RING BORN

Chapter 16: The Formation of Teams

A man in a long, black coat stood on a raised platform at the front. His sharp gaze scanned the crowd, silencing all chatter. He finally spoke in a deep, commanding voice.

"Welcome, Ringborns." His voice echoed through the hall. "Some of you fought in the tournament. Some of you are new. But from today, all of you are protectors of humanity."

The crowd murmured in anticipation.

"This tower will be your home. You will eat, sleep, and train here. You will receive missions from the World Government, and you will be rewarded handsomely for your service."

The moment he mentioned rewards, several ringborns cheered. "Money and power? This is gonna be amazing!" someone yelled.

The black-coated man ignored them and continued. "You will be divided into teams of seven. These teams will live and train together. They will be your family from now on."

The room tensed. Everyone would be split up.

The man pulled out a list. "Now, let's begin."

One by one, team names and members were announced.

"Seraphims."

Pedro Costa

Santino Costa

Hana Amy

Michael Elionn

Zagha

Alfred

Iris

Pedro pumped his fist. "Alright, let's do this!"

"Cherubims."

Seichi

Ren Ayashi

Zach

Shura

Itoshi

Klaus

Haruna

Ren nodded, arms crossed. "Not bad."

More teams followed.

"Thrones."

Izan

Mika

Dante

Leo

Orion

Amir

Vega

"Dominions."

Goro

Yuji

Nana

Renji

Takeshi

Davi

Miguel

Akira, Hajime, and other friends nervously waited for their names.

"Virtues."

Adrian

Tatsuya

Ryusei

Akira

Hajime

Aarav

Krish

"Guess we're together," Hajime said, sighing in relief.

More teams were introduced: Phantoms, Shadows, Powers, Metals, Flames...

Finally, the last team was called.

"Archangels."

Yuuma

Ryo Alves

Hikaru

Gabriel

Asahi

Julia

Daiki

Ryo blinked. "Wait, what?"

He had been separated from Ren, Akira, and Hajime.

Akira frowned. "Damn, I wanted to fight alongside you."

Ren patted Ryo's shoulder. "Guess you'll have to show them why you're the best."

The announcer continued. "Each team will be assigned to a living block within this tower. Seraphims will stay in S Block. Cherubims in A Block. Thrones in B Block… and so on."

He reached the final team. "Archangels will reside in Z Block."

The room fell silent.

Z Block. The very last block. It was unknown territory, farthest from the main hall.

Ryo sighed. "Why do I feel like I got the worst deal?"

"Don't die, Light," Hajime teased, grinning.

After exchanging goodbyes, everyone split up, heading to their respective blocks.

Ryo walked toward Z Block, feeling uneasy. He entered the room, his new teammates already inside.

The moment he stepped in, all eyes turned toward him.

A heavy silence filled the room.

Ryo scratched the back of his head. "Uh… hey?"

No one responded.

Instead, they just stared.

His new team wasn't exactly welcoming.