Outside the base, a little further away.

“So far so good!” Kay said firmly over the radio.

The trucks stopped, and the soldiers quickly got out, organizing themselves around them. The place was vast, with a light breeze rustling the leaves of the nearby trees.

“We’ve come a long way!” Captain Haruki commented, looking around and adjusting his cap.

Kay watched the soldiers closely, analyzing the terrain and their disposition. Then, with a firm voice, he began to give orders:

“Since there are six squads and each one has a considerable number of soldiers, I want a formation with three squads in front and three behind them. Leave space between the soldiers to maintain order!” Captain Haruki crossed his arms and looked at Kay with a slightly skeptical expression.

“All at once? Are you sure you can handle that? To be honest, I kind of doubted you when you said that at the trial.” His voice carried a mix of curiosity and challenge.

Kay raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Fear not.” His confidence was almost palpable.

Haruki shrugged, turning to his men.

“Alright, you heard what he said! Formation!” he shouted, pointing to the open area.

The soldiers began to organize themselves, moving efficiently to carry out the orders. Meanwhile, Kay turned to his own squad.

“I’m going to need your support.” His tone was serious, but there was determination in every word.

“You got it!” they replied in unison, their comrades saluting.

Kay looked at Rem, who was standing beside him.

“Rem, you’ll be at the front of the formation with the captain.”

“Right!” Rem said with a confident nod, heading to his position.

The soldiers adjusted themselves, the sound of boots on the ground echoing across the field. Kay walked between the ranks, checking the alignments and observing everyone’s posture. The tension of the training was about to begin, and the anticipation was high.

Kay walked to the front of everyone, with an imposing posture. Her squad was already strategically spread out among the groups, ready to act in case someone lost control.

"I'm getting nervous!" Rem said, her tone full of anxiety.

"Have you never done this training before?" Captain Haruki asked, intrigued.

"I'm new here in the army!" she replied, almost laughing nervously.

"This is a surprise!" Haruki exclaimed, arching her eyebrows.

Suddenly, Kay raised her voice:

"Submit!"

A murderous aura emanated from him, sweeping through the area like a wave of invisible terror. The pressure was overwhelming, as if the air around had become denser.

"My body... no, the suit is moving on its own!" Rem said, as her knees gave way and she knelt, out of control.

"What is this pressure?!" — Captain Haruki shouted, also forced to the ground.

All the soldiers present were bowing, unable to resist the oppression. Only the members of Kay's squad remained standing, motionless, as if that energy was already familiar to them.

— "Something's wrong. Why are you kneeling? Where are the tentacles?" — thought the soldiers of the fifth squad, confused.

Kay gave a serious look to those present.

"Obey the human who is talking to you. Otherwise, I will kill you!" His voice was cold as a blade.

Then, suddenly, he smiled and took a deep breath. The murderous aura dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, giving the soldiers back control of their bodies. Slowly, they stood up, still shaken.

Kay, unfazed, drank some coffee before resuming leadership.

"Intention. That's what connects you to the ghouls. I want you to manifest the tentacles of the suit and make them touch the ground, stand up and repeat the movement five times. I'll demonstrate."

With precision, Kay manifested the tentacles of the suit, which extended like living shadows. He performed the movement of lowering and raising his tentacles, making it clear what he wanted.

"I see! It's like giving an order to the ghoul, right?" Rem said excitedly.

"Yes, but..." Kay replied, before being interrupted.

Rem closed her eyes, concentrating. A few seconds later, tentacles emerged from her suit.

"Look, I did it!" she exclaimed, smiling and waving happily.

Kay blinked, surprised by how quickly she had done it.

"Ah... good job!" he praised, smiling back.

Rem began to move her tentacles, lowering and raising them five times, as instructed.

"Okay. Now retract the suit to normal and come watch the others with me," Kay said.

Rem obeyed, retracting her tentacles and joining him.

