No Rest for the Damned

Chapter 34: No Rest for the Damned

The night was a bitter reminder of their failures. Daijin and his team pushed forward, their bodies aching, their breaths labored. Blood dripped from their wounds, staining the cracked pavement beneath them. They had barely escaped with their lives, and the weight of that realization gnawed at Daijin's pride.

Yeon led them through a winding series of ruined streets, past collapsed buildings and rusted-out vehicles. The city had long since been abandoned by those who could afford to leave, now nothing more than a graveyard of the forgotten.

"We're almost there," she said, her voice hoarse from exhaustion.

Daijin glanced at her, still wary despite her help. "Where exactly is 'there'?"

"A safehouse," she replied, tightening her grip on the gun at her side. "One of the few places even Tenshi's men won't dare to enter."

Akane scoffed. "And why's that?"

Yeon hesitated for just a moment.

"Because they never come back out."

---

The Safehouse

They arrived at an old, decrepit building that once resembled a mansion, now overgrown with ivy and decay. The walls bore the scars of war, bullet holes riddling the stone, and the once-grand entrance barely hung on its rusted hinges.

Yeon pushed open the door, revealing a dimly lit interior filled with the stench of damp wood and old blood. Weapons lined the walls—knives, rifles, even relics of past wars left to gather dust.

"This place is…" Haru trailed off, his eyes scanning the room. "Cursed."

"Protected," Yeon corrected, striding further inside. "It's been abandoned for years, but the rumors alone keep people away."

Daijin wasn't convinced. There was an unsettling stillness in the air, as if the house itself was holding its breath. But for now, they had no other choice.

"We'll rest here," he decided. "But only for the night."

His team collapsed onto whatever stable furniture they could find. Haru groaned as he pressed a cloth to his wound, Akane stretched out her aching limbs, and the others simply sat in exhausted silence.

Daijin remained standing. His mind was still spinning, replaying every moment of their failed mission.

Tenshi was alive.

Renji was hunting them.

And they were barely holding on.

Yeon approached him, her expression unreadable. "You blame yourself."

He didn't respond.

She sighed. "You're not invincible, Daijin."

"I don't need to be," he muttered. "I just need to be stronger than the enemy."

She studied him for a moment before shaking her head. "Tenshi isn't like the others. He doesn't fight for power. He fights because he enjoys the suffering."

Daijin met her gaze, his eyes cold. "Then we'll make him suffer."

---

A Storm Approaching

Outside, the wind howled.

Renji stood on the rooftops, watching the mansion from a distance. His cloak billowed in the breeze, the blood on his blade still fresh.

"They think they're safe," he murmured to himself.

A slow smile spread beneath his mask.

"They have no idea what's coming."

He turned, disappearing into the darkness.

The hunt was far from over.

And when it resumed—

There would be no mercy.

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