Chapter: 50
Renji's body lay motionless on the couch, his hair damp with sweat from the brutal training he'd endured the day before.
But somewhere far deeper than muscle and bone, something stirred.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in Takeda's apartment.
The world around him was… gone.
He stood in a place that had no floor, no walls, no ceiling — just an endless, suffocating black void.
The air was still, heavy, pressing against his skin like invisible chains.
Renji took a slow, careful breath.
"Where… am I?" he whispered, his voice echoing eerily into the distance.
No answer.
The silence stretched until it felt unbearable.
Then his lips curled into a bitter half-smile.
"…Ehhh. Januza again?"
Three years ago, he would've been terrified shaking, desperate to wake up.
But that Renji was gone.
He had been broken, rebuilt, pushed to his limits over and over until there was no room left for fear.
Renji clenched his fists, the sound of his own knuckles cracking sharp in the empty space.
"If you're going to show yourself," he shouted, his voice cutting through the darkness like a blade, "then do it already!"
For a moment, there was nothing.
Then the darkness rippled as though the void itself were alive.
A low, deep chuckle reverberated from everywhere and nowhere at once.
And then it appeared.
A shadow moved, taking shape slowly until it formed the silhouette of a man tall, broad-shouldered, his outline crackling faintly with golden energy. His face was hidden in darkness, but two crimson eyes glowed like molten fire.
"Oooo…" the voice rumbled, smooth and unhurried. "…you've grown, Renji."
Renji glared back, refusing to look away.
"You finally decided to show up."
The shadow tilted its head, amused.
"And you finally decided to call me out."
Renji took a step forward. "Who are you really?"
The figure didn't answer immediately, and Renji's voice grew sharper.
"No, I know who you are. Takeda told me. Januza the god-slayer. The one who erased himself from existence."
His jaw tightened.
"But why me?" he demanded. "Why are you showing me these fragments? You could've taken over my body a long time ago. Why haven't you?"
The figure chuckled again, but this time there was something almost… approving in the sound.
"You're asking the wrong questions, boy."
Renji's breath caught, but he didn't look away.
"I told you before," the figure continued, taking a slow step closer. The crimson glow lit the void around them like embers.
"I am you. And you are me. There was never a difference."
Renji felt something heavy settle in his chest, but he didn't back down.
"Then stop with the fragments!" he shouted.
The shadow's grin widened, its voice dropping into a whisper that echoed directly in Renji's mind.
"Good. You're ready."
And then ....power.
A sudden, burning light surged through Renji's veins, flooding every muscle, every nerve. He fell to one knee with a gasp, clutching his chest as if his heart might explode.
"This—what is this?!"
"My gift," Januza said simply.
"A fraction of what you truly are. Your body can finally handle it."
Handle it? Renji said
And then the void shattered.
Renji's eyes flew open — back in the real world. His heart pounded, but it wasn't from fear.
His body felt… different.
Alive.
Stronger.
He sat up slowly, sweat dripping down his face, his hand trembling — not from weakness, but from the sheer rush of whatever had just been given to him.
"…So this is what you meant," Renji whispered, his voice low, calm almost dangerous.
For the first time, he felt no fear.
Only determination.
The sound of soft footsteps echoed faintly through Takeda's apartment as morning sunlight filtered in through the wide windows. Takeda stepped into the living room, only to see Renji sitting up on the couch, rubbing the last bits of sleep from his eyes.
Choji was already there, crouched in front of him with a grin so wide it nearly split his face.
"Well, well, look who's finally awake," Choji said, his tone teasing. "I thought you'd be sleeping for a week after taking on Hiroto."
Renji gave him a half-smile, still groggy but calm.
"It wasn't that bad," he said, though the faint bruises on his arms and torso told a different story.
Takeda crossed the room, his expression unreadable at first, but then — a small, satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
"You've surpassed my expectations, Renji," Takeda said simply.
Renji blinked at him, startled.
"Ehhh? Really?"
Takeda nodded once, slow and deliberate.
"You've come farther in a few months than most Hunters do in years. Even without mana, your growth is… abnormal."
Choji laughed, slapping Renji on the back.
"Hear that? You're a freak but in a good way!"
Renji chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know what happened last night… I was just… determined. I kept thinking I couldn't lose. Not this time."
Takeda handed him a glass of water, his expression softening.
"Drink. You've earned it."
Renji took it gratefully, the cool liquid soothing his throat as he downed it in a few gulps.
Over the past few months, their relationship had shifted from something formal a teacher and a student into something deeper. Renji no longer just saw Takeda as the strongest Hunter in the bureau.
He saw him as a mentor.
A guide.
Someone who refused to give up on him even when the rest of the world had written him off as a defenseless boy.
When Renji lowered the glass, Takeda's gaze lingered on him for a moment and then his brow furrowed.
"…Strange," Takeda murmured.
Choji tilted his head.
"What's strange?"
Takeda stepped closer to Renji, his sharp golden eyes narrowing, his senses stretching out like an invisible web.
"Mana," Takeda said quietly.
Renji stiffened. "Mana?"
Choji blinked and reached out with his own senses, scanning Renji .. but he felt nothing.
"Eh? No way. He's empty, Takeda-san."
But Takeda wasn't wrong.
He could feel it....faint, hidden deep in Renji's core like a single ember glowing in a sea of darkness.
It wasn't leaking out, wasn't flaring wildly like an Awakened Hunter's mana usually did.
No ..this was different.
Controlled.
Dormant, but alive.
Takeda's lips curled into the faintest smile.
"Not anymore," he said softly.
Renji blinked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Takeda's gaze sharpened, but there was pride in his eyes.
"You've awakened," he said simply.
Renji's eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat.
"Awakened? But I didn't—"
"You didn't need a ceremony," Takeda interrupted, stepping back and crossing his arms. "It happened naturally. Quietly. Whatever happened to you last night… it stirred something inside you."
Choji's jaw dropped. "Wait wait wait — you're saying Renji actually has mana now?!"
Takeda nodded once.
"Yes.
Renji stared at his hands, his heart racing.
He didn't feel different at least, not on the surface but deep inside, something was pulsing, warm and steady, like a second heartbeat.
For the first time since his nightmare, Renji smiled — a small, determined smile.
"…Then let's keep training," he said quietly.
Takeda's answering grin was sharp, almost wolf-like.
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear."