Chapter 20
The rooftop was quiet again as Renji stood still for a moment longer, staring at Elyra. The wind brushed past them, carrying the distant hum of the city....
.."So what's the plan? we need to demonstrate power as soon as possible"
Renji exhaled slowly... Power?
"You know," he said at last, his voice low, calm, grounded, "people think power is about winning."
Elyra tilted her head slightly but didn't interrupt.
"And like you they think it's about standing above everyone else," Renji continued. "About being feared. About being untouchable and absolute"
He looked away, toward the city.
"But that's not what power feels like."
He turned back to her. "Power feels heavy."
The ash-colored glow around Elyra flickered faintly.
"When I was younger," Renji said, "I thought strength meant freedom That if I became strong enough, nothing could take anything from me ever again."
And I became strong really strong
A faint smile crossed his face—brief, bitter.
"But I was wrong."
He leaned against the edge of the rooftop, arms resting loosely on the railing.
"The stronger I got," he said, "the more things I couldn't ignore."
"Wars I didn't start. People I couldn't save. Choices that ended lives no matter what I did."
Elyra listened silently.
"Every fight takes something," Renji went on. "Even when you win. Especially when you win."
He glanced at her.
"You talk about balance," he said. "But balance isn't peaceful. Balance hurts you should understand that since you are the demi god of balance."
He straightened.
"Peace isn't something you achieve once and keep forever," Renji said. "It's something you fight for every single day."
"And war?" he continued. "War isn't chaos. War is what happens when people stop taking responsibility for their power."
All this I learnt thousands of years ago... Everytime I struggle for something better another chaos occurs
The night seemed to listen.
"Life and death aren't opposites," Renji said quietly. "They're connected. Every life I've ended… every concept I've erased… I carry it."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"Power doesn't give you the right to decide who matters," he said. "It gives you the duty to protect those who can't decide at all."
Elyra's eyes softened slightly.
"you know, I use to think they was no such thing as unlimited power
Until I found out what we really are the gods, the universe, monsters and many more beings spread across the multiverse
We all crave for one thing [Power] and in doing so we loose our selves
We've become pawns to an order... a never ending game to his name !
After I fused with my inner consciousness I learnt that I didn't choose to be what I am," Renji said. "But I chose to stay."
"To protect this world...even when it hates me. Even when it fears me."
He met her gaze fully now.
" now another threat arises for the Same quest and desire for power...If the truly Echoes are coming," he said firmly, "then I won't run. I won't wait for fate. And I won't face it alone."
He paused.
Then...
Elyra daughter of Tyrak demi god of balance and protector of the paradox prison join us!!
The words hung in the air.
Elyra blinked once. "…Join you?"
"Yes," Renji said. "My group, My people, my friends and my world "
"The more the merrier," he added with a faint smirk. "If these Echoes are half as dangerous as you say, then we'll need all the help we can get."
"And Azerin?" Your brother who wants to upset the balance of the universe Elyra asked cautiously.
Renji waved it off. "I'll deal with Azerin later."
Afterall I don't fear death
Silence followed.
Elyra studied him carefully.
"You trust easily for a god," she said. No I don't, Renji replied. But I choose."
She turned away slightly, her coat drifting like ash in the wind.
"You're asking me to abandon my duty," she said.
"No," Renji corrected. "I'm asking you to expand it."
Since the balance of nature has been upset through the prison then tell me Elyra aren't you meant to balance the scales here if you are the demi god of balance
She was quiet for a long time.
Finally... She smiled..
You really know how to push buttons don't you
"…Very well," Elyra said. "I'll walk with you."
Renji nodded once. "Good."
Then he smiled.
"Come on," he said. "You should meet the others."
..."and where will this others be Elyra asked
Simple my home!! Renji responded
Renji's Home
Sakura was the first to notice when Renji arrived.
She froze the moment she saw Elyra.
"…Januza-sama," Sakura said slowly. "Who is that?"
Dracan leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes narrowing.
Renji stepped inside casually. There's something you should know but first
"This," he said, "is Elyra."
"Daughter of Tyrak. Guardian of the Paradox Prison."
Silence.
Dracan's eyes widened slightly. "You're joking."
"I wish I was," Renji replied.
Sakura stared at Elyra, her expression unreadable.
"…You feel wrong," Sakura said finally, elyra inclined her head. "Well that's fair."
Renji sighed. "Alright alright. Everyone sit. This is important."
Minutes later, they were gathered in the living room.
