Whispers of Shikiban:The king walks among us-Chapter 9 --

The training hall was vast, almost oppressive in its size, with its concrete walls looming like a cage. The harsh fluorescent lights above buzzed, casting a cold, sterile glow over the rows of gym equipment.

Ropes hung from the ceiling, their frayed edges swaying like eerie pendulums, and balance beams stretched out across the floor, each one a potential trap for those who weren't prepared. Thick mats were scattered in a strange, chaotic pattern, offering a small semblance of safety in a room that promised anything but.

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The air was thick, heavy with the pungent scent of sweat and the faint, metallic taste of fear. It made the room feel suffocating, like every breath you took was dragging you deeper into a nightmare that had yet to begin.

Reika stood still, her body taut with anticipation. Her muscles were coiled, ready to spring into action, but her expression remained cool, detached. She didn't let herself show the nervousness that was crawling up her spine. She couldn't. Not here. Not now. She had to be ready. Every detail in the room was etched into her mind, every sound amplified—each creak of a rope, the shuffle of boots on the floor. The noise, the tension, the feeling of being trapped—it was all a reminder of what was to come.

Beside her, Ishigo was a mess. His usual calm demeanor had completely unraveled. He fidgeted constantly, adjusting his glasses, his fingers twitching as if trying to center himself, but nothing was working. His eyes darted around the room, never lingering on one thing for too long, and it was clear that his thoughts were spiraling. The fear was palpable, suffocating, and it clung to him like a second skin.

"I don't think I'll be able to walk after this," Ishigo muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible, but the fear in it was unmistakable.

Reika shot him a sidelong glance, her gaze unwavering, her voice flat but hard as stone. "You don't have a choice. Get it together. If you get hurt, you're out."

Ishigo swallowed thickly, his throat bobbing as he fought to keep his composure. His eyes flickered nervously as he spoke again, the words escaping in a rush, like he couldn't stop them even if he wanted to. "We're supposed to survive deadly training, then go through five level tests. If the 'X' rank Kageshiki are that strong... then how terrifying are the 'I' ranks?"

Reika's thoughts briefly flashed to the name that had haunted her mind for days: Souta. The strongest of the 'I' ranks. The way he had looked at her, dismissing her as little more than a joke, a punchline waiting to be crushed beneath his heel. The mocking tone of his voice still echoed in her head, cutting deeper than she cared to admit. Was he right? Was she weak? Was she just another failure waiting to be discarded?

Her fists clenched at her sides as the anger rose inside her. She wasn't going to let him think that. One day, she would show him. She would prove that she wasn't weak. Not anymore.

Her thoughts were cut short by a sharp voice, slicing through the tension like a blade.

"All Kageshiki trainees, line up!"

The room seemed to hold its breath as the trainees scrambled to form a line, trying to maintain some semblance of composure under the weight of the trainer's icy gaze. Reika's face was impassive, but Ishigo's was pale, his body trembling with the kind of nervous energy that made it look like he might break at any second.

"Forty-six people have been disqualified."

The words hit like a punch to the gut, stealing the air from the room. There was a moment of stunned silence before the trainer's next words shattered it completely.

"Thirty-seven trainees died. Nine were severely injured."

Ishigo's color drained even further, his face a sickly shade of white, his body stiffening as though bracing for a blow that hadn't landed yet. Reika's expression didn't change, but inside, something twisted in her gut. The weight of those words hung heavy in the air, oppressive and suffocating. The severity of what they were about to face hit her like a cold wave, but she refused to let it show.

The trainer's voice cut through the silence, harsh and unforgiving.

"We've never said this before, but if you get injured, you'll have to retrieve a crystal from a beast's body. Those who weren't prepared... were eaten alive. Some lost limbs. Others didn't make it out at all. The smart ones aimed for the beast's head. A single blow from a nunchaku, and the thing dies instantly."

