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"GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE, AND welcome to the House of Kings! Today is Day 04 of the Annual Brotherhood Reranking. To everyone in the stadium and to those who are watching this live, I am your host, Vincent Coleman," Mr. Coleman excitedly says on stage, making all the white uniforms in the stadium cheer.

     "But of course, before I call on the brotherhoods, let us first welcome our beloved student council, the Elites!"

     The doors to the stadium opened, and then the Elites started entering one by one. In a normal battle, Ian would be smiling and waving at the crowd like he always does, but today was different. He didn't smile, he didn't wave, and he didn't even look at anyone as he and the rest of the Elites walked their way to the stage. The others couldn't help but notice the different atmosphere, but they decided not to worry about it too much.

     But while everyone was busy cheering, Max went inside the stadium through a different entrance. He had this strange look on him, almost like he was worried about something, but he couldn't do anything about it.

     "Everything's gonna be alright. I just need to trust them," Max whispers to himself as he looks through the crowd so he can find his friends. But before he could even walk towards the bleachers to join the other white uniforms, someone suddenly grabbed him by the arm and pulled him inside an empty restroom, unaware of the promise that would be made between him and the unknown stranger.

     "Alright, looks like we're all set! Let me now call on the remaining 13 strong and magnificent brotherhoods. Starting with Rank 13, Archers!" Mr. Coleman introduced first.

     The large door in the center of the stadium opened as the Brotherhood Archers made their way inside. As it is already obvious in their group name, the Brotherhood Archers are a brotherhood that consists of actual archers. They have six members in total, and it is said that four of them have the rank of Master Archers, while two are considered Grand Master Archers. They're definitely a team that others should look out for, especially when it's long-distance.

     "Next up is the current Rank 12, Revels!"

     The Revels, a promising five-membered brotherhood who came from the House of Pawns and are now on their way to the House of Kings. They were basically the underdogs. No one knew who they were, but they slowly made their way to the higher ranks, ultimately making everyone focus their attention on them.

     A lot of the white uniforms started rooting for them, especially when the Revels reminded them of Crazy 8 back in the day. After all, Crazy 8, who was once led by the original Siren, was also a brotherhood in the lowest house that successfully became the Marquis.

     "Next is Rank 11, Red Tigers!"

     The brotherhood that went inside the stadium next was the Red Tigers, another strong brotherhood that has also been around for years now, just like Busters and PHD. They're a ten-membered group who are known to be both ruthless and cunning. They're definitely a brotherhood to look out for.

     "Rank 10, the Clan!"

     Another brotherhood that people were looking out for was none other than Busters' underlings, the Clan. The Clan made a name for themselves for being an outstanding rookie like the Revels. No one knows what this nine-membered brotherhood is capable of, but when everyone realized that the Clan was actually connected to Busters, they instantly started rooting for them too. After all, a brotherhood trained by the kings themselves is definitely a great threat.

     "Now let's give it up for Rank 9, Scarlet Letter!"

     The fifth brotherhood to appear was Scarlet Letter, a brotherhood that also made a name for themselves in the past. Scarlet Letter was originally from the House of Kings but got demoted to the House of Knights. But they eventually got promoted during last year's brotherhood reranking. A lot of brotherhoods are worried that they might get promoted again this year, so everyone is keeping an eye on this terrifying five-membered group.

     "Alright, now let's give a round of applause to Rank 8, the Gallants!"

     The Gallants is a brotherhood who has been the face of the House of Knights for three years. It has always been rumored that they are stronger compared to the brotherhoods above them, but they never tried ranking up because they loved being a part of the knights. A lot of white uniforms obviously didn't believe that and thought that it was all just a bluff, but the fact that the Gallants made it to the 4th day of the battles meant that they weren't bluffing at all.

     Another thing about the Gallants is their number of members. The minimum number of members in a brotherhood is five, but the Gallants only have four members in total. The reason why this was approved by the association is still unknown.

     "Now for our seventh brotherhood, Rank 7, Checkmate!"

     A brotherhood that was once a resident of the House of Kings, Checkmate is another brotherhood to look out for. They might have been demoted in the past, but their legacy left a huge impact on a lot of students. That's why this eight-membered brotherhood will definitely do everything they can to make sure they return to their original place.

     "Wow, look at all these amazing brotherhoods. I know this is only the fourth day of the reranking, but J.S High, you better look at these groups closely because some of these brotherhoods might end up in our house, so let's cheer everyone on!" Mr. Coleman shouted, making the white uniforms cheer as well. Of course, most of them were afraid of that actually happening, but to show sportsmanship, all they could do was pretend to be excited.

