Ch 19 : The Gathering Storm

The weight of the revelation sat heavily on Renji's chest. His fingers traced the glowing symbols on the book's pages, each line shifting like living ink, rewriting itself as he stared.

Sayaka paced behind him, her footsteps echoing in the ancient vault. "You're telling me the dungeons weren't just built to contain monsters… but to fight something worse?"

Renji exhaled sharply. "That's what the visions said."

Sayaka stopped pacing. "And you believe them?"

Renji closed the book. His mind still buzzed from the experience—the voice, the shadowy figure, the terrifying message that refused to leave his thoughts.

"The war was never over."

"I don't have a choice," he admitted. "Something's coming. And if the dungeons were built to fight it, that means we've been looking at this all wrong."

Sayaka frowned. "Then what does that make you?"

Renji stiffened. The infection in his body wasn't just some random mutation—it was part of something bigger. Something designed.

And he had no idea what that meant for him.

A distant rumble interrupted his thoughts.

Renji and Sayaka snapped to attention.

The walls trembled. The air thickened.

Then, without warning—the vault began to collapse.

---

"MOVE!" Sayaka shouted.

Renji reacted instantly, his body blurring forward just as the stone ceiling gave way, crashing down behind him. Dust and debris filled the air, but he could already tell—this wasn't natural.

Something had triggered it.

Sayaka bolted ahead, her agility keeping her just ahead of the collapse. "Exit's closing—GO!"

Renji's instincts screamed at him.

His muscles coiled. And in a single explosive movement—

He leapt.

His mutated strength propelled him forward, clearing the last few meters of the tunnel just in time. He landed hard, rolling to absorb the impact.

A heartbeat later—the passage sealed shut.

Dust settled. Silence followed.

Renji pushed himself up, coughing. "That wasn't just a cave-in."

Sayaka sheathed her dagger. "No shit."

Renji turned toward her. "Something knew we were in there."

Sayaka met his gaze. "And it wanted us dead."

Renji clenched his fists. The enemy was already watching.

And if that was the case—he was running out of time.

---

Elsewhere.

Deep within the Organization's headquarters, Commander Seijuro Hoshinomiya stood before a massive screen, his piercing gaze locked onto live satellite footage of the city.

A second figure entered the room.

Dr. Yura Kaede.

"We have a problem," she stated.

Seijuro's expression remained unreadable. "Let me guess. Kuroya?"

Dr. Yura smirked. "He's getting too close to the truth."

The footage shifted—an aerial view of the dungeon vault Renji had just escaped.

Seijuro studied it in silence. Then, he turned to Dr. Yura. "Is it confirmed?"

Dr. Yura nodded. "He accessed a classified vault. One we weren't aware of."

Seijuro's fingers tightened around his glove.

"We underestimated him," he admitted.

Dr. Yura leaned forward. "What do you want to do?"

Seijuro's eyes glowed coldly. "We accelerate the plan."

Dr. Yura's smile widened.

"Then I suppose it's time we met him in person."

---

Renji and Sayaka moved swiftly through the abandoned district. The ruins of old buildings loomed around them, remnants of a past long forgotten.

Renji felt it before he saw it.

A shift in the air. A sudden stillness.

Sayaka noticed too. She halted, her hand drifting toward her blade. "We're not alone."

Renji turned sharply.

A lone figure stepped out from the shadows.

Hikaru Jinno.

A rogue hunter. An ex-soldier. And one of the few people who actively opposed the Organization.

Sayaka tensed. "You again."

Jinno smirked. "Relax. I'm not here to fight."

Renji studied him warily. "Then what do you want?"

Jinno folded his arms. "You're walking into a war you don't understand. But I do."

Renji's eyes narrowed. "What do you know?"

Jinno exhaled. "More than you think. But knowledge comes with a price."

Sayaka scoffed. "Let me guess. You want something in return?"

Jinno grinned. "Of course. I need you to help me destroy an Organization facility."

Silence.

Renji processed the request quickly.

The Organization was already hunting him. But an outright attack? That was another level entirely.

And yet…

Something in Jinno's gaze told him—this wasn't just about revenge.

Renji's voice was calm, but firm. "What's inside?"

Jinno's grin faded.

"A research lab." His tone darkened. "And inside? More infected people. Like you."

Renji's heart skipped a beat.

Sayaka's face paled. "Wait. The Organization said they were eliminating infected people."

Jinno's expression hardened. "They lied."

Renji's breath slowed.

The Organization wasn't just hunting infected people.

They were experimenting on them.

---

The weight of the choice pressed down on Renji.

If he agreed, he'd be declaring war on the Organization.

But if he walked away—he'd be leaving others to suffer the same fate as him.

Sayaka watched him carefully. "Renji. Think this through."

Jinno simply waited. He already knew what the answer would be.

Renji looked down at his hands.

The mutation inside him was growing stronger.

He had been fighting for survival. Trying to find a cure.

But now, he realized—it was never about him.

It was about all of them.

His fists clenched.

"Tell me everything," he said.

Jinno smiled. "I thought you'd say that."

And with that, the storm began.

---

Renji stood in the ruined apartment complex, a map spread across the broken table before him. The dim glow of an emergency lantern cast shadows across the faces of those gathered—Sayaka, arms crossed and skeptical; Jinno, leaning against the wall, confident as ever; and three of Jinno's rogue hunters, silent but ready.

