CHAPTER: 59
The waterfront was eerily quiet.
No seagulls.
No waves lapping against the docks.
Only the sound of distant sirens screaming through Minato ward as panicked civilians fled inland.
Kobayashi Ren stood on the cracked asphalt of the shipping yard, his guild's storm-gray cloak fluttering in the sudden unnatural wind.
Behind him, twelve A-rank hunters waited, tense.
Ren (grimly):
"Stay sharp. This isn't an ordinary gate. You've all seen the mana readings SSS. We're not leaving here unless we give it everything."
SSS A younger hunter swallowed audibly.
We are not match for this .
Support Hunter:
"Sir… do you think the Bureau will send backup if...
Ren (cutting him off):
"There is no backup. We are the backup."
He raised his weapon a long spear that crackled faintly with arcs of blue lightning.
The gate loomed before them like a cathedral doorway carved from shadow, its swirling black surface pulsing with light.
And then it shattered.
THE GENERAL ARRIVES
From the broken surface stepped a creature that seemed too large to fit through.
A towering figure over four meters tall, its armor glinting with gold inlays, its black-scaled skin glowing faintly with runes.
In its clawed hands was a glaive longer than Ren was tall.
The general's golden eyes scanned the docks, then settled on Ren.
General #3 (deep, amused):
"Ah… this one will be fun."
Behind him, the ground shook.
An army thundered out of the gate — monstrous cavalry riding wolf-like beasts with eyes that burned crimson, armored shock troops with jagged polearms, shrieking harpies circling above.
The sound of the charge was like rolling thunder.
Ren (under his breath):
"…Shit."
Then, louder
Ren (commanding):
"Form up! Shields in front! Mages, prep barriers!"
THE FIRST CLASH
The demonic cavalry hit their line like a tidal wave.
The first rank of A-rank shieldbearers braced and still were bowled over by sheer force.
Support Hunter:
"Hold—AAAH!"
A hound tore through the hunter's chestplate, throwing him aside like a ragdoll.
Ren's spear lashed out, piercing the beast through the skull and sending a crack of lightning through its rider.
The smell of ozone filled the air.
Ren (gritting his teeth):
"Push them back!"
He spun, carving down three more riders in a blur of motion, his spear glowing brighter with every kill.
But the army kept coming wave after wave — and the A-rank hunters were faltering.
---
THE GENERAL MOVES
Ren barely saw him move.
One second, the general was standing calmly at the gate.
The next, he was right in front of Ren, his glaive slamming down with such force that it cracked the entire dock and sent shipping containers flying.
Ren crossed his spear just in time, sparks exploding as the two weapons clashed.
General #3 (grinning):
"You blocked it? Interesting."
He swung again faster this time forcing Ren back with each strike.
Ren (thinking):
He's faster than me?!
Another blow landed, and Ren was sent skidding back several meters, boots digging trenches in the ground.
THE SLAUGHTER BEGINS
While Ren was locked in combat, the rest of the battlefield was collapsing.
Two hunters were impaled by lances.
A mage's barrier shattered, and she was immediately torn apart by three hounds.
Blood slicked the concrete, bodies littered the dock.
Support Hunter (panicked):
"We're losing too many!"
Ren (shouting):
"Hold the line! Buy me time!"
But the general was relentless, pressing Ren with brutal, elegant strikes that left no room to breathe.
THE GENERAL TAUNTS
General #3 (mocking):
"Is this the strength of Tokyo's so-called elites? Your people die like cattle."
He spun his glaive in a flourish, its blade leaving trails of golden light.
General #3:
"Let me show you what real war feels like."
He raised his hand and the ground itself seemed to answer.
Dark portals opened across the shipping yard, vomiting forth more cavalry, more shock troops, more death.
Ren roared, lightning exploding from his body.
Ren:
"THUNDERCLAW — RISING STORM!"
His spear became a bolt of pure lightning, his entire body blurring as he moved faster than the eye could follow.
He struck through ten soldiers in one sweep, his power crackling outwards in a storm that lit the night sky.
For a moment, the army hesitated.
For a moment, it looked like Ren might actually turn the tide
And then the general laughed.
General #3:
"Good. Good. You might actually make me try."
He slammed his glaive into the ground.
A golden shockwave radiated outward, annihilating everything in a 50-meter radius friend and foe alike and forcing Ren to his knees as his lightning was snuffed out like a candle.
When the dust cleared, half of Ren's support team lay dead.
The rest were too injured to fight.
Ren (gasping, bleeding):
He killed his own men without hesitation… just to break me.
General #3 (smiling coldly):
"Now… you're alone."
Ren stood, blood running down his face, gripping his spear with both hands.
Ren (hoarse):
"…I'm not done yet."
The two charged at each other —glaive against spear every strike shaking the ground.
Each clash sent arcs of lightning and golden sparks into the air, the dock turning into a battlefield of craters and burning containers.
As Ren was about to land a direct hit, the general caught his spear with one clawed hand.
General #3 (grinning):
"Not bad. But still too slow."
