The village didn't breathe.
No wind moved between the houses, no insects hummed, no distant voices echoed. The silence wasn't natural—it felt placed, like something had removed sound itself. Their footsteps carried through the empty streets as they moved deeper into Jakumura, each step sharper than it should have been.
Corjaudo stayed closer than usual. "…I'm telling you, this place is wrong."
Kaito didn't even look back. "…Yeah."
That was enough.
The houses stood untouched—doors slightly open, curtains hanging still, as if everything had stopped mid-motion. No signs of struggle. No signs of life.
Arai suddenly halted. "…Wait."
Everyone stopped instantly. Her gaze fixed on the wall beside them.
"The shadow," she said quietly.
Kaito frowned. "…What about it?"
Arai didn't blink. "…It moved."
Jenres gave a faint smirk. "Everything moves if you stare long enough."
"…No," Arai replied calmly. "This wasn't natural."
Shizuma stepped closer to the wall. The shadow stretched across it—long, thin, completely still.
Then—
shff—
A thin line appeared across Kaito's cheek.
He froze. A second passed before blood followed.
"…What the—" he stepped back, wiping it. "I didn't even see that…"
Daigo moved instantly, stepping forward. "Everyone back."
Corjaudo stumbled away. "…NOPE. I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING!"
Jenres' grin faded slightly. "…Okay…that's new."
Kaito clicked his tongue. "…What's his type?"
Shizuma blinked once. "…I didn't read."
Kaito stared at him. "…You're joking."
Without replying, Shizuma pulled out the folded sheet and opened it mid-tension. "…Abyss Fragment… shadow manipulation."
Arai didn't even look at him. "…Isn't that a bit late?"
Another cut sliced through the air.
shff—
"DOWN!" Daigo shouted. They dropped instantly as something invisible cut through the space above them, leaving a sharp mark across the wall behind.
"…We're getting hit and I don't even know from where!" Corjaudo said, panic creeping into his voice.
Arai's eyes moved sharply across the ground and walls. "…There is a source."
"…Yeah," Shizuma said quietly. "…He's inside the shadows."
Silence followed.
Then—
"…Correct."
The voice didn't echo. It didn't come from a direction. It simply existed around them.
Everyone tensed.
Kaito wiped the blood from his cheek, eyes narrowing. "…Annoying type."
The ground beneath them shifted.
Darkness thickened unnaturally, stretching and connecting across the street like something alive. Corjaudo immediately stepped back. "…Okay, no—that's not normal."
The shadow under him sank slightly, as if the ground itself had turned liquid.
Kaito grabbed him and pulled him back just in time.
shhhhhh—
The space where he stood dipped inward before returning to normal.
"…Black Sink," the voice said calmly.
Jenres rolled her shoulder. "…Great. It pulls too."
The shadows continued to spread, linking across walls, ground, and structures, forming a network that wrapped the entire area.
Arai's voice dropped slightly. "…He's expanding control."
Shizuma's eyes narrowed. "…Abyss Field."
A faint shift passed through the darkness.
For a moment—just a moment—a figure appeared along the wall.
Still.
Watching.
Then gone.
Corjaudo pointed immediately. "THERE—nope…gone again."
Kaito exhaled slowly. "…So he moves through them."
"…Not move."
The voice was closer now.
"…Live."
The shadows pulsed.
A subtle pressure filled the air, heavier than before.
Daigo stepped forward slightly. "Stay together."
Corjaudo shook his head. "…I don't think that matters. This whole place is his."
Arai nodded. "…We're already inside it."
Another cut came without warning.
shff—
This time it sliced across Jenres' shoulder. She didn't flinch, only turning slightly toward where she thought it came from.
"…So that's how it is," she muttered.
The silence returned.
Thicker.
Heavier.
Shizuma closed his eyes for a brief moment, focusing.
"…He's watching," he said.
"…Yes."
The answer came instantly.
No delay.
No hesitation.
"…And you're slower than I expected."
Kaito smirked faintly. "…You talk too much."
There was no response.
Instead—
the shadows behind them shifted.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
And then—
he stepped out.
Not dramatically.
Not suddenly.
Just…appeared.
Standing a few meters away.
Still.
Calm.
Watching.
He was fully covered in black. A long coat-like layer wrapped his body, blending almost perfectly with the surrounding darkness. His face was hidden, completely obscured—only his eyes visible. Sharp. Focused. Unmoving.
No wasted motion.
No unnecessary presence.
Just control.
"…So you finally show yourself," Kaito said.
The figure didn't react immediately. His gaze passed across each of them, studying, measuring.
Then—
"…Kurokage Ren."
His voice was low.
Steady.
Not loud.
But clear enough to cut through the silence.
Corjaudo swallowed. "…Yeah…didn't like the voice already, name makes it worse."
No one responded to that.
Ren continued, his tone unchanged. "…Abyss Fragment."
A slight pause.
"…Shadow manipulation."
His eyes shifted slightly toward Shizuma.
"…You figured that much."
Shizuma didn't answer.
Ren lifted his head slightly.
The shadows around them reacted instantly—stretching, tightening, responding like extensions of his will.
"…This space," he said calmly, "…is mine."
The ground beneath them pulsed faintly.
"…Movement, position, timing—everything here passes through me."
No arrogance.
Just fact.
Kaito narrowed his eyes. "…So you're saying we can't touch you."
A pause.
Ren's gaze didn't change.
"…Correct."
Silence.
Then—
shhhhhh—
He disappeared.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
Just gone.
The shadows returned to stillness.
Corjaudo looked around instantly. "…Nope. I hate that. I REALLY hate that."
Arai's voice remained calm, but sharper now. "…He's not attacking immediately."
Daigo nodded slightly. "…He's controlling the pace."
Kaito smirked faintly. "…Which means we break it."
Shizuma stepped forward.
Eyes focused.
"…No."
A pause.
"…We adapt first."
The shadows shifted again.
Subtle.
Watching.
Waiting.
And somewhere within them—
Kurokage Ren observed silently.