The following day, Red Crest Academy was buzzing with one name—Yagumi.
He had done what no first-year had ever done before: defeated Raiku Minazaki, the former #1 student, in a single move, without drawing a drop of blood.
Professors debated behind closed doors. Students whispered in admiration and fear. A few even began imitating his vest-and-headband look, a new wave of rebellion brewing under the surface.
But Yagumi paid no mind to the noise.
He was perched on the academy's rooftop, legs dangling off the edge as he stared out toward the distant Ashen Peaks—the place where his twin blades had once been forged in the blood of the Damned.
He was calm on the outside.
But inside?
His heart boiled with hatred.
Xzavier.
That name gnawed at his insides. He hated how the boy had survived. Hated how he'd awakened his Golden Sacred Eyes. Hated how Gimori was so obsessed with him—how Titanus Sarutobi had shown him favor.
Yagumi clenched a fist until his knuckles cracked. The wind howled, responding to the fury radiating off him like heat waves.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted his silence.
"You've made quite the statement, kid."
Yagumi turned.
Standing behind him was a tall figure clad in a blood-red long coat. His face was hidden by a dragon-skull mask, but his voice carried authority, darkness, and something else…
Temptation.
"I'm Warden Akzuron," the man said. "Head of Red Crest's Crimson Division."
Yagumi didn't respond.
Akzuron stepped forward and dropped a sealed black envelope at Yagumi's side.
"This is an invitation," he continued. "Only the strongest are offered a place in the Crimson Division. We're not like the others… We operate in secret. We go beyond the law. Beyond Sarutobi. Beyond the Demon Tower."
That last part caught Yagumi's attention.
He glanced down at the envelope. It was sealed with a blood-ink crest—a symbol only the elite of Red Crest had ever seen.
"Why me?" Yagumi asked.
Akzuron chuckled.
"Because we've seen what you are… and more importantly, what you're becoming. The Hellbound Form. The Reaper Eyes. (Reaper eyes, these are the eye that Yagumi had created and unlocked when he defied Gimori and went full power against him. They are still in development as Yagumi hasn't mastered control over his new creations. Although these eyes are incredible they make the user thirsty for blood). The blades that thirst for divine blood."
Yagumi stood up.
"I'll join," he said flatly, "but I have one condition."
"Oh?"
"I want unrestricted access to your forbidden archives. Especially… the section on Ascension Marks and how to erase them."
Akzuron tilted his head.
"Interesting. Why erase such a divine mark?"
"Because I'll never accept being second to anyone, especially not someone chosen by god."
A low laugh rumbled from the masked warden.
"Very well. Welcome to the Crimson Division, Yagumi. You're no longer a student now… You're a Crimson Executioner."
---
Later that night, deep beneath Red Crest Academy, Yagumi was led to a dark ritual chamber where ancient runes glowed dimly on the floor. Hooded members of the Crimson Division stood around him in a circle. In the center: a crimson brazier burning with black flames.
Yagumi stepped forward and unsheathed one of his Twin Reaper Blades.
"Repeat after me," Akzuron commanded.
"I am the hand of execution…"
"I am the hand of execution," Yagumi echoed.
"I renounce the laws of man and deity…"
"I renounce the laws of man and deity."
"I embrace chaos… and command death."
"I embrace chaos… and command death."
The runes lit up violently.
A blood-red sigil burned itself into Yagumi's chest—The Executioner's Brand.
He grinned.
Power pulsed through his veins like fire.
But deep in the darkness, something ancient stirred awake—something watching.
---
Meanwhile at Sarutobi Academy…
Xzavier stood atop a training post, sweat dripping down his brow. He had been perfecting control over his First Life Form ever since the battle with the Feral wraith.
Xzavier's eyes snapped open after delivering a heavy strike to a training dummy. His Golden Sacred Eyes flared, unprovoked.
Zadie rushed to his side.
"Well you've been going at it huh?" she said.
Xzavier's voice was low, almost a whisper.
"I felt something…"
Kineta approached. "What do you mean?"
Xzavier looked at them, "i don't know... but I felt it, it was like a warm whisper. It told me about some guy named Yagumi."
Kineta and Zadie exchanged a confused glance, "Have you two ever heard of this Yagumi guy?" Xzavier asked. Zadie then replied to Xzavier, "Never heard of him."
The clouds above Sarutobi Academy turned black.
The storm had arrived. Xzavier stared at the spiritual wolf, Jiyū with an uncertain look. Kineta and Zadie exchange one last glance before shrugging.