Chapter 1 — The Revenant Descends

The street erupted into chaos. Soul Beasts surged from the ruins, their twisted bodies black as tar, their glowing eyes fixed on the survivors like predators starved of souls.

Kagami Nendou swung his blade, cutting down one, but three more leapt at him. His Android sparked, its voice glitching: “Warning. Structural damage critical.”

“Damn it…!” Kagami spat, stumbling back. “I can’t hold them!”

Brad’s camera shook violently. “Koyomi-san, we have to run! We’re done for!”

Koyomi forced herself to smile, though her eyes brimmed with fear. “N-no… we can’t stop recording… the world needs to see this—”

The beasts closed in. Their claws gleamed in the crimson glow of Tokyo’s dying sky.

Then, a new sound cut through the roars.

Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three precise shots tore through three Soul Beasts in the blink of an eye. Ash scattered across the broken asphalt.

Everyone froze.

A figure strode through the smoke—hooded, clad in futuristic armor, his face hidden behind a crimson mask and helmet. In his hands, twin pistols gleamed.

Bang! Bang!
More monsters fell. His movements were fluid, mechanical, almost inhuman. Each shot landed perfectly, as if guided by fate itself.

“Wh… who is that…?” Brad whispered, forgetting to hold the camera steady.

When his pistols clicked empty, the figure holstered them and pulled an assault rifle from his back.

BRAKKA! BRAKKA! BRAKKA!
A storm of bullets ripped through the horde, tearing limbs and shattering skulls. The street became a killing ground, black ash raining like snow.

Koyomi gasped, voice trembling yet filled with awe. “It’s… a monster hunter. A real one.”

When the rifle ran dry, the figure didn’t hesitate. He dropped it, clenched his armored fist, and charged.

CRACK!
A punch shattered a Soul Beast’s head clean off.
THUD!
Another beast was lifted and slammed into the ground with bone-crushing force.

“He’s… not human,” Kagami muttered, eyes wide.

At last, the hooded figure reached for the blade at his side. A katana. Its polished steel glowed faintly in the ruined light.

He moved.

SHHHK! One slash split three beasts.
SHHRRAKK! Another arc carved a dozen into mist.
His strikes were precise, efficient, without hesitation or mercy.

In moments, the battlefield was silent.
Only one Soul Beast remained, crawling, broken, eyes flickering with dying light.

The figure stood over it, silent. Then, without hesitation—

CRUNCH!

His boot crushed its skull. Silence.

Koyomi lowered her microphone, hands trembling. “…Cold. Ruthless.”

She gathered her courage, stepping forward. “Excuse me! Sir! Could you tell us who you—”

Her camera glitched. The screen warped, static swallowing the image. No matter how Brad twisted the controls, the lens refused to record the masked figure.

The hooded man gave them no answer. He simply turned, katana dripping black ash, and vanished into the smoke.

The camera flickered back to life only once he was gone.

Breathless, Koyomi turned the lens on Kagami. “You saw him. Who was that man?”

Kagami stared at the empty street, eyes still wide in disbelief. “Whoever he is… he’s the reason we’re alive. That style, that power… He fights like no Survivor I’ve ever seen.”

His words echoed across the broadcast. Survivors everywhere would soon whisper the same thing.

A legend had been born in the ruins.
Not a man. Not a savior.
A revenant who broke souls.