Chapter: 47
The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when Renji's fists hit the ground again and again.
His palms were rough now blistered and scarred from months of punishment but he didn't stop. Sweat rolled down his forehead, dripping onto the dirt beneath him.
"One… two… three…" he counted under his breath, his voice steady.
Three months ago, he couldn't do ten. His arms had given out after eight and he'd laid there, face in the dirt, gasping like a fish out of water while Takeda looked down at him with disappointment.
But now...??
"Ninety-eight… ninety-nine… one hundred!"
Renji exhaled hard and collapsed onto his back, staring at the pale morning sky with a faint smile. His chest rose and fell, but he wasn't dying for air like before. His body had changed hardened.
Takeda stood a few meters away, watching with arms folded. His sharp eyes were quiet, but there was a small curve on his lips something close to pride.
Renji sat up, wiping his forehead. "What? You're smiling. That's new."
Takeda let out a small chuckle. "I should be. Most awakened S-ranks couldn't do what you just did. And you" he stepped forward, kneeling so his sharp gaze was level with Renji's "you don't even have mana."
Renji looked down at his hands. Calloused, bruised, but stronger. "Then… why am I like this?"
"Hmmmmmmm." Takeda stood and glanced away. "A human is meant to be a human. But you… maybe because you're the vessel of a god-like being, your body is evolving to catch up. Your strength, speed, endurance they grow every day. Even I can feel it when I spar with you."
Renji blinked, a little surprised. "You can?"
Takeda smirked faintly. "Barely three months ago, I used to knock you down with a flick of my finger. Now…"
Renji grinned. "Now you're using both hands."
Takeda chuckled. "Barely ten percent of my strength. But yes you're forcing me to work harder. That's something worth being proud of."
The words made something warm stir in Renji's chest. Pride.
Every morning was hell his muscles screamed, his bones ached, and his skin burned from the relentless training. He fell asleep sore and woke up sore, but every day, he stood back up.
Renji was no longer the baby he had been three years ago.
Three years ago, he had watched helplessly as people fought and died around him. He had cried in fear, hiding behind others, waiting to be protected.
But now, he was different.
Now, he could fight back.
That day, after their spar, Renji stayed behind in the training ground, practicing alone. His shirt clung to him with sweat, his breath fogged the air. Each strike he threw was cleaner than the last, faster, sharper.
Choji sat nearby, watching quietly. "You know," he said after a while, "if you keep this up, you might be able to punch me through a wall one day."
Renji laughed breathlessly. "Don't tempt me. I might try it tomorrow."
Takeda, standing at the edge of the field, allowed himself one more small smile.
Yes. This was working.
The boy was no longer fragile.
He was no longer helpless.
He was becoming something else entirely — something that even Takeda himself could barely predict.
The morning air was cool, the training ground quiet except for the sound of Renji's deep breathing. He stood in the center of the wide open field, sweat glistening on his forehead. Takeda stood a few meters away, arms crossed, watching him like a hawk.
"Renji," Takeda finally said, his voice calm but carrying authority.
Renji straightened. "Yeah?"
Takeda's sharp eyes narrowed slightly, but there was a faint glint of pride in them. "It's time to see how far you've come. Not with drills, not with sparring."
Renji tilted his head, confused. "So… we're fighting?"
Takeda smirked. "No."
Renji blinked. "Eh? Then who am I fighting?"
Before Takeda could answer, the training hall's reinforced steel door burst open with a deafening BANG!
"TAKEDA-SAN!!!"
The voice boomed so loud the walls almost shook.
Renji spun toward the noise and froze. Standing there was a tall man with wild golden hair and an even wilder grin. His yellow eyes gleamed like a predator's.
"You finally accepted me!!" the man cried dramatically, tears glistening in his eyes as he ran forward, throwing his arms out as if he was about to hug Takeda.
Renji and Choji just stared, dumbfounded.
"…Eh?" Renji muttered under his breath.
Choji scratched the back of his head. "What… is happening?"
Takeda sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Shut up, Hiroto. You're not fighting me."
Renji's brain stalled. Hiroto? His eyes widened as the name clicked.
Hiroto.
The strongest SS-rank hunter in Japan.
The man who single-handedly cleared 10 catastrophic-class dungeons.
The one every hunter idolized and feared.
Renji's stomach dropped. "W-Wait…" He turned to Takeda, pointing at Hiroto. "I'm fighting him?!"
Takeda smiled faintly, almost amused. "Yes. You wanted to see how strong you've gotten. He's the test."
Renji's face went pale for half a second. Then something inside him clicked a fire. The fear that usually sat heavy in his stomach… was gone.
Instead, a strange determination burned in its place.
Meanwhile, Hiroto let out a loud laugh, bending forward like he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Takeda-san, you're too funny! Him?" He pointed at Renji with both hands, still laughing. "I can't even feel a drop of mana from this kid! How do you expect me to fight a hu—"
Before he could finish, the ground cracked beneath Renji's feet.
In a blur of speed, Renji moved faster than Choji's eyes could follow.
BOOM!
His fist was already flying straight toward Hiroto's face.
Hiroto's reflexes kicked in instantly. His golden eyes sharpened as his hand shot out, catching Renji's fist mid-air.
"Ohhh…" Hiroto's grin widened, clearly impressed. "You're fast."
But then his eyes narrowed, glowing as a golden aura erupted around him. His presence flooded the entire training hall like a tidal wave, shaking the walls and forcing Choji to cover his face.
Most hunters would have been crushed to their knees.
But Renji didn't flinch.
His legs didn't shake.
His heart didn't pound with fear.
He stood tall, staring Hiroto dead in the eye.
Hiroto blinked. He's not even fazed by my aura…?
He tightened his grip on Renji's fist. "Kid, you're not normal."
Renji's jaw tightened. "I know."
Then — WHAM!
His other fist came flying, slamming straight into Hiroto's torso. The impact was so strong that Hiroto slid back across the polished floor, his boots screeching against the ground.
The SS-ranker stumbled slightly before regaining his balance, looking down at the faint mark on his chest.
For a long second, the training ground was silent.
Then Hiroto's lips curved into a grin.
"…Interesting."
He brushed the dust off his clothes and cracked his knuckles. "Alright, Takeda-san… maybe this won't be boring after all."
Choji, still standing on the sidelines, swallowed nervously. "Renji…" he muttered under his breath, "what the hell are you?"
Renji, still in his fighting stance, didn't answer.
For the first time in a long time, he wasn't scared.
For the first time, he wanted to see just how strong he had really become.