[Chapter Header]
ARC: Back Attack Land
Back in the kitchen, Akos sat staring into a glass of fresh juice Riko had handed him.
The cool liquid helped ground him, though his mind felt like a shattered mirror.
"You just blacked out, bro," Jin said, leaning against the wall.
"I don't know what's going on with you, but is your head really okay?"
"I have to go to Tokyo..." Akos whispered, his eyes fixed on the bottom of the glass.
"Tokyo?" Jin blinked in surprise.
"What do you mean? You just got to Sinish four days ago. Why the hell would you head to Tokyo now?"
"This is much bigger than you think, Jin," Akos replied, his voice low and heavy.
Riko, who had been watching in silence, stepped forward.
"Before you head to Tokyo, Akos, there is a much more terrifying threat we have to face right here."
"What do you mean, threat?" Jin asked, feeling the tension in the room spike.
"The attack from the Baniz, Bravo, and Yukaza gangs... it wasn't random," Riko explained.
"There was someone else behind them. Someone pulling the strings."
"Who?"
"Sou Lisou."
[Location: Tokyo – Massive Industrial Laboratory]
The scene shifts abruptly to a vast, sterile laboratory in the heart of Tokyo.
The sound of rhythmic footsteps echoed through the metallic corridors.
Dozens of subordinates bowed their heads in absolute silence as a figure walked past them.
He was a tall man with long, striking green hair.
His presence was suffocating.
This was Sou Lisou, the leader of the notorious SWORD FIRE gang.
He came to a halt in front of the gang's banner—a crimson flag depicting a flaming blade.
"You failed, didn't you?" he said, without even turning around.
Behind him, a man trembled under the weight of the silence.
"Yes... they are starting to organize."
"Prepare all of our allies," Sou Lisou commanded coldly.
"Which... which ones exactly, Sir?" the man stammered.
Sou Lisou turned slowly, pinning him with a frozen, clinical gaze.
"All of them."
The subordinate went pale.
"But... Sir... are you certain? Calling five thousand men from across Japan just to crush a gang of 378 members? This will trigger a chain reaction. Other gangs, like the half-fallen Baniz who allied with ALPHA, will try to seize territory. The Real Cap will strike Sinish. Everything will descend into chaos!"
Sou Lisou looked at him with complete apathy, as if the destruction of society was merely a minor detail in a much larger experiment.
"Let the world burn," he said softly.
The scene returns to the house in Sinish.
Akos finishes his juice and sets the glass down on the wooden table with a dull thud.
His hands are still slightly trembling.
"Hey... you feeling any better now?" Riko asked, watching him closely.
"Yeah," Akos muttered, rubbing his temples.
"Yeah... I think so."
"You have a problem, man," Riko said, crossing his arms.
"You're blacking out way too much. It happened during the fight with Bravo, and it happened again just now."
"I don't know what's wrong with me," Akos replied, his voice strained.
"My head... it just starts burning for no reason."
Yuzana looked up from his monitors.
"Sounds like you need a hospital, not a juice."
"I'll be fine," Akos snapped, dismissive.
"It's nothing I can't handle."
Nearby, Jin was on his phone.
His face was flushed with anger, and he was practically shouting into the receiver.
"Look, just wait! We're coming, okay?"
On the other end, Keal's voice was distorted and frantic.
"Bring Akos and Riko! Get here already! Oh my god, move it!"
Jin ended the call with a frustrated growl.
"Guys, we have to go. Now. Meeting at the NX Cafeteria."
The three of them stepped out into the harsh Sinish sunlight.
After a short walk, the familiar neon sign of their hangout spot came into view.
Akos raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare, squinting at the bold letters: NX CAFETARIA.
They pushed through the heavy doors and were immediately hit by the smell of coffee and stale liquor.
At the far end of the bar, a man was slumped over, clearly wasted.
His cheeks were a deep, drunken crimson.
He slammed an empty glass onto the counter, gesturing wildly at the waitress.
"Anna! Another one!"
Anna looked at him with pure disgust as she poured the amber liquid.
The man downed it in one go, then tried to set the glass back down, but his hand missed the counter entirely.
Anna caught the glass before it shattered.
"That's it. No more alcohol for you," she said firmly.
"Wha—? I want... I want more..."
