The members began discussing how to leverage their family connections.

As children of Paragon-affiliated houses, they didn’t just have allowance money; they had access to private armouries and experimental weapon support.

The teacher watched them for a moment, a silent shadow against the stone wall. He knew they were more than capable of arming a small army if provoked.

Satisfied that the stupid kids were sufficiently motivated, he slipped away toward an abandoned, pitch-black corner of the basement, far away from their current meeting spot.

"I have already done my first move," he whispered to the empty air. He pressed a hand to his temple, and his eyes suddenly flared with a flickering, sickly red light.

The light didn’t just illuminate the area; it seemed to project a holographic shape directly into the space before him. "The bait has been taken. They will initiate a club war the moment he finishes establishing his."

The red light intensified, extending like twin torches until it hit the nearby damp wall. There, the shimmering silhouette of another human appeared in a projected, hazy silhouette. The figure’s face wasn’t clear, but one feature was unmistakable: his eyes glowed with the same crimson hue.

"I’ll need at least two weeks to be ready on this end," the projected figure said, his voice sounding tinny and distant. "Are you sure that stubborn old man won’t interfere? The Headmaster isn’t known for his negligence to any threat."

"I’ll make sure he isn’t present when we move," the teacher replied, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial hiss. "Still... Two weeks, that’s way slower than what I expected..."

"I’m facing little resistance here," the projected figure said in a slightly enraged tone, "we thought he would issue the portals once coming back. If he did, our job would have been way easier. Yet I’ll keep pressuring them till they throw their entire weight into our plan."

Silence extended for a few moments, as the teacher thought deeply about this. "Then I’ll buy you some time. I wanted to cause some trouble for that kid. So it’s doable."

"You will do that move now?!" The projected figure seemed to recognise what the teacher was speaking about and sounded a little surprised: "Isn’t it a bit too early to expose that?"

"No, it won’t make a big difference using it now or later," the teacher’s face turned serious, "just focus on gathering as many allied academies as you can. We need to deliver a blow that Azure Academy won’t recover from. It’s time to pluck that annoying thorn out of our side once and for all."

"Understood. I’ll try to make things ready on my end sooner than the two-week time limit," the face flickered and began to dissolve into the darkness. "Let’s speak later."

As the projection vanished, the teacher’s eyes returned to their normal state. He stood in the silence, an evil smile stretching across his face as he envisioned the chaos to come.

"Hehehe... Let’s see how you handle the little surprise I’m brewing for you, Mr Mirage. Hehehe!" His laughter echoed through the hollow basement, a sound of pure malice.

----------------------------------

Meanwhile, far from the shadows of the fighting building’s basement, John stood at the edge of a massive plot of land that was being transformed into the RBM Club’s main base.

The scale of the project was staggering. Ricky hadn’t just secured the initial allotment; he had aggressively purchased the surrounding parcels, securing an area that matched nearly half of the Military Department’s total surface area.

Ricky hadn’t just bought the land; he had contracted a top-tier construction firm from the nearby city, providing them with a specific architectural blueprint.

The design had been a collaborative effort between Elena and Cissel, who had insisted on a massive, reinforced basement complex beneath the entire land, a space designed for their secrets rather than socialising.

Luke was currently standing near a pile of bricks, Ben by his side. The two of them were overseeing the work, barking orders at the automated drones and labourers to ensure no one slacked off.

Ben had been discharged from the infirmary only two days ago, but he had found Luke sticking to him like a shadow. Luke had been relentless, insisting that Ben join their new club as one of the founders.

Initially, Ben thought it was a silly joke. He was a weak senior, while they were the rising stars. But when John himself appeared and spoke to the youth about his potential, Ben finally agreed.

He still looked slightly dazed, as if he couldn’t believe he was standing on the grounds of what was quickly becoming the most talked-about students in the department and the academy.

"They’re using the latest rapid-molecular bonding technology," Ricky explained to John, noticing his friend’s confusion at the speed of the work. On Earth, a project this size would have taken months of heavy machinery and labour. Here, the construction company had promised completion in a mere three days.

"They should have taken ten days at least," Cissel noted, walking over from where she had been inspecting the perimeter fence. Elena was still in the distance, helping Luke and Ben by handling the delivery of the interior furnishings. "You must have paid a king’s ransom to move the timeline this much, Ricky."

"Money isn’t an issue," Ricky said calmly, though a flicker of pride crossed his face. "We need the walls up and the hidden defences active before we open the doors. Still..." He turned to John, looking slightly troubled. "Are you sure about the ’Invitation Only’ rule? Most new clubs try to cast a wide net to build a base of support."

"I’ve done the research," John shrugged, his eyes scanning the horizon. "The elite clubs never make themselves open for everyone. They select whoever matches their criteria. If we want to be seen as the new peak of the academy, we have to act like it."

"But we don’t have the history they do," Ricky objected. "Shouldn’t we build our presence first? Expand our numbers to a fifty or so, then filter the best later?"