The body lay still.
The assassin's glassy eyes stared into the void, his lips stained with the poison that had stolen his last breath.
Renji watched, unmoving.
Not because he felt guilt.
Not because he felt pity.
But because something inside him was reacting.
A hunger deeper than the physical.
His infection was changing.
Something inside him was stirring.
And then—
The whisper returned.
A Voice in the Dark
You saw it, didn't you?
Renji's breath hitched.
That voice.
The ancient entity.
The presence inside him.
He was like you. And yet… less.
Renji's fists clenched.
What are you talking about? he demanded internally.
The voice chuckled.
You are evolving. But so are others. And some have taken… shortcuts.
Renji's eyes narrowed.
The assassin.
The way his infection had twisted—
That wasn't just a normal mutation.
He had been experimented on.
And Renji had a very good guess about who was behind it.
Hikaru exhaled, holstering his gun.
"That was a professional hit," he muttered. "Whoever they were, they weren't just after me. They wanted you dead, specifically."
Renji stayed silent.
Because he already knew why.
The Organization had marked him.
And if this wasn't their doing…
That meant someone else had noticed him too.
And they weren't waiting for him to come to them.
They were hunting him down.
Hikaru crouched, rifling through the dead assassin's gear.
"…No ID." he sighed. "Whoever they are, they're ghosts."
Renji nodded.
This wasn't random.
It was a message.
Someone wanted him to know that they were watching.
And that meant—
He had to move first.
---
"We can't stay here," Renji said finally.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And where exactly do you plan to go?"
Renji met his gaze.
"…I need answers."
Hikaru's expression darkened.
"And where do you think you'll get those?"
Renji glanced at the dead assassin.
Then back toward the city skyline.
"The black market."
Hikaru stilled.
"…You're insane."
But he didn't argue.
Because they both knew—
If they wanted to know who was targeting them, they'd have to go where secrets were sold.
And in this city, that meant one place:
The Underbelly.
Into the Abyss
The Underbelly wasn't a place marked on any map.
It didn't exist to the public.
But it thrived in the shadows.
A hidden world beneath the city, ruled by those who profited from things better left undiscovered.
Illegal dungeon relics.
Monster organs.
Experimental serums.
And worst of all—
Information.
Renji and Hikaru moved through the dimly lit tunnels, the air thick with the scent of damp stone and rusted metal.
Ahead, the passage widened into a marketplace of the damned.
Stalls lined the walls, manned by figures cloaked in secrecy.
Hunters, mercenaries, criminals—
Everyone here had something to sell.
And everyone had something to hide.
---
They approached a stall covered in tattered black cloth.
The man behind it was old, his face half-hidden behind cybernetic implants.
His remaining eye gleamed with sharp intelligence.
"Well, well," he rasped. "What brings a couple of hunters to my humble shop?"
Renji didn't waste time.
"We need information."
The old man smirked.
"That'll cost you."
Renji pulled out a bloodstained emblem.
The assassin's insignia.
The old man's smirk faded.
For the first time, he looked uneasy.
"…Where did you get this?"
Renji's gaze didn't waver.
"Who do they work for?"
The old man hesitated.
Then—
He sighed.
"You don't want to be asking these questions, boy."
Renji didn't blink.
"Too late."
The old man studied him.
Then, finally, he leaned in.
And whispered a name.
"Shirogane Arata."
Renji froze.
Hikaru inhaled sharply.
Because they both knew that name.
Shirogane Arata.
A rogue hunter.
One of the few people to escape the Organization's experiments.
And now—
He was recruiting infected people.
Renji's mind raced.
Shirogane wasn't just some criminal.
He was a survivor.
Someone who had lived through what Renji was only now beginning to understand.
And now, he was gathering others.
For what?
Renji clenched his jaw.
There was only one way to find out.
He had to meet this man.
Even if it meant walking into the lion's den.
---
Hikaru exhaled.
"This is suicide."
Renji smirked.
"Then you don't have to come."
Hikaru rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, right."
Because they both knew—
It was already too late to turn back.
And the deeper they went—
The closer they got to a truth neither of them was ready for.
---
The name Shirogane Arata lingered in Renji's mind like an open wound.
A rogue hunter.
An escaped experiment.
A man recruiting infected individuals for his own unknown purpose.
And, if the black-market broker was to be believed—
The one responsible for sending an assassin after him.
Renji clenched his jaw.
If Shirogane wanted him dead…
Then he wanted to know why.
And he wasn't going to wait for another assassin to come knocking.
He was going to find Shirogane first.
The Underbelly was a place of whispers and bloodstained deals.
Renji and Hikaru moved through the shifting corridors, their steps careful, their senses sharp.
"The black-market broker gave us a name," Hikaru murmured. "But no location."
Renji nodded.
"Then we make him come to us."
Hikaru frowned. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"
Renji's lips curled into a wolfish grin.
"By making some noise."
Renji's infection was spreading, evolving—
But instead of hiding it…
He would use it.
The Underbelly thrived on secrets.
And nothing got attention faster than a new player with a dangerous mutation.
Renji stepped into the light.
