Japan, Suginami District, at a construction site.
A silver full moon hung high in the sky, hidden by dark, heavy clouds pressing down, obscuring the light that should have illuminated the earth below.
A monstrous, humanoid figure covered in dark brown eyes stood atop the rubble of the construction site. Its enormous mouth drooled corrosive, viscous fluid that hissed and sizzled as it dripped onto the ground.
Hiss... Hiss...
The ground beneath was riddled with pits, eaten away by the acid, and the air reeked of decay, like something freshly crawled out of a sewer.
This grotesque creature towered at nearly three meters, its frame as massive as a giant.
Facing it was a tall, young man.
His long, inky-black hair fell casually over his shoulders, and he wore a relaxed outfit with his hands in his pockets. He tilted his head up, silver-white eyes reflecting the monster's form.
In front of such a towering creature, the young man, who stood just over six feet, seemed as small as an infant.
"A Grade-4 Cursed Spirit, huh?" Ryuu regarded the creature before him with a hint of disappointment in his voice.
A flash of crimson passed through his almond-shaped eyes.
The monster's dark eyes glinted with a sudden hunger.
"Fix the pipes~ Fix them today!"
"Or don't expect to leave here tonight!"
A disturbing voice, layered as if multiple middle-aged men were speaking in unison, echoed from the monster, dripping with malice.
Boom!
The creature charged at Ryuu with all its might, each heavy step causing the ground to quake.
"Fix the pipes! Fix them!!"
Crash!
The Cursed Spirit lunged forward like a tank, barrelling toward the young man standing so brazenly in its path.
"Hah!" As the monstrous figure approached, its raw power enough to crush an ordinary person into a pulp, a smirk of disdain curled at the corner of Ryuu's mouth.
In a flash, he shifted, his foot tapping lightly on the ground, as the cross pendant on his neck emitted a faint glow. Just before the Grade-4 Cursed Spirit could make contact, his figure blurred, leaving only an afterimage.
Thud!
The Cursed Spirit's massive body collided with a concrete wall, shattering it to pieces. Dust filled the air, enveloping the monster's form.
"Hrrr…?"
The creature scratched its head in confusion. How had that boy, with seemingly no cursed energy, managed to evade its attack so effortlessly? The limited intelligence of the Grade-4 Cursed Spirit struggled to comprehend.
Cursed Spirits and sorcerers had clashed for thousands of years. Humans without cursed energy were nothing more than prey, food to satisfy their cravings.
Yet the boy who appeared so ordinary had vanished in the blink of an eye.
The countless eyes scattered over the monster's body darted around, searching for him. Suddenly, a taunting voice sounded right by its ear.
"Are you looking for me?"
The voice, like a demon's whisper from the depths of hell, sent an involuntary shiver through the low-level Cursed Spirit, a creature not supposed to feel emotions.
"Fix... fix it! Fix it, or else—!"