That night, long after lights-out in the barracks, Akino lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The memory of the Demon King was still burned into his mind — that towering figure on the comet, gazing down at Earth like it was nothing more than a piece of meat.
He looked at his arm.
The scar from that day had already healed, but something about it wasn't right. It glowed sometimes — faint, strange, like a pulsing ember beneath the skin. Most nights, he ignored it. Pretended it was nothing.
But tonight… he couldn't.
"Am I becoming one of them?" he muttered to himself. "Like that... monster?"
Frustration welled up. He sat up sharply and tore the bandage off. The scar gleamed dimly under the moonlight leaking through the cracks in the barracks walls.
A faint glow… then nothing.
He narrowed his eyes. "What are you?"
Driven by curiosity and half-desperation, Akino stood up. He started doing stupid poses — martial arts stances, ninja flips, finger guns, and even a ridiculous crane pose. He waved his hand like he was casting a spell. Still nothing.
He looked around. Ryo was snoring with his mouth open. Kenji had his blanket wrapped around his face. Aya was curled up quietly.
"…This is stupid," Akino muttered and collapsed onto his bed.
As he stared at his scar one last time, the exhaustion hit him.
He fell asleep.
The next morning, the alarm buzzed across the barracks.
Most trainees groaned and rolled over. But Ryo and Kenji jumped up like kids on a holiday.
Akino sat upright, bleary-eyed.
"Yo, Akino. Why aren't you hyped up?" Ryo asked, throwing a boot at him.
"What's there to be hyped about?" Akino muttered.
Kenji leaned in. "Don't tell me you forgot yesterday?"
Akino blinked.
FLASHBACK: The end of the final test. Rome's voice echoed—"Tomorrow, you'll be announced as official officers."
"Oh… right."
Ryo gasped dramatically. "Oh right, he says. Bro, we passed!"
Akino rubbed his head. "The demons still control seventy percent of the land. We're trapped in a military base. What's there to celebrate?"
Ryo and Kenji exchanged glances and pointed at him dramatically.
"Cold. Heartless. Human," they said in unison.
Dante, tying his boots nearby, let out a rare chuckle. "Hey, brat. Smile a little. Don't push yourself too hard. That's what we're here for, right? To kill demons and take our world back."
Rei brushed past them, arms folded. "Enough drama. We're going to be late."
Training Grounds – Later That Morning The trainees were lined up under the hot sun, dressed in new uniforms. Fresh gear. Nervous tension hung in the air.
Three senior officers passed by and scoffed.
"Too many passed this round," one muttered. "Too many mouths to feed."
"I heard they are over sixty," another added.
"Relax," said the last. "Half of 'em will die on their first mission anyway."
They all laughed and kept walking.
Ryo clenched his fists. "Man, what's their problem? Same rank, just got here earlier."
Kenji shrugged. "It's always the weak who get affected by that ."
"Huh? You got a problem?" Ryo said.
"You wanna fight?" Kenji shot back.
"Shut up," Rei snapped. "You two should stop acting like kids!"
Dante just laughed under his breath while Akino watched them from behind with a soft smile.
"I'm surrounded by idiots," he murmured. For once, he smiled while saying those words.
Ceremony
Captain Rome stepped forward, boots echoing against the cracked stone of the platform. His voice thundered across the field, sharp and commanding.
"Attention!"
The entire formation snapped into silence.
"First, I want to thank each of you... not for simply surviving — but for standing back up when the world tried to bury you. This war has ripped the soul from our cities. It's taken mothers, fathers, children — burned homes to ash, and drowned entire nations in blood. And yet… you're still here. Standing. Choosing to fight, when so many chose to run."
He paused, his eyes scanning every face.
"I know some of you already know this, but let me say it again. There are twelve military sectors. We are in Sector 6. Each one stands like a pillar, holding what's left of humanity. And we don't carry that weight lightly."
He took a deep breath, then continued, his tone darker.
