The underground lights of SSD's Abyssal Core musically hummed, lighting up polished-steel walls. Rows of holographic screens ran past energy readings, combat logs, and dossiers of operatives. One gigantic table sat right in the middle of the command room, listing hundreds of recruits and agents — forming perhaps the biggest SSD credit list.
Ryo Akatsuki came forth, Crimson Fang strapped on his back, the black tailcoat fluttering behind him as if it had a life of its own. At nineteen, he was already the youngest-ever A-Class Captain in Japan. Calmly, he eyed the list, running through stats, psychic abilities, combat experience, and psych profiles.
"I have to pick five. Five that can endure hell... and disappear into the chaos as a unit."
A small ding announced the arrival of the first candidate's hologram: Hana Yukimura. The dossier describes her as a twenty-year-old cryogenic specialist with dual Ether Pistols, a precision cold-blooded killer by reputation.
When Ryo entered the sphere of selection, she stood motionless, eyes ice blue, bearing an unreadable expression.
"I am Hana Yukimura," she said flatly. "If you choose me, I follow orders. Nothing more."
Ryo's lips parted slightly, not with smugness, but the serenity of cold self-assurance. He nodded, First pick- someone to trust on instinct alone.
With Kenji Sato, twenty-four, bigger than life, a massive build, scars crisscrossed his arms. The gauntlets gleamed above his scruffy hair under chamber lighting. Loud, brash, and in your face in tests of strength.
"You new kid putting the team through its paces? Hope you have what it takes to withstand the heat, Captain," Kenji said, flexing his fists.
Ryo did not respond, not even faintly. Except with Kenji on the team, they could afford to be blind.
Tanabe Aiko, the mystic, entered silently, her robes floating just behind her. Her jet-black hair and glowing violet eye had her looking almost unreal. She did not speak; instead, she stared. It was as if a chill permeated the room. Ryo made a mental note of her calm disposition as good for spiritual containment.
Daichi Hayashi, the marksman, was last in. Quiet, pale ash-gray hair, eyes scanning everything with an unnerving precision. He almost nodded at Ryo.
The hologram of Renji Mori flickered into existence — the rookie, far too wide-eyed, full of uncontrolled energy and although not much cultivation was observed in his psychic readings, he had raw potential. Ryo hesitated. It felt dangerous, yet something in the immature power called opportunity.
"You'll be my sixth. Don't die."
The selection was set, the team in the training hall, an empty space filled with holographic enemies and simulations of ghosts. Ryo was quiet, letting his picks show themselves.
The cracks didn't remain hidden for long. Hana kept her cool, analyzing everything. Kenji charged in head-first, taking hits that he probably shouldn't have. Aiko muttered some incantations and restrained the ghosts well enough. And Daichi quietly eliminated threats from a distance. Meanwhile, Renji was about to demolish the simulation room with just one psychic surge from panic.
Ryo's orders were precise. The faint resonance of his energy mingled with the Crimson Fang. He gave structure to the chaos like a conductor, demonstrating his capacity for leadership — but somewhere within him was a beating heart, one that reached out when Renji fell or guarded the rookie from a stray attack.
Hard-fought was the simulation when Team Delta was bruised and battered but alive. Inside the cranium, Ryo kept notes—strengths, weaknesses, temperaments.
"We start our first mission tomorrow," his voice calm but heavy. "Nakamura Mansion. Ghost. Contain or destroy. Failure is not an option."
A chill ran through the room, washing over them all. None of them ever knew one another. None of them trusted one another. But Ryo felt it—the spark of potential. The bonds of Team Delta were about to be forged...and the true test waited in the shadows of Nakamura Mansion.