The rented apartment was modest, nothing more than two bedrooms, a kitchenette, and a living space that smelled faintly of dust and old wood. Hikari claimed one room without a word, slipping inside and shutting the door almost as soon as they arrived. Renji had taken the other, tossing his bag onto the bed and collapsing onto the mattress with a groan.
But sleep refused him.
The sheets felt alien, too clean and stiff compared to the messy comfort of his own bed back home. Worse, there was no console humming softly in the corner, no glow of digital light to ease him into slumber. Just silence. Heavy, suffocating silence.
He rolled onto his side, staring at the wall. Hikari doesn't seem to have a problem. She'd vanished into her room as if she had no care in the world. Almost like she was avoiding him.
Well, can't blame her. First time sharing an apartment with a guy… He smirked faintly, then sighed. And here I am, feeling like I'm sleeping next to an atomic bomb.
"Bunking with guys is always easier," he muttered to himself.
But before his thoughts could wander further, a sharp flash tore across his vision. Not dream. Not imagination. A vision. Images cascaded through his mind—shadows clawing at the city streets, civilians screaming, a monstrous silhouette howling under the moon.
Renji sat upright, pulse quickening.
A demon attack.
He reached for the window, cold night air hitting his face as he stared into the city below. His hands tightened on the frame.
Hikari's voice echoed in his memory: "We can't be caught operating in their sphere without their knowledge."
Renji clenched his jaw. "That applies to guild members. I'm not a guild member." His demon eye flared faintly, the cursed iris glimmering like a molten ember in the dark. "I'm going in as an unaffiliated hunter."
He shoved the window open, shadows coiling around his frame like smoke eager to serve. A dark thrill raced through his chest. "Time for the slaughter to commence."
---
The veil rupture came without warning—a jagged tear splitting reality, thunder booming across the skyline. Out of it lumbered a beast of nightmares: a Yurekiba.
The creature towered over cars and lamp posts, a massive wolf-like demon with fur blacker than tar and eyes that burned sickly yellow. Its claws scraped asphalt like steel, each step cracking pavement as it stalked forward.
It lifted its snout, inhaling sharply. The scent of blood and fear clung to the city, drawing a guttural growl from its throat.
And then it froze.
Another presence had stepped into its path. Not prey. Not human. Something far more dangerous.
Renji stood in the middle of the deserted street, moonlight catching on both his eyes—the cursed demon iris and his human one, side by side, both sharp and unyielding.
The Yurekiba snarled, muscles rippling as it lowered itself for the kill.
Renji smirked, tilting his head. "Hungry, huh?"
Shadows surged around him, swirling tight before solidifying into a sleek armor of black. In one seamless motion, they wrapped his frame in the silhouette of a shinobi—a dark ninja suit pulsing faintly with abyssal energy. His fingers tightened, and from the swirling darkness in his palm, a katana was born. A blade forged of shadow, its edge humming with restrained violence.
He raised it, the point gleaming with murderous intent.
"You'll have to get through me first."
The Yurekiba howled, its roar shaking windows, rattling bones, and sending a murder of crows scattering from the rooftops. The night trembled under its fury.
Renji only grinned, his demon eye igniting. "Good. Let's dance."
The Yurekiba roared, a guttural sound that shook windows and startled crows into the sky. Then it charged.
The street cracked under its weight. Renji vanished into smoke, reappearing in front of the beast with shadows curling around his blade.
"Shadow Rend!"
He slashed diagonally, the katana elongating in a crescent of pure void. The arc carved across the Yurekiba's chest, splitting fur and flesh in a spray of dark ichor. The monster howled, spinning with terrifying speed, its claws lashing.
Renji ducked under the swipe, rolled, and reappeared behind it. His blade thrust for the spine—but the Yurekiba twisted unnaturally, jaws snapping shut inches from his face.
He kicked off its snout, landing on a broken lamppost. The beast turned, eyes blazing. It lunged again, faster this time.
Renji leapt, shadows propelling him higher than human legs should manage. He dropped down like a hawk, katana aimed for its skull.
The Yurekiba raised an arm to block. Metal shrieked as shadow clashed with claw. Sparks of darkness burst outward. Renji's boots hit the beast's arm, and he vaulted again, flipping to land behind it.
The monster wheeled around—too slow. Renji was already chanting low, his voice layered with abyssal power. Shadows writhed up his arm, curling into the katana's hilt.
"Nightfang Blitz!"
He dashed, blade flashing in five rapid slashes, each strike leaving trails of black energy that lingered in the air like scars. The Yurekiba's body convulsed as the cuts erupted into detonations of shadow. It staggered, its howl breaking into a gurgle.
But it didn't fall.
Its body swelled, muscles bulging grotesquely as green fire rippled beneath its skin. With a sickening pop, bones extended, and the Yurekiba doubled in size. Its roar shattered glass in the nearby buildings.
Renji tightened his grip on his katana, breath sharp. "So, you're serious now."
The beast swung a claw the size of a car. Renji barely had time to block. The impact hurled him through a parked truck, crumpling steel like paper. He staggered to his feet, blood in his mouth, shadows already knitting the bruises across his ribs.
The Yurekiba charged again, tearing up asphalt.
Renji exhaled, his demon eye flaring. The shadows around him rippled, answering the call of his intent.
"This ends now."
He raised the katana, shadows swirling into a vortex around the blade until it resembled a black star. The air grew heavy, the street groaning under the pressure.
"Eclipse Fang: Shadowquake!"
He slammed the blade into the ground.
The earth screamed. A tidal wave of shadow exploded outward, swallowing the Yurekiba in a black tsunami. Buildings cracked, cars flipped, and the street fractured into chasms. The beast howled in agony as the wave shredded it, ripping its body apart into mist and bone fragments that evaporated into the night.
When the shockwave subsided, Renji stood at the epicenter, his katana buried in the fractured pavement. The street was unrecognizable—rubble, fire, silence.
He exhaled, shoulders heavy, the shadows peeling back from his body. "Tch. That was messy."
Before he could rest, a voice rang out.
"Messy… and unauthorized."
Figures emerged from the rooftops, their armor crimson, their weapons glowing with flame-etched seals. The emblem of the Hono no Senshi gleamed on their chests.
From the squad, one figure moved ahead without hesitation. A young woman, eyes burning like coals, her molten blade humming as if it shared her heartbeat. Even among ten warriors, authority clung to her like a second skin.
Renji clicked his tongue, turning slowly to face them. "Great. Babysitters."
The leader's voice was like fire given human shape. "Renji Kurogane. You're coming with us."
Shadows stirred restlessly around him, but Renji only smirked, katana resting across his shoulders again.
"Figures. Slay one demon, and the real hell shows up."
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