"You think today's a celebration? Then you're not ready. We lost over a hundred officers in the last mission alone. Wiped out. Gone."
His eyes narrowed.
"I won't lie to you. I can't promise you'll survive. I can't promise you won't die screaming in the dirt. But what I can promise... is that if you fall, your death won't be forgotten. You will be remembered as soldiers — as heroes who helped claw back this planet from the demons' grip."
A silence followed — heavy, sobering.
Then he raised his hand.
"Now lift your heads. You've passed hell. But war begins now. Welcome to the front lines."
The trainees erupted in a roar, fists raised, voices filled with fire.
They were no longer just survivors.
They were soldiers.
Group Assignments
While trainees are gathered and lined up in rows. Another officer steps up.
"You'll now be split into permanent squads. Learn to trust your team — you'll live or die by that bond."
"Group One! Pong, Mina, Zack, Emil, Taro, Jenny, and Maki — under Captain Takasora!"
They stepped forward.
"Group Two — Akino, Ryo, Rei, Kenji, and Dante — You'll report under Captain Hiro."
Each one looked at the others.
Rei tossed her hair. "Try not to embarrass yourselves."
Kenji groaned. "Great. We got Miss Royalty."
Ryo jabbed a finger at him. "Better than being stuck with this mophead."
"You again?"
"Every day," Ryo replied with a grin.
Dante simply adjusted his massive sword. "Just don't get in my way."
Akino, for once, cracked a smile.
"This… might actually work."
The newly formed squad went to the command post which would be their new home—Captain Hiro's military base in Sector 6. As they approached, Akino scanned the base's exterior. It looked functional enough: weathered steel gates, armored trucks lined up for deployment, scattered sandbags, and a central building that bore the scars of past battles. But something felt... off.
Before they could enter, the door swung open.
A man in glasses stepped out, frail-looking with tousled hair, holding a clipboard and awkwardly adjusting his spectacles. He smiled nervously.
"Ah, you must be the new squad. We've been expecting you. I'm Vice Captain Kurogane."
They all blinked.
"…You're the vice captain?" Ryo asked, incredulous.
Kenji scratched his head. "No offense, but we thought the vice would be, you know, bigger. Tougher. Scarier?"
Akino nudged them. "Hey, hey. Show some respect."
But Kurogane only laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't worry. I get that a lot."
Inside the base, the real shock came. It wasn't what a soldier's base should be.
Officers lounged in torn uniforms, some passed out on couches with bottles of liquor in their hands. Laughter echoed from rooms where music played too loud. A few were even flirting with civilians — women who had no business being in a combat facility.
Rei frowned. "This… is disgusting."
Kenji gagged. "What the hell is this place?"
Ryo's nose wrinkled. "Seriously? This is a base, not a brothel."
Kurogane looked down, face red. "I… apologize. I don't have authority over them. They don't listen to me. The captain just uses me to run errands and sign paperwork."
Dante crossed his arms. "Humans. Always like this. Makes me wonder if we deserve to survive."
Rei nodded solemnly. "If this is what we've become... maybe extinction wouldn't be such a bad thing."
Akino stepped forward, eyes blazing.
"What are you people doing?! You're supposed to protect humanity — not waste away while people out there die!"
One soldier sneered without even standing up. "Oh look, fresh meat with a hero complex."
Another laughed. "Don't worry, newbie. After your first mission, when you see hell firsthand, you'll be just like us."
"Hollow and numb," added a third. "You'll be drinking with us soon enough."
Kurogane quickly stepped between them. "Let's just… go. I'll take you to meet Captain Hiro."
—
They walked to the upper floor of the base and entered the captain's office.
What they saw made their stomachs churn.
The captain was lounging in his chair, shirt unbuttoned, a half-empty bottle of whiskey in one hand and a woman on his lap. Around him, more officers were playing cards, laughing, smoking.
Kurogane bowed his head in shame. "Captain Hiro… the new squad has arrived."
