The obsidian gate loomed before me like a wall carved from night itself.

Its surface pulsed faintly with runes, each beat like a heart beneath stone, as though something alive waited on the other side.

I pressed my palm against it. Warm mana surged from me, pushing, clawing, demanding entry. The gate didn't budge. Cold. Dead. Unyielding.

Then—

Twang.

An arrow screamed through the air, faster than lightning. My body moved before thought—neck jerking aside, breath scraping my throat.

Thunk!

The arrowhead buried deep into the wall behind me, quivering.

"Who are you?"

The voice that followed wasn't human. It carried layers, echoes, as though three or four throats spoke in harmony. It rattled my bones.

My jaw tightened. "I am… Renji Fujimoto."

For a moment, silence.

Another arrow whistled. I rolled across the ground, dust scraping my cheek as the shaft exploded into shards against the floor.

The voice repeated, heavier, louder, pressing into my skull—

"Who are you?"

And the question… split me open.

Flashback 1

I was six when the Yamashiro name was erased.

The shrine smelled of incense and ash. My parents lay inside their coffins, pale, cold, unbreathing. Everyone around me wept—priests chanting, relatives keening.

But me?

I stood there. Eyes wide. Lips pressed tight.

No tears. No sound. Not even fear.

The Funimotos took me in soon after. They gave me their name, buried the old one. They gave me food, warmth, a family again.

And most of all—him.

"From now on," my new brother had said, ruffling my hair with that infuriating grin, "you're stuck with me. Got it, little brother?"

I only nodded.

Silence had been enough.

The chamber returned. Another arrow sliced a strand of my hair. My eyes narrowed, tongue clicking.

My heartbeat pounded, but my expression stayed cold.

Flashback 2

I was ten.

Chestnut smoke filled the air, carnival lights dancing on the river. My brother—Haru—dragged me through the crowds.

"Oi, Renji, stop scowling. You'll scare the girls away," he teased, stuffing fried dough into my mouth before I could answer.

"I'm not scowling." My muffled protest only made him laugh harder.

He was five years older—fifteen. Taller, stronger, braver. My shield against everything.

And then—fire.

The world cracked open. A mana bomb ripped the square apart, swallowing laughter in screams. People fell. Stalls collapsed. The night burned red.

I crawled out of the rubble, coughing blood and dust. My ears rang.

"Haru!" I shouted, voice raw.

He was pinned beneath broken beams, blood gushing from his chest. He coughed, lips curling into that same damned grin.

"Don't… cry, okay?"

The healers arrived too late. His hand went limp in mine.

I didn't cry. Not a drop.

My stepfather screamed. My stepmother fainted.

I only stood there, fists clenched, staring at the fire as my chest hollowed out.

Present

"Who are you?"

The question throbbed like a curse.

"…someone who won't be weak again," I whispered. My body shook. Not with fear. With rage.

Flashback 3

I was twelve when the scroll appeared.

No servant brought it. No one knocked. Yet there it lay on my desk, ink bleeding faintly with crimson light.

The words whispered promises.

Power. Strength. Enough to tear down fate. Enough to break laws.

Enough to bring back what was lost.

My hands trembled as I opened it. Trembled harder when I began practicing.

Thirteen—I touched Rank 2.

Fourteen—Rank 3.

By eighteen—I stood at the peak of Rank 4.

And all with a D-rank core.

But with each rise, something fell away. My laugh. My warmth. My humanity.

Hollow grew where my brother used to be.

The present burned into me again.

"I am Renji Fujimoto," I roared, voice breaking. My eyes lit with a fury not mine alone. "And I will defy fate itself—"

The gate shuddered, runes blazing.

"—to bring my brother back to life!"

With a thunderous groan, the obsidian doors split apart. Stale, corpse-stinking air burst outward. The torches behind me died, swallowed by black.

I stepped inside. The gate slammed shut with a final boom.

Darkness. Red cracks glowing along the floor.

Then the voice again, ancient, heavy.

"Your words are bold, mortal. But conviction alone is meaningless."

The air thickened.

"Prove it."

Three crimson eyes opened. Then six. Then nine.

Shapes stirred. Growls thundered.

Three Rank 3 beasts emerged, massive shadows dripping hunger into the air.

The Battle

I gripped my blade, blood thrumming in my veins.

"Then I'll prove it with blood."