The man's head lolled from side to side until his blurry vision landed on the newcomers.
"Ooooh... who are you guys?"
Jin rolled his eyes, his expression one of utter revulsion.
"Who is that?" Akos asked, tilting his head.
"That's Row," Jin whispered.
"Owner of Class 3. He's one of the Six High Officials of ALPHA. Just ignore him. Every single day it's the same thing—he drinks until he passes out. That's just his life."
"Get over here, you idiots!" Keal shouted from across the room.
They walked over to a large booth where Reino Shino, Vane, and Lanji (the Class 4 Leader) were waiting.
The table was cluttered with a coffee, two teas, and various sweets.
"Ohoho! Look who finally showed up!" Reino grinned, though the movement clearly pained him.
"Where have you been for two days, Akos? MIA much?"
"I've been around," Akos replied flatly.
He took a seat and looked at Reino.
"But look at you. You're covered in bandages—shoulders, face, stomach. Even Keal looks like he went through a blender."
Reino let out a rough laugh, leaning back.
"Yeah, well, I took a nasty slash to the back and one to the gut. But you? You've only got that tiny scratch on your face, and it's already healed up. Tell me your secret, man! How do you recover that fast? Hahaha!"
Akos stared at him, his expression unreadable.
"I don't have a secret."
"Sure you don't, bro. Keep your mysteries!" Reino said, taking a long sip of his coffee.
"So, what I heard is true..." Jin said, his voice dropping to a serious tone.
"There really was someone behind the Bravo, Baniz, and Yukaza alliance?"
Reino looked at him, his eyes sharp.
"Yeah. Some guy from Tokyo."
"Tokyo?" Jin blinked.
"That's so far from Sinish. Why would someone all the way out there want to start a war with us?"
"I don't know yet," Reino replied.
"But he's connected. He's managed to link multiple gangs across Japan into one massive alliance."
"I've never heard of anything like that before," Jin muttered, clearly unsettled.
Vane, who had been quietly drinking his tea and reading a book, spoke up without looking away from the pages.
"Two days ago, during the fight with Bravo... we received word from unknown sources that an attack was coming. That's why we were ready before they even moved."
"I didn't want to bring the whole gang into it," Reino added.
"I knew that if I called everyone, people would end up dead."
Lanji nodded in agreement.
"There are members of ALPHA who still have no idea what actually happened. It's better that way. All they know how to do is kill. If Class 1 had found out, it would have been a bloodbath. Pure chaos."
Akos, who had been listening intently, finally spoke.
"How many classes are there exactly? And how many leaders?"
Reino set his coffee down and leaned forward, listing the hierarchy of the ALPHA gang:
The Leader: Reino Shino
Second-in-Command: Keal (Owner of Class 5)
Vane: Owner of Class 4
Row: Owner of Class 3
Sukizei: Owner of Class 2
Uma Lisan: Owner of Class 1
"Each of these Classes has its own Commander," Reino explained.
"And every Commander has two lieutenants who follow them everywhere. Here are the heads of the classes:"
Class 1 Commander: A girl named Mio Lena.
Class 2 Commander: A man named Tasilio.
Class 3 Commander: A man named Sin Tasaku.
Reino paused, looking directly at Akos.
"I don't know if you're cousins or something, but when you meet him, you'll find out who you really are."
Class 4 Commander: Ghasi.
Class 5 Commander: You, Akos.
"I'm not a leader," Akos snapped, his voice cold.
"I don't want to lead anyone."
"What are you talking about, Akos?" Jin interjected.
"You've been fighting this since the start. Being a Commander isn't a bad thing!"
Akos just stared at him, his gaze icy.
"I simply don't want it."
Reino took another slow sip of his coffee.
"I respect your choice, but these are the rules of our family. For now, choose your two lieutenants. I don't care what you say—I'm waiting for names."
Akos looked at Riko and Jin.
They were staring back at him with wide, hopeful eyes, waiting for his answer.
With a heavy sigh, Akos dropped his head onto the table.
"Ugh... fine. I'll take these two," he muttered.
Instantly, Riko and Jin jumped on him, wrapping him in a suffocating double hug.
"Thank you, Boss!" Riko cheered.
"I'll do anything for you, Boss!" Jin shouted, nearly putting Akos in a headlock.
