In the heart of Tōriku City, power shifted quietly.
Not through elections.
Not through armies.
Not even through corporations.
It shifted through whispers. Through shadows.
Through SPECTER.
And now, Hiroshi was ready to move to the next stage.
The world had seen the face of his empire.
Now it was time to unleash its invisible claws.
---
They met for the first time in an abandoned subway station, deep beneath the glittering skyline.
No cameras.
No signals.
No exits except the one Hiroshi allowed.
Seven figures stood in the flickering dark, each one ordinary at a glance. A janitor. A barista. A part-time delivery girl. A nerdy-looking gamer. A sleepy bookstore clerk.
But appearances were lies.
Every one of them had been handpicked by Hiroshi himself.
Each one had survived hell.
Each one had a skill that could bend reality.
And now, they belonged to him.
---
He stood before them, casual, hands in his pockets.
No crown.
No throne.
No ego.
Only gravity—the kind of presence that made monsters kneel without thinking.
"You've been chosen," Hiroshi said, voice steady. "Not to fight for glory. Not for riches. Not even for revenge."
He looked each one in the eye.
"You are here to create a new world."
Silence.
Then he threw a metal case on the cracked floor.
It popped open.
Inside were seven masks—sleek, featureless, black except for a single silver mark on each forehead.
A hawk's claw.
"From today," Hiroshi said, "you are my unseen hand. The world will not know you. The world will not fear you."
He smiled faintly.
"But those who rule in darkness... will learn to pray they never meet you."
---
One by one, they stepped forward.
And chose their masks.
---
Code Name: Wraith.
The delivery girl.
Eyes cold as winter.
A former assassin trained to kill kings—and vanish before dawn.
She picked up her mask without hesitation.
---
Code Name: Geist.
The janitor.
An old soldier with scars hidden under his uniform.
Rumors said he survived a mission where entire platoons disappeared.
He gave Hiroshi a slight nod and claimed his mask.
---
Code Name: Echo.
The shy bookstore clerk.
A hacking prodigy who once crashed an entire city's power grid—just for fun.
She giggled softly as she took her mask.
---
Code Name: Revenant.
The barista.
He looked sleepy.
In reality, he was a biochemical genius—capable of creating poisons so subtle they mimicked natural deaths.
He yawned and picked up his mask lazily.
---
Code Name: Nova.
The nerdy gamer.
A drone specialist.
Could turn toy helicopters into precision weapons.
He grinned and snatched his mask like he was joining a guild.
---
Code Name: Zephyr.
The petite girl chewing gum.
Fastest getaway driver in Tōriku.
Once outran a police squad in a stolen food truck.
She tossed her gum, winked at Hiroshi, and grabbed her mask.
---
Code Name: Umbra.
The silent one.
Nobody knew his real past.
Only that he moved like a ghost—and when he moved, people stopped breathing.
He simply stared at Hiroshi, picked his mask, and melted back into the shadows.
---
As the last one stood ready, Hiroshi spoke again:
"You are the Shadow Seven."
"You will never exist in records.
You will never be seen in the light.
Your victories will never be celebrated."
"But through you, the Kurogane Empire will become unstoppable."
---
The old subway lights flickered.
For a moment, Hiroshi stood alone against seven shadows.
And it was enough to shake the pillars of the city above.
Because now, he wasn't alone anymore.
Now, the city wasn't fighting a boy with dreams.
It was fighting an idea.
An idea clothed in flesh and steel.
An empire without a face.
A nightmare without a name.
---
As they melted back into the darkness, ready to begin their silent war, Hiroshi whispered into the empty station:
"History will remember kings and conquerors..."
"But it will never understand the ghosts that made them fall."
He turned and vanished into the black tunnels.
The real game had just begun.