Chapter 17
The air was suffocating.
The alley reeked of killing intent, heavy enough to make the walls themselves feel as though they were closing in.
And then Tang Shii's voice broke the silence. Smooth, cold, dripping with venom.
"Ohhh… how I've wished for this day to come," he hissed, his purple eyes blazing with cruel delight. His gaze locked on Renji like a predator to its prey.
"You, Renji. A mere human. And yet, somehow, for a whole year, you've been at the center of attention even among hunters."
Renji's fists clenched.
Tang Shii stepped closer, each word laced with mockery.
❝The man who walked out of an SSS-ranked gate without a scratch. The one every hunter whispers about.❞
His lips curled into a snarl.
❝Absurd! You're nothing. You should've died in that dungeon like the rest. Instead, you walk free. Celebrated. Admired. Loved.❞
The air grew colder.
❝No…❞ Tang Shii's voice dropped, filled with seething hatred. That should've been me.!!!
He extended his dagger, its edge gleaming under the streetlamp.
I know you're hiding something, Renji. And today… is the day I tear it out of you. But before I kill you… I'll start with the ones you hold dearest.!
His eyes flickered to Choji and Lily.
"I'll rip them apart—limb from limb."
Choji moved before Renji could. His body tensed, his jaw clenched, but his eyes carried no hesitation.
❝No.❞ His voice was steady, louder than his fear. ❝If you want him… you'll go through me first.❞
Renji turned, horrified. Choji ...don't! He's...
But Choji cut him off.
❝Ever since that SSS Gate incident… I swore. I swore I'd lay down my life for you, Renji.❞ His eyes softened, just for a heartbeat. ❝You became my brother. And I'll protect my brother… even if it kills me.❞
Lily's voice trembled. ❝O-Oni-chan…❞
Choji raised his hand, blocking Renji back. ❝We can't win this fight. But I can buy you time. Take Lily.
RUN!!
Renji shook his head violently. ❝No… no, I won't leave you! I can't lose another family,
Choji I-can't!❞
Choji's expression hardened. He shouted.
There's no time! Run, damn it!
But before Renji could argue again—Tang Shii vanished.
A blur.
A whisper of displaced air.
And then—
CRACK!
Tang Shii's boot slammed into Renji's chest, sending him and Lily crashing into the wall.
Renji gasped, the breath ripped from his lungs, his arms instinctively tightening around Lily to shield her.
Choji's eyes widened. ❝RENJI!!❞
He spun—but too late. Tang Shii was already behind him.
With blinding speed, the dagger gleamed once—then buried itself into Renji's torso.
SHLK!
Blood sprayed. Renji's body jolted. His vision swam, his chest searing with fire.
Choji screamed, voice breaking. ❝RENJI!!❞
In aother blur of motion. Tang Shii appeared before Choji, one hand wrapping tight around his neck, lifting him off the ground as though he weighed nothing.
Tang Shii sneered, his laughter low and venomous.
Protect?..He leaned close, his fangs bared. ❝Protect who, Choji? These humans?❞
Choji gagged, clawing at his grip. His eyes darted desperately to Renji, bleeding on the ground, to Lily trembling in fear. His heart roared—
❝Not again… I won't let it happen again…!❞
But his voice was drowned by Tang Shii's cruelty.
The dagger flashed again.
SHLK!
It plunged into Choji's torso.
Again. Again. Again.
Each stab came faster, sharper, merciless—twenty strikes in less than a minute. Flesh tore. Blood sprayed.
Choji's body convulsed with every blow, his scream echoing through the alley until his voice broke into raw, guttural cries.
Lily's scream tore through the night.
❝CHOJIII!!!❞
Tang Shii turned. Slowly. Deliberately. His purple eyes gleamed as he let Choji's battered body drop to the ground like a discarded doll.
He looked at Lily.
❝Ahh… the sister.❞ His smile widened, cruel and twisted. ❝Yes… you'll be the sweetest to break.❞
In a blur of speed, he was before her. His hand clamped around her throat, lifting her into the air. Her small hands clawed desperately at his grip, tears streaking down her face.
Renji, blood dripping from his wound, screamed with every ounce of breath he had left. ❝NOOO!! STOP!!!❞
Tang Shii didn't even glance at him. His dagger gleamed once more.
I'll make your death… much, much more painful.!
SHLK!
The blade tore through Lily's torso.
Her scream choked in her throat, her wide eyes staring at Renji in horror and agony.
Renji's world collapsed.
❝LILYYYYY!!!❞
Something inside Renji snapped.
The sound of her body hitting the ground. The sight of Choji's blood soaking the pavement. The overwhelming aura pressing down from Tang Shii.
His vision blurred, his chest burned, but his heart… his heart thundered harder than it ever had before.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
A voice stirred in the depths of his soul. Not his own. Dark. Ancient. Writhing.
His blood boiled. His eyes darkened. His mana erupted.
Back at the Hunter's Bureau, Takeda's head snapped up from his office. His cigar fell from his fingers as a shiver ripped through his body.
A presence. A mana so vast it pressed down like the ocean, heavier than anything he had ever felt.
❝What… is this?❞ Takeda whispered. His chest tightened. He could feel it not just him but every SS ranker could feel it it wasn't just the mana it was the overwhelming intent to kill takeda whispered ❝This… mana… higher than mine?! Impossible!❞
The city trembled.
Back in the alley, Tang Shii froze. His smile faltered as a wave of killing intent surged—not from him.
From Renji.
Blood dripping, shirt torn, his body trembling with fury and agony, Renji slowly lifted his head. His voice was no longer just his own—it echoed, deep and resonant, carrying another presence within.
His eyes glowed with a black-and-crimson light.
❝Tang Shii…❞ he growled, each word shaking the air.
❝You… will pay.❞