The city didn't sound like a city anymore.
It sounded like a graveyard… still alive.
Sirens wailed endlessly, overlapping into a chaotic symphony of panic. Buildings burned, smoke clawing its way into the sky that had once been blue—but was now torn open by swirling, violet rifts.
And beneath it all
Screams.
Tokyo – Sector 7
Lucan and Lyra moved fast through the ruined streets, their boots splashing through water mixed with ash and blood.
A bus lay overturned nearby, its windows shattered.
A hand stretched out from inside.
"Please… help…"
Lucan stopped.
For a split second—just a second—he hesitated.
Lyra noticed.
"…Lucan."
Then
A shadow dropped from above.
A wretch slammed onto the bus, its claws tearing through the metal like paper.
The hand disappeared.
A wet crunch followed.
Lucan's jaw tightened.
Too late.
Again.
"Move," he said coldly.
Lyra didn't argue.
They kept going.
Evacuation Route – Civilian POV
A mother clutched her daughter tightly as they ran through the crowded street.
"Don't let go!" she cried.
"I won't, Mama!" the little girl shouted back, her voice trembling.
Around them, people shoved, tripped, screamed.
A man fell.
No one stopped.
No one could stop.
The sky above them warped
And something dropped.
A thrall landed directly in front of them.
The crowd froze.
For one horrible second
Silence.
Then chaos exploded again.
"RUN!!"
The mother turned, pulling her daughter
But her hand slipped.
Just for a moment.
Just one moment.
"Mama?!"
The girl's voice was lost in the noise.
The thrall moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
A hunter dashed in from the side
"GET DOWN!"
Steel clashed against claws.
The hunter blocked—but barely.
The force sent him crashing into a nearby car.
The thrall turned back to the crowd.
To the girl.
The mother screamed
But she was too far.
Too slow.
The creature lunged.
And the scream
Stopped.
GSSA Japan – Field Command
Minato stood in the middle of the chaos, his uniform stained, his blade humming with energy.
Around him
Hunters fought desperately.
Some held the line.
Some… didn't.
A young hunter charged forward, shouting
"I've got this!"
He didn't.
A fiend's arm pierced straight through his chest.
He froze.
Eyes wide.
Then went limp.
Minato didn't even flinch.
Not because he didn't care
But because he couldn't afford to.
"Hold formation!" he barked. "Don't break! If you scatter, you die!"
A demon crashed into the ground nearby
And exploded into flames.
Lucan landed.
Lyra beside him.
Minato glanced at them once.
"…Took you long enough."
Lucan exhaled.
"We cleared two sectors on the way."
Minato nodded.
Then his expression hardened.
"Listen carefully," he said, lowering his voice slightly.
"This isn't random."
Lucan's eyes narrowed.
"I know."
Minato stepped closer.
"Renji is here."
Silence.
Even with the chaos around them
That name cut through everything.
Lucan's jaw tightened.
"…I figured."
Minato's gaze sharpened.
"He's not just attacking the world. He's hunting."
A pause.
Then
"He's coming for you."
The words hung heavy.
Lyra looked at Lucan.
But Lucan didn't react outwardly.
Inside
Something burned.
"Let him come," Lucan said quietly.
Minato shook his head.
"Don't be stupid. This isn't about pride. You've grown stronger, yes—but Renji isn't something you fight alone."
Lucan didn't respond.
Because deep down
He knew.
Worldwide – The Collapse
Across the globe—
The same nightmare unfolded.
In England, entire streets were reduced to rubble.
In America, military forces opened fire into the sky—only to be overwhelmed seconds later.
In Germany, hunters formed defensive lines—only to be broken by sheer numbers.
It didn't matter how strong you were.
One demon?
Manageable.
Two?
Dangerous.
Ten?
Deadly.
Hundreds?
Impossible.
GSSA Global Response
One by one
They entered the battlefield.
The Presidents.
The strongest figures of each nation.
In Japan—Akihiko Mori stepped forward, his presence alone forcing lesser demons to hesitate.
In England—Cedric Langley drew his blade, standing at the front lines himself.
In America, Germany, and beyond
The leaders of the world joined the fight.
And still
It wasn't enough.
Tokyo – Frontline Collapse
A massive fiend slammed into the ground, crushing three hunters instantly beneath its weight.
Another roared, tearing through a defensive unit like paper.
A hunter screamed as his arm was ripped clean off.
Another tried to run
A claw pierced through his back.
Bodies fell.
One after another.
"WE'RE LOSING THE LINE!" someone shouted.
Minato gritted his teeth.
"Hold it!"
But even he could see it.
They were being pushed back.
Not because they were weak
But because there were simply too many.
Lucan's POV
Lucan stood still for a moment amidst the chaos.
Fire flickered around his hands.
Everywhere he looked
Death.
A child crying beside a lifeless body.
A hunter crawling, trying to stand… failing.
Lyra cutting down enemies but breathing harder now.
Even Minato
Struggling.
For the first time since the war began
Lucan felt it.
Not anger.
Not rage.
Something worse.
Overwhelm.
"…This isn't stopping," he muttered.
Minato heard him.
"No," he said grimly. "It's not."
Another explosion rocked the ground.
More demons poured from the sky.
Endless.
Relentless.
Like a storm that would never end.
Above It All
High above the city—
Standing alone on a broken rooftop—
Renji watched.
Arms folded.
Smile calm.
Eyes sharp.
Below him, the world burned.
Humans fought.
Died.
Struggled.
And still
He looked… bored.
"…Not yet," he murmured.
His gaze shifted.
Locking onto one presence in the chaos below.
Lucan.
His smile widened slightly.
"…Soon."
Back to the Battlefield
Minato raised his blade again.
"Listen up!" he shouted to the remaining squad members.
"We don't die here! Not today!"
Lucan stepped forward.
Flames igniting stronger.
Brighter.
More controlled.
Lyra moved beside him.
Despite everything
They stood.
Together.
Broken city.
Burning sky.
Endless enemies.
And still
They refused to fall.