Time, for Reiji Kinzoku, continued to flow in two distinct currents. By day, he was a specter about to complete the insignificant cycle of Aldera Junior High, a quiet, observant student whose growing height and cold aura began to attract curious glances but rarely interaction. By night, however, he was the undisputed Master of the Blood Pact, an apex predator at the height of his known vampiric power, ruling a shadow realm that expanded with relentless efficiency.
Nearly two years had passed since his transformation. The thirteen-year-old boy who stumbled upon a mask was now a fifteen-year-old whose physical and mental maturity far surpassed his chronological age. The Blood Pact, born from strategic necessity and the philosophy of power absorbed from Dio's journal, had flourished under his leadership.
From an initial dozen, the organization now numbered nearly fifty members. The abandoned industrial complex had been transformed. Once-empty warehouses now contained spartan training areas, makeshift communication centers, rudimentary infirmaries (where accelerated vampiric regeneration took care of most injuries, though more severe or experimental wounds sometimes required attention), and secure vaults where the profits from their financial operations were stored. Security was tight, with Silent Sentinels patrolling the perimeter and Hiroshi Sato monitoring everything with his combined insect and vampire senses from a central observation point.
Recruitment remained selective, focused on the marginalized and resentful, but Reiji had become more demanding. He sought not just desperation, but potential – intelligence, pre-existing skills (even Quirks considered "weak" could be useful in new ways with vampiric enhancement), and above all, an ability to follow orders and fit into the hierarchical structure. Each new recruit underwent a period of intense training and indoctrination, where loyalty to the Master was etched into their minds by both the blood bond and the constant demonstration of Reiji's overwhelming power.
The hierarchy had been refined:
Master: Reiji Kinzoku.
First Shadow: Hiroshi Sato (Intelligence, Internal Surveillance, Research Coordination).
Night Fists: Maya (Claws) and Kenji (Camouflage) led the main combat group, now composed of about fifteen of the strongest and most disciplined vampires. Their tactics were brutal, coordinated, and focused on swift incapacitation and area control.
Silent Sentinels: Expanded to nearly twenty members, this group was the Pact's eyes and ears on the streets. They not only hunted for sustenance (low-risk targets) but also conducted sophisticated surveillance, gathered intel on heroes, police, and underworld operations, and continued the slow, meticulous search for clues about the lost pages of Dio's journal under Sato's direction.
Collectors: A specialized subgroup of the Sentinels, focused on financial operations. They identified and executed surgical strikes on lucrative criminal operations (loan sharking, gambling, minor smuggling), ensuring a steady flow of millions of yen that funded the Pact's operations, equipment, and discreet expansion. They were masters at making hostile takeovers look like internal gang disputes or random vigilante actions.
Neophytes: The newest members, still undergoing intensive training and under constant observation.
Reiji himself had reached a new plateau of mastery over his vampiric abilities. The SRSE was now a precise tool, used sparingly but with devastating effect when needed. The Freezing was an extension of his touch, used tactically to control opponents and the environment. His strength and speed were immense, his regeneration nearly perfect against conventional damage. He was the personification of the apex predator.
More than physical power, it was his control and presence that had solidified. He rarely needed to intervene directly in operations now unless a target was particularly powerful or interesting for his own growth. He ruled through concise orders, relentless expectations, and an aura of cold power that demanded obedience. His servants feared him, respected him (in their own distorted way), and depended entirely on him for their continued existence. He was their creator, their leader, their dark god.
The hunt for the journal pages, however, remained a source of latent frustration. Sato and the Sentinels had followed several promising leads – references to artifacts in smaller regional museums, mentions of obscure historical figures who might have had contact with Dio or his followers – but each ended in a dead end or impenetrable security for his lower-level agents. Reiji knew he would have to intervene himself eventually, but he needed the right location, the right time. Recklessness could expose everything.
With the end of the school year at Aldera rapidly approaching, another strategic question arose: the U.A. Entrance Exam. It was less than a month away.
