Afternoon arrived in the Evil City.
The once quiet training ground was now filled with the sound of heavy breathing and constant movement.
Kairo was on the ground, pushing himself upward again and again. Sweat rolled down his face, his arms shaking slightly, but unlike before...
He wasn't exhausted.
His body had adapted.
His strength, speed, and endurance had grown far beyond what they were at the beginning.
Shougo calmly walked around him, watching every movement while counting.
"Nine hundred ninety-six..."
Kairo's arms trembled.
"Nine hundred ninety-seven..."
His breathing became heavier.
"Nine hundred ninety-eight..."
The ground beneath his hands cracked slightly from the pressure.
"Nine hundred ninety-nine..."
Shougo looked at him carefully.
"And..."
"One thousand."
Kairo finally pushed himself up one last time before dropping onto his back, staring at the sky.
Shougo nodded.
"You finally completed your first workout."
Kairo slowly sat up, laughing awkwardly while wiping the sweat from his face.
"Yeah... I actually did it."
He looked at Shougo with a tired but excited smile.
"So, what's next, sensei?"
Shougo became silent.
For a moment, he looked like he was thinking seriously.
Then...
"The next training is lifting one thousand weights."
Kairo froze.
His expression slowly changed.
"...What?"
Shougo looked at him calmly.
"One thousand weights."
Kairo's eyes widened.
"WHAT?! ONE THOUSAND?!"
Shougo smiled slightly.
"Good luck."
"Sensei, that's not training anymore! That's torture!"
But even while complaining...
Kairo smiled.
Because deep down, he knew.
This was proof that he was finally moving forward.
Evening arrived.
The training ground was almost empty, except for one person.
Kairo stood there, holding the massive weight above him.
His entire body was shaking, but his eyes were different.
There was determination.
After countless attempts...
After falling and standing back up again...
He finally completed it.
One thousand weights.
One hundred times.
Kairo dropped the weight and took a deep breath.
His body was exhausted, but his heart felt lighter.
"Sensei..."
Shougo looked at him.
"I want to see Yura, Tyouro, and Maru."
Shougo paused for a moment before nodding.
"Alright."
A few moments later, the others arrived.
They stopped immediately when they saw Kairo.
Kairo was standing there, shirtless and only wearing training shorts, his body showing the result of his intense training.
Tyouro's eyes widened.
"KAIROOOO!~~~"
He immediately ran toward him.
"You look way stronger now!"
He circled around Kairo with excitement.
"Also those muscles and eight-pack abs?!"
Kairo's face became embarrassed.
"T-Tyouro..."
Tyouro laughed.
"Bro, I'm telling you, every girl is probably going to notice you now. Right, Yura?"
Yura, who was standing nearby, suddenly froze.
"W-What?"
She looked away quickly.
"N-No! I'm not like those girls who only care about appearance!"
Tyouro grinned.
"But Kairo is also kind and has a good personality, right?"
Yura became quiet for a moment.
Then she smiled slightly.
"...Yeah. He is."
Kairo looked away awkwardly.
He wasn't used to people saying good things about him.
For so long, he only heard that he was weak.
But now...
People were actually recognizing him.
And for the first time, he felt like he belonged somewhere.
Shougo clapped his hands.
"Alright. Everyone."
They turned toward him.
"Kairo has improved greatly. His current strength should be around D-1 or D-2 rank."
Tyouro's expression changed.
"Wait..."
He pointed at Kairo.
"So he's stronger than me?"
Shougo nodded.
"If you don't properly control your Blast Energy and Wave Emission, then yes."
Tyouro placed his hands on his head dramatically.
"No way! My best friend passed me!"
Kairo laughed.
"You're still strong, Tyouro."
"Yeah, but now I have to catch up!"
Everyone laughed.
Even Kimimaru, who was usually silent, looked slightly amused.
Later that night...
The group went to a small restaurant near the city.
The atmosphere was peaceful.
For a while, there were no missions.
No battles.
No pressure.
Just friends eating together.
Tyouro was already ordering more food.
"Kairo, after all that training, you better eat more!"
Kairo laughed.
"You're the one eating more than everyone here."
"That's because I'm growing!"
Yura shook her head.
"You say that every time."
Shougo quietly watched them.
A small smile appeared on his face.
Seeing his students laughing like this...
It reminded him why he continued teaching.
Not because of power.
Not because of rankings.
But because these moments were worth protecting.
However...
Kimimaru suddenly stopped eating.
His hand froze.
His eyes slowly moved toward the window.
Something felt wrong.
The atmosphere changed for only a second.
"Kimaruuu?" Tyouro called.
No response.
Kimimaru narrowed his eyes.
Nothing.
No presence.
No sound.
But his instincts were warning him.
Someone was watching.
He slowly reached toward his sword.
"Kai?"
Kairo looked at him.
"What happened?"
Kimimaru stayed silent for a moment before looking away.
"...Nothing."
But deep inside...
He knew.
Something had entered their world.
And it was only waiting for the right moment.
Meanwhile, far away from the restaurant...
A shadow moved silently through the darkness.
Watching.
Waiting.
And preparing for what would come next.