The Crimson Declaration acted as a catalyst, transforming the simmering tension of Black Fang High into a frantic, palpable dread. The three-day countdown was not just a timeframe; it was a death clock, each tick echoing in the terrified minds of the student body. The school fractured along lines of fear and desperation.
Day One: The Panic
The first day was defined by chaos. Attendance dropped by half as students, fearing the coming storm, simply stayed home. Those who did show up were skittish and paranoid. Fights broke out over trivial matters, fueled by frayed nerves. The authority of the teachers, already a joke, completely evaporated. They locked themselves in the staff room, leaving the students to fend for themselves.
Takeda and the Student Council used the panic to consolidate their power. They portrayed themselves as the only bastion of order, the only ones with a plan. They held recruitment drives, promising protection and a place in the new hierarchy to anyone who would stand with them against both Crimson Fist and the "curse" that was Ravi Sharma. Many, desperate for a sense of security, joined them. Takeda's faction swelled, becoming a sizable but undisciplined militia armed with makeshift weapons and false bravado.
Reina Kurozawa, meanwhile, worked from the shadows. She pulled her loyal Disciplinary Squad members from their official duties, re-tasking them as an intelligence unit. They didn't prepare for a brawl; they prepared for a war. They scouted the school grounds, identifying strategic chokepoints, vantage points, and potential ambush locations. They studied maps of the surrounding district, charting Crimson Fist's likely approach routes. While Takeda was building an army of scared children, Reina was preparing a battlefield.
Her focus was not on winning, but on containment. She knew the main event would be between Ravi and Renji. Her job was to manage the undercard, to minimize collateral damage, to ensure that the inevitable clash of monsters didn't consume the entire school in the process.
And Ravi? He did nothing.
His routine remained unchanged. He attended class (or at least, occupied a seat in the classroom), he ate his lunch in a quiet corner, and he spent his afternoons on the rooftop. His calm, a stark contrast to the school's hysteria, was an unnerving spectacle. To some, it was proof of his arrogance. To others, it was a sign of a confidence so absolute that the coming war was beneath his notice.
The Silent Guard, under Kenji's command, followed his lead. They did not train or arm themselves for a large-scale battle. Instead, they perfected their new role. They became a human shield, a silent, mobile wall that kept the chaos of the school away from their king. Their presence was a constant, unnerving reminder of Ravi's silent power. They were the calm eye of the hurricane, and their unwavering faith in their king was, in its own way, more intimidating than Takeda's frantic war-mongering.
Day Two: The Probes
The second day, the probing attacks began. Small squads of Crimson Fist students, no more than three or four at a time, started appearing at the edges of Black Fang's territory. They were like wolves testing a fence line, looking for weaknesses. They didn't launch full-scale assaults; they engaged in quick, brutal skirmishes with any Black Fang students they could find, gathering information about their fighting strength and morale.
Takeda's newly formed militia eagerly met these probes, hoping to score an early, morale-boosting victory. The results were disastrous. The Crimson Fist students, though fewer in number, were seasoned, sadistic brawlers. They dismantled Takeda's undisciplined recruits with contemptuous ease, leaving them battered, broken, and demoralized. Each skirmish was a humiliating defeat for Black Fang, and the news only amplified the school's terror.
During one such probe, a squad of four Crimson Fist thugs managed to push deeper than the others, making it to the main school building. They cornered a group of first-years, their laughter echoing in the tense hallways.
Before they could land a blow, they found their path blocked. It was Reina Kurozawa, flanked by two of her most trusted Disciplinary Squad members.
"This is as far as you go," Reina said, her voice as cold as ice. The steel whip in her hand uncoiled, slithering across the floor like a serpent.
The Crimson Fist leader, a lanky boy with a cruel sneer, laughed. "The Ice Queen herself. I've heard of you. Takeda promised us this whole school. That includes you."
"Takeda promised you a meal," Reina replied, her violet eyes narrowing. "He didn't tell you it was poisoned."
The fight was short and brutal. Reina's style was the antithesis of the Crimson Fist brawlers. Where they were chaotic and wild, she was precise and economical. Her whip was a blur, disarming one, entangling the legs of another. Her two subordinates, trained in her defensive style, moved in perfect sync, disabling their opponents with sharp, precise joint locks.
In less than a minute, the four Crimson Fist thugs were on the ground, groaning in pain, their limbs twisted at unnatural angles. They were not just beaten; they had been systematically dismantled.
Reina stood over their leader, the tip of her whip resting gently on his throat. "Go back to your master," she said, her voice a deadly whisper. "Tell Renji that Black Fang is not as weak as Takeda led him to believe. There is still order here. And there are still fangs."
She let them limp away, a calculated move. It was a message. A warning that not everyone at Black Fang was a coward, and that the coming war would not be the easy slaughter they anticipated.
Day Three: The Calm
The final day was the quietest. The calm before the storm. The school was a ghost town. The probes had stopped. The air was thick with a heavy, final-day dread. Everyone knew that tomorrow, at the final bell, Renji and his army would arrive.
Ravi spent the entire day on the rooftop. He didn't nap. He didn't look at the sky. He sat cross-legged in the center of the roof, his eyes closed, perfectly still. He looked like a meditating statue.
Reina, watching him from a nearby building through a pair of binoculars, felt a sense of awe. He wasn't meditating in any traditional sense. She could feel it, even from a distance. The void-like aura around him was… different. It was denser, more focused. It felt like he was drawing his infinite, scattered consciousness back into his physical form. The reluctant god was, for the first time, preparing himself. Not for a fight, but for an act.
As the sun began to set, casting the city in a bloody orange glow, Reina made her way to the rooftop. She knew this might be her last chance to speak with him before the war began.
She found him standing at the edge, looking down at the school.
"They're coming tomorrow," she said, stating the obvious.
"I know," he replied, his voice a low hum.
"I've made preparations," she continued. "My squad will control key points. We'll try to keep the fighting contained to the main courtyard. We can minimize the damage, keep the other students safe."
"Your plan is sound," he said, surprising her. "For a fight between mortals."
He turned to face her. His silver eyes were no longer empty. They held a clarity, a depth that was mesmerizing. The weariness was gone, replaced by a crystalline focus.
"Reina," he said, his voice serious. "Tomorrow, when they arrive, I want you and your people to stand down."
Reina stared at him, shocked. "What? Stand down? Let them rampage through the school? We have to—"
"No," he interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. "This is not your fight. This is not Takeda's fight. This is not this school's fight. Renji Himura is not coming for Black Fang. He is coming for me. Takeda simply opened my cage."
He took a step closer. "You told me I couldn't pretend this wasn't happening. You were right. The world demands a response. Tomorrow, I will give it one."
He looked past her, at the dying sun. "I made a promise to myself that I would not interfere. That I would let the world turn on its own. But the world keeps knocking on my door, demanding I play the king."
He met her gaze again, and a cold, chilling power emanated from him. It wasn't the oppressive aura from before. It was the calm, absolute certainty of a law of nature about to assert itself.
"Fine," he said, his voice a whisper that seemed to echo across the rooftop. "Tomorrow, the king will hold court."