Renji didn't waste time.... Sakura have you ever heard about the echoes
Sakura eyes grinned.. you mean the demons who drank the blood of the gods yes I have heard the legends but this happened way before the universe was fully created
"Well I'm glad you know about them but now we have a problem the Echoes are coming," he said.
Sakura's eyes snapped wide.
"…That's impossible," she said sharply, standing up. "They were sealed and locked away"
"They escaped," Elyra said calmly.
Sakura's aura flared violently.
"How?" Sakura demanded. "The Paradox Prison doesn't allow evolution!"
"They adapted," Elyra replied.
Sakura clenched her fists. "That shouldn't be possible!"
We haven't dealt with azerin we don't even know where choji is or even if he has minions or where his generals are and now this!!
Dracan rubbed his chin. "…I've heard legends," he muttered. "But nothing like this."
"There are eight left," Elyra said. "And they want mana."
"To devour it," Renji added. "Enough to become full gods."
Sakura slammed her hand on the table.
"This will destroy everything!"
"Yes," Elyra agreed. "That's why I'm here."
The room was tense.
Renji crossed his arms. "We need to act fast."
Dealing with them isn't a problem but they can't die
And if they adapted to the prison where time and space is meaningless then they'll become a problem and they can possibly to adapt to anything
It's not just one we're dealing with it's eight
We need everyone to know this including the pillars.
"But there's another problem," he continued. "I can't reach every pillar."
"I'm not close to all of them," he admitted. "Not like Takeda."
Sakura exhaled slowly.
"…I can reach them," she said.
Renji looked at her.
"I'll contact them telepathically," Sakura continued. "I know their minds. Their frequencies."
"That would help," Renji said.
Dracan nodded. "And we prepare defenses."
"Yes," Renji said. "And we gather everyone."
He looked around the room ,this isn't just our fight anymore...
Elyra watched them quietly... So this is why he's the successor to Arin
....
Sakura stepped forward and stood still as she steadied her mind.
The noise of the world...voices, footsteps, even the distant hum of the city...slowly faded away. Her breathing became calm, controlled, as if she were sinking into deep water.
Then.....
Her aura flared.
It looked nothing like Renji's overwhelming pressure or Arin's divine presence. Sakura's power was quiet, vast, and precise. Golden light spread from her feet like ripples across an unseen ocean, climbing the walls, bending space itself.
Her eyes changed.
Her star like patterns eyes began to glow and merged into one
It was an ability that drains 90% of her strength if she uses it for to long
Radiant points of light spun within them, entire constellations forming and collapsing again and again. It was as if the night sky itself had taken residence in her gaze.
Dracan, standing a few steps away, felt his skin prickle.
"…Every time I see this," he muttered, "I remember why she terrifies even the lesser gods."
Sakura raised her hand slightly.
"Skill Activation .. Astral Sovereignty: Omniscient Link."
The moment the words left her lips, distance lost meaning.
Her consciousness expanded outward...not traveling and it wasn't movingbut overlapping reality itself. Worlds stacked upon worlds. Universes folded into one another. Lines of causality bent under her awareness.
No matter where one stood...
Across oceans.
Across planets.
Across countless universes...
Nothing escaped her eyes.
Nothing escaped her mind.
This was her most broken power as the witch of Andor
And one by one she reached them
England — Elena Warwick, Pillar of Light
Rain fell softly over a stone courtyard.
Elena Warwick stood beneath the sky, her white cloak fluttering as she practiced refined light constructs...swords of pure radiance forming and dispersing at her will.
Training to awaken the form of the apex of transcendance
Then..
Her light wavered.
"…That feeling," she whispered.
A voice echoed inside her mind, calm but urgent.
Elena.
Elena straightened instantly. "…Sakura-san?"
Come to Japan immediately. The world is in danger. A new threat has arrived.
Elena clenched her fist, her expression turning serious.
She murmured...
She turned on her heel, already reaching for her communicator.
"I'm on my way."
India — Ravi Surya, Pillar of Flames
Ravi Surya stood barefoot on molten rock, flames dancing around his body like living creatures. Sweat rolled down his face .but he was smiling.
"I need to become one with fire I also need to awaken the apex as soon as possible but my body can't keep up "
Then his fire flickered.
Sakura's voice entered his mind, firm and unwavering.
Ravi. Drop everything. Come to Japan.
Ravi laughed loudly, flames bursting higher.
"Hah! You don't call unless the world's about to burn."
His smile sharpened.
"I'll be there."
The flames swallowed him whole...and vanished.
Germany — Erik Falken, Pillar of Frost
Endless snow.
