Arise, My Legion
—
Tenka Academy – Raijo's Dorm, Midnight
The screen flickered to life, and there she was — Yumi, lounging in her silk robe, hair cascading over one shoulder, a glass of wine in hand.
"You didn't call me yesterday," she said, narrowing her eyes.
"I was busy," Raijo replied, smirking. "Had to raise a few hundred shadows. You know, the usual."
She rolled her eyes, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her pride. "Show me."
Raijo turned the camera, revealing the five massive corpses laid out in his dorm's summoning chamber. Each one radiated dormant power, even in death.
Yumi's eyes gleamed. "Good. They arrived intact."
She shifted the phone. "Say hi to my mom."
The screen tilted to reveal a stunning woman with long crimson hair and soft, regal features. Lady Ichoshima, former S-Rank healer and Yumi's mother, beamed at the screen.
"Oh my, so handsome!" she gushed. "Yumi, you didn't tell me he was this pretty! Look at those cheekbones! And that hair—"
"Moooom," Yumi groaned.
Raijo chuckled. "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am."
Then the screen shifted again.
And the temperature dropped.
Hiroshima Ichoshima filled the frame, his golden eyes narrowing. His aura flared through the phone like a pressure wave, making the lights in Raijo's room flicker.
"So," he said, voice like thunder, "you're the brat."
Raijo didn't flinch. He leaned closer to the screen, eyes glowing faintly.
"Aren't you overdue for retirement, old man? Or do you want me to speed up the process?"
Yumi's eyes widened. "Raijo—!"
But she didn't stop him.
Hiroshima's gaze sharpened. "Do you know who I am?"
Raijo shrugged. "Of course. I just don't care. Now hand the phone back to your lady before I start charging for my time."
A long silence.
Then Hiroshima chuckled — a deep, rumbling sound.
"You've got a death wish."
Raijo yawned. "I've got a schedule."
Hiroshima laughed harder, then handed the phone back to Yumi. "He's got teeth. I like him."
Yumi, flustered, ended the call. "Idiot," she muttered, staring at the black screen. "You're gonna get yourself killed…"
But deep down, she was smiling.
Her father, still chuckling, turned to his wife. "If that boy hits S-Rank… I'll allow it."
Lady Ichoshima raised an eyebrow. "You mean you'll try to stop her and fail."
"Exactly."
—
Tenka Academy – Raijo's Summoning Chamber
Raijo stood before the five corpses, each one radiating dormant power.
- Knight Alpha – A towering, obsidian-armored warrior. Level 900+. Swordmaster. S-Rank.
- Iron Bastion – A hammer-and-shield juggernaut. Defensive type. S-Rank.
- Tusk – A monstrous mage, body like a tank, robes charred with arcane runes. S-Rank.
- Virellia – A crimson-skinned elf with glowing green eyes. Medic-class. S-Rank.
- The Dread Scarab – A colossal beetle, its shell etched with ancient glyphs. Calamity-class aura, though weaker than Hiroshima.
Raijo raised his hand.
"Arise."
The room darkened.
Shadows surged.
One by one, the corpses twitched… then rose.
Their eyes glowed violet. Their forms twisted into sleek, spectral versions of their former selves. They knelt before him, heads bowed.
[Shadow Soldiers Created]
- Knight Alpha – S-Rank Shadow Commander
- Iron Bastion – S-Rank Shield Guardian
- Tusk – S-Rank Arcane Ravager
- Virellia – S-Rank Blood Healer
- Dread Scarab – Calamity-Class Shadow Beast
Raijo turned to Jin Woo, who stood silently at his side.
"Meet your new brothers and sister."
Jin Woo bowed. "Welcome to the fold."
Behind them, the rest of Raijo's army — over 400 shadows, ranging from B to A-Rank — stood in perfect formation.
Raijo's own stats had surged.
> Raijo Kimi
> Class: Dual-Type – Fire Sovereign / Shadow Monarch
> Rank: A
> Affinities:
> – Fire (A-Rank)
> – Necromancy (A-Rank)
> Shadow Army: 406 Units
> – 5 S-Rank
> – 1 Calamity-Class
> – 400 A/B-Rank
> Titles:
> – Witch's Chosen
> – King of the First Years
> – Shadowbound Flame
He stared at his army, smirking.
"Tomorrow's dungeon test… I'm going solo."
He turned to the mirror, eyes glowing white.
"Let's see how fast I can break the system."
—
The Dungeon That Dared
—
Tenka Academy – Dungeon Gate Plaza, Morning
The plaza was alive with tension. Students lined up in rank order, each preparing to enter their assigned dungeon tier. The rules were simple: one rank below your own. A-Ranks entered B-Rank dungeons. B-Ranks entered C-Rank. Safety first.
But Raijo Kimi wasn't here for safety.
He stood quietly at the edge of the plaza, arms folded, eyes fixed on the swirling gate of the A-Rank dungeon — the one that had killed five final-year students just last week. Whispers followed him like shadows.
> "Isn't he still registered as B-Rank?"
> "That dungeon's lethal…"
> "He's insane…"
A teacher approached, clipboard in hand, brows furrowed. "Raijo, you're not cleared for that gate. You're B-Rank. You'll enter the C-Rank dungeon."
Raijo didn't blink. "I'm going in."
"It's not allowed."
He turned to her, voice calm. "Students can kill teachers. My life is mine. Let me in."
The teacher froze.
Then sighed.
