Ch 23 : Clash Of The Infected
The mutated hunter charged.
Renji had seen monsters before.
He had killed them, absorbed them, evolved beyond them.
But this…
This was different.
The thing barreling toward him had once been human.
A hunter, like him.
Now, it was twisted.
Its body was a grotesque fusion of human and monster.
Arms too long, too sharp.
Muscles bulging and pulsing unnaturally.
Its face was distorted, mouth stretching too wide, exposing rows of jagged teeth.
And worst of all—its eyes were still human.
Wild. Painful.
Renji's stomach twisted.
This was what happened when someone lost control.
This was what the Organization feared.
And Seijuro Hoshinomiya was watching closely.
As if waiting for Renji to make a choice.
To prove whether he was human… or something else.
---
The mutated hunter moved like a demon.
Too fast. Too erratic.
Renji barely reacted in time—
He dodged left, but the creature's clawed arm tore through the air, ripping through metal.
A construction pillar snapped like paper.
Sayaka cursed, stepping back. "What the hell is that?!"
Jinno raised his revolver.
BANG!
The bullet hit dead center.
The creature didn't even flinch.
Then—it turned toward Jinno.
And charged.
Jinno moved—but not fast enough.
The monster closed the gap instantly.
Shit—
Then—Renji moved.
A blur of motion.
Faster than he should have been.
Faster than human.
CRASH!
Renji slammed into the mutated hunter, tackling it away from Jinno.
The impact shattered the pavement.
The monster snarled, thrashing.
Renji gritted his teeth, muscles straining.
It was stronger than him.
Not by much—but enough to be dangerous.
Jinno staggered back. "You good?!"
Renji dug his heels in.
His fingers tightened around the creature's twisted arms.
And then—he did what he always did.
He absorbed.
---
The moment Renji activated his power—
He felt it.
Darkness crawled into his veins.
The mutated hunter screamed.
Its body convulsed, twitching violently.
And Renji saw—
Visions.
Not like before.
Not memories of ancient beings.
This time, he saw the man this thing used to be.
A hunter.
A fighter.
A person who had tried to resist his infection… and lost.
His name was Raito Sugawara.
And in his final moments, he had begged for someone to kill him.
Renji's grip tightened.
His own body was burning.
Something inside him howled.
More.
More.
More.
He could feel himself slipping.
If he took in too much of this monster—
He'd end up the same.
"Renji!!"
Sayaka's voice snapped him out of it.
He let go.
The mutated hunter staggered, weakened.
For a second, Renji thought he had it under control.
Then—
It evolved.
---
The hunter's body twisted violently.
Bones cracked.
Flesh stretched.
It screamed—then roared.
The ground trembled.
Jinno's eyes widened. "That can't be good."
Sayaka took a step back. "It's… changing?"
Renji's breath was ragged.
His arms ached.
Because he felt it too.
The monster had been unstable from the start.
And now—his absorption had triggered something worse.
Seijuro, from his high vantage point, watched with interest.
"This," he murmured, "is what separates the failures from the ones who survive."
The mutated hunter completed its transformation.
And now—
It was twice as large.
Muscles swelled unnaturally.
Veins glowed with black energy.
Its eyes—no longer human.
It had lost everything.
Renji's jaw clenched.
"This bastard… is beyond saving."
Then—
It attacked.
---
Renji barely reacted in time.
The creature's clawed arm tore through the air—
And Renji met it head-on.
Their blow collided.
The force shattered the ground.
CRACK.
Renji was sent flying.
His body slammed into a concrete wall.
Pain exploded through his ribs.
Jinno and Sayaka moved in.
Sayaka's sword flashed.
Jinno unloaded his entire clip.
Nothing worked.
The monster rampaged.
It smashed through the battlefield, destroying everything in its path.
Renji groaned, pushing himself up.
His arms felt heavy.
His body wasn't recovering as fast.
The unstable evolution—it had affected him too.
He had taken in too much.
But there was no time to think.
Because the mutated hunter was coming again.
Faster. Stronger. More vicious.
Renji exhaled.
There was only one way to end this.
He had to go all in.
---
Renji focused.
His body shook.
He had been holding back.
Trying to stay human.
But this fight…
It wasn't human anymore.
So he let go.
Black energy crackled around him.
His muscles expanded slightly—just enough.
His eyes darkened, vision sharpening.
The monster lunged.
Renji didn't dodge.
He met it head-on.
Faster.
Stronger.
More vicious.
Their claws clashed.
The mutated hunter roared.
Renji roared back.
And in that moment—
The fight shifted.
Renji was the stronger one now.
The monster hesitated.
Renji didn't.
He tore through its defenses.
One strike.
Two.
Three—
Then—
His hand pierced its chest.
The monster stiffened.
Renji's voice was low. Dangerous.
"This is the end."
And then—he crushed its core.
The mutated hunter let out a final, horrible shriek.
And then—
It collapsed.
Dead.
