The sealed Gate shimmered before Shiro. Its surface, once an impassable barrier, now pulsed with his presence—as if recognizing him as something beyond a mere Hunter.
Shiro raised his hand. Shadows rippled at his fingertips.
"Let's test this power."
He clenched his fist.
CRACK.
The Gate shattered.
A gust of dark mist surged forward as the exit tore open. Shiro stepped through.
The moment he emerged, alarms blared through the Tokyo Hunter Association's Gate Management Division.
—WARNING! Unauthorized Entity Detected!
—A-Class Threat Identified!
—Initiating Emergency Response!
Shiro barely had time to adjust to the bright neon lights of the city before a squad of Hunter Association Enforcers surrounded him. Armed, armored, and ready to kill.
"FREEZE!" one of them barked. "State your identification!"
Shiro glanced at them. Their eyes widened in shock.
His name appeared on their visors.
—Shirogane Tetsuya: Status—DECEASED.
"Impossible…" one whispered. "He's supposed to be dead!"
Shiro took a slow step forward. The shadows beneath him twisted unnaturally. The Enforcers gripped their weapons tighter.
His betrayers had left him for dead in that Gate.
Yet here he was.
Alive.
And no longer the weak E-rank they abandoned.
Shiro smirked. "I'd put those guns down if I were you."
The Enforcers hesitated. Something about him—his presence, his voice—was different.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A powerful shockwave burst through the area as a black portal tore open behind him.
From the abyss, something emerged.
A Void Sentinel.
The Enforcers panicked. "A MONSTER ESCAPED THE GATE!"
Shiro turned slightly, watching the shadowy knight-like entity bow its head.
It wasn't attacking.
It was kneeling to him.
Gasps of terror spread through the squad. The realization hit them all at once.
This wasn't a Gate breach.
This was something else entirely.
Shiro exhaled slowly, looking at the panicked Enforcers.
"I need to be careful. If they realize what I really am now, I might not leave this place alive."
He took a step forward—his Void Shadow flickering beneath him like liquid darkness.
"It's been a long day," he muttered, staring at the nearest Enforcer. "How about someone takes me to the Association?"
No one dared move.
No one dared refuse.
After all, the dead had just returned…
And he wasn't the same man they once knew.
The Tokyo Hunter Association Headquarters loomed ahead—a massive structure of steel and glass, standing as the heart of Japan's Hunter operations. The moment Shiro stepped inside, every Hunter, officer, and official turned toward him.
Whispers filled the halls.
"That's the guy who was reported dead…"
"How the hell did he survive that Gate?"
"Wasn't he just an E-rank? Why does he feel so… dangerous?"
Shiro ignored the stares as he was escorted deeper into the building. His Void Shadow coiled at his feet, a silent reminder that he wasn't the same weak Hunter they once knew.
They brought him to a high-security chamber, where several high-ranking Hunters and Association officials waited. One of them, a sharp-eyed man in a black suit, leaned forward.
"Shirogane Tetsuya." His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. "You were presumed dead after being left behind in a Gate three months ago."
Shiro's fingers twitched. Three months? He had no sense of time while trapped in the abyss.
"Yet here you are." The man's gaze hardened. "Explain."
Shiro leaned back in his chair. "What's there to explain?" His voice was casual. "I survived."
Silence.
Then, another official, a middle-aged woman with glasses, spoke. "You were an E-rank Hunter before you disappeared. But now…" She narrowed her eyes. "The sensors react to your presence as if you're at least A-rank."
Shiro smirked. They were scared.
Good.
The black-suited man tapped the table. "We need to confirm your status. You will undergo a new Hunter Evaluation."
A screen lit up, displaying his old rank: E-class.
"The test will measure your physical strength, mana output, and Void Shadow Synchronization," the woman explained. "If you refuse—"
Shiro stood up. "I don't mind."
He was waiting for this.
Waiting to prove to everyone that the weak E-rank they abandoned no longer existed.
---
Hunter Evaluation Grounds – Combat Arena
Shiro stepped onto the platform, surrounded by automated Hunter Test Units (HTUs)—machines built to assess Hunter power levels.
The evaluation officer, a stern-looking man with a katana-shaped Void Shadow, stood in front of him.
"Your first test," he said. "Break this."
He placed a Hunter-grade strength meter before Shiro. The last time he took this test, he could barely scratch it.
Shiro cracked his knuckles.
A wave of darkness surged from his hand, twisting into a shape—a clawed gauntlet of pure abyssal energy.
And then—
BOOM!
The entire testing machine exploded into shards.
The room fell silent.
The evaluation officer's jaw clenched. He signaled the next test—a mana synchronization rating.
A crystal was placed in front of Shiro. He placed his hand on it, channeling his Void Shadow.
