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EVERYONE THOUGHT THAT THE brotherhood who would step out first would be Jokers, but the ones who stepped on the dance floor were surprisingly the counts, Cigarettes. For their presentation, they showcased their underlings, which was an aspect that they were known for, especially for the Ashes who were next in line for becoming the next batch of members.

     With their flags waving in the air, and their underlings doing stunts on the side, you'd feel like you're watching a circus, and Cj is the ring leader. If Max didn't know these guys are the Cigarettes, he'd think they're the Jokers because of the concept that they chose.

     "Cigarettes value their underlings more than anything," Cindy tells Max as they continue watching their presentation. "They give most of their resources to them, making them the underlings with the most power. If you want to be an underling, they're the best choice. But for your case, that makes them a very troublesome opponent."

     "If I want to go through Cigarettes, I have to go through those Ashes first. And those guys look tougher than the Cigarettes themselves," Max says, his eyes on the underling who was breathing out fire.

      The next presenters were Crazy 8. For the first time, all eight members were present. And like a masquerade ball, they were all covering their faces with masks. Crazy 8 is known to be elegant and graceful, so for their presentation, the Marquis took eight people from the crowd and danced with them. Even Cindy was invited to join.

      It was a simple yet enjoyable presentation, considering the fact that Crazy 8 doesn't have underlings, so they were just there to enjoy themselves.

     "Graceful as ever," Max says while clapping his hands to Cindy who just finished dancing with Crazy 8's leader, Siren.

     Cindy sits down and takes a sip of water. "It's been so long since I've seen Siren. Well, not really seen-seen, but you get the point,"

     "Does no one know his real identity?" Max asks out of pure curiosity.

     "Well, for what I know, even the Royals don't have a clue on who he might be. But don't be fooled by their elegant image. Crazy 8 is called crazy for a reason. They're the only brotherhood who started from the House of Pawns and shot straight to House of Kings during the Annual Brotherhood Reranking. Even my sisterhood was surprised," Cindy explains shocking Max.

     "Then it looks like they're going to be tough to handle."

     The third performer was none other than Boys Next Door, also known as the Dukes. As international as they are, BND showed a pageant-like presentation, showcasing their individual charms and talents. Everyone watched in amazement, while Max tried his best not to vomit when he saw his brother flirting with the crowd.

     "It's strange how I never even imagined that Marcus would join a brotherhood or any type of dangerous group like this. As much as I hate to admit it, he's a sweet guy. Fighting isn't something that I thought he'd be good at," Max says with a soft voice so Felix wouldn't hear him except for Cindy.

     "I don't want to put my nose in your family affairs, but there's a lot of things that you don't know about Marcus. Thanks to our family's close relation, I know you're related. But you being siblings won't automatically make you close," Cindy tells Max, hoping Max won't find her statement rude.

     Thankfully, Max took it with a grain of salt. "Marcus has always been secretive. If he wasn't, I would have already known about this school the moment he enrolled here," he explains as he looks back at the presenters.

     "BND represents three traits," Hans suddenly says, making both Max and Cindy give their attention solely back to him. "These traits are honor, passion, and grace. If you do not have any of those traits, you are not welcome in our brotherhood."

     "We do not have customs either," another member explains. "We believe customs are only used to boast one's power over the students, which is why we do not perform them."

     Marcus then steps forward and adds next, "And lastly, BND values every individual's strength. If you join us, we will hone your skills and talent and make you a better man for society."

     "Now to end this presentation, I would like to share with you all our brotherhood's motto. Those who cannot stand the thorns," Hans starts, and the rest of the members of BND bow and finishes it for him, "Do not deserve to pick the roses."

     Hans smiles at the crowd and touches his chest like some kind of gentleman. "We hope you knock on our doors soon," Hans finally ends, bowing down as well as the crowd claps for them.

     Max claps for them too, and the Dukes make their exit, giving way to the next presenter. The princes and the kings decided to merge their presentation, so when the dance floor was cleared, the light suddenly turned off, and the symbol of the Royals appeared in the middle.

     "The royals, better known as the kings and princes. These guys don't even have to do anything. Their existence alone already makes the students want to be one of them. They don't have underlings like Crazy 8, but if they do have one, it would be safe to say that their ranks would automatically be higher than Jokers, or maybe even Cigarettes," Cindy explains in a soft voice as she leans close to Max.

     "Do you guys have underlings?" Max then asks because Cindy is a queen herself, which makes her part of the royals.

     "Well, the princesses in our house are our underlings. But that's a very different story," Cindy answers, surprising Max since it only means that Cindy doesn't just have underlings. She has an entire sisterhood that is under her command.

     As the greenhouse falls silent, trumpet sounds were suddenly heard, and one by one, the princes step out wearing their famous black uniform.

     First are the Dangerous Five, followed by the Pretty Duo, and finally, the Hot Wingmen, who walked behind their leader, Kim Hee-joon who matched his uniform with a long cape.

     "The Ice Prince. I have not seen that man smile even once. If you ask me he's scarier than Viktor," Cindy says, and Max couldn't help but agree, especially after what he did to him when he encountered them at the Great Hall.

