Chapter: 68
The city was silent.
Too silent...
From the mountains above Tokyo, the city looked like a wounded beast smoke rising in thin columns, lights flickering weakly through the haze, sirens echoing from far away. A faint orange glow marked where fires still burned, despite the endless rain trying to wash them out.
Takeda stood by the open window of his small private apartment, one hand resting on the frame, his reflection faint in the glass. The air smelled of ash and wet metal.
It reminded him of the battlefield.
On the news screen hovering beside him, a voice spoke faintly:
Reporter:
"...search operations continue through the night. The official death toll has risen to thirty-two thousand confirmed dead, with thousands still missing. Authorities have declared Tokyo a red zone. All hunters are to report to their regional bureaus immediately..."
Takeda exhaled slowly, his breath misting against the cold air. "Thirty-two thousand…" he muttered, his tone heavy.
Hiroto and renji also watched in disbelief
Then his phone vibrated a secured Bureau line.
He answered immediately. "Takeda speaking"
A calm voice came through deep, respectful.
"Takeda-san, this is Director Ito. I'm afraid we have a situation."
Takeda's expression hardened. "It's already a situation. What now?"
"The World Hunter Association just sent an emergency directive. Because of what happened in Tokyo, they're calling for an International Summit. All guilds from every country are to attend. It's the first one in fifty years."
Takeda's brow furrowed. "That bad, huh?"
"Worse," Ito said. "The anomalies that hit Tokyo didn't stop here. They appeared in 4 more cities at once though none suffered as much as toyko did."
Takeda's hand tightened slightly. "Casualties?"
There was silence for a moment.
Then Ito's voice came, quieter.
"Over thirty-two thousand confirmed dead across Tokyo alone. Many zones are still unaccounted for."
Takeda's jaw clenched. "...I see."
"We're hosting an emergency national summit here in Tokyo before the international one begins. Every high-ranking hunter in Japan is to gather at Bureau headquarters by morning. We'll have government and military presence as well."
Takeda nodded once, his voice steady. "I'll be there."
"One more thing," Ito added. "Marcus Steele already returned to the U.S. to prepare for the global summit. That means you're Japan's senior Pillar on the ground until further notice."
"Understood," Takeda replied.
"Good. And, Takeda... be careful. The atmosphere in the capital is... tense. People are scared. Hunters are restless. We need stability."
The line clicked off.
Takeda stood still for a moment, the rain tapping softly against the window.
Then he picked up his coat, slung it over his shoulders, and walked out.
The next morning...
The sky was still gray when Takeda's car stopped before the massive Hunters Bureau building. The walls of glass gleamed under the dull light of dawn, reflecting the storm clouds above. The area around the building was guarded by soldiers and drones security tighter than ever before.
Inside, hundreds of hunters filled the wide hallways. Some were shouting, some arguing, others just sitting in silence with their heads down. The tension was thick the kind that even strong men avoided breaking.
"Takeda-san!"
A young assistant jogged up, bowing quickly. "Director Ito is waiting for you in the central briefing room."
Takeda nodded. "And the others?"
"Renji, Hiroto, Choji ... they've all arrived. And..." the assistant hesitated, "Arisa and Anya too."
Takeda raised an eyebrow. "They came?"
"Yes, sir. They insisted."
Takeda smirked faintly. "Of course they did."
He continued down the hallway, boots echoing softly against the polished floor.
As Takeda turned into the main hall, he stopped.
There, by the large glass windows, stood Renji.
His clothes were worn, bandages still visible beneath his jacket. His eyes were calm too calm, like someone who had seen too much in too little time.
Across the room, someone shouted his name.
"Renji!"
Renji turned just in time for Arisa to rush straight toward him. Before he could even blink, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him so tightly that his breath caught.
He froze, eyes wide. "A–Arisa?"
Her voice shook. "You idiot... I thought you were dead."
Renji blinked, still processing what was happening. "I'm... sorry?"
"You didn't answer your comms for two days! Two!" she said, pulling back to glare at him. Her eyes were red from lack of sleep. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? We all thought—"
"I didn't mean to disappear," Renji said softly. "Things... got complicated."
Her lips trembled. For a moment, she looked like she wanted to yell more, but instead, she just sighed and leaned her forehead against his chest. "Just... don't do that again."
He smiled faintly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'll try."
From the side, Takeda watched quietly, the corner of his mouth lifting ever so slightly. The boy had changed matured and has really come a long way from the defenseless cry baby to humanity last protector it's a burden to much for someone to bear but it's something worth protecting.
Then another voice boomed from the corridor.
"Oi! Hiroto!"
Hiroto turned, blinking and immediately froze.
Standing there was Anya, arms crossed, her eyes sharp enough to cut steel.
"Oh no," Hiroto muttered.
Anya walked straight up to him, her steps heavy. "Do you know how worried I was, you blockhead?"
Hiroto smiled weakly. "Hey, hey... relax. I'm fine, see?"
She punched him .. hard.
"BAKAAA!"
Hiroto stumbled back, clutching his nose. "Ow! My nose! Again?! Anya!"
"That's for not calling me!" she snapped, pointing a finger in his face. "Next time you pull something like that, I'll really break it!"
"O–Okay! Okay! Message received!"
Arisa giggled quietly from the side, and even Renji let out a small chuckle.
Takeda shook his head. "Some things never change."
Inside the Command Hall
The Bureau's central command room was vast — circular, filled with holographic screens showing maps, mana readings, and live footage from damaged city sectors. Dozens of officials and hunters stood around a large round table, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Director Ito stood at the center, his expression grim.
