Far from the tragedies that plagued hunters and warriors, deep within the heart of the kingdom of fear, a sprawling city stretched endlessly.
Midnight cloaked the massive metropolis, but the darkness did little to hide its ceaseless activity. Towering iron buildings loomed over every street, their jagged silhouettes punctuated by banners fluttering with the insignia of hunters. Even at this late hour, the air thrummed with the constant hum of machinery, distant sirens slicing through the night, and the acrid smoke of factories curling into the sky.
Nexus Vanguard—a city of ordinary people… ruled by hunters.
The scene shifted to a narrow, forgotten street. A small, worn-out house was squeezed between two towering buildings, its paint peeling, a single window cracked like a tired eye staring at the world.
Dim light from a flickering streetlamp seeped through the window, spilling across the cramped interior. Inside, a woman stood near a stove, tending to a modest meal. Her movements were quiet, precise, almost ritualistic, yet there was a fatigue that clung to her frame like a shadow. She was strikingly beautiful, even in her weariness, her features illuminated by the soft, uneven light.
The small apartment, though worn and cramped, was filled with quiet life. On the floor, a little boy sat cross-legged, absorbed in the simple joy of a broken wooden toy. His clothes were old, faded at the edges, but meticulously clean.
Ichigo Kagami—just eight years old—looked up at his mother, his soft, innocent voice breaking the silence.
"Mom… will Dad come home today?"
Aoi Kagami paused, her hand tightening slightly as if holding herself together against some invisible weight. She forced a small, reassuring smile.
"Yes," she said, her voice steady, though it trembled at the edges.
Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill, but she quickly brushed them away, hiding something.
Outside, footsteps echoed along the narrow street. The door creaked open, and a man stepped inside—the boy's father. His presence immediately filled the small room with heavyness.
Ichigo's eyes lit up at the sight of him.
"Papa!!"
The little boy ran forward, arms outstretched, eager for the warmth of a father's embrace.
But the man stopped abruptly, his gaze sliding past Ichigo and settling on Aoi. Cold. Irritated. The warmth Ichigo expected vanished, replaced by a chill that froze him in place.
"Don't block the way," Renji's voice cut sharply through the room.
Ichigo froze mid-step, confusion and fear mixing in his wide, innocent eyes. Renji stepped around him, unyielding, indifferent to the child's small frame. Ichigo glanced back at his mother, watery eyes seeking comfort.
Aoi lowered her gaze, shoulders trembling as she tried to steady herself.
"Re… Renji… I-I made food," she whispered, her voice barely audible, laden with fear.
Renji's eyes snapped toward her, fury blazing.
"I've told you a thousand times… not to call my name!"
After a long pause, Renji's harsh voice cut through the room again.
"I'm not hungry."
Aoi flinched, her eyes widening at the coldness in his tone. Tears welled up, threatening to spill.
"I… I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible, trembling under the weight of his anger.
Without another word, Renji threw his coat aside and sank into the torn-up sofa, facing away from her. The room seemed colder, shadows creeping into the corners, as though his presence had sucked the warmth from the small apartment.
Ichigo stepped forward slowly, tiny feet hesitant on the worn floorboards. His voice was a mere whisper, quivering with fear and doubt.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Aoi knelt down beside him, gently placing a hand on his head. Her touch was soft, grounding, a small island of comfort in the tension-filled room.
"No," she said softly, her voice steady despite the tears still glimmering in her eyes.
A brief pause.
"You didn't."
Ichigo exhaled softly, leaning into her hand, drawing strength from her reassurance, even as the oppressive presence of his father lingered in the background.
Far away, the night wrapped the dense forest in a cloak of darkness. Two hunters, survivors of the deadly hunt of Mahito and Minako, ran side by side, their breaths ragged, hearts pounding. The mid-night air was cool but heavy, filled with the sounds of snapping twigs and rustling leaves.
Suddenly, both hunters were thrown violently to the ground, as if they had collided with an invisible wall. But the forest ahead was clear—nothing obstructed their path.
"Aah…" the armored hunter groaned as he hit the earth, clutching at the unseen force.
"What…!!" the other hunter exclaimed, staggering to his knees. "An invisible barrier?"
The armored hunter pushed his hand forward, testing the unseen boundary. His palm met resistance, an unyielding wall that shimmered faintly under the moonlight.
"Shadow Barrier… I see," he muttered, standing with cautious reverence.
They tried approaching from different directions, hoping to find a weakness, but the barrier stretched endlessly, covering the entire area. No matter where they moved, the invisible wall held firm.
The hunter in the white jacket clenched his fists, closing his eyes in concentration.
"Make a shield on both of us… I'll destroy it in no time."
The armored hunter responded with a series of precise hand signs, then snapped his fingers. Instantly, a shimmering blue shield enveloped both of them. A soft, pulsating aura radiated outward, illuminating the darkness of the forest with an ethereal glow.
Stepping back cautiously, the hunter in white raised his right hand, shaping it like a gun and aiming at the invisible barrier.
"Water Atomic Bullet!"
A small, strange orb of water formed at the tip of his finger. With a swift motion, he drew his hand back—and the water ball shot forward like a bullet, streaking through the night.
It struck the barrier. A burst of blue sparkles danced across the surface, then—BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted, the force so immense it tore through the forest. Trees splintered and flew aside, the earth shuddering beneath their feet. The blast radiated across a twenty-five-kilometer stretch.
The force of the explosion tossed both hunters into the air like ragdolls. Smoke thickened around them, curling through the shattered forest, stinging their lungs and eyes.
"Hell…! What was that technique?" the armored hunter coughed, blood flecking his lips. The blue shield had saved them from certain death, but injuries marked their bodies, cuts and bruises forming in the chaos.
As the smoke began to thin, the hunter in white peered forward, eyes widening in disbelief.
"What…!! How is this possible?"
Before them lay the devastation—every tree, every patch of undergrowth obliterated across the forest—but the ground enclosed by the barrier remained untouched, eerily pristine as if nothing had happened.
"How the hell is this barrier still intact?!" he shouted, frustration and shock mingling in his voice.
The armored hunter stumbled closer to him, his own expression grim, a mix of exhaustion and disbelief.
The armored hunter placed a heavy hand on his companion's shoulder, his face pale with exhaustion.
"This… this is a special-grade level barrier. We can't do anything against it. We're seriously injured as well—my ribs are broken, I'm bleeding… and your right hand is gone."
He glanced toward the untouched forest beneath the invisible barrier, disbelief etched across his features.
"In this condition… we can't do anything. Let's return to headquarters and report."
At that moment, a green aura flared around the hunter in white. In an instant, his injuries vanished—his hand regenerated, wounds closed, and his strength returned as if untouched by the explosion.
The armored hunter's jaw dropped.
"H… how did you do that?"
The other hunter gave him a small, confident smile.
"About this barrier… yes, we should return."
The armored hunter shook his head, incredulous.
"You… you can't be S-rank. S-ranks don't have powers like this."
The other hunter smiled again, calm and unbothered.
"Let's go. We can talk later. We can't stay here for too long—according to the map, this is the area of warriors. They must have heard the sound of the blast."
"Very well," the armored hunter replied, still wide-eyed.
To be continued...