Silence followed.
Then—a slow clap.
Seijuro Hoshinomiya smiled.
"Impressive."
Renji's breath was heavy.
His hands were still covered in blackened blood.
Jinno and Sayaka were staring.
Because they had seen it too.
Renji had become something else.
Not a hunter.
Not a monster.
Something in between.
And from the way Seijuro was watching—
It was exactly what he had wanted to see.
---
Renji stood over the corpse of the mutated hunter, his breath heavy, his muscles still thrumming with the energy of the fight.
The black blood on his hands was still warm.
But what truly unsettled him—was how natural it felt.
Across the battlefield, Seijuro Hoshinomiya watched him with cold, calculating eyes.
Then—he spoke.
"You're done pretending, aren't you?"
Renji's jaw clenched.
The commander's voice carried an undeniable weight.
A hunter's authority.
A soldier's experience.
A predator's certainty.
The air between them tightened.
Jinno and Sayaka stood frozen behind him.
Neither of them spoke.
Because they knew—this moment wasn't for them.
It was between Renji and the Organization.
Between what he had been… and what he was becoming.
And Seijuro was giving him a choice.
Stay human.
Or embrace what he had become.
Renji exhaled slowly.
His body still ached.
His mind still burned.
The last fight had pushed him further than ever before.
But he was still himself.
Right?
Then—Seijuro took a step forward.
And gave him his ultimatum.
---
"The Organization," Seijuro said, voice calm, "does not tolerate unknown variables."
Renji remained silent.
"You've crossed the line," Seijuro continued. "We've seen enough."
Sayaka gritted her teeth. "Seen enough for what?"
Seijuro ignored her.
His gaze was locked on Renji.
"You have two choices," the commander said.
"One—come with us. Surrender yourself. Allow us to control your condition, monitor your growth, and determine whether you remain a human… or become a threat."
Renji's fingers twitched.
His evolution had already made him a target.
But now—they were being direct.
They weren't trying to capture him in secret.
They weren't sending hunters after him from the shadows.
They were offering him a place in a cage.
"And the second choice?" Renji asked.
Seijuro's expression didn't change.
"You refuse," he said.
"And?"
Seijuro's voice was like iron.
"Then you die."
---
Silence.
Sayaka and Jinno tensed instantly.
This was a kill-or-be-killed moment.
Renji's mind raced.
He had known this was coming.
The moment he had absorbed too much power.
The moment he had stopped being just a hunter.
The Organization's goal was clear—eliminate the unknown.
And he was the biggest unknown of all.
His heart pounded.
Because part of him had already made the choice.
There was no going back.
Not after everything.
Not after what he had seen… what he had become.
Renji lifted his gaze.
And he spoke.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Seijuro's expression didn't flicker.
"Then that settles it," he said.
And he raised his hand.
---
The air shifted.
Renji's instincts screamed.
Then—they attacked.
SHHHK!
From the shadows—black-clad enforcers appeared.
Elite hunters. Organization operatives.
A dozen of them.
Fast. Efficient. Ruthless.
This wasn't an offer.
It was a setup.
And now—the fight had begun.
Jinno cursed. "Damn it!"
Sayaka drew her sword.
But Renji?
Renji moved.
Faster than anyone else.
The first hunter lunged.
Renji sidestepped, twisting.
His claw-like fingers slashed out—
Tearing through armor.
The operative collapsed instantly.
But another replaced him.
Then another.
Then—
The real threat appeared.
---
A presence heavier than the others.
A man taller, broader.
A hunter who smelled… wrong.
Renji's gaze snapped toward him.
And his stomach dropped.
This wasn't just a hunter.
This was something worse.
Seijuro's voice was calm.
"I knew you wouldn't surrender," he said.
"That's why we brought him."
Renji braced himself.
Because this hunter… wasn't normal.
He moved—too smoothly.
Like someone who wasn't entirely human anymore.
Like someone who had been experimented on.
Renji recognized the signs immediately.
Because they were the same as his own.
A hybrid.
An infected.
But unlike Renji—this one was controlled.
A perfected weapon.
The man smirked.
His voice was deep.
"So you're the famous Renji Kuroya."
Renji's blood ran cold.
Because for the first time in his entire fight against the Organization—
He had met another one like him.
And this time—
It wasn't a monster.
It was a soldier.
And it was here to kill him.
---
The hybrid struck first.
Too fast—!
Renji barely dodged.
The ground shattered where the attack landed.
Shockwaves rippled outward.
Jinno and Sayaka were blown back.
Renji's eyes narrowed.
This wasn't just strength.
It was refined.
The hybrid moved with trained precision.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
Renji gritted his teeth.
Then—he countered.
Clash!
Their blows collided.
Power vs. Power.
Two infected warriors, standing at opposite ends of the spectrum.
One—a free anomaly.
The other—a controlled experiment.
And the Organization's best weapon.
Renji exhaled sharply.
This fight…
Would decide everything.