The entrance to the Lament Corridor was a fissure that plunged into the depths of old Tokyo. What had once been a subway station had, since the day of the collapse, transformed into something utterly alien. The walls had changed from damp concrete to a pulsating, black stone-like substance, and patches of moss that emitted a faint, bluish-white glow grew here and there. Ren, clad in jet-black combat gear, stood at the head of the elite unit. A longsword was strapped to his back. The shadows at his feet swayed darker than usual in the dim passageway. Thirty-one monoliths lurked within him—another army entirely. "One hundred meters to the eleventh layer." A voice from behind. The equipment management officer. Ren gave a short nod. The unit was twenty strong. A-rank hunters, the pride of Guild Kagerou, and at the very rear, a single Association inspector—Saya. She wore her Hunter Association uniform, her expression blank as she continued logging the operation on her terminal. Her long silver hair was without a single strand out of place, her back perfectly straight. Ren glanced back for just a moment. Their eyes met—blue and brown. The lingering warmth of the previous night still faintly resided in their depths. It was the briefest of instants, invisible to anyone else. They immediately looked away. But there was one man who did not miss it. Takuto. He was positioned in the middle of the unit. Beneath his jet-black hair with its red mesh streaks, his green eyes glinted. The small scar on his left cheek stood out in the passage's bluish light. (*That woman… she's an inspector, and yet she does nothing but watch Ren.*) Takuto silently operated his terminal. The video data he had extracted from Kagerou Tower's surveillance cameras the night before. The altered file waited quietly in the depths of his device for its moment. The hunter terminal wrapped around his left arm gave a faint vibration—the signal that preparations were complete. The faintest hint of a smile touched Takuto's lips. — The moment they crossed the boundary into the eleventh layer, the very quality of the air changed. The temperature plummeted, turning their breath white. The walls were more organic now, a mixture of the lukewarm sensation of being inside a gigantic organ and the smell of decaying earth. The pulsating walls beat with a faint, rhythmic cadence. "What the hell… the walls are moving." One of the younger A-rank hunters' voice trembled. Even the veterans advancing at Ren's command began to slow their pace. As everyone's expressions grew taut, Ren alone remained silent. The unease wasn't just that. The shadows were restless. The darkness at his feet had begun to ripple and surge, ignoring his control. The monoliths he had absorbed were stirring, as if answering a call. Countless red eyes of shadow hounds flickered in the depths of the dark. (*This is bad—can't I suppress them?*) Ren clenched his right fist. From his fingertips to the back of his hand, patterns like black tattoos rose to the surface. Normally, the shadows would settle through sheer willpower. But not now. A sensation of something welling up from the deepest depths swirled within his chest. "Third squad, secure the perimeter. First and second squads, continue advancing." His voice was low and calm. But inwardly, Ren was gritting his teeth. (*Kagebito—are the humanoid monsters close?*) — The twelfth layer. A vast cavern suddenly opened before their eyes. The ceiling was swallowed by darkness and invisible, and every wall was covered in pulsating black rock. The air was heavy, a raw, fishy stench like rotting seafood assaulting their nostrils. Straight ahead, a shadow stood. It easily exceeded two meters in height. Its outline was blurred and wavering, like black mist. Yet it unmistakably had a human shape. In the part corresponding to its head, two red lights—eyes—were lit. "Kagebito…!" The moment someone shouted, several more humanoid shadows emerged from the surrounding walls. Before they knew it, the unit was half-encircled. The A-rank hunters readied their weapons in unison. Tension dominated the space like a taut, drawn thread. The lead Kagebito's mouth split open. —YOU ARE THE SAME AS US. A low voice, as if wrenched from the depths of a throat. It was speech. Since the day of the collapse, there had never been a single record of a monolith uttering human words. The instant that voice reached Ren's chest— An explosion occurred. Ren's shadow burst, completely ignoring his will. Black mist swirled into a vortex, and the shadow army materialized, uncontrollable. Shadow hounds, armor knights, sirens—the thirty-one monoliths flew out in a frenzy. "Uwaaaaaah!" The nearest A-rank hunter was blown away by a shadow hound's charge. Slammed against the wall, he fell to the floor with a dull thud. He didn't move. "Hey, Ren's shadows are rampaging!" "Can't you control them!? Damn it!" Another hunter was hurled backward by a siren's shockwave. Screams. Chaos. Ren gritted his teeth and focused his entire mental strength into his right hand. The back of his right hand burned as if on fire. White noise raced through his head, and fragmented images from the day of the collapse flashed behind his eyes—rubble, smoke, the moment his mother's hand slipped away. (*Suppress them… suppress them, damn it!*) He fell to one knee. He tried to pour every nerve into controlling the shadows, but each time the Kagebito spoke again, the shadow army raged more violently. —WE HAVE BEEN WAITING. — At the rear, Saya, who had been continuing her records, threw her terminal aside. The sight of Ren on his knees, his shadow army beginning to turn on itself, was seared into her blue eyes. Hunters were being wounded and blown away one after another. (*No good—Ren is at his limit.