"Of course. Of course it shows up now," Renji said as he looked at it.

The modern-day monster known as a Revenant drew closer, its speed increasing with each step—closing in on Renji, whose face stayed oddly casual.

Time seemed to slow for Renji as he stood frozen, lost in thought. His face was long and pained, heavy with inner conflict.

If I accept that sword, I become part of the Blackout Division... the very group I hate most. But if I don’t—I die. They murdered my father, and the government created the division to clean up their own mess.

[Flashback]

It was a Sunday. The news displayed his father's memorial broadcast. His mother muttered through tears, "Those bastards… they killed him." She wept on the floor.

[Back to present]

I still have to live... but how can I join the people who destroyed my family?

Renji remained deep in thought, but the rev was nearly on top of him now. Just a few tiny meters separated him from the monster. Its hand rose, ready to strike.

Renji closed his eyes. This is it.

"Gene, unleash!" a voice shouted.

POP!

A bullet tore through the air and struck the Revenant, which roared in pain.

Renji flinched, confused to still be alive. Slowly, he opened his eyes. His terrified expression turned to one of surprise.

In front of him stood a girl wearing the Blackout Division’s uniform—a black outfit with yellow stripes. She looked familiar.

His face tensed. Wait... isn’t she the one from the last battle? His eyes widened in paranoia.

The girl, Yumi, looked at Renji and instantly recognized his face.

It’s him again? she thought, frustrated. "Why is it always you?" she muttered.

Renji’s jaw dropped. "Why is it always YOU who shows up?" he replied, confused.

Yumi sighed, tilted her head back, and exhaled. "Mister, I’m not doing this with you right now. Get to safety."

"Roger," Renji said. Then he glanced behind him. The glowing sword—once right behind him—was gone.

He looked down, scanning the ground. "Did you see a sword here?" he asked.

Yumi stared at him like he was crazy. "What sword?"

The rev began to stir. It got back on its feet.

Renji kept scanning the ground, turning over sand and rocks. "Where is it...?" he muttered.

Yumi tried calling for backup, but her device glitched. She hit it against her palm, shook it—nothing. Gene-tech doesn’t fail unless a rev is nearby...

Her eyes widened. It’s still alive!

She spun around. The rev was moving toward Renji—who was still distracted, bent over, searching.

"Get out of there!" she yelled, firing another shot. The bullets slammed into the monster. Renji finally noticed. His eyes snapped up in horror.

The rev spat a black fluid that latched onto Renji’s leg, pinning him in place.

Yumi continued firing. Her bullets tore into the rev's dark skin, catching its attention. It turned and rushed toward her instead.

At least the civilian’s safe... she thought.

Renji, still stuck, watched the girl battle. She looked tired. He remembered she’d fought earlier that day.

"Run!" she shouted.

"I can’t! I’m stuck!" Renji yelled, sweating.

The rev punched through the air, dust flying. Yumi countered with her sniper rifle, crossing it to block. Her boots dug into the ground, sparks flying. If I lose here, that guy’s dead...

She exhaled. It’s either me or the civilian.

The rev pushed harder. Yumi slid back, her boots carving into the concrete. She lost balance, hovered mid-air for a second, then landed, breathing hard.

Why am I struggling with such a weak rev...?

A flashback struck her: the earlier fight, her Gene punch slamming another rev.

I’m exhausted.

She muttered aloud, "I’m so tired… but I can’t lose here."

She deactivated her Gene.

The rev stalked closer. She waited until it was nearly on her... then vanished. It looked around. She appeared—gun aimed.

"Gene, unleash."

BOOM!

The sniper blast tore through the rev’s chest. It collapsed, defeated.

Yumi’s Gene flickered out. She dropped to the ground, gasping. "That was... a weak rev..."

Renji’s leg was freed. Relieved, he rushed to help.

"NO! Stay there!" she shouted.

Renji froze, confused. He looked around, thinking there was another rev behind him.

Yumi glared at him. "I told you to run! You just stood there looking for some imaginary sword!"

Renji pointed. "You’re the one who couldn’t do your job!"

"Me?" Yumi snapped. "You civilians are the worst! I risked my life, and you don’t even care."

"Fixing what YOU people created," Renji muttered coldly.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he said. "You create monsters, then expect us to be grateful when you try cleaning up."

Yumi’s voice turned dangerous. "Watch your tongue, civilian."

Renji met her eyes. "Or what?"

Their eyes locked.

“Soldier, do you copy?” a voice crackled over her radio.

Still staring at Renji, Yumi answered, "Yes. I delivered the package. Rev appeared—neutralized. No civilian casualties."

"Good work," HQ replied.

Yumi turned away. "We don’t do this for the government," she said. "We do it to protect lives." Then she walked off.

Some moments after the girl had left, Renji thought about her. She risked her life for me, without even knowing who I was. Fighting to protect me even when she was exhausted... wow. But his expression turned cold. They created this. They should fix it. For what they did to my father, I feel no pity.