The crystal, meant to measure Hunter energy levels, shattered instantly.
Gasps echoed through the observation deck.
"That's—" someone stammered. "That's not possible!"
Shiro's smirk grew.
Then came the final test.
"Summon your Void Shadow."
Shiro exhaled. The moment he let go—
Darkness erupted.
His Void Shadow stretched across the room, filling the air with an overwhelming aura of the abyss. The evaluation officer staggered back, his own Void Shadow trembling in fear.
Even the SS-rank Guild Masters watching from the upper floors stood up, their eyes narrowing.
One of them whispered.
"…What kind of monster did we just bring back?"
The test ended in chaos.
Shiro didn't just pass.
He broke every record in Association history.
And just like that, the forsaken E-rank Hunter was no more.
A new Hunter had been born.
---
The test results were undeniable.
Shirogane Tetsuya—the E-rank Hunter they had all dismissed—had shattered every evaluation record in Hunter Association history.
The entire building was in an uproar.
The 12 SS-ranked Guild Masters had been watching from the observation deck. These were the strongest Hunters in the world, the ones who dictated the Hunter Association's future. And yet, as they observed Shiro's impossible display, even they were unsettled.
Hunter Association Conference Room – Emergency Meeting
The Guild Masters sat around a massive circular table. A heavy silence hung in the air.
Finally, Ryujin Kaito, master of Azure Dragon and the strongest among them, broke the silence. His sharp blue eyes locked onto the footage playing on the holo-screen—the moment Shiro's Void Shadow erupted, swallowing the arena in darkness.
"This… is unnatural," he muttered, fingers steepled under his chin.
Akechi Ren, leader of Vermilion Phoenix, scoffed. His crimson eyes burned with interest. "Unnatural? Or a new legend in the making? I say we recruit him."
Fujiwara Ayame of Silver Fenrir grinned, leaning back in her chair. "He's like a stray wolf—dangerous but full of potential. I like him."
Himura Saeko of Celestial Kirin remained silent, her violet eyes unreadable. But inwardly, she was analyzing every move Shiro made during the test.
Takeda Jin of Black Tortoise crossed his arms, his deep voice breaking the tension. "That boy was abandoned by his own squad. Now he returns with power far beyond what should be possible." His gaze darkened. "Tell me that doesn't sound suspicious."
Kurosawa Daichi of Obsidian Kraken chuckled. "Suspicious? Hell yeah. But that just makes him more interesting."
Hoshino Mei of Ethereal Dragon finally spoke, her voice soft yet commanding. "Whatever happened to him inside that Gate… changed him." She tapped the table, eyes glowing faintly. "And the Hunter Association fears what it doesn't understand."
Mori Seiji of Golden Griffin sneered. "Then we should eliminate him before he becomes a threat."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Eliminate him?
Before anyone could respond, the doors slammed open.
A Hunter Association official entered, looking pale. "Guild Masters… he's here."
The room stiffened.
Shirogane Tetsuya had just entered the SS-ranked conference hall.
---
Hunter Association Headquarters – Grand Hall
Shiro walked through the massive doors, feeling the weight of twelve legendary Hunters' gazes fall upon him.
Power. Authority. Presence.
Every single one of them radiated an overwhelming aura.
But Shiro did not falter.
He stood tall, his Void Shadow curling at his feet like a sleeping beast.
Ryujin Kaito was the first to speak. His deep blue eyes locked onto Shiro's. "Hunter Shirogane Tetsuya." His voice was calm but carried a weight that made even A-rank Hunters tremble. "Do you understand what your awakening means?"
Shiro met his gaze. "I know one thing." His voice was steady.
"I'm not the weak E-rank you all left behind."
Some of the Guild Masters smirked. Others narrowed their eyes.
Akechi Ren grinned. "I like him."
Mori Seiji, however, stood up abruptly. "You are a threat to the order of the Hunter world. If we allow you to walk free—"
Shiro vanished.
Before anyone could react, he reappeared directly in front of Mori Seiji, his hand at the man's throat.
The Guild Masters tensed.
Shiro leaned in, his golden eyes burning with cold fire. "Then try and stop me."
Mori's breath hitched. For a split second, he felt it—absolute death.
But Shiro pulled back, stepping away. "I don't take orders from cowards who fear power."
A heavy silence followed.
Then, Fujiwara Ayame burst into laughter.
"Oh, this is going to be fun."
Ryujin Kaito finally stood. His gaze was unreadable. "Hunter Shirogane." He took a step forward. "Join us."
Shiro paused.
"We will watch you," Ryujin continued. "You can either join a Guild… or fight the entire Association alone."
Shiro's smirk returned.
"Who says I need a Guild?"