— "As if it were an order to the ghoul? She didn't say anything... So it must be something mental," Haruki thought, closing his eyes to try.

A little while later, the tentacles of the captain's suit manifested. He repeated the exercise, showing the same precision.

"Good job. Now retract and come watch too," Kay said.

Haruki did as he was asked and joined the two. Gradually, almost all the soldiers managed to manifest their tentacles and perform the movement.

"All of you who managed to do so, return the suit to normal and return to the trucks," Kay ordered.

The soldiers obeyed, but five of them remained, with frustrated expressions.

"For you, try to imagine that you are growing wings and fly here. Use what you learned to connect!" Kay instructed.

The soldiers were surprised, and Rem couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Of the five, three managed to manifest wings and flew close to Kay.

“Retract your suits and get back to the trucks!” Kay ordered, as he manifested his own wings.

“That’s not fair, Kay!” Rem complained.

Suddenly, two of the remaining soldiers began to flee, clearly without intent. Kay, without hesitation, shot after them, using his tentacles to catch their wings and bring them back to the ground.

Once on the ground, Kay intensified his murderous aura, directing it directly at the ghouls in the two soldiers’ suits.

“Obey your humans, or I will kill you!” he said, his tone as icy as before.

The ghouls’ resistance ceased immediately. Kay retracted his own suit, dissipated his aura, and released the soldiers.

“Now fly to your captain!” he ordered.

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The soldiers obeyed and completed the exercise successfully.

Outside the base, a little way off, Kay spoke over the radio:

— So far so good!

The trucks stopped, and the soldiers began to get out, still feeling the effects of their intense training.

—We've come a long way! — Captain Haruki commented, observing the landscape.

Kay took the lead, with the posture of someone in absolute control.

—Since we've finished training, all that's left now is for you to access the "path" that the order took to reach the ghoul. Make a deal with them: tell them that you'll keep them fed, as long as they help you. That way, they'll avoid dying because of me.

Haruki frowned, trying to understand.

—I kind of understand, but... how do I access this "path"?

—Think of nothing. Meditate and try to mentally access this space. Your consciousness must travel through it. If you can't, try to communicate the same way you did here. But either try now, or forbid the use of the suits until you succeed! — Kay explained seriously.

“Understood!” — Haruki replied, determined.

Kay turned to the group.

“We’re going to the Fourth Division now. Good luck to you!”

Haruki seemed surprised.

“But are you leaving already?”

Kay gave a slight smile.

“My freedom is temporary, and the agreement was only to train the divisions. We’re done here, so we’ll go to the Fourth and start their training tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you very much. I’ll take care of the rest!” — Haruki said, saluting.

“Okay!” — Kay returned the gesture firmly.

“Good luck to you!” — Kay’s squad said, waving as they returned to the trucks.

Before leaving, Kay gave one last warning.

“Ghouls with wings are rare. Order them wisely!”

“You’ll be right!” — Haruki assured, watching them as they left.

The trucks began to move, taking Kay's squad back to base. As soon as they arrived, they quickly got off, boarding the helicopter that was already prepared. The vehicle took off towards the Fifth Division airport.

During the flight, Raven asked curiously:

— Why did you leave in such a hurry?

Kay gave a short laugh.

— He has that thing I told him... and I'm running out of coffee.

Mira raised her eyebrows.

— The bags haven't even left this helicopter. I brought coffee powder here!

— I figured. But tomorrow we'll spend the day in the Fourth Division! — Kay said, looking at the horizon.

— So that was your plan... Or was it Yumi's idea? — Mira asked, suspicious.

— My! She hasn't even seen the message I sent yet — Kay replied with a satisfied smile.

— And Emilia? — Mira asked, raising an eyebrow.

— She already replied — Kay said, taking out her cell phone.

Rem laughed, finding it funny.

“For a princess, she spends a lot of time on her phone!”

“She also has studies. It must be free time now,” Kay explained, concentrating as he typed.

Rem gave her a provocative look.

