The Edge of Desperation
(The Black Dragon's Pit looms before them—a jagged tear in the earth where time itself seems distorted. The air shimmers with oppressive Seishu, thick enough to choke an untrained warrior.)
Sachi (voice tense, gripping her blade): "This is your last
chance to turn back."
Ryo (already stepping forward, eyes blazing): "I don't need chances... I need power."
(Tenjo watches silently—knowing full well what he's about to endure.)
(About 3 Hours Earlier)
(The warehouse is dimly lit, the scent of rusted metal and old wood thick in the air. Ryo adjusts his arm guards silently while Sachi watches, arms crossed. The others linger—Kujuro leaning against a crate, Shin sharpening his dagger absently, Kota fidgeting with worry.)
Kota (voice small): "...Are you sure about this?"
(Ryo doesn't answer at first—just tightens the last strap with a grim finality.)
Sachi (arms crossed): "Once you step into that place... there's no guarantee you come back as you."
(Tenjo grunts in agreement beside her.)
Ryo (finally looking up—eyes hardened beyond his years): "I don't need guarantees. I just need to be stronger." (His fists clench.) "Strong enough to end this war."
(Silence hangs heavy for a moment before Kujuro pushes off from the crate—walking over and gripping Ryo's shoulder hard.)
Kujuro: "...Then go carve your fate into that damn pit."
(Ryo goes over to Kota and crouches down, meeting Kota at eye level—his usual intensity softened just for him.)
Ryo: "Listen, kid. Keep training with Shin and Kurobe while I'm gone. No slacking." (He flicks Kota's forehead lightly—earning a teary grin.) "And when I come back… we'll spar for real."
(Kota wipes his eyes quickly, trying to sound tough.)
Kota (sniffling): "Y-Yeah! And I'll be way stronger by then!"
(Ryo ruffles his hair before standing—turning toward Shin and walking over to him.)
Ryo: "You'd better find your family, Shin."
(Shin smiles, putting a hand on Ryo's shoulder.)
Shin (sincere, but confident): "And you just focus on surviving that damn pit… no matter what."
(Ryo nods, knowing it's a promise he may not keep.)
Ryo (soft but firm): "I'll do what it takes."
(Sora wipes his face aggressively, trying to hide his trembling lip while Haru exhales—her usual sharpness dulled by something softer.)
Haru (grumbling): "Idiot… crying won't stop him from going." (She punches Sora's shoulder half-heartedly before turning to Ryo.) "Just don't die in there, got it? Or I swear I'll drag you back just to kill you myself."
(Sora sniffles loudly but manages a wobbly grin.)
Sora: "Y-Yeah! And—and when you get back… we gotta try that ramen place downtown!"
(Ryo huffs—a rare genuine laugh escaping him.)
(Ryo lastly walks over to Old Man Kurobe.)
(Kurobe stands there, his grizzled face unreadable as Ryo approaches. The weight of their history—the brutal training, the lessons carved in blood—hangs between them.)
Kurobe (gruff voice lower than usual): "Remember what I taught you, boy. Pain is just your body's way of telling you you're still alive." (He grips Ryo's shoulder hard.) "So don't let that pit kill what makes you you."
(Ryo meets his gaze—no words needed. Just a nod that carries the weight of every scar they've shared.)
(Present Time)
(Ryo, Tenjo, and Sachi stand before the ominous maw of the Black Dragon's Pit—a jagged, churning tear in the air itself. It throbs like a gaping wound, the Seisho so thick it's almost visible.)
Tenjo (voice grim, eyes fixed on the Pit): "Ready?"
Tenjo (gravely): "The Pit… it's where reality and Seishu collide. Time loses all meaning here—days can pass in the outside world, but inside..." (He glances at the warped horizon—the sky torn apart by Seishu energy.) "… time could stretch for years."
(Ryo squints at the Pit, then at Tenjo, unimpressed.)
Ryo (deadpan): "So… it's basically a time chamber."
(Sachi scoffs—Tenjo glares. Neither denies it.)
Sachi: "...Tch. Just shut up and get in there."
(Tenjo's expression darkens as he steps closer to the churning abyss, his voice dropping to a warning growl.)
Tenjo: "It's not just time that bends in there… it's you." (He turns back to Ryo, deadly serious.) "The longer you stay inside, the more your body starts rejecting normal Seishu. Your mind fractures. Some hunters came out stronger—others came out wrong."
(Sachi grips her own arm subconsciously—a faint tremor in her fingers.)
Sachi (quietly): "...If you lose yourself in there, even for a second… this pit won't let go."
(Ryo clenches his fists, his breath steadying. The faces of Kota, Shin, Haru—even the old man Kurobe—flash through his mind. Then… Yua's smile.)
Ryo (voice low but iron-clad): "Then I won't lose myself." (He steps forward without hesitation.) "I don't have that luxury."
(Tenjo and Sachi exchange a glance—they recognize that fire. It's the same one that burned in them... before they had to pay its price.)
