Ch 13 : The Forbidden Power

The moment Renji's hand touched the sealed horror's energy, a shockwave of raw corruption exploded from the dungeon floor. His body tensed as unfathomable power surged into his veins, a force both alien and ancient.

His mind was flooded with incomprehensible visions—shattered worlds, endless wars, and beings beyond human comprehension.

His muscles screamed as his mutation spiraled out of control, his very bones shifting, his body morphing into something beyond human.

The masked figures surrounding him reacted instantly.

They leaped backward, forming a defensive circle as the air crackled with unnatural energy. One of them raised a hand, a pulse of black energy forming—but it was already too late.

Renji's transformation had begun.

---

A growl tore from his throat—except it wasn't just his voice anymore.

It was layered, multiple tones overlapping, as if something else was speaking alongside him. His arms lengthened, his fingers twisting into jagged claws far longer than before. His pupils became thin slits, and dark patterns spread along his skin.

And in that moment—

The masked figures hesitated.

Renji felt it.

A sliver of fear.

They recognize this power.

For the first time since encountering these unknown entities, they were uncertain.

Renji's lips curled into a twisted smile. He had no idea what he had just become—

But neither did they.

And he would use that.

---

The air snapped as the first masked figure vanished from sight. Renji's instincts screamed, his body reacting before his mind could keep up—

He whipped around, claws slashing—

A clash of energy erupted, sending both him and the figure skidding backward.

They were fast.

But so was he now.

A second figure lunged at him from behind. This time, Renji didn't bother dodging. He let the attack connect, allowing the enemy's blade to slice across his side—

Only for his flesh to re-knit instantly.

Regeneration.

His new mutation was working far faster than before.

Renji grabbed the enemy's arm mid-strike, twisting violently—a sickening crack echoed as the limb snapped backward. But the masked figure didn't scream. It simply melted into shadow and reformed a few feet away.

Renji clicked his tongue. "Tch… persistent bastards."

A third enemy struck from above, twin daggers aiming for his neck.

This time, he let the monster in him act.

Dark tendrils erupted from his back, intercepting the blades. The enemy froze—just long enough for Renji to grasp their throat and slam them into the ground.

A web of cracks spread across the dungeon floor from the impact.

The enemy convulsed—then went still.

Renji exhaled sharply. One down.

But the remaining enemies weren't idle.

They changed tactics.

One raised their hand, and a pulse of violet energy surged toward him—

Renji barely dodged in time as the wave disintegrated the ground where he had stood.

His eyes narrowed. That wasn't normal magic.

That was erasure.

Whatever these things were—they could destroy him completely if he wasn't careful.

But the worst part?

His new power was still unstable.

He could feel it—the horror's corruption wasn't fully under his control.

He needed to end this fast.

---

Renji focused, forcing the raw energy inside him to bend to his will. His vision sharpened, the masked figures' movements becoming clearer—slower.

His body was evolving mid-fight.

And now—

He saw their weakness.

They weren't dodging.

They were teleporting.

But each time they disappeared, they left behind the faintest ripple in the air.

A distortion.

A flaw.

Renji smirked. "Gotcha."

The next time a figure vanished—he didn't dodge.

Instead—

He lunged forward.

The enemy reappeared behind him—exactly where he had expected.

Before they could react, Renji's claws were already buried in their chest.

A second enemy lunged at him—

He didn't even turn.

His new tendrils lashed out, skewering them mid-air.

Their bodies convulsed—then dissolved into nothing.

The remaining masked figures froze.

And Renji saw it again.

Fear.

He grinned. "Not so untouchable now, huh?"

But before he could move again—

The dungeon shook violently.

---

The masked figures suddenly stepped back.

Renji tensed, expecting another attack—

But instead, they lowered their weapons.

Then, without a word—

They vanished.

Renji's eyes narrowed.

They didn't escape.

They withdrew.

Why?

A low rumble answered his question.

The entire dungeon was collapsing.

Renji glanced at the sealed horror's remains—the last traces of its power fading.

The energy chains had shattered. The ancient presence was gone.

And yet—

Something about this felt wrong.

Almost as if—

Someone else had forced the dungeon to close.

Renji gritted his teeth. "Tch. No time to think."

He bolted toward the exit.

---

The dungeon crumbled around him, massive chunks of rock falling from the ceiling. Renji's new speed let him dodge through the chaos, but the tunnel ahead was already beginning to cave in.

He pushed his body to its limits, sprinting at inhuman speed. His lungs burned, his vision blurred—

And then—

Light.

He burst out of the dungeon's entrance just as the entire structure collapsed behind him.

Renji crashed into the ground, panting heavily. His body ached, his head throbbed—but he was alive.

Slowly, he sat up. His fingers trembled. His claws hadn't retracted fully.

He could still feel the remnants of the horror's power inside him.

It wasn't leaving.

It had become part of him.

He swallowed hard. "Shit…"

---

Renji took a shaky breath, his mind racing.

Those masked figures—they weren't just dungeon guardians.

They were something else.

And they were connected to whoever had created the dungeons.

Worse—they had recognized his new power.

They had feared it.

But why?

Renji clenched his fists. He didn't know the full picture yet.

But one thing was certain.

He had just made himself a target.

And this time—

It wasn't just monsters that would come for him.

It was something far worse.

---

Renji stood at the edge of the ruined dungeon, his breath slow, measured—but his body wouldn't stop trembling.

The battle had ended. The masked figures had vanished.

