"Your defeat was like a stain on all of our faces!"

A few days had passed since the conclusion of the Backup Team competition, and yet the ripples of the former Backup Team’s total loss were still echoing through the halls of the Military Department.

The shock hadn’t faded; instead, it had curdled into a bitter, resentful atmosphere that hung over the elite circles of the department.

Inside the dimly lit basement of the main fighting classes building, a group of thirty students had gathered in a semi-circle. This was the hidden base of the Black Ares, one of the most powerful and feared elite clubs in Azure Academy.

The members, all wearing the dark, high-collared uniforms that denoted their status, were currently surrounding the five students who got defeated by John’s team.

"You disgraced us with such a miserable defeat," the leader of the club growled. He was a tall, imposing student in his final year, with scars across his knuckles that spoke of a thousand brawls.

He also happened to be the leader of the academy’s Formal Team, the very pinnacle of the student hierarchy. He glared at the five in front of him with eyes that promised retribution.

"We used every means at our disposal to hand you this chance on a silver platter," another senior spoke up, his voice dripping with disdain.

"We cleared the path, secured the Backup Team seats for you, and prepared you to lead both this academy and this club after we graduate. And yet you lose to a handful of losers? A group of nobodies who went absent for over two years?"

"Ricky is the reason behind all this!" Bernard shouted, his voice cracking. He was still wrapped in bandages from his encounter with Luke’s club, and the bitterness of his loss was a dark shadow looming on his heart.

He couldn’t help but point the finger at his former friend, who had turned his back on their old friendship. "He knows everything about Alfred and me! He spent years in our shadow; he must be the one who told others about our fighting styles and our tricks!"

"Tricks?"

The leading teacher of the club, who had been leaning against a stone pillar in the shadows, finally spoke. He had been silent throughout the berating, but Bernard’s excuse seemed to trigger his annoyance. He stepped into the light, and his eyes shone with a dangerous, unnatural red light. He looked at the five defeated students as if he were inspecting insects under a boot.

If John had been there to witness that particular glow, his Frame Recognition would have flared with warnings. The red light wasn’t a standard glow; it was something far more shocking. Yet, none of the students in the room seemed surprised by it.

"Shall we kick them out, Master?" the club leader asked, his tone shifting to one of subservience.

The teacher slowly shook his head, his gaze never leaving Bernard’s trembling form. "What would be the point of that? Kicking them out now won’t help clear the club’s reputation. It would only make us look desperate to hide our failures."

The teacher paused, tapping his chin as he recalled the news he had intercepted from the administrative wing.

"Not to mention, those five have already been granted a piece of land and the Headmaster’s personal approval to establish a club of their own. A thirteenth club is emerging within our department, and we need to consider that immediately."

The room fell into a stunned silence. No one had heard about this yet, at least not within the student circles. Information about the land grant and the new club had been kept under wraps by the Headmaster’s orders, but the teacher had overheard it accidentally earlier that day.

The Military Department’s teacher circle was already buzzing with surprise and doubt. The different teachers were questioning what kind of impression those five must have left on the Headmaster to be granted such a high, rare privilege.

"Doesn’t that mean we should kick these five out even sooner?" another student asked, gesturing to the disgraced Backup Team. "We shouldn’t keep reminders of our defeat around while a rival club is building its base right under our noses."

The teacher remained fixed in his stance, a cruel smile touching his lips. "No. They will be handy in some way later."

The teacher looked at the Formal Team leader and added, "Once their club is established and they’ve spent their resources building a base, we can use the excuse of these five’s defeat to trigger the old tradition. It’s a new club with only five members. We can crush them easily in a Club War."

The moment the teacher uttered those words, a frantic hum of whispers spread across the students. The term Club War was an ancient, nearly forgotten tradition in the academy, originating from the bloodier, early days of the Military Department. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

For the last few centuries, the academy had remained stable, and club wars had been suppressed by the Council of Deans and a long series of Headmasters.

"If we issue a formal Club War against them, one of two clubs must perish," one of the senior students explained, noticing the confused and fearful looks on the juniors’ faces.

"It’s an open conflict between at least two club members, supported by the old laws. It only ends when one side claims the base and the charter of the other. It ends with one club winning all and the other losing everything."

"A trivial matter, if all of you attack together," the teacher said, taking the gravity of the situation lightly.

"Five against thirty? Even with their special training, they cannot defend a perimeter against an army. Just make sure you begin gathering information now. Real, proper information, not lousy excuses about knowing your tricks. Once they have finished the construction of their club base, we will make our move and take everything they’ve built for ourselves."

The club meeting shifted focus to how they would defend their club base and attack John’s to ensure their victory.

The air was filled with paranoia; they had all witnessed how Cissel handled a military-grade machine gun cannon as if it were a child’s toy. It was clear that the weapons they had in their storage devices wouldn’t be enough to stop John’s team.