"Alright, alright! Get off me already!" Akos growled, struggling to break free.
Jin and Riko immediately snapped to attention, giving him a crisp military salute.
"We are at your service, Commander!"
In the background, Keal and Lanji burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Look at them!"
"Stop it, all of you," Akos said, standing up and adjusting his hoodie.
He looked at Reino.
"Is that all? Or do you want something else?"
"Nah," Reino grinned, waving a hand.
"That's it for now. We'll talk again later. Take care."
Akos walked out of the NX Cafeteria, with Riko and Jin trailing behind him like loyal shadows.
The midday sun hit them hard, blindingly bright.
Suddenly, a girl with long black hair hurried past them.
As she brushed by, a small leather wallet slipped from her pocket and hit the pavement.
"Hey!" Akos called out.
"You, girl! You dropped your wallet."
The girl stopped and turned around.
She had a strange, lingering smile—warm, yet haunting.
But it was her eyes that made Akos freeze.
They were a deep, piercing crimson red.
"Thank you," she said softly, her eyes locking onto his for a fleeting second.
Akos stared at her for a moment too long.
She gave a small nod and disappeared into the crowd.
"Ooh-ho!" Jin nudged him, winking.
"What was that, Boss? Feeling a little spark?"
"Love at first sight, definitely," Riko teased, laughing to himself.
"Shut up," Akos snapped, though his mind was still on those eyes.
"It's just... I've never seen anyone with red eyes before. Red is my favorite color, that's all."
"Ohhh, we're learning secrets today!" Jin joked.
"For me, it's white. Pure and clean!"
"Green is the best," Riko added with a shrug.
Akos ignored them.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out his watch, and strapped it onto his wrist.
It was exactly 12:00 PM.
Then, he pulled a pair of dark sunglasses from his other pocket and slid them on.
"Why the shades?" Jin asked.
"The sun is too bright," Akos replied shortly.
"It hurts my eyes."
"Well, time to move," Riko said, pointing down the street.
"We have to get to the ALPHA School. If we miss class, the others are gonna give us hell."
Akos looked at the building in the distance, reluctant.
Jin grabbed his arm before he could protest.
"Don't even say 'no'. I know you're thinking it."
"If you know, then why are you dragging me there?"
"Because I'm your lieutenant, and it's my job to drag you to trouble! Let's go!"
[Back at NX Cafeteria]
Inside the booth, the atmosphere had turned cold.
The laughter was gone.
"Keal," Vane said, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Did you hear the latest?"
"About Sword Fire sending the Yukaza?" Keal asked.
"Yeah. Their target was Reino... and Akos."
Reino leaned back, his face grim.
"I don't know why they want him dead, but there must be a massive reason."
"If what I'm hearing is true," Lanji interjected, "Japan is about to descend into total chaos."
The others turned to him.
"What did you hear?"
"The one they call Tokyo Waru... he's Akos Tasaku's brother."
Reino froze, his coffee cup halfway to his mouth.
"What? Are you insane? That guy is literal hell on earth."
"Well," Lanji clarified, "they aren't blood brothers. But they grew up together. Mr. Jinzo Tasaku, Akos's grandfather, raised them both."
Keal felt a surge of cold sweat.
"If that monster gets involved... how are we supposed to stop him?"
"Stay calm," Reino said, though his own hand was trembling slightly.
"It seems all roads lead to a new war. One that will be far worse than the War of Slash."
"The War of Slash was a mess," Keal muttered.
"Nobody knew who was a friend or an enemy. People were stabbing their own brothers."
"I just hope we're ready," Reino whispered.
"I truly do."
[ALPHA School – Class 5]
The heavy classroom door creaked open as Akos, Riko, and Jin walked in.
The chatter stopped instantly.
Every single eye in the room turned toward the door, pinning the three of them under a heavy, judgmental gaze.
The atmosphere in the 5 grade was tense.
Akos hidden behind his blue sunglasses.
Message from the Author
Volume 1: THE FAMILY (Chapters 1-14) is officially complete!
Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this journey.
I hope you all enjoyed Volume 1: THE FAMILY!
Please let me know in the comments if there is anything that needs to be fixed or improved so I can make it better.
Get ready for the next one... Volume 2: MIDNIGHT SINISH!
Appreciate you,
DIA_TG