Ishigo's breath hitched, his eyes wide with terror. He looked like he might collapse right there, the fear almost overwhelming him. His pulse was hammering in his ears, a deafening beat that drowned everything else out. His mind raced, thoughts spiraling into a frantic mess of "I can't die here. I can't die here." But the words felt hollow, as if they held no weight at all. There was no escape. Not now.

Reika felt a ripple of unease deep in her chest, but she shoved it down. Fear didn't get you anywhere. Not here. Not now. If she let herself be consumed by it, she was already lost.

"Training begins now. First, flexibility."

The words were as cold as the air in the room, and without waiting for any reaction, the trainer gestured to a mat in the center. The first trainee was called forward, a girl whose face was pale with dread. She stepped onto the mat, her body trembling with the effort to keep steady, to keep from collapsing under the weight of what was happening.

One by one, the trainees demonstrated their flexibility. Some dropped into a split with ease, their bodies stretching like rubber, while others crumpled in pain, unable to push any further. The sound of bones cracking and strained muscle filled the air, a sickening chorus of agony.

When the first trainee's legs refused to go any farther, the trainers stepped in, their hands pressing down on her limbs with brutal force.

A sickening crack echoed through the room.

The girl screamed, her voice raw with pain.

"My bones... stop! Please!" Her voice cracked, but the trainers didn't stop. They forced her further, her body bending in ways it wasn't meant to. The sound of her joints grinding and snapping was almost too much to bear.

"If you can't do this, how do you expect to bend backward while standing?" one of the trainers sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.

The girl's screams filled the air, but no one moved to help her. Not the trainers. Not the other trainees. The room was cold, indifferent to her suffering.

Reika's jaw clenched, her face frozen, though inside, her stomach churned. This was what it meant to be a Kageshiki trainee. No weakness. No room for hesitation. But how long could they last?

Ishigo was struggling to hold himself together, his face even paler than before. His breaths were shallow, his hands trembling as they clutched his legs. He looked like he might faint at any moment.

"I can't do this," he whispered, almost pleading with himself. "I don't want to be like her..."

Daigo's loud voice cut through the tension, jarring and out of place.

"Yo, bro! Wassup?"

He slapped Ishigo on the back, shaking him from his stupor. "What, you scared? C'mon, pull yourself together!" Daigo's grin was wide, his carefree attitude almost unnerving in contrast to the brutal scene unfolding around them.

Ishigo managed a strained laugh, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I... I can't focus, Daigo."

Daigo slapped him again, harder this time. "Don't worry, bro. If I can survive this, anyone can."

Ishigo didn't respond. The words didn't matter. Not now.

The next trainee was called forward. A girl, barely holding herself together, stepped onto the mat. She hesitated for just a moment, then dropped into a split, her body trembling with the effort. Sweat beaded on her forehead, but she held her position, her legs barely going past the halfway point. One of the trainers stepped forward, his hands gripping her ankles as he pressed down with brutal force.

The sickening crack of her bones snapping echoed through the hall, followed by her agonized scream.

"No! Please, I can't—" But the trainer didn't stop. He just looked at her coldly, his expression emotionless.

"You should have prepared better," he muttered.

Her scream was swallowed by the cruelty of the trainer's indifference.

Ishigo's chest tightened as the sound of cracking bones filled his mind, his legs shaking uncontrollably. Panic clawed at him, a wild, desperate thing.

"I can't do this. I can't..."

Reika's voice cut through his panic, steady and calm. "Focus, Ishigo. Don't let them break you. If you're afraid now, you've already lost."

Her gaze met his, sharp and unwavering. She wasn't showing fear. Not now. Not ever.

The next exercise began immediately.

"Now, fight against your partner while maintaining a split."

Reika turned to Ishigo. His face was pale, his body trembling with fear, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. Resolve. He nodded.

"Let's go," she said, her voice low, almost predatory.

The battle began. The room filled with the sound of strained muscles and gritted teeth. Reika could feel the tension building in her body, each movement testing her flexibility, her endurance.

But she didn't care. She couldn't. This was only the beginning.