(The moment their feet leave solid ground, the world distorts. Time twists—colors smear like wet paint, sound muffles into a distant hum, and gravity loses all meaning. Ryo's vision blurs as reality itself seems to rebel against their intrusion.)
Sachi (shouting over the roar of unseen energy): "Don't fight it! Let the Seishu guide you down!"
(Ryo grits his teeth—feeling his very bones vibrate under the pressure. Then… impact.)
(They land hard on cracked earth that glows faintly purple underfoot—like veins of dying lightning frozen in stone. The "sky" is a swirling vortex of bleeding crimson and blackened Seishu mist.)
(Ryo picks himself up from the landing, rubbing his head. Tenjo seems unfazed, but Sachi hisses a curse—something about her knee. Then they catch sight of her. A female stands amidst the ruins of a shattered building—a silhouette in the churning chaos. Even with the distance, it's clear her eyes glow an unearthly violet.)
Tenjo (tensing with recognition): "Yukina."
(Yukina watches them as they rise to their feet—her gaze calculating. Sachi and Tenjo seem… almost resigned to her presence, like they know what's coming. Ryo looks between all of them uncertainly as Sachi limps to stand beside her.)
Sachi (grimly): "You know why we're here." (She glances back at Tenjo—some unspoken understanding passing between them.)
Ryo (confused): "Wait… you know her?"
(Tenjo steps forward, his voice low but firm.)
Tenjo: "Yukina is... a remnant. One of the few who lasted longer than two cycles in this hell." (He turns to Ryo.) "She understands the Pit better than anyone alive—which means she's our best chance at keeping you from getting erased."
(Ryo studies Yukina's crystallized limbs, her toopale skin—she looks less human and more like a ghost carved from ice.)
Ryo (quietly): "...And how much did that cost her?"
(Yukina only smiles—a hollow, knowing thing.)
(The smile vanishes from Yukina, replaced by that cold, distant stare.)
Yukina (voice as chilling as her eyes): "Everything."
(Both Sachi and Tenjo flinch—this is a subject they'd rather keep buried. But Ryo needs to know what he's getting into. Yuki takes a step toward him, her crystallized arm catching the dim light like jagged glass.)
(Ryo straightens instinctively—there's power in Yukina's words. Even the words she doesn't say have weight.)
Yukina (eyes meeting him, almost… almost challenging): "Welcome, Ryo Kenzaki, to the black dragon's Pit. May you survive the first Sundering."
Tenjo (almost grim): "Welcome indeed."
(Ryo looks out at the warped horizon—the ground cracked in jagged patterns, Seishu energy twisting like smoke.)
Ryo (trying to see through the mist): "... So who's—"
Tenjo (interrupting, eyes hardening): "Hunters, Ryo. You'll be fighting Hunters here. Not monsters—hunters. Ones that lost themselves completely… that gave in to Seishu."
(Tenjo glances sidelong at him, a dark humor glinting in his eye.)
Tenjo: "Who can say if you'll come back a better warrior… or a monster yourself?"
(Sachi glares, slapping his arm. Ryo just sighs, used to his cryptic quips by now.)
(Ryo looks over to Yukina wondering if she's his first test)
(Yukina watches him, eyes like violet ice—calculating. She nods once, an assent. Tenjo crosses his arms, a grim grin on his lips.)
Sachi (whispering): "Don't get arrogant."
(Suddenly, Yukina vanishes with a swirl of mist and reappears right in front of Ryo—a deadly dance beginning.)
(Ryo's blade clears its sheath in a flash—but Yukina doesn't flinch. Instead, she smiles—a knowing, almost pitying thing. Her crystallized fingers flick outward... and the Kizugami Blade rings, vibrating violently as if struck by an invisible force.)
Yukina (calmly): "A weapon is nothing without its spirit." (Her eyes glow brighter.) "And yours… hasn't even woken up yet."
(Before Ryo can react—she vanishes again, reappearing behind him with her palm pressed between his shoulder blades.)
Yukina (whispering): "First lesson: Survive long enough to see it."
(Then—she unleashes a pulse of raw Seishu straight into his spine.)
(Ryo hits the ground, gritting his teeth as Seishu races through his veins—burning, freezing.)
Yukina (crouching over him, eyes unblinking): "Your spirit is weak… but there's one thing your mind is holding onto. And it's stronger than anything."
Ryo (coughing, voice strained): "My... friends. They need me."
(For a moment, Yukina just studies him. She sees the fire that refuses to die in his eyes—the fire of a warrior, fueled by his loved ones. And something—something long buried in the Pit—stirs.)
Yukina (quiet but intense, eyes locked on his): "Love, hope, friendship… human virtues. They're the one thing the Pit hates the most. And also…" (She smiles, the first real one.) "… the one thing that can save you."
(The moment Ryo's consciousness flickers—just as Yukina's Seishu floods his veins—the sky above them splits apart. The blackened clouds writhe like living agony, and from the depths of the abyss, something roars. A sound that shakes bone, soul, and time itself.)
"For the first time in centuries… The Black Dragon's Pit recognized a threat."
⛓️💥🌌🪖End Of Chapter Sixty Four