Ch 16 : The Breaking Point

Renji walked alone through the underground tunnels, leaving the Forgotten behind. Their whispers still clung to the air, twisting around him like phantom chains. He had refused them—for now. But he could feel their expectations seeping into his bones.

Something had changed.

His fingers twitched as he clenched his fist. His body felt stronger, but there was something else beneath the surface. A hunger. A restless energy that begged to be unleashed.

He exhaled.

The Abyssborn had left more than just wounds. It had left its mark inside him.

I absorbed something again.

Renji's eyes flickered, catching the faintest distortion in the shadows. His own, once normal, now seemed darker, stretching unnaturally even in the dim torchlight.

He swallowed hard.

The last thing he needed was to lose control.

His pulse quickened as a familiar voice slithered into his mind.

"You grow stronger, but do you truly understand what you have become?"

The ancient entity.

Renji grit his teeth. "I didn't ask for your input."

A low chuckle vibrated through his skull.

"And yet, here I am. Watching. Waiting. You cannot silence me, Renji Kuroya. I am as much a part of you as your own flesh."

His breath came ragged. The whispers had always been there—subtle, lingering at the edge of his thoughts. But now, they were becoming clearer. More distinct.

It was getting stronger.

Or maybe… he was the one breaking.

Renji shook his head and kept walking. He needed to focus. He had bigger problems to deal with.

Like the organization.

They would come for him soon. He knew it. The dungeon break he had stopped wouldn't go unnoticed. And if they connected it to him…

His time in the shadows would be over.

---

The exit to the tunnels wasn't far now. The scent of fresh air drifted through the cracks above, mingling with the damp stench of stone and blood.

Renji's pace quickened—

Then stopped.

A sound.

Footsteps. Slow. Measured. Not from the Forgotten.

His breath stilled.

He wasn't alone.

A flicker of movement. The dim torchlight barely illuminated the corridor ahead, but Renji's enhanced senses picked up the presence immediately.

Three. No, four.

He could hear their heartbeats.

Then—

The first shot rang out.

Renji twisted, barely avoiding the bullet that embedded itself into the wall behind him.

Snipers? In the tunnels? No, this was something else—

Another shot. Closer this time.

Renji moved, instincts taking over. His body blurred as he darted behind cover, eyes scanning the darkness.

"Found you."

A voice. Smooth. Calm.

Renji's blood ran cold.

Then they stepped into view.

A group of hunters. But not just any hunters.

Organization elites.

He recognized their armor—reinforced with dungeon-forged plating. Their weapons hummed with energy, modified to deal with infected targets.

His kind.

A woman stepped forward, lowering her rifle. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes—sharp and calculating—locked onto him.

"You made quite the mess, Renji Kuroya."

Renji exhaled.

"So the organization finally caught up."

She smirked. "You didn't think you'd get away forever, did you?"

Renji's fingers twitched. His body was still aching from the fight with the Abyssborn, but he didn't have a choice.

He had to move.

Now.

The hunters raised their weapons—

And Renji vanished.

---

A burst of energy propelled him forward. Shadows clung to his limbs, dragging him through the darkness like an unnatural specter.

The first hunter fired—too slow. Renji ducked low, closing the distance in a blink. His claws slashed out, tearing through armor.

A gurgled scream.

One down.

The others reacted instantly, years of training kicking in. One dropped a flash grenade, another activated a reinforced barrier.

The tunnel lit up.

Pain shot through Renji's skull as the light seared into his eyes. His enhanced vision was a double-edged sword.

He staggered—just for a second.

It was enough.

A blunt force struck his ribs, sending him crashing into the stone wall. Dust and debris rained down as the impact cracked the surface.

Renji groaned.

They weren't playing around.

"You are outnumbered." The ancient entity's voice slithered into his mind again. "Outmatched. You cannot win like this."

Renji spat blood onto the ground. "Then what do you suggest?"

The whispers coiled around him, tempting.

"Let go."

His fingers dug into the dirt.

No.

Not yet.

His vision refocused just as the lead hunter lunged forward, blade shimmering with dungeon energy.

Renji exhaled.

Then he moved.

---

His body reacted before his mind could process it.

Something snapped inside him.

The air twisted. The tunnel darkened. The shadows around him shifted—not just moving, but bending in ways they shouldn't.

The hunter's blade struck—

And passed through him.

Their eyes widened in shock.

Renji was already behind them.

His claws drove forward, piercing through their chest before they could react.

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then—

Chaos.

The remaining hunters shouted, adjusting their strategy, but it was too late.

Renji wasn't fighting the same way anymore.

His body moved with unnatural precision. His attacks were sharper, deadlier. The dungeon energy inside him wasn't just reacting—it was guiding him.

One hunter fell. Then another.

The last one turned to run—

Renji blurred.

A sickening crack echoed through the tunnels.

It was over.

The bodies lay still around him. The scent of blood thickened the air.

Renji's breathing was heavy. His hands trembled.

Not from exhaustion.

From something else.

His gaze lowered to his own reflection in a pool of blood.

And what he saw made his stomach twist.

His shadow was still moving.

Not naturally.

It pulsed, twisting like a living thing, shifting without his command.

Renji swallowed hard. His hands weren't just clawed—they were darker, the obsidian-like texture creeping up his arms.

This wasn't just another evolution.

Something inside him had changed.