The marketplace was alive with criminals, hunters, and scavengers.
And all of them turned to watch as he walked forward, his aura thrumming with suppressed energy.
Slowly—
Deliberately—
He lifted his hand.
And let a fraction of his infection surface.
Dark veins pulsed beneath his skin.
His fingers sharpened into claws.
And a whisper of power rippled through the air.
Murmurs spread like wildfire.
Renji didn't need to say a word.
Because now—
The entire Underbelly knew.
There was an infected hunter in their midst.
And that meant one thing.
Shirogane Arata would come looking.
---
It didn't take long.
Within an hour, the whispers turned to movement.
Figures in the crowd vanished.
Eyes watched from the shadows.
The Underbelly was shifting.
And then—
A messenger arrived.
A cloaked figure stepped forward, their voice barely above a whisper.
"You've made quite the spectacle, Kuroya."
Renji didn't flinch.
"You know my name. Then you know what I want."
The messenger chuckled.
"Shirogane is… interested. He's offering a meeting."
Renji and Hikaru exchanged a glance.
Hikaru murmured under his breath, "This is a trap."
Renji smirked. "Obviously."
The messenger extended a small card.
"Tonight. Warehouse District. Dock 17."
Then, without another word, they melted back into the crowd.
Renji stared at the address.
Hikaru exhaled sharply.
"We're really doing this, huh?"
Renji nodded.
Because now—
There was no turning back.
---
The Warehouse District was a graveyard of steel and rust.
Abandoned docks stretched into the darkness, their skeletal remains casting long shadows under flickering streetlights.
Renji and Hikaru moved cautiously, their senses heightened.
They weren't alone.
Figures lurked in the distance.
Shirogane's people.
Watching.
Waiting.
And then—
A voice cut through the silence.
"You've made quite the mess, Kuroya."
Renji turned.
A man stepped forward from the shadows.
Tall. Lean.
Dressed in a black coat that billowed in the wind.
His silver hair gleamed under the dim light.
And his eyes—
They weren't human anymore.
They glowed with a predatory hunger.
Shirogane Arata.
Shirogane smiled.
"I've been keeping an eye on you."
Renji's fists clenched.
"Oh? Is that why you sent an assassin?"
Shirogane tilted his head.
"If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead."
Renji's eyes narrowed.
Then why attack?
Shirogane smirked.
"Because I needed to see what you'd do."
His gaze sharpened.
"And you didn't disappoint."
Renji stayed silent.
Because Shirogane wasn't here to fight.
He was here to recruit.
Shirogane's voice was smooth, persuasive.
"You're evolving. Faster than the others."
He took a step closer.
"I know what it feels like. The hunger. The power. The fear."
Renji's breath hitched.
Because Shirogane knew.
Knew what the infection was doing.
Knew about the whispering voice in the dark.
And that meant—
He had gone further than Renji.
He had embraced the infection.
Shirogane extended a hand.
"Join me."
Renji's heartbeat pounded in his ears.
This man was dangerous.
But the worst part?
He wasn't lying.
---
Hikaru tensed beside Renji, ready for a fight.
But Renji wasn't.
Because he wasn't sure if he could win.
Shirogane was stronger. More experienced.
And worst of all—
He understood something Renji didn't.
Renji's mind raced.
He needed more time.
More control.
More power.
So he did the one thing he could.
He laughed.
Shirogane raised an eyebrow.
"Something funny?"
Renji smirked.
"You think I'd just join because you asked?"
Shirogane's eyes gleamed.
"Not just because I asked."
Renji's smirk didn't fade.
"Then you don't know me as well as you think."
Shirogane sighed.
"…Disappointing."
His hand lowered.
His expression hardened.
And the air shifted.
A killing intent thicker than the ocean crashed down.
And in that moment—
Renji knew.
This wasn't an invitation anymore.
It was a test.
And if he failed—
He was dead.
---
Shirogane moved.
Renji barely dodged in time.
A blur of motion—
A flash of claws.
Steel met flesh.
Sparks flew as Renji's newly formed barrier barely stopped Shirogane's strike.
But the impact sent him skidding back.
Too fast.
Too strong.
Shirogane wasn't just a rogue hunter.
He was a monster.
Renji gritted his teeth.
The infection surged.
And then—
The whispering voice returned.
You can't win like this.
Let me help.
Renji's vision blurred.
And for a split second—
He saw something behind Shirogane.
A shadow.
Something inhuman.
And suddenly—
Renji understood.
Shirogane wasn't alone.
Something else was inside him.
Just like Renji.
Shirogane grinned.
"You're starting to see it, aren't you?"
Renji's breath caught.
But he didn't hesitate.
He forced the infection back down.
And for the first time—
He ran.
Because this wasn't a fight he could win.
Not yet.
---
Hikaru covered him, gunfire roaring in the night.
Renji's body screamed in protest, but he pushed forward.
They crashed through the warehouse walls, tumbling into the alley.
Shirogane didn't follow.
Because he didn't need to.
His voice echoed through the darkness.
"I'll be seeing you again, Kuroya."
And Renji knew—
This wasn't over.
Not even close.