“You know your girlfriend well, even though you haven’t spent that much time together!”

Kay sighed, still fiddling with her phone.

“By the way, Rem, take off your costume.”

Rem made a surprised expression.

— Take it easy, Kay!

He looked up at her, serious.

— I forced the ghouls to obey, so there might be some rebels. That's why everyone should meditate. And since we're inside the helicopter, it would be dangerous if your ghoul tries to disobey.

Rem crossed her arms.

— I can meditate too!

Kay nodded.

— That makes sense. Let's take a break at the airport, and I'll help you meditate there.

Rem smirked, but teased:

— Okay, but can you focus a little here?

Kay blushed slightly.

— I can feel that you want to be pampered in front of Rem and Sarah?

Raven snorted, irritated.

— Don't talk nonsense, idiot!

— I don't want anything, no! — Mira retorted.

— I don't care! — Rem said with a mischievous smile.

— Neither do I! — Sarah replied.

Mira rolled her eyes.

— Be quiet, you two!

Kay sighed, looking away.

— It seems the king and queen are a little mad at me for dating their daughter.

Mira's eyes widened.

— Emilia already told you?!

— She sent me this video — Kay replied, showing her cell phone.

In the video, Emilia recorded the door to her parents' room right after telling them about the relationship. On the other side of the door, raised voices could be heard.

— He's angry! — Emilia whispered in the recording.

— I'm going to behead that soldier! If he shows up in front of me again, it will be the last time he lives! — the king said, furious.

— I also didn't like them starting to date without asking our permission, but if they love each other, it's okay. I know that boy is capable of protecting our daughter! — the queen argued.

— That's not the point! I don't want that boy in my family ever! I'll behead him!

— Don't do that. He saved our daughter! Have you forgotten?

— Of course I haven't forgotten! But they could have been together for a long time, keeping it a secret...

Emilia intervened in the recording:

— It was well after that!

— You're wrong, so keep quiet! — the king retorted from inside the room.

The queen sighed.

— Go play outside. I'll deal with your father.

— Okay! — Emilia replied, leaving the hallway.

The video ended, and Rem couldn't hold back her laughter.

— He barely got his pardon and he's already losing his mind!

— This is no joke! — Mira scolded.

Kay shrugged.

— It's okay. That video was recorded earlier, right after we separated. Emilia said the queen managed to calm the king down, and they agreed to the relationship, as long as we kept it a secret.

Rem smiled.

— Parents are always more stubborn when it comes to their daughter.

Raven commented:

— Speaking of which, I still need to tell mine.

Kay replied with a smile.

— Hold on a little longer.

— My parents are calm about this! Want to see? — Raven said, taking out her cell phone and sending them a message.

Mira's eyes widened.

— What are you doing?!

Raven answered the video call that appeared on her cell phone, surprised to see the whole family together.

— What's this story, young lady?! — her father exclaimed, in a deep voice, while everyone looked at the screen.

— Why is the whole family here now? — Raven asked, worried.

— They were already here. But that message you sent... is it true? — her mother asked, looking at her expectantly.

Raven took a deep breath and answered firmly:

— Yes. I'm dating now.

There was a murmur among the relatives in the background. Raven's father whispered, but his voice ended up being picked up by the call:

— Did you hear that?

He then raised his voice:

— And who is the scoundrel who had the courage to date my daughter?!

Kay and Mira, who were in the helicopter with Raven, exchanged worried looks.

"We knew he would be angry!" they both thought at the same time.

Raven crossed her arms, determined to face the interrogation.

— He's my colleague. You know the one I told you about? The one who made me vice-leader?

Her father's eyes widened.

— Are you kidding?! Do you mean you're dating your squad leader?!

— Yes! — Raven replied, without hesitation.

— Are you saying you’re with that Alpha 0 you mentioned in the interview in Mineford? — he asked, now even more euphoric.

Raven put her hand to her forehead, exasperated.

— This spread quickly...