But something was still watching him.

He could feel it.

A pressure, faint yet unmistakable, weighed down on him like unseen eyes burrowing into his very soul.

Renji turned sharply, scanning the surroundings. The forest around the dungeon entrance was eerily silent. No birds. No wind. Just stillness.

Tch… I'm being observed.

His instincts screamed at him—not by something living, but by something else.

His new mutation pulsed in response, the remnants of the sealed horror's power stirring within him. The dark veins along his arms itched, shifting slightly beneath his skin.

Something had changed within him after that last battle.

Something they had noticed.

---

Renji exhaled slowly. If someone was watching, then he needed to flush them out.

Fine. Let's see who's there.

He stepped forward—then suddenly vanished from sight, his body moving with newfound speed, darting toward the trees.

He wasn't the same as before.

His perception had evolved.

Every movement, every trace of energy in the air, he could sense it now—as if the world itself had slowed for him.

And then—he saw it.

A flicker of motion.

Not from the trees.

Not from the sky.

From the shadows themselves.

Something—or someone—was standing just outside his vision, blending perfectly into the darkness. A presence without form, yet undeniably real.

Renji whipped around, his claws extending—

"Who's there?"

For a moment, there was no response.

Then—

A voice, neither male nor female, whispered into his mind.

"You are not ready."

Renji's pupils contracted.

The presence did not speak with sound.

It spoke directly into his thoughts.

And just like that—it was gone.

The weight in the air disappeared. The forest returned to normal. The unseen pressure that had gripped his body faded entirely.

Renji's claws slowly retracted.

He had expected an attack.

Instead, he had been given… a warning.

Not ready for what?

The meaning behind the words sent a chill through him.

Whatever these things were, they weren't just toying with him.

They were waiting for something.

---

Renji turned his attention back to his immediate problem—the ruins of the dungeon behind him.

That dungeon had collapsed faster than normal.

It wasn't the first time he had seen a dungeon break apart, but the way this one had crumbled… it wasn't natural.

Someone—or something—had forced it to close.

Was it those masked figures?

If so, why had they abandoned the fight?

Why had they let him escape?

The pieces weren't fitting together, and it irritated him.

But he had no time to linger. He had already drawn too much attention.

And now… he was mutating faster than ever before.

Renji clenched his fists, feeling the new power coursing through his body.

He needed a place to lay low. A place to figure out what the hell was happening to him.

First, I need to get out of here.

Without another moment's hesitation, Renji turned and disappeared into the wilderness.

---

By the time he reached the outskirts of the city, it was nearing midnight.

The neon lights of downtown loomed in the distance, contrasting sharply with the desolate streets near the city's outer zones.

Renji pulled his hood lower, adjusting his torn jacket. He looked like hell, but that was the least of his problems.

Right now, he needed information.

And there was only one person who could help with that.

Hikaru Jinno.

A rogue hunter, ex-military, and one of the few people who didn't work directly under the Organization.

If there was anyone who might have information on those masked figures, it was him.

---

The entrance to Jinno's base was located in an abandoned train station, deep within the industrial sector.

Renji moved carefully, his senses on high alert. The underground black market was crawling with dangerous people—mercenaries, smugglers, rogue hunters like himself.

But Jinno's hideout was different.

It wasn't just a meeting place for criminals.

It was a safe zone for those hunted by the Organization.

Renji approached a steel door, knocking twice in a specific pattern.

A moment later, a small slot opened, revealing a pair of wary eyes.

"...What the hell happened to you?"

Renji smirked, though he knew he probably looked half-dead. "Long story. Let me in."

The door creaked open, and Renji stepped inside.

---

Jinno sat across from him, arms crossed, his gaze sharp. He was a tall man, muscular, with short black hair and a scar running down the left side of his face.

"You look like you fought an entire squad of elite hunters," Jinno muttered, pouring himself a drink. "And lost."

Renji leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "Not hunters. Something else."

Jinno's expression darkened. "Go on."

Renji hesitated for a moment.

Then, he told him everything.

From the dungeon's collapse, to the masked figures, to the forbidden power he had absorbed—and finally, the whispered warning from the unseen presence.

By the time he finished, Jinno was silent.

Then, the rogue hunter cursed under his breath. "Shit."

Renji frowned. "You know something."

Jinno nodded slowly. "I've heard rumors. About a faction that isn't part of the Organization… and isn't human either."

Renji's blood ran cold.

"They don't hunt dungeons," Jinno continued. "They control them. They decide which ones collapse. And more importantly—"

Jinno's gaze met Renji's.

"They decide who lives and who doesn't."

---

Renji's mind raced.

A faction that controls dungeons?

That wasn't possible.

Dungeons were chaotic, unstable rifts in reality. Even the Organization, with all its resources, had no way of truly manipulating them.

But if what Jinno was saying was true—

Then he had just fought against something beyond human understanding.

And worse—

They had let him go.

Renji clenched his fists. His new power wasn't just another mutation.

It was something forbidden.

And now, the ones who watched from the shadows had taken an interest in him.

---

Jinno exhaled. "You're in deep, Renji. If they've marked you…"

Renji smirked. "Then I'll just have to find them before they find me."

Jinno shook his head. "You don't get it. They're not like the Organization. They don't operate by human rules. If they've noticed you, it means—"

He hesitated.

Then, finally, he said it.

"You're already dead. You just don't know it yet."

Renji's smirk didn't falter.

If that was true—

Then he'd just have to prove them wrong.