Chapter 53: Blood in the Mist

The smoke curled and danced like a living thing, swallowing the battlefield whole. Footsteps echoed — uneven, sharp, hesitant.

Hotaru's blade clashed against a serrated dagger, sparks flying in the thick mist. The assassin on the other end was strong, too strong for a low-rank grunt.

"You're not one of the usuals," Hotaru muttered, pushing back with all her strength.

The masked assassin chuckled — a voice she hadn't heard in years but could never forget.

"Long time no see, Hotaru."

Her blood ran cold. "No way…"

The assassin ripped off his mask — and there he was. Renji.

Hotaru's breath caught in her throat. Renji — her childhood best friend. The boy who had disappeared the night her village was raided. The boy she thought was dead. The boy who swore to protect her — now standing before her in full assassin gear, eyes cold as ice.

"You're one of them?" she whispered.

Renji's expression twisted into a smirk. "One of them? Hotaru, I lead them now."

Before she could process it, his blade came down fast — aiming straight for her heart. She blocked at the last second, but the force sent her sliding back.

"Hotaru!" Mira's voice rang out, but Hotaru couldn't answer. Not now.

"Why?" Hotaru's voice shook, and not from fear. "Why would you join Kurogane?"

Renji twirled his blade lazily. "Because while you were playing hero, they offered me something better — power. No more weakness, no more begging to survive. I became the storm."

The others had caught up now, forming a loose circle around them. Tora's eyes widened. "Who the hell is this guy?"

Hotaru's grip on her sword tightened. "He was my friend."

"Was?" Renji stepped closer. "You still don't get it, do you? Friends are a luxury we can't afford in this world."

Sai stepped forward, eyes cold. "If you're standing in our way, you're our enemy. No exceptions."

Renji's smile sharpened. "Then come at me — all of you."

Without warning, he flung a handful of metal shards into the air — they exploded mid-flight, turning into razor-sharp spinning blades that shot toward the team.

Mira yanked Hotaru back just in time, but Ryuuji caught a slice across his arm. "Damn, this guy plays dirty!"

"You have no idea," Hotaru muttered, shaking off the shock. "Tora, scramble his comms — now!"

But Tora's hands froze on his tablet. "I… I can't."

"What?"

Tora's face was pale. "He already hacked me first."

"Of course I did," Renji's voice crackled through their earpieces. "You're not the only tech genius here."

Suddenly, every trap in the area activated at once — spikes shooting from the ground, wires snapping across pathways, smoke bombs filling the air again — except this time, they couldn't tell which smoke was theirs.

"Fall back!" Sai shouted, but the moment they moved, Renji was on them.

Hotaru blocked his strikes, but his movements were faster, sharper — as if he could predict her every move.

"Don't tell me…" her eyes widened, realization dawning. "You still remember my fighting style?"

Renji grinned. "Every single step."

Kuro leapt at him from the side — but Renji caught the cat mid-air and tossed him into Ryuuji. "Try harder, kids."

The fight spiraled into chaos — sparks flying, metal clashing, smoke curling around their ankles like chains. Every advantage they thought they had was gone.

And standing at the center, calm as a hurricane's eye, was Renji — the ghost from Hotaru's past, now her deadliest enemy.

"Welcome to your nightmare, Hotaru."

End of Chapter 53

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