The news of Viper's public, humiliating defeat reached the leaders of the Iron-Serpent Alliance before she had even made it back to her own territory. Jin had intentionally allowed a few witnesses to record the event on their phones. The grainy, dark footage of his ghost-like takedown and the Aegis's disciplined coordination was already viral in the city's delinquent networks.
The message was received, but not in the way Jin and Reina had hoped.
In the weight room of Ironhide High—a chamber of rusted iron, sweat, and groaning machinery—Kenta "The Steel Jaw" watched the video on a cracked smartphone held by one of his trembling lieutenants. The room was silent except for the clanking of weights and Kenta's heavy, rhythmic breathing.
Kenta was a man who looked like he was carved from granite. He was not as tall as Renji, but he was twice as dense, a being of pure, compressed muscle. His most prominent feature was his massive, square jaw, which housed muscles so powerful they were said to be able to crush bone as easily as chalk.
He watched the video twice. He saw the coordinated blockade. He saw Jin's fluid, precise takedown. He heard the chilling, whispered threat. He then handed the phone back to his lieutenant.
"Stealth. Tricks. Poisons," he grunted, his voice a low, gravelly vibration like shifting tectonic plates. "The Serpent's games. They are cowards hiding in the shadows."
He stood up and walked over to a heavily loaded barbell, well over 500 pounds. Without a warm-up, he positioned himself beneath it, hoisted it onto his shoulders, and began to perform deep, punishing squats, his leg muscles bulging like steel cables.
"So," he said between reps, his voice strained but steady. "The Silent King's little Queen has a disciplined army. She has assassins who can fight in the dark. It means nothing."
He racked the weight with a deafening crash that made his followers flinch. He turned to face them, his eyes burning with a simple, unshakeable conviction.
"Stealth is useless against a fortress. Assassins are useless against a body of steel. They sent a message using shadows. We will send our response in the bright light of day, with overwhelming, unbreakable force."
He cracked his neck, the sound like a tree branch snapping. "That little snake Ouroboros can play his games of espionage. My way is simpler. We will not probe. We will not test. We will march to their front door and we will kick it down. We will smash their 'Aegis' to dust and drag this Silent King out of his castle by force."
His followers roared in approval. They were not strategists. They were brawlers who believed in one thing: absolute physical power and resilience. Kenta's simple, direct plan resonated with their very nature.
"Where is the King's territory?" Kenta demanded.
"His 'Queen' has taken over the Black Fang gymnasium as her base of operations, sir," a lieutenant reported. "And the King himself… he is always at the school. In the library or on the rooftop."
Kenta's lips pulled back in a grim smile. "Good," he rumbled. "Tomorrow. We pay them a visit. Let's see if their fangs can scratch steel."
At Serpent Coil Academy, the reaction was colder and more analytical. The leader, Ouroboros, remained in the shadows, communicating with his inner circle through encrypted text messages. Viper stood before a council of masked senior students, her head bowed in shame.
Asset 'Viper' has failed. But the data is valuable, the message from Ouroboros appeared on a large screen. Enemy capabilities exceed expectations. They possess a sophisticated intelligence network. Their field commander, 'Ghostface,' is highly skilled in CQC (Close Quarters Combat) and counter-assassination techniques. Their ground troops, 'The Aegis,' are disciplined and operate with tactical cohesion.
A new message appeared. Direct confrontation is now classified as high-risk. Kenta's plan for a frontal assault is crude and likely to fail. However, it will serve as an excellent distraction.
Viper looked up, confused. "A distraction? What are your orders, Ouroboros-sama?"
Let the iron beast and his thugs make their noise at the front gate, the screen flashed. They will draw the full attention of the Queen and her Aegis. While they are occupied with the brute force attack, we will initiate Phase Two.
The masked council members leaned forward, their interest piqued.
The King's power is absolute, but his behavior is passive. He relies on his Queen to handle all threats. This is a potential systemic weakness. We will bypass the shield entirely. While Kenta is fighting the army, a specialized cell will infiltrate the school. Their target is not the King. Their target is the civilian population.
A cold chill went through the room.
We will create a hostage situation in a location far from the battle. We will prove that for all their strength, their 'Aegis' cannot be everywhere at once. We will force the King into a choice: abandon his peace to save the innocent, or allow them to be harmed, shattering the myth of his silent protection.
We will see what a god does when mortals he has chosen to live amongst are threatened. We will test his apathy.
Viper finally understood the chilling brilliance of the plan. It wasn't about winning a fight. It was about creating a psychological checkmate.
Prepare the 'Sleepers' cell, the final message read. Tomorrow, we give the King a problem that cannot be solved with a single punch.
The next day, the atmosphere at Black Fang was tense but confident. The successful mission against Viper had been a massive morale boost for the Aegis. They felt proactive, powerful. Reina was in the gymnasium, reviewing patrol schedules and intelligence reports, a sense of controlled satisfaction on her face. Her new army was proving to be everything she had hoped.
It was Jin who brought the news, his face grim. He burst into the gym, holding a phone.
"Ma'am," he said, his voice urgent. "It's Kenta. He's on the move."
On the phone screen was a live feed from one of Jin's scouts. It showed a massive procession, a moving wall of muscle and iron, marching down the main street towards Black Fang High. At their head was Kenta, his massive form unmistakable even from a distance. There were at least fifty of them, Ironhide's strongest, and they were not being subtle. They were a parade of impending destruction.
Reina's eyes narrowed. "A frontal assault? After what happened to Renji? He's either a fool or supremely confident."
"He's both," Jin confirmed. "His entire philosophy is that unbreakable force trumps all tactics."
"Arrogant," Reina spat. She turned to her assembled commanders. "This is what we trained for. Kenji, assemble the main defensive line at the gate. Jin, keep your shadow squad in reserve for flanking maneuvers. This will be their first real test of formation fighting."
An alarm blared through the school—an emergency signal Reina had implemented. Within minutes, the Aegis was moving, a disciplined black tide flowing towards the school's entrance to meet the coming assault. The confidence from the previous day was replaced by a grim, focused readiness.
As Reina was heading out to command the defense, her personal comm unit, a secure line she kept open for only her most trusted lieutenants, crackled to life.
"Queen," the voice was one of her intelligence officers, stationed inside the school. His voice was filled with panic. "We have a problem. A major problem. It's not just Kenta."
"Report," Reina commanded, her voice sharp.
"Three students, unknown affiliation, just sealed off the library. They're armed… and they have hostages. Over a dozen first-years who were in there studying. It's the 'Sleepers'… it's Serpent Coil!"
Reina froze, her blood turning to ice. A two-pronged attack. A loud, brutal assault at the front gate, and a quiet, insidious terror attack within the school itself. A perfect distraction. Her forces were all moving to the gate, leaving the school's interior vulnerable.
She was being forced into an impossible choice: defend the gate against the iron army, or abandon the defense to deal with the hostage crisis. They had outmaneuvered her.
And the library… of all the places, it had to be the library.
The one place her King had been spending all his time.
Her mind raced. Was he in there? Was he one of the hostages? Or worse, would the "noise" of a hostage situation right next to his sanctuary finally be the thing that made him… act?
She looked towards the front gate, where the sounds of Kenta's approaching army were growing louder. Then she looked back at the school building, where innocent students were now in mortal danger.
Her perfect shield had just been flanked. And the consequences were about to be catastrophic.