"…Fine. But if you die, it's on you."
Raijo nodded once and stepped through the gate.
—
Ten Minutes Later
The gate pulsed.
Raijo walked out.
Alone.
No scratches. No burns. No blood.
He held the dungeon core in one hand, glowing faintly with residual mana. He handed it to the teacher without a word.
She stared at him, stunned.
His face?
Pure disappointment.
He kicked a loose stone across the plaza and walked to the back of the line, hands in his pockets.
"I didn't even need my army," he muttered. "What a letdown."
—
Among the Crowd
A third-year student watched him pass.
Name: Kaori Mitsune
Age: 18
Rank: S
Element: Lightning
Appearance:
- Height: 170 cm (5'7")
- Hair: Electric blue, tied in a high ponytail
- Eyes: Silver, sharp and calculating
- Aura: Fast, volatile, and dangerous — like a storm waiting to break
She was one of the academy's prodigies. S-Rank at 18. Feared. Respected.
But as Raijo walked by, her body tensed.
Her instincts screamed.
He's A-Rank… but if we fought… I'd die.
She didn't know why.
She didn't understand it.
But she felt it.
And that feeling?
Was fear.
—
The King Ascends
—
Tenka Academy – Dungeon Gate Plaza
The tension in the air was suffocating.
Kaori Mitsune wasn't the only one who felt it. Five other high-ranking students — all third and fourth years, all A- or S-Rank — had instinctively drawn their weapons, blades gleaming, pointed directly at Raijo's neck.
He didn't flinch.
He simply paused, glanced at the blades, then at their trembling hands.
"…Nah," he muttered, brushing past them. "Not in the mood to kill seniors today."
He walked to the back of the line and leaned against the wall, arms folded.
The five students stood frozen. One girl, her knees buckling, dropped her sword and collapsed to the ground. A dark stain spread across her skirt as she trembled, eyes wide with primal fear.
Raijo didn't even look back.
He knew the truth.
It wasn't his aura that had shaken them.
It was the collective killing intent of the hundreds of shadows slumbering inside him — each one a predator, each one hungry.
He smirked and looked up at the sky, the sun glinting off his white hair.
They're not ready.
—
Then — the world cracked.
A deafening BOOM echoed across the plaza as one of the B-Rank dungeons shattered. The gate twisted violently, pulsing with dark energy.
It had evolved.
S-Rank Dungeon Break.
Screams erupted. Students scattered. Teachers shouted orders. Blood sprayed across the stone as monsters poured out — ogres, wyverns, spectral beasts, and worse.
Raijo's eyes narrowed.
First things first.
He vanished in a blur of speed, reappearing beside Ayasia, Liliana, and Satsuki. Without a word, he scooped all three into his arms and dashed to a safe zone behind the barrier walls.
He set them down gently.
Satsuki grabbed his wrist. "You're a fool if you go back in there alone—"
He turned to her, eyes glowing white.
The look silenced her instantly.
Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart skipped.
And in that moment, she realized something terrifying.
She liked it.
Raijo turned and walked back into the chaos.
—
The Battlefield
The courtyard was a warzone. Five S-Rank monsters rampaged through the academy grounds, tearing through defenses. But at the center stood something worse.
A towering figure cloaked in black flame and bone armor.
An S-Rank Demon.
Its presence dwarfed the others. Its aura was suffocating — a pressure that made even the strongest students collapse.
It turned to Raijo.
"You… are the king?"
Raijo cracked his neck. "You blind or just stupid? I'm the only one still standing."
The demon paused.
Then bowed.
"I am Zar'khal, Flame of the Abyss. I request a duel. One-on-one. I am… outnumbered."
Raijo's grin widened.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
He raised his hand.
"Arise."
The ground split.
His shadow army surged forth — hundreds of soldiers, five S-Ranks, one Calamity-class, and now… him.
The battlefield erupted.
Each shadow found its match, clashing with the invading monsters. Blades met claws. Fire met ice. Screams echoed.
But at the center, it was Raijo and Zar'khal.
The demon moved like lightning, claws wreathed in hellfire. Raijo met him blow for blow, his Calamity-class Scarab flanking him with devastating strikes. The duel shook the earth.
Minutes passed.
Then — silence.
Zar'khal fell to his knees, body torn, flames flickering.
Raijo stood over him, breathing steady.
"Arise."
The demon's corpse twitched.
Then bowed.
[New Shadow Acquired: Zar'khal – S+ Rank – Abyssal Flame Commander]
Raijo turned to the battlefield. The remaining S-Rank monsters lay dead. He raised his hand again.
"Arise."
One by one, they rose — twisted, loyal, and silent.
Seven new S-Rank shadows.
His Necromancer class surged.
> Necromancer Rank: S
> Shadow Army Count: 500+
> – 13 S-Rank
> – 1 Calamity-Class
> – 1 Demon-Class
> – 485 A/B-Rank
He turned to the corpses of fallen students and monsters alike.
With a snap of his fingers, they incinerated into ash.
No resurrection. No trophies.
Only silence.
—
Aftermath
As the dust settled, Raijo dismissed his army. The shadows melted into the ground, vanishing into his own.
He walked back through the courtyard, past the stunned survivors.
He passed Kaori, who stood frozen, blade still in hand.
He patted her shoulder.
"You did good," he said. "Didn't die."
Then he walked on, toward the girls waiting for him.
And behind him, the legend of the Shadow King began to spread.
—
End of chapter 12.