Hunger Hell.Level Three of Impel Down.A place where hope came to die.
The suffocating heat rising from the lower levels mixed with the screams of the half-dead prisoners, their bodies little more than hollow shells, skin stretched tight over bones.
Shun Kaien and the riotous wave of prisoners surged into the level, the thunder of their boots reverberating off the cavernous walls.
To the desperate inmates of Hunger Hell, Shun was not a man.He was a crack in the walls of this nightmare.They screamed his name, begged him for salvation, hailed him as a god.
He ignored them.
He didn't need their worship.He needed their chaos.
At the center of the path to Level Four stood Vice Warden Hannyabal, his trident planted firmly into the scorched stone, his posture rigid.
Around him, the remaining wardens wavered, but Hannyabal stood still—like a man seeing not an enemy, but an opportunity.
Shun stopped, his steps quiet, measured.
System Status:Synchronization active.Possession Tokens Remaining: 8.Remaining Session Duration: 5 minutes.
He had pushed the clock further than he should have.
But it was enough.
Hannyabal spoke first, his tone sharp, no trace of the buffoonery Shun had seen in scattered memories.
"You thought you could reach this far without meeting me face to face?You're nothing but a riot. I'm the law here."
Shun's answer was movement.
He blurred forward—silent, efficient.
Hannyabal reacted with the instincts of a hardened soldier.
Their clash sent shockwaves through the cavern as Shun's fist met the steel of Hannyabal's trident.
The Vice Warden grunted but held his ground, skidding back only slightly, eyes narrowing.
Shun felt it.
Stronger than Sadi.Stronger than Saldeath.But not Magellan.
Yet still... an obstacle.
He moved again, fists a blur of disciplined taijutsu strikes, testing Hannyabal's defenses.
Then it hit him.
System Notification:Synchronization session expired.Possession Tokens Remaining: 7.Reactivation available.
His breath caught.
His strength bled out.His body—mortal again, vulnerable, weaker.
He staggered for half a heartbeat.It was enough.
Hannyabal's boot connected with his gut.
Boom.
The impact drove the air from his lungs.He was hurled backward into the arms of the stunned prisoners.
Blood splattered from his mouth.
He tasted iron.And weakness.
The prisoners froze.
Even Shun... had limits?
The wardens, sensing the shift, erupted into cheers.Their morale surged.
Hannyabal's grin widened.
He turned toward the Den Den Mushi, broadcasting to Magellan.
"I'll clean up this mess myself, Warden.No need for your intervention."
Shun forced himself to his feet.
His body screamed in protest.He could feel the shift in the battlefield.
The prisoners' eyes—their fear returned.
Hannyabal was good.
He didn't just fight with strength.
He fought with psychology.
Shun exhaled, his mind sharpening.
I miscalculated the timer.I got sloppy.
He reached into the system again.
System Notification:Possession Tokens Remaining: 7.Activate Might Guy synchronization?Duration: 1 hour.
Yes.
System Notification:Synchronization engaged.Possession Tokens Remaining: 6.
The strength returned, flooding his limbs, but now... he respected the weight of every second.
He clenched his fists.
No arrogance.No speeches.
Only the next move.
He stepped forward.
And charged.