     "Now I know you've all been on the edge of your seats for the next brotherhoods to be announced, and I would honestly be very honored to call onto them one by one, but for the first time in brotherhood history, these brotherhoods made a very particular request," Mr. Coleman then stated, making everyone quiet down. Even the brotherhoods, who were standing in the middle of the stadium, were confused about what was happening.

     "Well, without further ado, as requested...I present to you our current rank 1 to 6!" Mr. Coleman announced, surprising everyone as all six brothers of J.S High went inside the stadium together.

     Everyone was left speechless as Viktor and the others made their way to where the others were standing. It was such a shocking display because they weren't grouped together with their own brotherhood.

     The other brotherhoods were confused as to why they were doing this, but the white uniforms in J.S High knew exactly what this meant. These were the pillars of their great house, and the fact that they stood together as one made it clear that this battle meant more to them than just a way to get reranked. So to show their support, the white uniforms stood from the bleachers as Busters, PHD, BND, Crazy 8, Cigarettes, and Jokers walked to the middle. When they finally stopped walking, the white uniforms started bowing to them one by one, surprising not only the other brotherhoods in the stadium but also the other students who were watching all this live.

     They've never seen a house respect all their brotherhoods like this before.

     "Brilliant as always," Mr. Coleman stated as he looked at his students with a proud smile. "Once again, I present to you the current top 6 brotherhoods. These brotherhoods have made a name for themselves and have given a perfect display of what it means to be in the House of Kings. So for the other brotherhoods present here today, make sure you give it your all."

     The rest of the students in black uniforms nodded their heads as they glanced at the six brotherhoods before them. They weren't acting all cocky or even making light of the situation. These six brotherhoods have been in the game for a reason. So like what Mr. Coleman said to them, they definitely have to give it their all in order to win.

     "Alright, looks like all the brotherhoods are now here. To officially begin the battle, let me now call the president of the Brotherhood Association, as well as the president of J.S High himself, President Janus Sinclaire!"

     After the respectful silence in the stadium, everyone started cheering again as soon as Janus made his appearance. Like usual, he waved to the crowd with a charming smile as he walked his way to the stage, all the brotherhoods bowing to him as he walked past them. When he got to the stage, he stood beside Mr. Coleman, who gave him the microphone. 

     "Good morning, everyone, and welcome to J.S High," he greets, his voice echoing around the grounds of the House of Kings. "Today marks the fourth day of the Annual Brotherhood Reranking. I know all of you are excited to witness this legendary battle so I won't stall you any longer," Janus says as he looks at President Ian.

     Ian nods his head and walks to the stage as well before handing him the envelope that was given to him by the association earlier. Janus thanks Ian and looks at the brotherhoods in front of him again.

     "Before we officially begin, I will announce the number of members who will be participating in today's battle," Janus states as Mr. Coleman grabs the microphone from his hand so he can open the envelope. After pulling the paper out, he leans toward the microphone and finally announces, "The number of black uniforms who will be battling is...five."

     Everyone in the stadium started jumping in excitement, especially the brotherhoods. Five was the safest number because this was enough for them to give important roles to each other during the battle. 

     "You have 2 minutes to discuss who will battle in this round. The timer starts now," Janus then says, and soon after, the two large screens in front of them start showing the timer.

     Everyone immediately talked to each other, discussing who the best members would be. But like the last battle, the six brotherhoods from J.S High knew exactly what they needed to do.

     "The countdown is over. The participants for this battle, please stay in the middle of the stadium. For the other members, please proceed to the left bleachers," a female voice announces throughout the speakers as the nonparticipating members walk their way to their seats, looking back at the others and cheering them on.

     As the participating members were left in the middle, everyone immediately looked at who was left to battle. Even the students from the other houses were closely watching.

     Most of them thought that Busters and the others would choose the same strategy from their last battle. Because during the last battle, none of the leaders and their right-hand men participated, making the others think that they weren't taking the battle seriously at all. Expecting only to see the other members, the students were definitely shocked when they finally saw who the participating members would be.

     "Y-You got to be fucking kidding me..." a member of the Scarlet Letter stated in complete shock and terror.

