Jax looked up as dust and ember-light fell from the ceiling. "That’s our cue."

"We’re done," West stated.

This meant that one ruin had been officially cleared under the name of the Shadow Reapers.

They moved quickly back through the ruin, retracing their path through the burnt valleys, shattered crystal basin, and corpses of the creatures they had slain.

The environment had started losing cohesion with pieces of terrain crumbling into glowing particles as the ruin began collapsing inward. By the time they reached the entrance, the distortion ahead flickered violently like a dying flame.

They all stepped through, emerging into the industrial outskirts near the power plant.

What waited outside was chaos.

Reporters were everywhere with cameras, drones and broadcast vans.

This was regular when it came to ruins within the city... only that sometimes the reporters may arrive much later.

The gang members from earlier were still around too. Almost like they had been waiting to see if the newbie unknown gang would survive this.

Their expressions darkened the moment West’s group emerged, but none of them moved. The fact that Shadow Reapers had entered first was already humiliating enough. The fact that they had come out alive... and with the ruin entrance collapsing behind them was worse.

A reporter rushed forward with microphone extended. She was a neat-looking woman in a white blazer with her hair tied back and her eyes bright with professional hunger. "You’re from Shadow Reapers, correct? Is it true your gang cleared the ruin with only three awakened members present?"

Another reporter cut in from the side. "How did an unknown bottom-ranked gang manage to claim entry before Blood Dominion and Iron Serpents?"

A third one pushed forward. "Were there casualties? What kind of ruin was it? Did you retrieve the core?"

West looked past them at the collapsing ruin entrance. The distortion shuddered one final time before folding in on itself and vanishing completely. The space where it had been returned to normal, leaving only scorched ground behind.

For a moment, West said nothing but then realized something important...

This was an opportunity.

Shadow Reapers had been sabotaged. Their permit attempts had been stolen. Their path to ranking up had been blocked by a higher gang using privilege like a weapon. If they wanted recruits, if they wanted influence, if they wanted people to stop looking down on them, then hiding in the shadows would not be enough.

They needed the spotlight...

West turned toward the cameras with a calm and confident expression that seemed arrogant enough to be memorable.

"Yes," he said. "Shadow Reapers cleared the ruin."

The reporters came in with more questions:

"How did such a small gang accomplish that?"

West smiled faintly. "Quality over quantity."

That silenced enough of them for him to continue.

"Shadow Reapers may be new, but new doesn’t mean weak. We don’t recruit people just to inflate our numbers. We build capable awakeners. We provide training, equipment, battle arts support, ruin opportunities, and a base designed for growth. Anyone who joins us won’t just be another body in a crowd. They’ll be developed properly."

Nina glanced at him, quietly impressed. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Jax whispered, "Bro just turned a ruin clear into an advert."

West continued with a calm tone. "We’re starting from the bottom, yes. But watch closely. We won’t stay there. Soon, Shadow Reapers will be standing at the top."

The cameras loved it... The reporters loved it... and even the watching gang members hated how good it sounded.

West didn’t answer many more questions. He gave just enough to be clipped, circulated, and talked about, then withdrew with Nina and Jax before the scene became too crowded. By the time they returned to base, the footage was already spreading.

Inside the Shadow Reapers headquarters, West walked through the central hall with his team beside him. "Stay sharp," he told them. "This was just one clear. We need more."

Jax grinned. "Clearing spree?"

"Clearing spree," West confirmed.

Nina sighed, but she was smiling. "So we’re fighting gangs for city ruins now?"

"Until our ranking rises high enough that they can’t keep stepping on us."

And that was exactly what they did.

For the next two weeks, Shadow Reapers became a name that kept appearing in places it shouldn’t. Since Iron Vultures continued sabotaging their official permit attempts, West stopped playing that game entirely. Whenever a ruin opened inside Misty High City, Aria’s scanners detected it, and the team moved.

Sometimes they arrived first. Sometimes they had to fight for entry. Sometimes two or three gangs were already there, and Shadow Reapers had to retreat and wait for another opportunity.

It was messy and dangerous but effective.

Rumors spread fast.

"That small gang again?"

"How are they clearing so many ruins?"

"They only have a few members, right?"

"I heard their leader has three branches."

"I heard he beat two gangs before even entering one."

"I heard that girl is a reality warper."

Their ranking began to slowly rise...

—

Far away from the growing noise surrounding West’s gang, in a dim gambling den hidden beneath a decaying bathhouse, the leader of the Iron Vultures sat alone in his private room.

The red lantern above him swayed faintly as smoke curled through the air.

A stack of reports rested on the black lacquer table before him.

The man known as Bloodstain leaned back in his chair with half his face covered in dark ink that crawled across his skin like a permanent shadow. His visible eye scanned the latest report, and the longer he read, the wider his grin became.

Then he laughed loudly filling the room with a sound of amusement.

"So," he murmured while tapping one finger against West’s name on the report. "You kept moving despite the sabotage."

His grin sharpened as he stared at one report that mentioned the power plant ruin and another detailed four more city clearings. Another listed clashes with minor gangs and the fact that Shadow Reapers had not lost once.

Bloodstain leaned forward while resting his elbows on the table.

"I really underestimated your Shadow Reapers, West."

His right hand standing near the wall moved slightly. "Should we increase pressure?"