"The key to survival is preparation and planning, which is what the three of you are about to experience. I'm sure that in the modern era, your training hasn't been sufficient due to limited resources. Here, we have all the natural resources you need for your training," Reikishi said as Gojin, Kenji, and Sakura walked behind him.
As they followed him, they ventured down a narrow, winding path that led away from the main temple. The air was still and quiet, broken only by the soft rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze. Towering trees loomed on either side.
After a short walk, they arrived at a hidden village nestled behind the large temple. The village was quaint and harmonious, with wooden structures that blended seamlessly into the lush landscape.
Around seventy inhabitants lived here, Soul Reapers and Exorcists. They were all going about their tasks, with some heading out on missions. Each wore the same uniform, the same one that the Second-years had worn.
"This is Kurokage, your real beginning but don't let it be your ending. Follow me to your new mentor, he would be in charge of your training." Reikishi lead them to a narrow path.
Coming out of the path, one could see a house at the front. The house was built from sturdy timber with a thatched roof. Its walls were a warm, natural brown. Two wooden lanterns hung on either side of the door, about four trees surrounded the empty spaces around the house, meters away from each other with deep sword gashes on them.
"Go on in; I have to continue with my prayer. Just tell him you're the new recruits," Reikishi said, vanishing out of sight.
The three of them sighed together.
"I hope he isn't like Denji-sensei," Sakura said as they stepped into the house.
Inside, everything was completely dark, with no openings for light or wind to break in. Yet somehow, it was freezing—so cold that white smoke billowed from their nostrils as they breathed. The three of them rubbed their hands together, trying to warm themselves up.
"Why is it so cold in here?" Gojin asked, shivering.
"Whoa, this is longer than we can see!" Sakura exclaimed in awe, her voice echoing through the room. Thanks to her shadow technique, she could see inside the dark house. It seems like a room, but stretched for about 1,000 meters long.
Gojin began to think while Sakura and Kenji were busy imagining how something this long could look so small from the outside.
"Her voice just echoed through the room—no, it's not a room; it's an arena. The lights must have been turned off by someone, but I can't sense any presence here apart from Kenji and Sakura. There has to be someone with us. Judging by the length Sakura just mentioned, there should be approximately eight lights on each side of the arena. If that's the case, the ceiling must be deep, and about eight bright lamps should be hanging from it. All I need to do is infuse some flames since these are just normal lanterns that require natural fire," Gojin thought.
He stretched his hands into the air, and instantly, fire began to ignite across the ceiling. His calculations were right—eight bright lamps lit up, but they only brightened half of the arena.
"Thankfully, Taro taught me this fire technique." Three years ago, Taro had shown Gojin how to use a fire infusion technique, allowing him to ignite anything, but only to a certain limit—about the size of a ball. However, the system had never leveled up this technique due to an error that occurred multiple times, causing delays in reflecting rewards from exorcisms and other tasks.
At least now, he had a new incomplete quest, which he could use to see if the error still existed.
Gojin scanned the dark space, contemplating the lighting situation. "Eight lanterns definitely won't be enough to illuminate a place this long," he thought. "If this arena is truly 1,000 meters, I'd need a lot more to ensure it's well-lit."
He mentally calculated the spacing. "If I space the lanterns about 10 to 15 meters apart, I'd probably need around 70 to 100 lanterns along the length to get even coverage. And if these lanterns are brighter—say, 300 to 500 lumens—I could manage with about 30 to 50."
Gojin frowned. "I need to infuse a lot more fire to make this work," he concluded, determined to find a solution.
Gojin focused intently, channeling more flames to ignite additional lanterns along the entire arena. As he did, Sakura and Kenji watched in stunned silence. One by one, the lanterns flickered on, illuminating the space until finally, 35 lanterns glowed brightly, banishing the shadows and brightening the whole arena.
"You actually lit up the room—I mean, arena!" Kenji exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement.
Clang!
The sound of iron striking iron reverberated through the air, drawing their attention to the front of the arena. There, seated on a chair, was a man gripping an iron rod, which he had been using to tap rhythmically against the chair.
He wore a half grim mask that covered the left side of his face, the mask had dragon patterns with a death mark on it - painted in dark hues—black, deep gray and dark purple. A hollow eye socket was present on it. His long, unkempt black hair cascaded down his shoulders, held back by a silver hairpin.
A black hakama, patterned with serpents, draped around him."Hello, newbies. You're the first set to ever turn on the lanterns in less than ten minutes. If you had taken longer, I would have carried out a stealth attack on you," he said, his voice deep and resonant.
The three of them stared in shock at the man.
"He was there? Gojin couldn't feel his presence, and Sakura couldn't see him! How is that possible?" Kenji contemplated, staring at the man.
"I see you're stunned by how I was here without you noticing. That's just one thing you'll learn later. My name is Takeshi, but please, don't call me that—call me Sensei," he said, with a awkward grin.
Suddenly, he appeared behind Sakura. "Nothing special, I suppose. Just a shadow technique. Name?"
"Sakura," she replied in a low, subtle voice.
He then appeared in front of Kenji. "You possess nothing but Kurozai, that nuisance. Being a vessel for him is nothing more than a joke. But since you haven't been executed, I suppose you're being used to find all his remaining pieces. Then—slash!—you're done for. Surprisingly, I must inform you to expect something else: He is the King of Akumas, and you'll see his true form for yourself. Since you have good resilience and can control him from taking over your body, I'll watch how this unfolds. Also, remember that Kurozai isn't the biggest threat; he might even be an ally against these dangers. I have nothing more to say. Name?"
"Kenji."
"The Kuroyami clan! bastards of ages," Sensei muttered. It seemed like he knew the clans in which they came from through their names.
"Now you," he continued, turning to Gojin:
"Your power is unmatched, beyond space and time—a delicate tool capable of bringing heaven, hell, and the multiverse to its end. But you haven't reached that point yet, even though you're powerful enough to defeat Kurozai five times. Here, you will undergo my training, which is more powerful than both Kurozai and you. Name?"
"...Gojin."
"Wow, from the Seren clan—the real treasure among clans," Sensei thought, vanishing and reappearing back in his seat.
"Bye-bye! See you in the training ground!" He flicked his hands, and suddenly the ground beneath the three of them opened up like a door. They fell in unprepared, and just as quickly, it closed behind them.