The wolf struck first. Its scales glimmered like iron as claws raked the air. I ducked—stone shattered where I had stood.

My sword flashed. Sparks sang as steel met scale. I drove low, slicing its hind leg. Hot blood splashed my cheek. The wolf howled.

"Earth Wall!" I roared, slamming my foot down.

Stone surged up, blocking the panther's charge. It shattered the wall instantly—but I was already moving, blade biting deep into flesh.

The gorilla's fists hammered the floor. Shockwaves cracked the ground, tossing me like a doll. Pain roared through my ribs. Blood filled my mouth.

Before I could rise—the panther blurred forward. Too fast.

Claws ripped across my arm. Skin tore, blood pouring.

I staggered, laughing through gritted teeth.

"Come… stronger!"

The panther lunged again.

"Earth Bind!"

Chains of stone shot up, coiling around its body mid-leap. It thrashed, roared—too late.

I dashed forward, sword high.

"Die!"

The blade cut clean through its neck. Blood exploded, spraying me red. The body hit the ground with a sickening thud.

Two left.

The wolf lunged again. Its jaws clamped on my sword, steel groaning as its fangs crushed down. My palm split, blood dripping down the hilt.

"Stone Spikes!"

Jagged spears tore through the ground, skewering the wolf's abdomen. It screamed once before collapsing in a pool of its own blood.

Two down. One left.

But the gorilla was already on me.

Its fist crashed into my chest. Pain flared. My ribs cracked. I spat blood, flying across the chamber and slamming into stone.

My vision blurred. My legs wobbled. My blade trembled in my hand.

The beast charged. Each step cracked the ground, thunder shaking the air.

"Stand… damn it…" I whispered, staggering forward.

Haru's voice rang in my skull. "Don't cry, okay?"

I raised my blade, earth trembling beneath me.

"This strength… isn't for me. It's for him. For the one who called me brother."

"Earth Splitter!"

The ground erupted, fissures tearing forward. The gorilla stumbled. I lunged, pouring every last shred of will into my swing.

Steel tore through obsidian hide. Through muscle. Through bone.

The beast bellowed once. Then fell.

The chamber stilled.

Dust hung thick. Blood stank heavy. My knees buckled. My vision swam.

But I stood. Sword dripping, body broken, yet unbowed.

I raised my head, lips curling into a bloody grin.

"I am Renji Fujimoto."

The beasts' corpses dissolved into motes of fading light. Silence swallowed the chamber.

Elsewhere

Far from the gate, another chamber pulsed faintly with red light.

The silence was suffocating, broken only by the slow drip of water echoing against stone.

A boy lay unconscious on the cold floor—Ezra. His chest barely rose, his breaths shallow, as though the faint thread of life clung to him by sheer defiance.

In his hand rested a sword unlike any other.

The blade shimmered a cruel crimson, veins of black crawling across its length like veins on living flesh. At its hilt glowed a gem—dark as midnight, throbbing with a rhythm that was not his.

A heartbeat.

And inside that darkness—Ezra was dragged into another battlefield.

——————————

Author Note

Alright, soldiers of patience, gather around. ✋

I know, I know… I disappeared for like 17–18 days. Not a single chapter. Zero. Zilch. Nada. And trust me, I can already feel the collective fury of you all, like an angry mob waiting outside my door with pitchforks and "WHERE IS THE CHAPTER?!" banners.

So here I am, bowing down in shame. 🙇

Now, I'm not going to sit here and make some shiny promises like, "Oh, daily uploads incoming" or "From now on, I'll never miss a day!" Because let's be real—promises are useless if you're terrible at keeping them. And guess who's terrible at keeping them? Yep. This guy. 👈

But what I can promise is this: whenever I upload, it's going to be a banger. I'll pour everything I've got into each chapter.

The reason for my sudden vanishing act? Exams. Yep, I'm in my final year of engineering (7th semester starting, baby 🥲). Between trying to survive exams, stressing over placements, and questioning all my life decisions, writing just… slipped through the cracks. My brain was basically running on Maggi noodles and caffeine.

So please—just this time—let me off the hook. 🙏 I needed a little rest. I'll be back, and when I'm back, it won't be with filler chapters, it'll be with the good stuff. The real deal.

Thank you for being angry (because that means you care 🥹). Now let's get back to the chaos, shall we?

Here is Renji story. I hope you will like it.