The target was Facility 09, an underground Organization lab hidden beneath an abandoned subway station. According to Jinno, it housed several infected captives—hunters who had survived dungeon contamination but were now subjects of brutal experiments.

Renji's jaw clenched. He had to see it for himself.

Jinno tapped the map. "Security's tight. Automated turrets, reinforced walls, elite guards. We'll need to move fast and quiet."

Sayaka scoffed. "Since when do you do quiet?"

Jinno smirked. "Fair point. But this time, we can't afford a direct fight. If we set off the alarms, they'll kill the captives before we can get to them."

Renji exhaled slowly. This wasn't just a fight—it was a rescue mission.

He looked at Sayaka. "Are you in?"

Sayaka hesitated, then nodded. "I don't trust Jinno, but I trust you."

Renji turned to the others. "Then we move at dawn."

---

The subway tunnels were pitch black.

Renji crouched low as he moved, his senses sharpened by the mutation in his body. He could hear the faint hum of machinery up ahead—the lab's power systems.

Jinno and his team moved behind him, shadows in the dark. Sayaka brought up the rear, a knife glinting in her grip.

The air smelled of rust and chemicals.

Then Renji saw it—the entrance to Facility 09.

A steel door, embedded in the tunnel wall, guarded by two sentries. They wore Organization uniforms, their rifles strapped to their backs.

Jinno signaled to his men. Silent. Precise.

Two crossbow bolts whistled through the air.

Both guards collapsed instantly, no time to react.

Renji moved forward, checking their vitals. Unconscious. Not dead.

Jinno raised an eyebrow. "Soft heart?"

Renji ignored him and focused on the door. He placed a hand against the metal—and felt something.

The dungeon energy inside him pulsed. The door was reinforced, laced with some kind of barrier field.

"They expected an attack," Renji murmured.

Sayaka knelt beside him. "Can you break it?"

Renji inhaled. It was time to test something new.

He concentrated, channeling the chaotic energy within him, his right hand glowing with a dark aura. The mutation fought back—whispers filled his head, the ancient entity stirring.

"Release me further. I will show you power."

Renji gritted his teeth. Not yet.

With a controlled burst, he pressed his hand to the door.

The metal shuddered—then twisted, corroding from the inside out.

Seconds later, the lock gave way.

The door swung open.

Jinno grinned. "Now that's useful."

Renji stepped inside.

And the lab awaited.

---

The hallways were sterile, white, and cold.

Renji could hear muffled screams.

Sayaka paled. "This place is worse than I imagined."

Jinno led the way, his team fanning out. They needed to move fast.

They passed rows of glass chambers, each one containing a person strapped to a table. Electrodes pulsed with energy, sending violent spasms through their bodies.

Renji stopped in front of one. A woman, barely alive, her veins pulsing with black corruption.

Her eyes fluttered open.

Her voice was weak. "P…please…"

Renji's fingers tightened into fists.

Jinno cursed under his breath. "They're experimenting on them. Trying to control the infection."

Sayaka moved to the control panel. "I can shut down the restraints."

Renji nodded. "Do it."

Sayaka's fingers flew across the screen. The locks on the chambers released.

One by one, the captives collapsed to the ground.

But then—the alarms blared.

Jinno cursed. "They know we're here."

Renji turned. Footsteps. Armed guards.

And then—a deeper presence.

A metal door at the end of the hall slid open.

And a monster stepped through.

---

The creature was twice the size of a man, clad in black armor fused with flesh. Its glowing red eyes locked onto Renji with predatory intent.

Jinno swore. "That's not a human."

Renji already knew. It was an infected hunter. One the Organization had turned into a weapon.

The Warden lunged.

Renji barely dodged as the creature's fist shattered the floor. The shockwave sent Sayaka and the captives sprawling.

Jinno's team opened fire. Bullets bounced off the Warden's armored hide.

Renji moved. Fast.

He ducked under a second punch, then countered—his claws raking across the monster's side. Sparks flew. The Warden barely flinched.

It grabbed Renji by the throat and threw him through a wall.

Pain exploded in his ribs.

Renji coughed, shaking off the impact. This thing was stronger than anything he'd faced before.

The mutation in his body surged.

"Embrace me. Let me show you the way."

Renji exhaled. Not yet.

The Warden charged again.

Renji reacted—his arm darkened, claws extending further than before. He dodged at the last second, then slashed with everything he had.

This time, the Warden felt it.

Black blood splattered the floor.

The monster roared, staggering.

Renji pressed the advantage. He moved faster, his strikes becoming a blur. He was adapting.

The Warden swung wildly, but missed.

Renji twisted behind it—and drove his claws straight through its chest.

The Warden shuddered.

Then, finally—it collapsed.

---

The facility was falling apart.

Jinno's team helped the weakened captives move as Sayaka hacked the security doors.

"We're running out of time!" Sayaka shouted.

Renji stood over the Warden's body, breathing heavily. His own infection pulsed in response.

Jinno approached. "You good?"

Renji wiped the blood from his claws. "We need to leave. Now."

The final security door slammed open.

Fresh air. The outside. Freedom.

One by one, the survivors fled into the night.

Renji took one last look back at Facility 09.

Then he stepped into the darkness.

And behind him—the lab exploded.