Captain Hiro looked up slowly, like he could barely be bothered. "Huh? Just give 'em a place to sleep. They can start by cleaning the base. Better than letting them sit around doing nothing."
The officers around him burst into laughter.
Rei's eyes narrowed. Ryo clenched his fists. Kenji looked away, jaw tight. Dante didn't say a word — his disgust said it all.
They turned and walked out without a word.
Outside, the silence between them was heavier than ever.
"…This is what we're fighting for?" Akino muttered, voice hollow.
Kenji tried to lighten the mood. "Alright, enough of that. Let's go meet the guy who actually does his job — the weapons guy. I heard he's badass."
Kurogane nodded quickly. "R-right. You can have your weapons forged now. Come with me."
—
They piled into a military transport truck and drove out of the Command Post toward the weapons facility on the outskirts.
The forge was its own world — smoke rising from metal chimneys, the rhythmic pounding of hammers on steel echoing like a heartbeat.
A broad man with a scarred face and one blinded eye worked at the anvil. He looked up as they arrived.
"Ah, the only real soldier left in Sector 6," the man said, grinning. "How's it going, military slave?"
Kurogane sighed. "I'm just here to drop off the new squad, Hawkeye."
Hawkeye looked the group over with a steely gaze. "Hmph. Promising. Let's hope you don't end up like the rest."
Kurogane gave them a salute. "I've got more errands. Good luck, everyone."
"Later, soldier boy," Hawkeye smirked.
As they stepped into the forge, the heat of molten metal washed over them.
"So," Hawkeye said, wiping sweat from his brow. "You've seen what this place has become. What the military really is."
Akino's voice was firm. "We'll never be like them."
"Damn right," Ryo said.
Kenji nodded. "We're here to fight — not rot."
Hawkeye chuckled. "Every batch says that. I hope you're the first to mean it."
He gestured to his worktable. "Now. What weapons do you guys want?"
Dante stepped up, resting his hand on his massive sword. "I already have mine."
"Ahh, so you're the guy who made the first demon kill, huh? I forged that one myself. Good to finally meet the guy who proved my blades work."
Ryo followed. "I want double daggers. Fast and deadly."
Kenji raised his hand. "Give me a bow. Gotta keep distance while the meatheads charge in."
Ryo rolled his eyes. "Coward."
Kenji shrugged. "Strategist."
Rei didn't hesitate. "Katana."
Hawkeye smirked. "The girl who finished off the mutated demon. I expected nothing less."
Then it was Akino's turn.
He looked at the weapons laid out… but none called to him.
"…Why don't we use guns? Couldn't you make bullets from the comet metal?"
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow. "We tried. But each bullet has to be made from the same rare stuff. Can't waste that on missed shots. We'd run out before the next battle."
Akino looked down at his hand — the scar still faint. No glow this time.
"…Then just give me a regular sword. Nothing fancy."
"You sure? Once it's forged, that's it."
Akino nodded. "As long as it kills them… it's enough."
Hawkeye made a note. "I'll get it to your barracks in a week. If you need anything else, let me know."
They thanked him and left the forge.
—
The sun was starting to set when Ryo stretched and said, "It's still early. What do you say we get food? Celebrate a little?"
Kenji clapped his hands. "Yeah! Food on me! …Not really. But I'll pick the place."
They ended up at a small diner near the checkpoint. Plates of rice, hot soup, and sizzling skewers filled the table.
Ryo raised his glass. "To survival."
Kenji added, "To not turning into drunk creeps."
Dante chuckled. "To weapons that actually kill demons."
Rei sipped her tea. "To a team that hasn't killed each other. Yet."
Akino lifted his juice with a faint smirk. "I'm underage, remember?"
Ryo elbowed him. "Two more months, then you're drinking with us."
For a moment, the war felt distant.
Laughter echoed. Smiles came easy. The weight of the world — just for tonight — loosened its grip.
They didn't know what tomorrow would bring.
But they had each other.
And for now, that was enough.