He swung his glaive, and Ren was thrown through three stacked containers, landing in the water with a splash.
The general stood on the dock, looking down at the waves.
General #3 (calmly):
"Drown or crawl back up. Either way, I'll be waiting."
The afternoon bled red as the mana storm raged overhead.
Ren's body trembled as he pulled himself from the water, soaked and bleeding, his spear sparking weakly in his hand.
Every muscle screamed at him to stay down.
But he didn't.
Ren (breathing hard):
"…No .. Not yet. I'm still here."
He rose to his feet just as the general turned, glaive resting casually on one armored shoulder, golden eyes burning like miniature suns.
General #3 (mocking):
"Persistent little insect. I almost respect that."
He pointed his glaive at Ren.
General #3:
"Come then. Entertain me a little longer before I end you."
Ren's lightning flared brighter than ever before, a storm coiling around his body as he charged.
Ren (roaring):
"THUNDERCLAW STORMBREAKER!"
The ground cracked under the force of his dash, the spear becoming a streak of pure blue light as he aimed for the general's chest.
The general sidestepped with infuriating ease, letting Ren pass by then brought his glaive down in a sweeping strike that sent a shockwave tearing across the dock.
Ren spun, blocking at the last second, but the force sent him sliding backward, boots screeching against metal.
General #3 (smirking):
"Better. But you're still slow."
What followed was not a fight.
It was humiliation.
The general didn't strike to kill not yet.
He struck to break Ren's stance, to trip him, to batter him with the flat of the glaive until his body was bruised and his breathing ragged.
Every time Ren lunged, the general batted the spear aside like it was a child's toy.
Every time Ren tried to counter, the general was already gone, striking from another angle.
General #3 (taunting):
"You've spilled much blood tonight, haven't you, human? Tell me did you think it would matter? Did you think you could stop the tide?"
Ren spat blood onto the ground, lightning crackling across his body as he forced himself upright again.
Ren (hoarse but defiant):
"As long as I can still stand, I'm not letting you through that gate."
The general's grin widened, sharp teeth glinting.
General #3:
"Good. Then I'll crush you standing."
The glaive spun in the general's hands, gathering mana so dense it warped the air around it.
A golden circle flared beneath Ren's feet, pinning him in place as if the very world was holding him down.
General #3 (coldly):
"Die with dignity."
He raised the glaive for the final strike.
Ren's eyes widened. His body wouldn't move.
Ren (thinking):
So this is it…? Damn it I didn't switch off my game console he said with a chuckled smile ..
Then a glaive came down
And something hit the general so hard that the entire dock exploded in a spray of debris.
A shockwave blew the clouds apart, the afternoon sky briefly lit as though it were noon.
The general was sent flying across the shipping yard, smashing through three stacked containers before coming to a stop in a plume of dust.
Ren blinked, stunned, as a figure stepped through the haze.
He was tall over six feet broad-shouldered, wearing a dark military-style coat over combat gear, his hands wrapped in crimson gauntlets that still glowed from the strike.
His presence was suffocating .. a storm of power barely held in check.
He tilted his head, looking toward where the general had landed.
??? (casually, with a grin):
"That's one hell of a welcome party. You the host? 'Cause I didn't bring a gift .. just these fists."
He cracked his knuckles, the sound like gunshots.
The dust cleared further, and Ren's eyes widened as recognition hit him.
Ren (in disbelief): You
"…Marcus Steele."
The name carried weight.
Marcus Steele the Strongest Hunter in the United States, one of the Eight Pillars, the man whose power was said to rival natural disasters.
And he was standing here, grinning like he'd just walked into a bar fight.
THE GENERAL RISES
From the rubble, the general stood - blood trickling from his mouth for the first time.
Blood!! I'm bleeding..
His grin was gone.
General #3 (growling):
"…Interesting. Another insect. A slightly bigger one."
Marcus rolled his shoulders, electricity dancing across his gauntlets.
Marcus (taunting):
"Big talk for someone I just sent flying like a baseball. C'mon, big guy round two. Let's see if you hit harder than you fall."
REN REACTS
Ren staggered to his feet, still holding his spear.
Ren:
"Why are you here? The Bureau didn't"...
Marcus didn't look back.
Marcus (smirking):
"Tokyo's on fire, kid. You think the U.S. is just gonna sit back and watch? Nah. Someone's gotta keep you lot alive."
He glanced over his shoulder at Ren.
Marcus:
"You can still fight?"
Ren :(nodding, breathing hard):
"…I can stand."
But that isn't just any magic beast it's to strong to be a dungeon boos
Marcus:
"Good. Then stay out of my way for a second."
The general let out a roar, leaping across the battlefield with terrifying speed, glaive spinning.
Marcus met him halfway, his fist glowing crimson as he punched upward fist against glaive, the impact releasing a blast wave that shattered nearby containers.
Marcus (grinning):
"Now that's more like it!"
Lightning crackled around Ren as he steadied himself.
For the first time since the gate had opened, he felt something he hadn't felt all night.
Hope..