     "By the way, do you know about the kings' roles Leigh?" Cindy then asks as they watch PHD walk towards their positions.

     "All I know is Viktor leads them," Max honestly answers, and just on cue, Busters arrives one by one.

     Cindy moves closer to Max so she can whisper in his ear. "Remember Leigh, Viktor isn't the only king in J.S High. There's a reason why your house is called the House of Kings, not King. And in Busters, there are nine," Cindy explains as she starts pointing at the members of Busters who were walking towards the middle according to their title.

     "That's the Destroyer," Cindy introduces as she points at the member wearing a leather eyepatch. "Then the Lion, the Noble, the Humble, the Good..." She continues. And then a student who was maybe even smaller than Felix suddenly appears. For some reason, it was Max's first time to actually notice him.

     "That little fella is called the Merciful. Don't be fooled by his looks because he is everything BUT merciful," Cindy explains, and the small boy suddenly grins in their direction, making the hair on Max's skin stand.

     "Then we have the Defender, and lastly, Viktor's right-hand-king, the Serpent," Cindy finishes as a student with long platinum white hair joins in.

     "Viktor invented the brotherhood customs; customs that changed the students' perspective over the brotherhoods, that we - the sisterhoods - later adapted. In all honesty, I would rather face any other customs except for theirs because they call their customs the Russian Roulette Trial, or better known as the Nine Level Punishment." Cindy tells Max as Max looks at the kings one by one.

     Their presence alone made Max gulp. Only now did he realize how terrifying they were, especially since Cindy is introducing them to him.

     "The custom goes like this. The student who will be punished will be given a revolver. Unlike the usual Russian roulette, all barrels have a bullet except for one. The student will then shoot a target with eight numbers, which represents the eight kings. The number that you'll be able to shoot will represent the king you will face," Cindy explains.

     "And if you shoot with the empty slot?" Max asks.

     "You automatically receive the ninth level punishment, also known as the Conquerer Punishment, which unfortunately, is a title that is given to Viktor," Cindy explains, and just in time, Viktor arrives and joins the rest of the kings.

     The members of PHD and Busters move aside and Hee-joon and Viktor step in the middle. Someone removes their cape for them, and then another pair of students arrive and hand them swords.

     "Don't tell me they're—" Before Max could even finish his question, Viktor suddenly strikes first. Thankfully Hee-joon was able to dodge the attack.

     The two start swinging their swords, charging at each other and not caring if they actually hit the other or not. Everyone was silent, and the only thing you could hear is the sounds Viktor and Hee-joon's swords were making.

     The students watch in full concentration. And when Hee-joon was able to leave a wound on Viktor's shoulder, everyone gasps from shock, even Max. Everyone thought that this was only part of their presentation, but when they saw the blood that dripped from Viktor's shoulder, it was obvious that this wasn't scripted at all.

     Viktor glances at his bleeding arm and smirks. But instead of slowing down, Viktor's speed increases. Hee-joon was relaxed, but after a while, you can see the concentration on his face faltering. Viktor pushes forward, and just as soon as Hee-joon swings his sword towards Viktor's neck, Viktor dodges the attack, and kicks Hee-joon on the stomach, making the prince fall and let go of his sword.

     Viktor immediately swings his sword towards Hee-joon. But just when the blade was already inches away from his neck, he stops.

     Everyone was silent for a second, but one by one, the students start clapping for the amazing display the royals had shown.

     Viktor smiles and helps Hee-joon stand. Hee-joon, as the loser, respectfully bows at Viktor and rejoins his brotherhood. As the crowd continues to clap for him, Viktor takes a handkerchief and ties it around his injured shoulder. A student runs to him and gives him a microphone. And as soon as he places the mic near his mouth, the clapping sound dies down.

     "To those who still do not know me, my name is Viktor Alekovich Stepanov, also known as the Conquerer. I have been a student in J.S High and a member of a brotherhood for four years, and a leader and a king for three. I have contributed a lot for this house and the brotherhoods, but my reign will be over soon, and so will the rest of my fellow kings," Viktor states as he starts walking around the greenhouse, making the students flinch as he walks past them.

     "We, Busters, have done our part, but this year will be different. That is why I, with the leader of the princes Kim Hee-joon, have decided for the first time, that we will be recruiting underlings," Viktor announces, shocking not only the students but even Max and Cindy as well.

     That announcement alone made everyone start talking with each other.

     "This doesn't sound good. Not good at all," Ari says with worry in his voice.

     Viktor lifts his hand, and the noise instantly vanishes. He then clears his throat and continues, "As I was saying, all the members of Busters are seniors, and so are half of the members of PHD. The underlings that we will be picking will be personally trained under our wing, and they will form a brotherhood of their own."

     Cindy's eyes widen from shock as she looks back at Max and says, "This can't be. They copied what I did. They're going to make replacements as soon as they graduate."

     And like Viktor heard what Cindy just said, Viktor looks straight at her and grins. He then looks back at Max and continues, "We will personally pick our underlings. So if any of you here are interested, show us everything you've got...white uniforms."

- END -