*) Saya broke into a run. Her legs moved before the rules could stop them. The night before—the memory of crying in Ren's arms on the top floor of Kagerou Tower. His large hand rubbing her back. *I just… you…* —the words she couldn't say then now propelled her entire body forward. "[angry]Stop it!" Her silver hair disheveled, Saya threw herself between Ren and the Kagebito. She raised her right hand and deployed a skill barrier issued by the Hunter Association. A wall of pale blue light spread before her. The Kagebito's arm swung down. The barrier shattered. With a high-pitched sound like breaking glass, fragments of light scattered. Saya stepped back, but she was still standing. "[angry]Get away from him…!" "[surprised]Saya…!" Ren looked up. She stood in her uniform, blocking the space between the Kagebito and himself. An inspector who lived by the rules, intervening in combat—it was the greatest violation of Association regulations. It wasn't just her position at risk. She could be killed by the Kagebito. (*You idiot… why.*) But the words wouldn't come. The next instant— "[angry]Out of the way, woman!" A powerful impact struck Saya's shoulder from the side. Takuto had slammed into her with his right arm with full force. Saya collapsed to the floor, blood seeping from her shoulder. Her uniform tore, and her silver hair scattered across the ground. "[angry]You bastard…!" Ren tried to stand, but the rampaging shadows wouldn't allow it. He could do nothing but focus his entire being on controlling them. Takuto looked down at Ren and shouted loudly. "[angry]Ren Kazama is colluding with the Kagebito! This rampage is intentional! Look at the evidence!!" Takuto raised the terminal in his left hand high and activated it. The fabricated video he had prepared was broadcast simultaneously to the hunter terminals of all operation participants. The electronic chime of push notifications echoed throughout the cavern. The footage showed Ren heading alone into the depths of the corridor, standing face-to-face with a shadow resembling a Kagebito. It was actually a forged video, cut and pasted from past operation records. But the hunters witnessing the rampaging shadows before their very eyes had no composure left to calmly verify it. The hunters, who had been retreating while injured, stared at their terminal screens, their faces changing color. "What the hell is this footage…" "Ren-san, with a Kagebito…?" "So that power really was connected to the monsters…" Fear and confusion transformed into suspicion. The comrades who had trusted Ren's orders until yesterday now recoiled, their faces filled with fear and distrust. The temperature of those gazes pierced Ren's heart. (*No—don't be fooled. I'm—*) But the words of denial wouldn't come. If he didn't pour everything into controlling the shadows, there would be even more casualties. His silence spread through the space like a confession. On the floor, Saya endured the pain in her shoulder and tried to rise. But Takuto signaled to two other hunters with a glance. "[cold]This woman is in violation of inspection regulations, caught in the act of combat intervention. Take her away." "[crying]Don't touch me! This is a fabrication! Ren would never do something like this—" Saya's voice echoed through the cavern. But the hands of the hunters grabbing her arms did not loosen. With the rampaging shadow army raging behind them, no one believed Saya's words. "[scared]Let go of me! Ren…! Ren!!" As she was dragged away, Saya reached out her hand toward Ren. Her silver hair was stained with blood, and tears welled in her blue eyes. The Association inspector was no longer there. There was only a woman named Saya, desperately calling out for a single person. Suppressing the shadows, Ren could do nothing but watch her form. (*Saya—*) Deep in his chest, he heard the sound of something tearing. Takuto turned to face Ren. His green eyes shone with a triumphant light. The scar on his left cheek twisted with a sneer. "[cold]Your shadows hurt your comrades. That's an undeniable fact. The Association's emergency response team is already here. You lose, Vice Master Ren." — The Association's emergency response team stormed in from outside the corridor. Just as the rampage was finally beginning to subside, cold metal was clamped around Ren's wrists. Special alloy handcuffs designed to seal absolute obedience skills—used for restraining S-rank hunters of the Association. The shadow army vanished in an instant. Ren's mental strength had reached its limit, and he could no longer stand. "Don't move. Come quietly." Ren fell to his knees. His vision blurred white. But he raised his head—searching for Saya. She was being led away toward a different exit, her arms held by other hunters. Blood from her shoulder wound dyed her uniform red, and her steps faltered. Even so, she was looking back. Saya's blue eyes and Ren's brown eyes met for just a few seconds. In that corridor filled with violence and chaos, that single moment was quiet. In Saya's eyes was not tears, but anger, and a fear that surpassed it—the fear of losing Ren. It was precisely because she believed in his innocence that she understood what this unjust arrest meant. Ren couldn't say anything to her. Before words could form, they were pulled apart in separate directions. The pulsating walls of the corridor blocked their view of each other. The last things he saw were Saya's outstretched hand and her trembling lips. — Takuto watched the scene, leaning against the wall. He closed the terminal screen. Everything was going according to plan. A message to several executives of Guild Kagerou was already typed into the terminal—*'Ren detained on suspicion of colluding with Kagebito. The Vice Master seat is vacant. Prepare to seize real authority.'* Sent. Takuto turned his back and began walking into the darkness of the corridor. The light of the bluish-white moss played across the scar on his left cheek. His green eyes shone with exceptional brilliance in the gloom.