A frozen valley lay silent as Erik Falken sat in meditation, frost spreading from his body across the land like a sleeping beast.
His eyes snapped open.
"…Telepathy."
Erik. The balance is breaking. We need you in Japan.
Erik stood slowly, ice cracking beneath his boots.
"balance....Understood."
He reached for his coat without another word.
Portugal — Lúcio Vasquez, Pillar of Shadows
Lúcio leaned in the forest.. a pillar with a definite power for necromancy
He smirked.
"Well now… Sakura herself."
Come to Japan. Immediately.
He stepped backward into his own shadow.
and disappeared.
Brazil — Felipe Costa, Pillar of Gaia
The jungle breathed.
Felipe knelt with his palm pressed against the earth, feeling every root, every insect, every pulse of life.
The ground trembled faintly.
"…I hear you," he said softly.
Felipe. The world needs you.
He nodded once.
"The earth will answer."
China — Longwei Tain, Pillar of Resurrection
A silent temple stood atop a mist-covered mountain.
Longwei Tain opened his eyes as ancient symbols glowed faintly beneath his skin.
"…So death stirs again."
Come to Japan.
He rose slowly, his expression unreadable.
"Then life will follow."
United States — Marcus Steel, Pillar of Thunder
Marcus Steel laughed as thunder wrapped around his body mid-training for the apex
Then he froze.
"…That voice."
Sakura.
Marcus. Come now.
Thunder exploded as he vanished.
Japan ...Takeda pillar of black holes
Takeda didn't need the call.
He felt it before her voice reached him.
"…I know," he said quietly.
Be ready.
Sakura lowered her hand.
The light faded.
The stars in her eyes dimmed.
She gasped heavily as sweat began to drop rapidly from her face
"…They're all coming."
Renji, standing nearby, nodded.
"Good."
Later That Evening — Hunter Bearu Headquarters
Night had fallen.
The massive Hunter Bearu headquarters buzzed with tension, even before anything truly began.
Renji walked through the halls wearing all black—a long black coat flowing behind him, his presence calm but heavy. Sakura walked beside him, her expression composed, her eyes sharp.
They stopped before Wang Chi, the Bearu Commander.
Renji spoke first.
"There's something the world needs to hear," he said. "Specifically… the hunters."
Wang Chi frowned. "What do you mean?"
"This isn't the time to explain," Sakura cut in gently but firmly. "But we need you to do something."
Wang Chi looked between them. "…And what is that?"
Renji met his gaze.
"Summon all SS-ranked hunters. Immediately. To the Hunter Summit."
Wang Chi stiffened. "Why?"
"I can't say yet," Renji replied calmly. "Not until they all arrive."
I have already contacted the Pillars myself
Wang Chi's eyes widened. "The Pillars?! Why would—"
"I can't explain," Renji said. "Contact President Nakamura as well."
"…You're asking a lot." You don't tell me to summon all SS ranked hunters without an explanation
Renji bowed his head slightly. "Mr. Wang, commander Please. Just do what I say."
Silence.
Then..
"…Understood," Wang Chi said firmly.
As Renji and Sakura turned to leave...
"Renji."
He stopped...Yes?"
Wang Chi nodded. "Go. I believe in you. Make your preparations. The summit will move according to your cause."
Renji smiled faintly. "Understood."
Downstairs the air shifted.
One by one, overwhelming presences filled the hall.
Jim Choji of the Shallow Guild, the Shadow Wolf.
Hiroto Kanzaki
Onizuka Daigo of Crimson Ogre, towering and imposing.
Shiraishi Mei of Moonveil, cold-eyed and unreadable.
Kobayashi Ren of Thunderclaw.
Fujimoto Kaoru of Iron Blossom.
Sasaki Taro of Scarlet Fang.
Minamoto Rikuya of Azure Shadow.
Hayashi Genzo of Sunfire—returning after two long years.
Ito Masaki of Storm Serpent.
The ten SS-ranked hunters stood together.
From behind...
"Huuhh, Genzooo you stupid brat! You really came!"
Hiroto grinned.
Genzo scoffed. "Shut up, fool. I'm not dead yet."
"Hiroto!"
He turned.
"…Arisa?!"
She smiled brightly, tapping his head. "Miss me?"
"…They said SS only!"
"I know," she replied casually. "But I got an urgent call from Wang Chi. I was in the U.S. with Genzo."
Her eyes shifted as they locked with Renji's.
A brief smile passed between them.
Then....
Engines roared outside.
Cars arrived.
Doors opened.
Eight figures stepped out.
The Pillars had arrived.