"Everyone, listen carefully," he began. "As of 06:00 hours, the Japanese Hunters Bureau has officially declared a Level Omega Emergency. This is the first time such a level has been declared since the formation of the Bureau itself."
He tapped a button. Images flickered in the air massive gates opening above Shibuya, creatures of light and shadow spilling out, hunters clashing with beasts larger than buildings.
"The incident we faced yesterday was not a normal gate," Ito continued. "The energy readings were off the charts at least twenty times higher than an S-rank. It was not natural. Someone ..or something forced these gates open."
A ripple of murmurs filled the hall.
Renji frowned because he knew what was happening but he couldn't say a word
" Ito continued, eyes narrowing. "The pattern of mana suggests an external trigger an intelligent force. And it happened not only here, but in five other countries at the exact same time."
Takeda's eyes darkened. "A coordinated event."
Ito nodded. "Exactly."
He pressed another switch. A new image appeared five glowing points on a world map: Tokyo, Sure ..here are five cities in Japan:
An image appeared Infront of the huge screens
Tokyo, Osaka ,Kyoto, Hiroshima and soeul
"Each of these cities experienced gate ruptures at the same moment. But only Tokyo's event caused full-scale collapse."
It's unusual..... our thoughts of the gate were shattered right Infront of us, A dungeon break isn't meant to happen until a week but this happen in less than 15 minutes with toyko having the largest causality rate
"Why Tokyo?" someone asked.
"That," Ito said, "is what the world wants to know. And that's why the World Hunter Association has called for an International Summit. Every country's top guilds will gather to discuss what happened and what's coming next."
The room went silent.
Hiroto scratched the back of his head. "So... what do we do until then?"
Ito looked to Takeda. "Until the summit, our priority is to secure the nation. We'll hold a national emergency meeting with all high-ranked hunters tonight. That includes every S and SS-ranked hunter available in the country."
Including Takeda-san
You will represent this country as it's pillar
Takeda nodded. "Understood. We'll stabilize the situation."
"Good," Ito said. "And Takeda..."
He paused.
"You've seen more of this world than most. If you sense anything unusual anything that feels wrong report it immediately. We can't afford another disaster."
Takeda gave a short nod. "You'll be the first to know."
But deep down he couldn't let them know what was happening because the weight of the world was about to crumble
The briefing lasted for hours. By the time it ended, the sun was barely visible through the storm clouds. The hunters began to disperse, their faces pale and tired.
Renji walked out last, deep within his thoughts.. the weight of the burden bested upon him followed by Arisa. The two stood near the wide glass balcony overlooking Tokyo what remained of it.
The wind was cold and heavy with rain. Below them, the city still smoked.
Arisa leaned on the railing, her eyes soft. "It still doesn't feel real. A whole part of the city... gone."
Renji nodded quietly. "I know."
She turned to him. "You were there, weren't you? You saw it happen."
"Yeah."
"What did it feel like?"
Renji hesitated. Then he said softly, "Like watching the world bleed."
Arisa bit her lip, her voice trembling. "Renji... I don't want you to fight alone again."
He looked at her really looked at her and for a moment, something fragile passed between them. "I'll try not to."
"Promise?"
He managed a small smile. "Promise."
A few meters away, Hiroto was talking with Anya, holding an ice pack to his nose.
"Ow, seriously, you didn't have to hit that hard!"
"Maybe next time you'll think before running into a gate without backup," Anya said, crossing her arms.
"I had backup! Takeda and Renji were.."
"They don't count!"
"What?! Why not?"
"Because they actually think before fighting!"
The hunters nearby burst out laughing again, easing the heavy mood.
Takeda stood near the elevator, watching all of them especially renji he knew that he was the country's best, and maybe humanity's last defense. His gaze was calm, but his heart was heavy.
When the laughter faded, he said quietly, "Get some rest while you can. We'll need everyone sharp for tonight's meeting."
Renji nodded. "Yes, sir."
Later That Night – Bureau Sublevel
Deep beneath the Bureau, hidden behind layers of reinforced glass, the research division worked non-stop.
Monitors flashed with glowing blue light. Crystals pulsed on containment tables, each humming faintly fragments taken from the destroyed gates.
A scientist frowned, leaning closer to a reading. "This can't be right..."
Another researcher looked over. "What is it?"
"These fragments ..they're emitting a pattern. It's repeating every sixty minutes. Like... a heartbeat."
The head researcher blinked. "Mana doesn't have rhythm."
"Exactly," the scientist whispered. "It's not mana. It's something else. Something... alive."
They turned toward the glass chamber, where one of the fragments floated in the air ... pulsing slowly, like the breath of something ancient.
And somewhere, faint and distant, came a sound like a whisper.
Soon."
The lights flickered. The researchers froze.
Then everything went still again.
Outside, rain fell harder over the city.
The Bureau's lights glowed faintly in the storm, a fragile beacon in a wounded world.
On a distant rooftop, a dark figure stood, looking down at Tokyo.
Then casually lifting one foot to another until he started flying
"So it begins," the voice murmured.
Lightning flashed across the sky, as the figure clapped his hands together leaving only the whisper of thunder behind.
And far below, within the Bureau walls, Takeda and renji felt it a massive surge in power
I recognize this mana takeda musterd to himself
He stepped outside looked at the clouded sky and saw the mysterious figure... Towing above the clouded skys of Tokyo
Then a thunderous voice cut through the heavens
"Requiem of Restoration "