Three years of training had passed.
Mr. P appeared with a completely new look. He wore a black suit, had short black hair, a moderately muscular build, and seemed slightly taller than before. He used to be 190 cm tall, but now he had grown to 192 cm.
He was standing outside when Kazuya approached him.
Kazuya was now eighteen years old. He had thick medium-length brown hair, dark circles beneath his eyes, and an indifferent gaze. His outfit had changed as well; he wore shorts and a white coat with the words "Fourth Special Member" written on the back. He had also grown to 178 cm.
Mr. P looked at him and asked,
"How has your training been?"
Kazuya sat down beside him and replied,
"Pretty good, I guess."
"I'm glad to hear that," said Mr. P.
Then he continued,
"I want to tell you a story."
"Long ago, there was a kingdom called Tartarus. The people there lived happily and peacefully. Among them was a man who lived with his wife and young daughter."
"One day, the man went to his farm as usual. But when he returned, he found that the entire kingdom had been destroyed."
"His village had been reduced to ashes."
"He ran toward his house as fast as he could."
"When he arrived, he found his wife and daughter dead."
"At that moment, he swore to take revenge."
Kazuya lowered his head slightly.
"That sounds sad."
At that moment, the Crow-Masked Man entered the area. He had only changed his clothes and was now wearing a white suit.
Behind him came Regina. She had cut her hair short and changed her outfit to black pants, a short shirt, and a black coat. On her sword were the words "Fifth Special Member."
Soon after, Hamura arrived. He had medium-length black hair and wore blue pants with a blue sweatshirt. On the shoulder of his clothes were the words "Sixth Special Member."
At the same time, Shinagawa and Seijun appeared.
Seijun wore a green shirt and green pants, while Shinagawa was dressed in traditional samurai training clothes.
Standing before them was Gen.
"Congratulations," Gen said. "You have officially become Special-Class Soldiers."
"Thank you," Shinagawa replied.
Gen crossed his arms.
"But I want to tell you something. Being a soldier isn't something wonderful. It's terrible."
"No matter how many wars you fight in, no one will truly care."
"Let me tell you a story."
"A very long time ago, a war broke out between the Kingdom of Gold and the Kingdom of Silver. It lasted for five hundred years."
"The Kingdom of Gold had four unmatched warriors."
"Those warriors fought entire armies by themselves."
"They continued fighting until a truce was finally established."
"After the war, one of the four warriors returned home."
"When he arrived, he discovered that the woman he loved was cheating on him."
"He lost control and wanted to kill her lover."
"But the woman reported him."
"As a result, the warrior was imprisoned for one hundred years."
"That's why war is not a good thing."
Meanwhile, the Crow-Masked Man stepped forward.
"It is time for your first mission after three years."
Kazuya smiled slightly.
"Alright."
"Your mission is simple," said the Crow-Masked Man. "Kill these six men."
Kazuya, Hamura, and Regina stepped forward.
Kazuya looked at the targets and said,
"Hello, you bastards."
One of the men immediately rushed toward him and tried to strike.
Kazuya calmly raised his hand.
"Time Magic: Final Time."
The man instantly died.
Final Time was a spell that accelerated a target's remaining lifespan until the moment of death.
Another man charged at Regina.
"The Great Sword: Regina Slash."
A gigantic sword appeared.
With a single swing, the man was cut in half.
The Great Sword Regina was a massive magical sword that Regina could summon whenever she wished.
The remaining three men rushed toward Hamura.
Hamura stepped forward without fear.
"Brain Explosion."
An instant later, all three of their heads exploded.
Brain Explosion was a spell invented by Hamura himself. It originated from his abilities to manipulate blood and the brain. By controlling the blood within a target's body, he could directly affect and destroy the brain.
After finishing the mission, the three returned.
"We're done," they said.
Later, Kazuya sat beside the Crow-Masked Man at headquarters.
After a moment of silence, Kazuya spoke.
"A long time ago, we were fighting someone."
"Then a white light appeared before us."
"It told us to choose one type of magic to become the strongest, in exchange for sacrificing all our other forms of magic."
The Crow-Masked Man nodded.
"That phenomenon is known as Cruel Energy."
"It is the highest stage of magic mastery."