I]Black Blade - The Moment of Declaration In a valley scorched into the blackened earth, a lone figure stood.
Black Blade.
Cloaked in a charred black cloak, the dark blade at his back - Ink Edge: Silent Severance - was driven into the ground behind him, as if mourning the fallen... or waiting for the next strike to begin.
Reflected in his students: the emblem of the Tōun Academy.
"Tōun... the last wall."
"Once it falls, the other world... will have no one to stop it."
He turned and walked away, leaving behind a shattered tablet - the ruined gate of Shinpō Academy.
On it, written in blood, were four words:
"Next... is you."
[II]Yoru Mikado Returns × The Dark Emerges At the front gate of Tōun Academy - Yoru Mikado stood quietly in the wind, Black Jack's heterochromatic cloak fluttering softly behind him.
Beside him, Saya Ohtori stood silently, like a sentinel watching over the night.
He looked at the familiar school buildings. His expression was calm, but his eyes flickered with color.
"I'm back."
The words fell like a blade into everyone's heart.
The Magic Department gathered to greet him. Byakuran nodded slightly. Karuma Midō said nothing. Gōzanjirō Retsu was still wrapped in bandages. Even Kirikaze Satsura appeared silently on a distant rooftop, her eyes fixed on Yoru.
At that moment, no one spoke.
Because they all sensed - He was no longer the same Yoru Mikado.
「III」Strategic Meeting × New Battle Plan of the United Leaders Ryūgasha Hall - Tactical Conference Room The meeting was not led by Yoru Mikado... but by the captain of the Sword Division: Kyōichi Tendō.
He stood on the podium and looked around the room.
Byakuran (Magic Division, Acting Head) Kirikaze Satsura (Javelin Division) Gōzanjirō Retsu (Martial Arts Division, recovering) Karuma Midō (Magic Division) Saya Ohtori (Archery Division) And Yoru Mikado, sitting silently at the far end.
Tendō's voice was cold: "We have no more time to wait. Black Blade sees us as the last defense... We must strike before he does."
A tactical diagram was projected on the screen behind him. The name of the operation: [Tōun Operation Plan] Three primary objectives:
Uncover the connection between the Seiyu Foundation and the Otherworld Gate Form a temporary defense alliance with the three major academies Preemptively eliminate the remaining forces of the Four Otherworld Generals Each responded in turn:
Kirikaze Satsura: "My war spear is hungry."
Byakuran: "The gate I infiltrated... is becoming unstable."
Karuma Midō: "The Ice General is not dead. He will return."
Only Yoru Mikado remained silent.
Finally, Tendō turned to him - his tone soft but firm:
"Yoru, we cannot continue to rely on you alone."
"This time... let us fight for you."
The other captains nodded.
As if answering the call to war.
"IV" News of Kazeryū Rin's death arrived late that night, shortly after the meeting had disbanded - a messenger rushed in from the western gate:
"Vice Captain of the Sword Division, Kazeryū Rin... has been killed in action on an external mission.
Cause: Unknown slash wound. Confirmed KIA."
The room fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone knew what it meant: Black Blade... has begun his attack.
Under the moonlit sky, Kirikaze Satsura stood alone atop the Ryūgasha Hall.
His war spear, Gokuretsu, leaned beside him, the moon casting a silver glow over his scarred face.
He murmured:
"Yoru Mikado... if you can't control your deck... you will become something even more terrifying than Black Blade."
"But no matter what you become... I have only one thing to do..."
He slowly raised his spear.
"Pierce through any fool who dares to threaten this academy."