Initially, U.A. was just an option, a place to perhaps gain information or assess future rivals. But the more Reiji learned about the inner workings of hero society through the intelligence gathered by his servants, the more U.A. seemed not just useful, but necessary.
It was the epicenter. The place where data on powerful Quirks was compiled, where future generations of heroes (and, inevitably, villains) were shaped, where the Hero Public Safety Commission's information network had its deepest roots. To find Dio's pages, he would need access to information that couldn't be obtained on the streets. He needed to understand the power structure from within. And maybe, just maybe, find clues within U.A.'s own vast, protected archives about artifacts or hidden history.
Besides, there was the challenge. He had surpassed common criminals, mid-tier villains, even an experienced Underground Hero (though Aizawa was recovering and undoubtedly planning his next move). But U.A. represented the pinnacle of Quirk potential in this country. It would be an environment where he would have to operate under constant scrutiny, disguising his power, playing their game. It was an immense risk, but Dio's philosophy echoed: power demanded risk, ambition demanded audacity.
He made his decision. He would take the exam. He would infiltrate U.A.
That night, he summoned not just his inner circle, but all members of the Blood Pact who were at the base. The large warehouse was fuller than ever, nearly fifty pale, red-eyed figures gathered in the shadows, watching their Master on his makeshift throne with reverent, fearful quietness. Their collective energy, a mixture of vampiric power and residual Quirks, created a heavy, charged atmosphere.
Reiji stood, his presence instantly silencing any murmur or movement. His red eyes swept over the silent crowd.
"Blood Pact," he began, his voice calm but resonating with power in the cavernous space. "Over the past two years, we have risen from the shadows of rejection to become an unseen force this pathetic world doesn't even comprehend. You have learned to control the hunger, to embrace the strength I gave you. You have executed my orders with increasing efficiency."
He paused, letting his words sink in. "But our work is far from over. The knowledge I seek, the keys to our true potential and ultimate dominion, remain hidden, guarded by the society that despises us."
He looked directly at the crowd. "The hunt for the lost pages requires more than brute force or stealth in the streets. It requires access. It requires information locked away in the hearts of the institutions that govern this world." His eyes seemed to glow more intensely. "Specifically, the fortress of hero hypocrisy: U.A. Academy."
A murmur rippled through the crowd. U.A.? The place that represented everything that had rejected them?
"Their entrance exam approaches," Reiji continued, silencing the murmurs with his intensity. "I will participate."
This time, the silence was one of absolute shock. The Master? Entering U.A.?
"Make no mistake," Reiji said, anticipating the unspoken questions. "I do not seek to become one of their costumed 'heroes'. I seek knowledge. Access. A strategic position within the enemy's den. U.A. will be my observation ground, my library of forbidden information."
He moved to the front of his throne, stepping down to be closer to his servants. "While I am inside, the operation continues here, under the command of Sato and the Night Fists. The collection of financial resources will intensify. The search for clues to the pages continues, with a renewed focus on digital archives and historical records I may be able to access from within."
He looked at them, one by one. "My presence at U.A. will be a calculated risk. It will require me to operate under a facade, to hide the true extent of my power. But it is a necessary step towards our ultimate goal: absolute supremacy, the world remade in our image, where the strong like us are no longer rejected, but revered."
He raised a hand. "You will continue to serve me. You will continue to grow in strength and number. You will prepare the ground for when I emerge from that fortress with the knowledge and power to begin our true reign." His voice, though calm, carried a hypnotic conviction. "Any questions?"
No one dared speak. There was fear, perhaps confusion, but above all, there was the loyalty forged in blood and the unwavering belief in their Master's power and vision.
"Good," Reiji said with a satisfied nod. "Hiroshi, Maya, Kenji, stay. I have specific instructions for you regarding operations during my absence. The rest of you, return to your duties."
As the majority of the members dispersed silently back into the shadows, Reiji began detailing his plans to his inner circle. The infiltration of U.A. had begun. The Blood King was about to enter the most dangerous arena of all, not as a hopeful student, but as a master predator disguised as sheep, with plans far beyond simply passing a test.