Nagatsume and Kemono tore through the outer guards with savage precision, moving like predators released into a pen of livestock. The first guard barely had time to gasp before Nagatsume's elongated nails pierced his throat, lifting him off the ground as blood sprayed in a violent arc. His body dropped a moment later, already lifeless.
Kemono vaulted over a second guard, claws flashing in the torchlight as he shredded the man mid-leap. Flesh split, armor clanged uselessly to the ground, and the body collapsed in pieces.
"Pathetic," Kemono growled, licking blood from his claws. His eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction. "These humans break too easily."
Nagatsume flicked blood from his nails, his twisted grin widening. "Save your breath. There are many more inside."
The massive iron doors of the Demon Hunter Headquarters burst open moments later.
Inside, chaos erupted.
Lampmen rushed forward in formation, shields glowing with protective sigils as they attempted to block the breach. Their courage lasted seconds.
Kuchihateru stepped calmly into their ranks, his rotting flesh dripping onto the stone floor. He placed a decayed hand on one Lampman's face.
"Decay," he whispered.
The man screamed—but the sound choked off instantly as his flesh collapsed into mush. His skull softened, bones dissolving like wet clay, his body crumpling into a formless heap at Kuchihateru's feet.
Screams echoed through the hall.
Further inside, the air thickened unnaturally as webs spread across the ceiling and walls. Kumogami descended slowly, her massive spider body unfolding with a wet, chitinous sound. Her many eyes glimmered in the shadows.
From cracks in the walls, her spider children poured forth—hundreds of them—skittering across stone and flesh alike. Their hisses blended into a nightmarish chorus that made even veteran hunters falter.
Chio advanced behind them with calm brutality, slicing his palm open. Blood droplets floated into the air, vibrating with dark magic.
"Blood…" he murmured. "Show me their weakness."
The droplets exploded outward like crimson bullets, ripping through Lampmen and hunters alike. Bodies fell in quick succession, armor useless against blood-forged projectiles.
Moments later, Jin, Renji, and Akio arrived with surviving Lampmen, charging into the blood-soaked hall. Their boots splashed through gore as Kumogami's spider children swarmed above them like a living tide.
The Spider Queen hissed, her voice layered and monstrous. "Humans… hunters… delicious."
Jin slammed his staff into the ground, eyes blazing. "Spectral general—manifest!"
A ghostly samurai materialized in a flash of pale light, armor clanking as it charged Kumogami with its blade raised high.
Renji snapped his fingers sharply. The ground split open behind him as two prized corpses emerged—Frankenstein, towering and stitched with brutal strength, and the Cowboy Zombie, revolvers gleaming as it spun them with eerie precision.
The stitched giant roared, charging forward, while the gunslinger opened fire. Bullets tore through spider children, shredding webs and bodies alike.
Akio stepped back, drawing his bow with practiced calm. "I'll thin the swarm. Cover me."
His arrows flew like lightning, pinning spiders mid-air, skewering them against walls. For a moment, the hunters pushed forward.
Then Kumogami moved.
With terrifying speed, she lunged forward, slicing through Jin's spectral general. The ghost shattered instantly, dissolving into mist.
"Useless!" she spat.
Thick webs lashed out, binding Frankenstein in layers of silk. The giant struggled, roaring helplessly as his limbs were locked tight.
Akio's eyes widened. "Renji! She's targeting the summons!"
"I see it!" Renji snapped, mind racing.
Kumogami reared back and inhaled deeply.
"No—Akio, move!" Jin shouted.
Too late.
Acid blasted forth like a tidal wave, striking Akio full force. His body ignited in chemical fire. He screamed—a raw, tearing sound—as flesh melted from bone. He collapsed, bow clattering beside him, charred beyond recognition.
"Akio!!" Jin screamed, horror ripping through his voice.
The Cowboy Zombie kept firing desperately, but Kumogami's threads snapped around it, binding it beside Frankenstein like trophies.
"Jin!" Renji barked. "Buy me time—I'm bringing Akio back!"
Jin clenched his jaw, blood already dripping from his mouth. "Do it! I'll hold her!"
He slammed his staff down, forming a shimmering barrier around Renji.
Poison needles rained down, piercing Jin's chest and shoulders. He staggered, coughing blood as venom spread rapidly.
"G-ghh—Renji…" Jin gasped. "Finish it…"
His body collapsed, lifeless, blood pooling beneath him.
Renji's expression went cold.
"…Damn you."
With a sharp gesture, he detonated Frankenstein and the Cowboy Zombie simultaneously. The explosion tore through the hall, ripping Kumogami's body apart. Chunks of chitin and severed limbs flew as her shriek echoed in agony.
Smoke filled the hall.
In the silence, Renji began the forbidden ritual. His voice deepened, resonating with necromantic power.
"Return, archer.
Return to me."
Akio's ruined body twitched.
Bones shifted. Flesh reknit unnaturally.
He rose—eyes empty, spirit bound.
"Target acquired," the resurrected Akio whispered.
Drawing an ethereal arrow, he fired.
The arrow pierced Kumogami's skull, splitting it like glass.
The Spider Queen collapsed, her remaining children fleeing into the shadows.
Renji stood alone in the ruined hall.
Jin was dead.
Akio was no longer human.
And the war had only just begun.