It had been three days since Zilong and the others had arrived at the secret facility. It was like a school, but much larger—it was an entire organization. The organization was massive, even bigger than Zilong initially thought; it could easily be the size of half a country. This place had everything, and it turned out that Mr. Haruki was a significant figure within the organization. Zilong didn't know much about this mysterious group, but it seemed that their primary mission was to exterminate Onis.
---
Zilong woke up feeling physically drained but with his spirit burning with energy. Today, they were going to officially join the organization. Zilong had been unsure about joining at first, but when he heard about the rewards and salary, he immediately accepted the job. He had never imagined earning such a sum in his life.
He quickly jumped out of the bunk bed, landing on his feet with vigor.
"Jacob, wake up!" Zilong exclaimed.
Jacob, lying on the bed below, looked up at him, groggy. "What? It's just 5 a.m.," Jacob grumbled. Zilong, thinking about all the things he could do with the money, just smiled.
---
A Few Days Earlier
"What? A hundred thousand?" Zilong exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. He stared in shock and disbelief at the man in the black suit sitting across from him.
"Well, sir, I have to warn you that this profession may be dangerous—"
"Does it pay a hundred thousand dollars per month?" Zilong interrupted.
"Y-yes," the man replied, surprised.
"Then what are you talking about? This is destiny," Zilong said, his eyes shining with excitement. He spread his arms wide, happily accepting the offer.
---
**Back to the Present**
Zilong and Jacob walked toward the main coliseum. Despite it being early in the morning, the area was buzzing with students chatting loudly. Then they spotted Emma and Ava in the distance.
Zilong rushed over to them.
Ava looked at Zilong and smiled. "Zilong..."
They were supposed to go to Class One. In this academy-like organization, there were different classes—130 in total. Each individual had to pass all of them to become an Executioner.
This organization had a ranking system for those who hunted Onis:
- The Knights
- The Seekers
- The Emissaries
- The Executioners
- The Superiors
Zilong wasn't clear on all the details, but this was how people were ranked within the organization.
They quickly made their way to a huge tower that spanned over 500 meters in height, towering above the rest of the structure. The tower was made of a black material that reflected the light around it; in fact, it seemed to reflect the world back like a black mirror.
"Damn, at nightfall this tower would be perfectly hidden," Zilong said, his eyes wide as he looked up at the towering structure. Because of the black material, Zilong could imagine how invisible this tower would be after dark. In fact, it was almost invisible now because the sun hadn't risen—they had woken up early.
"Jacob, isn't this great?" Zilong smiled.
"Just leave me alone," Jacob replied angrily.
"Don't worry about him," Emma said, pointing to the towering structure. "He gets like this whenever he's woken up this early."
"Let's go."
They entered the large building to the sounds of chatting people—mostly Knights, the lowest rank in the organization, often considered the lowest of the low. At least, that's how the credentials officer had described them.
They moved through the large space, where students were chatting excitedly with each other. There was a huge elevated platform in the hall, and a figure stepped onto it.
"Be quiet," a commanding voice said. On the platform stood a woman with long jet-black hair and cold green eyes. She appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and the room fell silent.
"You are all here to receive a golden opportunity..." she said, looking over the crowd.
The crowd fell silent. Zilong watched her closely. He couldn't tell what rank she held, but the fact that she had walked in unnoticed until she chose to speak meant she must be of high rank, he thought.
She continued to speak, explaining the academy's ranks and rules. Some of it was already familiar to Zilong, while some were not.
He was particularly surprised to learn that the Onis had their own rankings as well. The power of the Onis depended on these ranks:
- An Imp
- A Fiend
- A Hunter
- A Reaper
- A Grim Reaper
"An Imp may seem the weakest, but they are also the most cunning. No matter what situation you find yourself in while fighting any of these ranks, proceed with caution. Even an Imp could decimate an entire town, killing everyone in the process," she warned.
Gasps were heard from the crowd. Zilong looked around but was also thinking, *Was the Reaper that attacked our ship an Imp?* He quickly dismissed the thought.
The class proceeded smoothly, and when the instructor finished her speech, she left the stage.
Now, the crowd waited for their combat instructor to arrive.
*Thud*
With a loud thud, the closed doors of the building burst open, and a man ran in.
"Ahh, I'm sorry I'm late!" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head.
He looked around to see all the students staring at him and scratched his head nervously.
"Where's the lady?" he asked, his gaze wandering around.
"She left a few minutes ago," a student scoffed.
The man sighed. "Well… let's start our training..."
---
Meanwhile, Elsewhere in the Academy...
A room was enveloped in darkness, its vast expanse only broken by the soft, eerie glow of lights that seemed to float mid-air, casting a dim, ghostly luminescence throughout the space.
At the center, a large, round stone table commanded attention, surrounded by equally formidable stone chairs that appeared as if they had been hewn directly from the very bones of the room itself—massive and unyielding, their backs stretching upwards like the spines of ancient, petrified beasts.
Seated in one of these imposing chairs was an old man with a shock of white hair. His presence was both still and restless. His eyes were sharp and alive despite his age, and his posture—cross-legged—conveyed a strange mix of calmness and agitation. His fingers drummed rhythmically against the armrest, a steady, impatient tap that echoed faintly in the silence of the chamber, as if he were waiting for something—or someone.
Suddenly, with a soft hiss and a whisper of cool air, the high-tech doors at the far end of the room slid open, breaking the darkness with a sliver of light. The old man's drumming fingers stopped, his hand settling on the armrest as his thin lips curled into a knowing smile.
"Welcome, Night," Mr. Haruki greeted warmly, his voice carrying a tone of both expectation and intrigue, as his gaze fixed intently on the figure entering the room.
"Your reason for summoning the six superiors had better be good; otherwise—" the man gritted his teeth, speaking in a slightly annoyed tone.
Mr. Haruki smiled. "It's nice to see you too..."