“Is this the young man you told me about, Commander?” Queen Sena Chihiro asked.“That’s right, Your Majesty. This is Kazan, the son of Official Haruki!” replied Isamu.“The Commander has told me of your deeds. Thank you for coming.” Beside Sena, a six-year-old boy folded and unfolded his small hands.He was Crown Prince Satoshi Renji, the late King Sora’s son and heir to the throne.“Official Haruki! It is a blessing for you to have such a remarkable son; if he were to become Commander of this kingdom, our kingdom would surely grow even stronger!”“Your Majesty, I am truly grateful for your thoughtful and kind words. Thank you,” replied Enjou.“You don’t need to be so humble, Official Haruki. After all, His Majesty was once very close to you. Would you be willing to replace Kaito as Chief Advisor?”Enjou glanced toward the council members. No one seemed surprised by the offer.A council member stepped forward. “Please accept, Official Haruki. You have the experience to take up the offi

Her gaze shifted from the mask to Arata. She knew who her father’s two disciples had been before Kazan joined them.“Aunt Hiyori! It’s been a long time,” greeted Kazan.“So you really are the Young Master—weren’t you the one who…?”“It’s a long story, but the point is, I’m fine now!” replied Kazan, who understood what Hiyori meant.Mei was still staring at Kazan in confusion; she couldn’t remember at all if she had ever met him.“Mei, you might have forgotten, but you actually met the Young Master when you were three! You even asked him to play with you back then,” said Hiyori.“Really? But I don’t remember!” replied Mei.Kazan returned her smile. He remembered meeting a small child, but he had avoided her invitations to play.“Father, did you know Sect Leader Masaki is coming too?”“Masaki is here?” Arata looked past Hiyori toward the gathering knights.“There may be more new contenders than we expected.” His gaze returned to Kazan. “Though I have an idea who will trouble them most.”

In the ring, Haruto’s sword checked for an instant. He fed more Ki into the barrier around his ears, leaving less behind the next slash.“Aya’s long-range art is formidable,” Masaki murmured. “How much longer can Haruto divide his Ki like that?”“Eagle Wing Sword—Eagle Feather Slash!”Haruto flung his sword upward. Gold unfolded around the rising blade and split into thousands of narrow sword shadows.He swept his hand down. The shadows tipped toward Aya and plunged together.Spectators raised their arms against the glare. The sky above the ring glittered with descending points.“That technique is indeed very difficult to face. Until now, I’d only heard stories about that move—now I’m witnessing it firsthand!” said one of the knights.Aya’s fingers raced over the flute. The melody tightened, and a curved wall of energy closed around her.CRASH!The first sword shadows burst against it. More followed before the fragments had faded.Sand danced at her feet. Cracks spread through the wall

Kazan raised an eyebrow when Masaki wanted to fight him.“Out of all the people here, why does he want to fight me?” Kazan wondered to himself.“Well, do you accept Sect Leader Masaki’s challenge?” asked Tamaki.Kazan glanced south once more, then stepped into the ring.“Why do you want to fight me, Sect Leader?” asked Kazan.“Are you really the son of Haruki Enjou?” asked Masaki.“That’s right, Sect Leader!” replied Kazan.“I’ve heard a little about your prowess, so now I want to experience it for myself. Come on, show me everything you’ve got!” said Masaki.Kazan set his feet, but each movement of the distant cloud tugged at his attention.“Golden Lion Claws!”Masaki’s first claw swept for his chest. Kazan let his weight tip backward, turning the apparent stumble into a sideways step as the second claw passed his shoulder.“The Drunken God Technique!” an older knight exclaimed. “How does he know those movements?”One spectator started to laugh at the staggering gait, then fell silent

“Wait, don’t hurt him! I… I am the commander of this kingdom. If you harm that young man, I’ll hunt down your organization!” said Isamu, struggling to resist Ginji’s pressure.Taiga stamped between Isamu’s shoulders. The Commander's hand slipped, and his chest struck the sand.“You’re only brave because he’s here. If I weren’t under this pressure, I’d kill you right now!” said Isamu.“Then do it if you can! Get up! What’s the matter? Are you still unable to move?” Taiga taunted Isamu even more.Isamu turned his face from the sand. Taiga served Takeru’s Three Flowers Organization; what had brought that faction into Black Star’s service?Kazan’s heels cut twin furrows. He leaned against the pull and forced himself to hold at their ends.“Impressive! Let me guess—you must be the strongest knight in this region! Now I want to see just how far your abilities go!” said Ginji.Shigure’s voice pressed into Kazan’s thoughts. “I told you to learn what he could do before challenging him.”“He was