[u][b][center]Student President Yoshino Tsugumi[/b][/center][/u]
Yoshino let her bespectacled gaze sweep over the rising crowd, her hands rising up to part away some loose strings of hair over her face. Since the passing of the Kings, new players had subsequently taken their place and position within Deep Ground. The Student President had at first thought it was perhaps too soon to be worried over pitiful matters such as territory and the like.

She then had to remind herself who it was to make these new Kings paranoid in the first place. Besides, the Deep Ground Program still determined one’s fate. No amount of death would alter that reality. 

Not yet anyway.

Glancing at the clock to the left side of the stage, Yoshino breathed a voiceless sigh. She would have to begin the ceremony now, even if there were still students loitering about. With a dignified posture, she hardened her gaze to replicate her old self before exiting the stage curtains and walking out to meet the student body.

The roar and chatters of adolescence were soon hushed out of respect and awe. Many a fool had gambled, betting that she wouldn’t have the nerve to speak such words after the incident with the White King. Some even accused her of murdering the former King, though there was never any physical evidence. 

How wrong they all were of her. As expected. Halting at the podium, Yoshino mentally rehearsed her lines one more time before tapping the microphone directed towards her face.

Silence was now complete in the auditorium.

“Greetings my fellow peers. It is with sorrow that I speak before you today. I won’t try to hide the truth from either you or myself. The deaths of your fellow students must not go unheard nor unheeded, so now we take the time to honor and respect the young men and women that once walked these very hallways. To you though, they were known as more than just mortal lives. They were also Kings.”

A pause.

“Red. Orange. Green. And…White. Those who were cruelly taken from us before their natural time…let us remember their wills and determination for as long as we can. However, we shall not let their times as Kings go in vain. We will continue to fight for our own futures using the Deep Ground Program. And so, we carry on.”

A massive roar of applause followed after her final words as Yoshino took a step back from the podium. The clapping went on for half a minute or so before Yoshino brought herself to the microphone once more, puzzling a few of the students. Or rather, puzzling those not experienced in how the world really worked.

“Now that we have payed our deeds unto the dead, I have a message for you all. A message from my employer to all the players of Deep Ground Online. You know them better as the Black King.”

Power radiated from Yoshino’s voice, and it took all of her will to keep her eyes from losing their shine and dulling back into despair. Everyone looked up to the Student President for two reasons: she was the Student President, and thus influential in many tings and she was also the direct voice for the Black King themselves, who no one knew the real life identity of. And so, it was no surprise at all when several of the students leaned forward to hear the next couple of words.

“The Black King hereby declares war on you all. I’m sure most of you have noticed the recent attacks on your Guild’s territories; this is our time to make our intentions known to the public. We plan conquer all of the Guilds and achieve supreme victory. Join us, and we promise you a future of greatness and prosperity. Join us…or stand against us. The choice is yours. However, I must warn you…”

As Yoshino paused to breathe, she couldn’t help but smirk upon the revelation and commotion her next line of words would cause.

“The Ebony Strykers and the Sweepers have aligned themselves together. It would be foolhardy to challenge us now.”