     For Jokers, the members who will be participating are:

     4th Year Krist Hyusen"Master Joker" - Leader

     4th Year Thassapon Supachai "Brave" - Right-hand man

     3rd Year Rome Onruang

     3rd Year Dhanin Jannu

     3rd Year Toni Ratanavadi

     For Cigarettes, the members who will be participating are:

     4th Year Charles Justin Mills - Leader

     4th Year Anthony Rockefeller - Right-hand man

     4th Year Pablo Blanco

     3rd Year Kevin Carter

     3rd Year Orson Bloom

      For Crazy 8, the members who will be participating are:

     4th Year River Hansen Karlsson "Siren" - Leader

     2nd Year Felix Campbell, Executive No. 7 - Right-hand man

     4th Year John Ford Keaton, Executive No. 3

     4th Year Alfred Hawks, Executive No. 4

     4th Year Spike Jacobson, Executive No. 5

     For Boys Next Door, the members who will be participating are:

     4th Year Hans de Vries - Leader

     4th Year Arjun Khan - Right-hand man

     4th Year Marcus Thompson

     4th Year Kim Hansol

    4th Year Redford Monsour

     For Pretty, Hot & Dangerous, the members who will be participating are:

     4th Year Kim Hee-joon - Leader

     4th Year Choi Soo-bin "Killshot" - Right-hand man

     4th Year Choi Myung-jin "Blade" - Left-hand man

     4th Year Ren Adachi

     4th Year Akihiko Sakuraii

     For Busters, the members who will be participating are:

     4th Year Viktor Alekovich Stepanov (The Conquerer) - Leader

     4th Year Tanis Hendrix (The Serpent) - Right-hand man

     4th Year Hedeon Stallion (The Destroyer)

     4th Year Klimento Stoll (The Merciful)

     4th Year Leonid Kuzmin (The Lion)

     Everyone, especially the other brotherhoods, couldn't help but stare at Viktor and the others in complete fear. They couldn't believe that they all decided to battle with such a lineup, even though this was only the second battle. There was still a battle tomorrow. How could they bring out their trump cards this early in the game?

     "Looks like everyone is all set. Now, before we begin, I encourage everyone to look at the screens and carefully watch the rules for today's battle," Mr. Coleman then says as the large screens start showing the mechanics.

Mechanics of Day 04's battle:

- Compared to the last battle, there is no time limit. The goal is for each member of a brotherhood to place their flag inside their base. The first six brotherhoods to accomplish the task will automatically move to the next round.

- Each brotherhood is given five flags with their logo. Each flag must be given to the five participating members of a brotherhood, which means all members must be holding a flag.

- Each member must place the flag in their own base. They cannot give their flag to another member as this will not be counted. A member who will not be able to put their flag down will ultimately make the entire group lose the battle.

- The battle ground that will be used during the battle was personally designed by the members of the Brotherhood Association.

- Brotherhoods are not allowed to steal other Brotherhood's flags, and they are not allowed to remove the flags that are already placed in a base either.

- Physical combat and defense are highly encouraged in this battle.

- Brotherhoods are not allowed to carry their own weapons, but different weapons will be provided by the association. These weapons are scattered throughout the battlegrounds, and anyone may use them.

- Failure to follow the rules specified above will be disqualified and will automatically be eliminated.

- The last seven brotherhoods who will complete the task will be eliminated and will automatically be the ranks 7 to 13 of the House of Bishops.

     "Now that the mechanics are clear, I would like to inform you all that the battle grounds will be providing you with a variety of weapons, weapons such as bombs, guns, and knives. As weapons will be available to you, please look at the screen again to double-check the body parts that you cannot target," Mr. Coleman explains, and the brotherhoods looked at the screen again.

     After checking the rules for one last time, the members of Alpha Society appeared and asked the brotherhoods to clear the center while others handed them the flags that they'll be using. Soon after, the floor slowly opened. Everyone was curious as the battle ground started to ascend. As soon as it was shown, everyone was left in complete shock.

     Because the battle ground that was shown in front of them was a series of hanging bridges that were connected to thirteen bases.

     The brotherhoods approached the grounds and realized that there was a drop that was about six meters high, and underneath was actually water. The hanging bridges were also made out of metal, so it was going to be slippery. But the worst part is, no one has stepped foot on it yet, but the bridges were already swaying from side to side.

     "My god, they've really outdone themselves this time," CJ comments with a grin on his face.

     "I don't know if the reason why I'm not going to be able to place the flag in our base is because someone's going to shoot me or because I'm going to fall off that unstable bridge," Master Joker then adds.

     "Look at this battle ground!" Mr. Coleman excitedly says. "Now that you've all seen the grounds, another rule will be added. You are allowed to push someone off the bridge, which means you can also fall on your own. But that does not mean you are eliminated. It only means you'll have to swim your way to the only ladder that's found in the very middle of the battle grounds."

     The brotherhoods collectively groaned in frustration as the rest of the white uniforms cheered in excitement. This was the most challenging battle grounds they've seen yet. They couldn't wait to watch how this is going to go.

     "I know everyone's excited, so without further ado, let the battles begin!"

- END -