" I'll scrape you off the bottom of this guild, you don't belong here" Takashi snarled. " Yeah much as I'd like to stay and chat, I've got a marble to pick Master" Renji murmured.
In one fluid motion Takashi forged a sword from his own shadow and held it at Renji's throat. " My marble you mean"
The glare Renji fired at him dropped the atmosphere a couple degrees. " With all due respect Master I've always hated blades of all kinds, I still do when it's pointed at me"
" This is some joke to you huh? A gamma operative suddenly a young master" Takashi sneered.
" Sir I still respect you since I'm not in your league in terms of age but the being in me doesn't like being threatened" Renji muttered quietly
" Or what?"
Renji's demon eye flared while his hands curled into tight fists. His right hand conjured a katana out of solid shadow.
" Do you wish to fight master?" Renji asked, his voice held no emotion. " Nope just to use you to keep myself busy"
Their swords clashed in a flurry of shadows. Keep your mind on the marble Renji. A voice in his head advised.
Renji quickly accelerated his movements with Takashi easily matching his pace…
***
" Push him, how do we expect to push him? He'll easily pass all the laid out tests of the Kokuryūkai since we've got all our past and present tests recorded in the base library and he's an ardent reader then he'll know what to expect"
Master Kazuki's eyes narrowed while he silently agreed to Takashi assessment. " Then let's change the rules"
" Sir?". " Look I expect us to be under attack within the next couple of weeks, that gives us very little time. I did the shadow trance" Master Kazuki said and the atmosphere of his study seemed to drop a few degrees.
The shadow trance was a skill only a rank A or SS individual can do without dying. It enables the caster to see a few weeks into the future, an ability of the Kokuryūkai that keeps them formidable during war but due to it's power draining disadvantage it was only employed in the past during wartimes. To do one now meant a war was coming, one guns and mere alpha soldiers couldn't solve.
" What did you see master?" Takashi asked and for the first time the trance didn't work in their favour. " Death Takashi, I saw the death of soldiers who fought relentlessly to protect the guild but Shura came in full rage to get what he wants. The future can still be altered now, I'm ready for death but I will not demand it from the soldiers I lead. You are free to go if you wish"
" No Master, if you're facing the gates of hell the Kokuryūkai is right behind you, I am right behind you" Takashi vowed.
Master Kazuki's gaze softened upon hearing this, normally he'd expected no less from Takashi and yet his intense loyalty sometimes still baffles him. " If Renji doesn't learn the seven currents all our sacrifices would have be in vain that is what's important"
" What do you want me to do?" Takashi inquired immediately. " This shall be your role in this diabolical plot…"
***
Renji did a shadow infused somersault over Takashi, that single action brought him closer to the marble. A quick peek over his shoulder confirmed his distance.
Takashi charged in at his seemingly hell-bent on drawing blood, they used hands this time. Each shadow infused punch, jab or block sent waves of dark force within the centre, thanks to the energy suppressors on the walls none of that energy could leak.
Through out the fight Takashi taunted Renji, blocking each attack almost playfully till he pushed Renji into a bizarre rage mode.
Renji unwittingly tapped into his demon side in a burst of dark strength and surged forward double quick but that was when he made his mistake.
" Gimme a real fight Takashi!" He growled and jumped a few feet into the air to deliver a powerful shadow infused punch.
In that split second Takashi summoned a shadow shield in a series of deliberate hand movements, but this was form of shield generation that worked like a landmine.
A massive explosion of shadows followed the contact of Renji's fist on it and in it's wake Takashi held the first marble while Renji laid on the floor convulsing.
The sight actually made Takashi give off a cruel smile. " That's for not remembering to add "Master" when calling my name earlier. The convulsions will only last a few minutes more than enough time for me to locate the second marble"
Renji forced himself to his feet a minute later after Takashi had gone. " That move of his packs a nasty kick" he groaned.
There's another marble at the gammas training centre then a single one within the armory facility. Renji thought to himself, recollecting the coordinates he read off Master Kazuki's mind.
What was odd though was the way he kept repeating it in his head like he was deliberately hoping for him to read it correctly.
" Let's get those marbles" Renji muttered to himself and shot forward in a burst of speed, each swift footstep shadow infused to muffle the sound.
Prior to the commencement of the training, all Kokuryūkai soldiers had been ordered to take some days off in order to keep the base as vacant as possible.
Master Kazuki wasn't ready to expose the face of the hunters murmured amongst them as the abyss yet neither was he eager to expose the fact that they're helping a demon corrupted individual.
Renji stopped at the training centre and scanned his immediate surroundings, in took him half an hour to spot the second marble a six metres ahead of him.
He covered only a third of that distance when Takashi materialized out of nowhere and picked it up.
" Oh hello Renji, where you looking for this? Well look no more cause I've found it and I'm keeping it" he said.
" Master I found it first!" Renji protested. " Well you aren't the one with it right now are you?" Takashi retorted his voice icy.
" Then I'll go find the third" Renji started. " Oh I've found that too" Takashi said with a sardonic grin.
" I told you I'm going to make sure I kick you out hunter, now this is my chance" Takashi smiled.
" I'm not doing this because I want to join your guild anymore Takashi—" Renji began his tone menacing while his hands slowly curled into tight fists.
" I'm doing this to keep those demons from hurting another soul and seal the gates of hell once and for all. I will achieve my aim even if I have to be enemies with you!" Renji yelled and shot forward.
" Hmm" Takashi grunted and also shot forward to block a punch from
Renji, the effect sent a shockwave rippling through the Kokuryūkai base.