And for the first time—

He wasn't sure if he could stop it.

---

Renji stood frozen, staring at his own reflection in the blood pooling at his feet.

The bodies around him had already cooled. The fight had ended moments ago, but his pulse still pounded in his ears. His claws, darker than before, glistened under the dim tunnel light.

His shadow moved on its own.

Not naturally. Not as it should.

It twisted. Shifted. Almost as if something was writhing beneath its surface.

His breath came ragged.

"What did I just do?"

The last hunter's eyes were still wide open, locked in terror. Their expression wasn't just fear of death—

They had seen something.

Something in him.

Renji clenched his fists, trying to suppress the tremors running through his limbs. He had absorbed monster instincts before, but this… this was different.

This was not human.

"The hunger grows," the ancient entity whispered. "It was inevitable."

Renji scowled. "Shut up."

"You think ignoring it will make it disappear? No. You are evolving, Renji Kuroya. Your body is adapting to the abyss you've consumed."

He knew the entity was right.

The way he had moved in that fight—it wasn't just instinct anymore. He had phased through an attack. The darkness had warped around him, responding not to his conscious thought, but to something deeper.

The hunger pulsed within him.

A sickening pull toward the fallen hunters.

Their corpses. Their lingering energy.

His body ached for it.

Renji's hands twitched.

Then—he took a step back.

"Resisting will only delay the inevitable."

Renji forced himself to breathe, shaking his head violently. "I don't need to feed on humans."

The entity chuckled darkly. "For now."

His jaw tightened. He needed to leave. Now.

If he stood here any longer, he wasn't sure what he would do.

Renji turned sharply and bolted.

The tunnel stretched ahead, and the scent of fresh air drifted closer. The night awaited him beyond.

He just had to make it outside before the hunger consumed him.

---

Renji emerged from the underground tunnels, stepping into the back alleys of the city. The neon lights flickered above, the distant hum of traffic and murmuring crowds washing over him like static.

The normal world.

For a moment, it felt surreal.

People walked past on the main streets, oblivious to the nightmare unfolding beneath their feet. To them, tonight was just another evening.

But for Renji, it was the night he realized he was losing himself.

He pulled up his hood, keeping his head down as he moved through the alleyways. His body was still tense, his senses heightened. Every passing heartbeat, every distant footstep felt too loud.

His hunger wasn't gone.

Just lurking.

Waiting.

Renji clenched his teeth, trying to suppress the crawling sensation under his skin. He had to get out of sight.

Then—

He felt it.

A presence.

Watching him.

His steps slowed.

In the reflection of a nearby window, a figure stood on a rooftop across the street. Cloaked in black. Silent. Unmoving.

A hunter? No.

The presence was different. Not human.

A rogue mutation? A dungeon experiment?

Whoever they were, they had been tracking him for a while.

Renji pretended not to notice, continuing down the alley. But his muscles coiled, preparing for a fight.

If they wanted a hunt—

They'd get one.

---

The moment Renji turned the corner, he moved.

A burst of energy propelled him upward, landing silently on a fire escape. He vanished into the shadows, blending with the night.

Then, he waited.

Seconds passed.

Then—movement.

The figure followed, stepping into the alley.

Renji saw them clearly now.

A lean, masked individual. They moved too smoothly, their steps calculated. Their aura flickered—not human, but not entirely monstrous either.

A hybrid?

His breath slowed. His instincts sharpened.

This wasn't a normal opponent.

Then—

The masked figure vanished.

Renji's eyes widened.

Behind you.

A whisper in his skull.

He spun—just in time to dodge a dagger slicing toward his ribs.

A flash of metal. The assassin moved like liquid, striking without hesitation.

Renji countered, his clawed hand lashing out—only to hit nothing.

They were fast.

The masked figure landed a few feet away, head tilting slightly. Studying him.

"You're different," they murmured, voice distorted. "Not fully turned. Not yet."

Renji didn't respond.

They knew what he was.

The assassin flicked their wrist, and the blade in their hand pulsed with dungeon energy. "They want you dead."

Renji's eyes narrowed. "Who?"

A pause. Then, softly—

"The ones who fear what you'll become."

Renji's blood ran cold.

Before he could react, they lunged again.

---

Steel met claws.

The alley erupted into a deadly exchange of speed and precision.

Renji's instincts screamed, pushing his body past its limits. But his opponent—whoever they were—moved like a ghost.

They matched him.

No—they were testing him.

Each strike was probing. Measuring. As if they weren't here to kill him—yet.

Renji ducked under a slash, his muscles coiling.

Then, he let go.

The hunger surged, fueling his movements. His body blurred—unnatural, shifting between reality and shadow.

He reappeared behind them.

A perfect opening.

His claws struck—

Only to be caught.

The masked figure twisted, gripping his wrist with inhuman strength.

Renji's breath hitched. They were like him.

Dungeon-touched.

His opponent's grip tightened. "You're unstable."

Then, they let go.

Renji staggered back, confused.

The assassin sheathed their dagger, stepping away. "If you don't control it, the hunger will consume you."

Renji's chest heaved. "Who the hell are you?"

A pause.

Then—

"A warning."

In an instant, the masked figure vanished into the night.

Renji was left standing alone.

His heart pounded. His body trembled.

Not from the fight—

From the realization.

He wasn't the only one.

There were others.

And they were watching him.