Chapter 87
The rain had finally stopped over London, but the clouds still hung heavy above the Guild Summit Hall a monument of glass and steel, surrounded by flashing cameras and security drones humming through the fog.
Inside, the International Guild Summit was reaching its final moments.
Guild leaders, politicians, and hunters from every corner of the world were standing, shaking hands, trading uneasy smiles.
Some looked relieved. Others looked terrified.
At the center table, the Global Hunter Accord had just been signed.
Every nation had agreed:
Each Pillar the strongest hunter of every continent was to be granted unlimited jurisdiction, above any government.
The world had changed.
The doors slid open with a quiet hiss.
Three men stepped out into the cold air of the parking bay: President Nakamura, Takeda, and Hiroto.
Nakamura's guards opened the doors to a black SUV waiting under the drizzle. They entered quietly the air inside felt heavier than the rain outside.
As the convoy started to move, the silence was thick enough to hear the faint hum of the engine.
Finally, Hiroto spoke.
Hiroto: (frowning)
"Takeda-sama… do you really think they made the right choice?"
Takeda: (arms folded, looking out the window)
"…You mean giving the Pillars full global authority?"
Hiroto:
"Yes. I understand they're humanity's saviors, but…"
He clenched his fists.
"Each country has its own laws. To hand them absolute power it feels wrong. Too dangerous."
President Nakamura: (adjusting his tie)
"You're not wrong, Hiroto. Hunters may be protectors, but even protectors can forget what they're protecting."
Takeda: (exhaling softly)
"You may be right, Mr. President… but it might also be a good thing."
Hiroto: (snaps)
"Good thing? How?!"
Takeda: (calmly)
"If another cataclysm hits the planet, do you really think governments can act fast enough? The Pillars can. They don't wait for permission they move." And we both know what's coming next
Nakamura: (nods)
"Power with freedom… dangerous, but efficient."
Hiroto:
"Still doesn't change the fact that unchecked power destroys balance. Even heroes can fall."
Takeda: (glancing at him)
"True. But sometimes balance needs to break before the world can heal."
The car grew silent again.
Suddenly, the dashboard lit up.
Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!
An encrypted call flashed: "SECRET FORCE COMMAND – URGENT."
President Nakamura: (frowning)
"…Put it through."
He tapped the speaker icon. A voice burst through tense, shaky, and full of static.
Voice:
"Sir, there's a problem!"
Nakamura: (immediately alert)
"A problem? What kind of problem?"
Voice:
"It's the Gate of Gealgilmesh, sir. And Renji Kurogane."
Takeda: (leans forward instantly)
"What about Renji?!"
Voice:
"Sir, we've… lost his signal."
Hiroto: (confused)
"Lost? What do you mean lost?"
Voice:
"His heat signature vanished. Just gone. One second he was inside the gate, the next… nothing."
Takeda: (voice tightening)
"Impossible. His mana tracker was tied to a dimensional beacon!"
Voice:
"It gets worse, sir."
The man's voice trembled.
"The gate itself… disappeared."
Hiroto:
"WHAT?!"
He almost shot forward from his seat.
"What do you mean the gate disappeared!?"
Voice:
"Everything. The gate, the energy readings, the distortion field gone! It's like it never existed."
Nakamura: (coldly)
"You're telling me an SSS-rank gate—one classified as 'Sovereign-Level' just erased itself?"
Voice:
"Yes, Mr. President. We double-checked with six satellite systems. There's no trace."
Takeda: (gritting his teeth)
"No… there has to be something. Gates don't vanish without residue!"
Voice:
"With respect, sir, this one did. We scanned the site it's clean. Not even a speck of mana."
Static buzzed, then silence.
Nakamura: (after a long pause)
"…Thank you for the update. Keep searching. If anything ....anything appears, you report immediately."
Voice:
"Yes, Mr. President!" The line cut off.
The SUV went silent.
The hum of the road sounded louder now, like distant thunder.
Hiroto: (rubbing his temples)
"This… doesn't make sense. Gates can collapse, sure, but vanish completely? No residue? No traces?"
Takeda: (low voice)
"Renji… what the hell did you find in there?"
Nakamura: (thinking aloud)
"If the gate vanished, maybe it wasn't just a dungeon. Maybe it was something else."
Hiroto: (eyes narrowing)
"Something else…? Like what?"
Nakamura:
"…Like a door that was meant to close."
The words hung heavy in the air.
Takeda: (grim expression)
"Whatever it was, Renji's still in there… or beyond it."
Hiroto:
"And if he's not?"
Takeda: (closing his eyes briefly)
"Then we'll find out what exactly happened right now!
The car turned down a dim road, neon lights flickering off puddles on the pavement.
Outside, London's night whispered eerily quiet, as if the world was holding its breath.
Nakamura: (looking ahead)
"We're heading straight to your headquarters, Takeda. Pull up all Renji's mission data. Every second before the signal dropped."
Takeda:
"Understood. I'll have the Command Room ready."
Hiroto: (mutters under his breath)
"This feels like the start of something bad…"
Takeda: (glances at him with a faint smirk)
"Hiroto, everything involving Renji is the start of something bad."
They all shared a brief, bitter laugh the only spark of relief in the tension.
Then, silence again.
As the SUV sped through the misty London streets, a single line from the static-filled transmission replayed in President Nakamura's head:
"The gate itself… disappeared."