The same five months that Hakurō Kaede spent training under Kenshiko AI, Shirogiri Manor underwent a transformation of its own. Under Kuro's leadership, it had become a bastion of strength, discipline, and raw, untamed power. The Oni-Brigade, once scattered warriors of the past, had become something far greater—a force to be reckoned with, forged in both shadow and lightning.
Kuro had not only trained his own warriors but had also sought guidance from the Unshackled—survivors from the distant storm-ridden world of Planet Raiju. These warriors, unbound by conventional teachings, possessed knowledge of lightning-based Kage techniques that had never before been seen on Earth. With their guidance, Kuro's training regimen evolved, blending the abyssal essence of shadow with the ferocity of the storm.
Their teachings gave birth to a new path: Kage no Jutsu—Raijin Veil. A technique that allowed the user to move at near-incomprehensible speeds by momentarily shifting into lightning-infused shadow, striking before an enemy even realized they had been attacked. With each passing day, Kuro refined his mastery of these hybrid techniques, growing stronger with every battle.
At the same time, the Oni-Brigade underwent intense training, forging themselves into a unified force. The warriors pushed their limits, mastering new techniques that combined shadow and lightning in ways never before imagined. Each leader of the Oni-Brigade honed a specialized skill derived from the fusion of these two forces:
Reiji "Ghost" Tanaka – A master of silent execution, he refined the Phantom Surge, allowing him to phase in and out of reality using shadow-infused lightning, making his assassinations nearly undetectable.
Riku "Viper" Matsuda – Enhanced his already formidable close-quarters combat with Storm Fang, a technique that electrified his strikes and left a delayed, shadowy aftershock that shredded his foes moments after impact.
Sora "Ember" Kurogane – Developed Eclipse Snare, an advanced entrapment technique that created a shifting field of dark lightning, ensnaring enemies in a web of static shadows before collapsing in a lethal burst.
Takashi "Drake" Fujimoto – Mastered Thunder Abyss, a devastating technique that combined sheer physical strength with storm-forged shadows, allowing him to unleash explosive, crater-forming strikes that nullified enemy defenses.
Shirogiri Manor was no longer just a hidden sanctuary—it was the birthplace of legends.
The New Warriors
As Shirogiri Manor continued its rise, new blood arrived to forge their path alongside the Oni-Brigade. Twenty warriors, a mix of both men and women, sought to prove themselves under Kuro's banner. Each of them possessed unique skills, backgrounds, and untapped potential, ready to undergo the grueling training that would determine their worth.
Among them, the Musa from Planet Raiju introduced three new leaders, each carrying the power of the storm within them:
Raiga "Stormbrand" Kazuki – A relentless warrior whose body crackled with living lightning. He mastered Heaven's Tempest, a technique that allowed him to summon localized stormfields in battle, turning the battlefield into a raging tempest of shadow and lightning.
Ayame "Zephyr" Natsume – A swift and elusive fighter, she perfected Phantom Gale, a technique that allowed her to move with the speed of lightning while leaving behind shadow afterimages to confuse and disorient her enemies.
Haru "Thunderclad" Oshiro – A towering figure clad in shifting currents of dark energy. He wielded Abyssal Surge, a devastating ability that allowed him to absorb enemy attacks and redirect the energy tenfold in an explosive counterstrike.
With the addition of these warriors, the battlefield had changed. The Oni-Brigade was no longer alone in their mastery of shadow and lightning. The fusion of Earth's darkness and Raiju's storm-born techniques had given birth to an entirely new way of combat.
The training grounds of Shirogiri Manor thundered with the sound of warriors clashing, lightning surging through the air as both old and new warriors honed their abilities. The dawn of a new era was upon them, and only the strongest would rise to claim their place among the legends of the Kage no Jutsu.
The History of the Raiju Musa Caste
Planet Raiju is home to two distinct castes: The Chained and The Musa.
The Chained are those born on Raiju who, for reasons unknown, cannot leave the planet. Whether this is due to a natural anomaly, an ancient curse, or something even more enigmatic, no one has ever found a way to break their tether. They remain bound to Raiju, their existence tied to its storm-laden lands. The Musa are those who can leave Raiju freely. They are rare, unshackled by whatever force binds the Chained, and they carry the planet's fierce legacy into the wider universe.
A crucial distinction exists between these two groups. While both hold equal power on Raiju, the Musa lose nearly 50% of their strength when they leave the planet. This mysterious limitation has prevented Raiju's warriors from fully exerting their dominance beyond their home. However, within Raiju's borders, the Musa and the Chained remain at full power, making their world nearly impossible to conquer.
Because of this, even the mighty Keiretsu have never subdued Raiju, despite the planet falling within the vast Kaishu Imperium. The cost of waging war against warriors who hold their full strength on home soil has deterred any empire from attempting full-scale subjugation.