just a bombing anymore.
This was war.