Her mother showed a photo on her cell phone, clearly taken from an online article. It was Kay leaning against a helicopter, talking on the cell phone with Emilia.

— Is this the one here?

Raven nodded.

— That’s him. But I didn’t think the journalists had noticed he was there.

Kay, upon realizing the conversation, put the mask on her face, trying to hide her discomfort.

— This is a surprise! — her father commented. — We never imagined you would be interested in anyone! Remember when you said you would never date, you just wanted to join the army?

Raven blushed and gestured for him to stop.

— My squad is listening! Don’t say that!

— I'm sorry, but I'm glad you found someone. — He smiled.

— Mom is also very happy! — her mother added.

Raven hesitated for a moment, but decided to be honest:

— Even if I say he also dates other girls?

Kay choked, and a heavy silence fell over the call.

— How did this happen? Was it before or after you two started dating? — her father asked, trying to remain calm.

— It was before. Actually... I was the fifth one to enter into this relationship. — Raven answered, with a serious tone.

Kay coughed again, nervous.

— Five girlfriends?! What is this guy, a machine? — Raven's cousin asked, surprised.

— Be quiet! — Raven scolded. — That's it. Me and the other girls are dating him, but we respect each other's space. It's not messy at all!

Kay coughed once more, trying to signal for Raven to stop.

“Is that him coughing in the background?” her father asked.

“That’s him!” Raven replied, looking at Kay.

“Then introduce our son-in-law!” her father demanded, expectantly.

Raven turned the phone toward Kay, who straightened his posture and tried to speak.

“Sir!” he began, but his voice came out thinner than expected.

After coughing to regain his composure, he repeated firmly:

“Sir!”

Raven’s father clicked on the screen and turned the phone toward the wall.

“Did you hear that voice? That’s the voice of a leader!” he exclaimed, euphoric.

Kay, awkwardly, muted the microphone for a moment.

“Did he mean to have muted that?” he muttered.

Raven laughed softly.

“My father exaggerates. Just talk normally to him.”

“Okay!” — Kay said, unmuting the microphone.

The father turned back to the camera and looked at him seriously.

— What do you intend with my daughter? She mentioned that you also date other girls.

Kay took a deep breath.

— Sir, there’s no need to be formal. I’m a year younger than her.

Her father seemed surprised, muttering something to the family.

— Sixteen years old? And she’s already a leader? This kid has potential!

Kay continued:

— My intentions with your daughter are sincere. I respect her deeply. I admire how hard-working she is and how excellent a leader she is for our squad. All of this made me like her. If possible, I would like to have your approval, because I intend to have her as my wife in the future.

Raven’s eyes widened.

— Wife?!

After a brief silence, the father clicked on the screen again.

— I understand. You’re still starting out, but I see maturity in your words. Our daughter is very serious, so I hope things work out. As a father, I approve of your relationship, and in the future, you don't need to ask for my blessing again. Go for it!

— Thank you, sir! I guarantee you won't regret it. I want to be the same source of happiness for her that she has been for me!

— Take good care of my daughter. And I hope you come visit us when you can. — Raven's mother said, smiling.

— We'll do it as soon as possible! — Kay promised.

— And if you make my sister cry, I won't forgive you! — Raven's older sister said, crossing her arms.

— I won't! You have my word.

— Now go carefully. You're in the helicopter, I can hear the noise. Take care! — her father said.

Raven ended the call with a smile:

— I love you!

— We love you too, daughter! And bring him here sometime! — her mother replied.

Her mother ended the call. Kay sighed, relieved.

— They were pretty cool about it all.

Raven laughed.

— I warned you, mister husband!

— Not yet! — Kay replied, patting her hair lightly so as not to mess it up.

He took off his mask, and the trip continued smoothly to the airport. They changed vehicles again and went to the plane to catch a flight to the kingdom of the fourth division.

The scene changes to the Dynasty, one of the lost kingdoms recovered by the Fourth Division.