He looked around, eyes scanning for a "We Are Hiring" banner. Then, like fate, a flyer floated down from the sky into his hands. At the top: BLACKOUT DIVISION.

RIP!

Renji ripped the flyer without reading it and tossed it aside, feeling satisfied.

Then he spotted a printing shop with a "We Are Hiring" sign. His eyes lit up. "Finally... time to earn a living."

He stepped inside. A bell above the door chimed. The room was filled with stacks of newspapers and comic prints. A muscular man appeared from the back and waved him in. Inside, machines rolled, people bustled, and paper flew. The man led him to his work area, where another guy was already busy.

"You’ll be packing the prints," the manager said before leaving.

Renji sat down with a small smile. "Finally, a job I can do."

He picked up a paper—a familiar image stared back at him. The Blackout Division flyer. He immediately tore it apart.

The other guy quickly corrected him. "Hey, we don’t tear those. We stack them in thousands."

Renji froze. "Thousands?" He looked around. Piles and piles of the same flyer were everywhere.

"Who brought all this?" he asked.

"A girl from the Blackout Division," the coworker replied. "She was hot. Like, 10/10. That uniform... sheesh."

The guy kept talking, but Renji had already zoned out. His head filled with frustration. I have to work with these flyers? Seriously?

He sighed. It’s just for a day or two. I can manage.

"How long is this job, by the way?" he asked.

"Two weeks, same prints," the coworker replied.

Renji inhaled sharply, irony punching him in the gut.

BLACKOUT DIVISION

We protect. We serve. Join the movement and keep our city safe.

Renji read it aloud. Soldiers on the flyer posed heroically. He folded the paper and stuffed it in his pocket. No way I’m taking this home. My mom can’t see this.

"It’s been a long day," he muttered, heading home.

Elsewhere...

Three portals opened in the night sky. Revs descended, roaming the streets.

A block away, civilians screamed. A rev attacked a man in cold blood. Panic spread like wildfire. People ran, locked their doors. Others banged on doors, begging to be let in. Chaos reigned.

Renji, walking down a quiet street, saw one rev. Everyone nearby panicked and ran.

The rev began walking toward him.

Renji’s hands shook. He pulled out the Blackout Division flyer—something he thought he’d never do.

He dialed the number. His face drenched in sweat. "Please... someone pick up."

A voice answered. "This is BD HQ. Please start your emergency."

Renji felt brief relief. "Thank God. A rev just appeared on—"

Click. The line went dead. His phone powered off.

Everyone’s phones died. Fear spiked.

The rev was now close to Renji.

He bolted. Everyone nearby ran in shared terror. Revs rampaged.

Renji ducked behind a wall, panting. I think I lost it.

But the rev kept walking. It searched, slow and deliberate. The ground trembled beneath Renji’s feet.

Suddenly, five Blackout soldiers burst from a nearby wall.

Two revs spotted them.

"GENE UNLEASHED!" all five shouted. Marks lit up on their right hands.

The revs charged.

Two soldiers fired guns. Two others rushed in with blades. One wielded a chain weapon with a knife attached.

CLANG!

A sword met a rev’s claw. Another soldier threw his blade into the air. The rev dodged. The soldier zipped along the wall using gear, retrieved the blade midair, and sliced again.

"NOW!" the two swordsmen shouted.

The gunners opened fire. The chain-user wrapped the rev tightly. The blade-users ran up the wall and slashed the rev’s head clean off.

A backup team of five arrived. Mission success.

Their commander radioed: "One more rev remains. Find it."

Back near Renji, the remaining rev walked slowly.

Renji, hiding, prayed. Please... please...

The rev found someone else nearby. The man begged, "Please, don’t ki—"

He was killed. Blood rolled toward Renji.

Next, the rev spotted a woman. She screamed, "No! Please!" It struck her down. Blood flowed more.

The rev drew closer to Renji.

He wept silently. I don’t want to die...

Then he saw it.

The sword.

It appeared again, glowing faintly.

Blackout soldiers raced toward his location.

The rev drew closer.

Renji reached out.

The rev found him, raised its hand—

Renji gripped the sword.

An immense energy exploded. His body burned with blue aura, like a god had awakened.

He slashed the rev. The force cut through the building behind it.

A powerful Gene had awakened.

The soldiers arrived just in time to witness it.

Their visors flashed:

UNKNOWN GENE TYPE

WARNING: REVENANT DETECTED – 100%

Guns cocked. Blades unsheathed. The air snapped with static.

Gene-tech shimmered. Boots stomped. Dozens of weapons zeroed in.

Renji stood at the center—eyes glowing blue, sword trembling in his hand, breath slow.

The squad surrounded him like a closing cage.

Then, the captain stepped forward. His voice dropped like a hammer:

"DON’T MOVE."