The command center was a blur of motion. Red lights flashed across the walls, technicians shouted coordinates, and the giant tactical screen painted a scene no one in the room wanted to believe.
The feed from Gamma squad's body cams shook violently, static breaking in and out, but the image of the demon was unmistakable. The creature wasn't just another anomaly. It was taller than anything they had on record, its body a grotesque mix of shadow and flame, horns jagged like broken blades reaching for the sky. Every motion seemed deliberate, powerful, wrong—like the world itself struggled to contain it.
"Gods above," one officer whispered. "That… that's no Class-B. That's not even Class-A."
"Classification means nothing if it wipes out the city," barked Captain Hayashi, his voice iron against the rising panic. "What about Beta squad's position?"
"Beta is still five klicks out. If we send them in now, we'll lose them before they can breach engagement range," a strategist reported.
"Then Gamma—"
"Already pinned. Sir… they're not walking out of this."
The captain's face hardened. He had been in this game long enough to know when pieces had to be sacrificed. His jaw clenched as he gave the order no one wanted to hear.
"Prepare Kurohane no Tenbatsu."
The room went silent. Even the whirring machines seemed to hold their breath. Kurohane no Tenbatsu("Heaven's Black Wing Punishment") was a warhead reserved for extinction-level threats, its detonation radius swallowing friend and foe alike. Once unleashed, there would be no survivors.
"Sir," a younger officer protested, "Gamma squad is still—"
"I said prepare it!" Hayashi's roar cut him down. His gaze lingered on the trembling feed of Renji's team. " Perhaps we should consult the leader Hikari" An officer suggested.
" Have you heard from any of Kokuryūkai leaders within the last two hours?" Hayashi inquired. The silence was long and pregnant.
" I thought so, they knew the risks. If we hesitate, we lose more than a squad. We lose everything."
---
On the ground, Renji felt the dread long before he heard the first death scream.
Hanzo was the first to move when the monster came into full view, blades in hand, his body glowing faintly with the enhancement drug running through his veins. "Keep its attention!" he shouted, darting forward like lightning.
"Hanzo, wait!" Renji shouted, but his voice was swallowed by the beast's roar.
The sound tore through them like a physical wave, rattling Renji's chest, freezing his lungs. The other two operatives flanked left and right, rifles spitting bursts of gunfire that looked pitiful against the demon's armored hide. Sparks flew, bullets ricocheted uselessly, until the beast's massive hand swept out in a single, lazy motion.
The first soldier never had time to scream—his body folded unnaturally as he was hurled against a shattered tree, bones snapping like brittle wood. The second tried to retreat, fumbling for an energy charge, but the demon's shadowy appendages coiled around his torso, crushing until his armor screamed and then split with a wet crack.
Renji's mind screamed denial, but his eyes couldn't look away.
"Renji!" Hanzo's voice cut through, strained but steady. He stood in front of the beast, slashing, his blades sparking with every clash against its skin. "Find its weakness—move!"
Renji's legs refused to obey. His chest heaved. Adrenaline turned his vision sharp but his thoughts sluggish. He was watching the impossible—and losing.
The demon's claw struck again. Hanzo blocked once, twice, sparks flaring, but the third blow came faster, heavier. His guard shattered, his blades flung from his grip.
"No—!" Renji's voice cracked as he stumbled forward.
The beast's hand pierced through Hanzo's chest. For one suspended second, Renji saw his friend's eyes widen—not in fear, but in quiet acceptance. A cough of blood painted his lips as he turned his head toward Renji.
"Stay… alive," Hanzo rasped, voice breaking.
Then the demon lifted him like a ragdoll, and with a savage twist, tore his body apart.
Renji's scream tore through the battlefield, raw and broken. Something inside him cracked wide open. His grip tightened on his weapon, his vision blurring with tears and fury.
"You bastard!" he howled, charging.
It wasn't strategy. It wasn't bravery. It was rage unchained. He swung wildly, recklessly, his blade scraping across the demon's side. To his shock, sparks of black fire hissed from the wound—his strike had hurt it.
But the victory was fleeting.
The monster tilted its head, almost amused, then lashed forward. Its clawed hand slammed into Renji's face. Pain exploded as the creature's talons dug in, fire and shadow burning into his right eye. He screamed, thrashing, the world fracturing into blinding agony.
It wrenched its claws free, taking his eye with it.
Renji collapsed, clutching his ruined face, choking on pain, blood soaking through his fingers. His world spun, fractured, reality blurring into waves of red and shadow.
***
High above, the command center had locked coordinates. The warhead sat primed, silent in its bay, waiting only for the commander's final word.
"Target locked," the technician reported, voice trembling. "Detonation in thirty seconds on command."
Commander Hayashi closed his eyes, the weight of his choice pressing like chains across his shoulders. He exhaled slowly, then gave the order.
"Release Kurohane no Tenbatsu."
---
Renji's ears rang, his vision fractured, but his comm still buzzed faintly with static. He clawed at it, desperation pulling him back from the abyss.
"This… is Renji…" he gasped, blood choking his throat. "Gamma… down… Hanzo is—"
The words broke as the sky split open.
A descending roar filled the heavens as the warhead fell, a streak of fire carving through the clouds, carrying annihilation on its back.
The last thing Renji saw before the blinding light swallowed him whole was the towering silhouette of the demon, raising its head to meet the descending star, unflinching, almost smiling.
Then came the blast.