Through the Raven's Eyes — Tora
In the pitch-black sky, veiled by a storm of curses, a lone black raven soared—gliding low above the ruins of the forest and the shattered altar.
Tora sat cross-legged in silence atop a jagged stone, Shoko beside him. His breath was steady, but his soul was in turmoil. His eyes were empty… yet beyond those lids, he saw hell itself. Through the raven's vision, he beheld it all—streaks of black lightning, explosions of cursed energy, and a creature unlike anything he had ever imagined: Chimera Shadow: Mourning Thunderbeast.
Its body was a grotesque fusion of beasts—tiger, stag, even man. Electricity danced across its hide, and every movement carved trails of destruction into the battlefield.
Tora's heart pounded. His breath caught in his throat.
"Chimera… This… this is almost like Agito… the one summoned by Sukuna…"
The words left his lips in a trembling whisper, drowned by the storm. But to Tora, it was like thunder striking through reason itself. He knew that name—Agito. One of Sukuna's most fearsome shikigami. And now… someone had forged an imitation?
"Could he… really have mastered the Ten Shadows Technique? No… this isn't just shadows anymore."
Tora closed his eyes. Through the spiritual link with his raven, he felt the crushing weight of Shinzo Zen'in's presence—pressure not merely strong… but unnatural. It wasn't just cursed energy. That body… it was like a vessel overflowing with limitless, impossible power.
---
At the Previous Battleground — Granny Ogami
Dust still lingered in the air as Granny Ogami's frail body slammed against the ground.
Thud!
Her tattered robes dragged across the dirt, and her wooden staff snapped in two.
Through the swirling haze, Toshiro sprinted forward—Yuno and Geno close behind him. Panic etched their faces, their breaths ragged.
"Grandmother, are you alright?!"
Toshiro's voice cracked as he rushed to support the old woman's shoulders.
Granny Ogami coughed violently—huk, huk!—a trace of blood staining her lips. Yet her eyes were still sharp as blades, even in her broken state.
"Never… never in my life… has a summoning failed like this… This is… impossible…"
Her voice was not that of a frail elder, but of a woman who had communed with spirits her entire life—and for the first time, she was shaken.
Slowly, Granny Ogami rose. With trembling fingers, she pointed toward the altar—toward Shinzo, raging in a storm of cursed energy.
"That body… Shinzo Zen'in…
Could it be… Heavenly Restriction?"
The three siblings exchanged bewildered glances.
Yuno frowned. "Heavenly Restriction? Isn't that just a legend about Toji?"
Geno stepped forward, his eyes blazing with curiosity.
"What exactly are you saying, Grandmother?"
Granny Ogami's gaze swept across them, one by one. The air itself seemed to still, as though even the ruins were holding their breath.
"Heavenly Restriction strips away a sorcerer's cursed energy—reducing it to nothing… or near nothing.
But in return… they are given a body beyond reason."
She raised one trembling finger.
"Toji Zen'in… no cursed energy—but his body was sharper than any cursed blade.
But Shinzo…
Shinzo did not lose his cursed energy. No. He possesses both.
A normal body should have shattered. And yet his cursed energy… overflows."
Yuno's face went pale. Toshiro's hands trembled, gripping his own shoulders.
"That… that shouldn't even be possible…" Geno muttered under his breath.
Granny Ogami's voice dropped lower, becoming almost like an ancient incantation.
"That is the anomaly. My summoning failed… because his body rejected the past itself.
Only those forged by Heavenly Restriction can resist in such a way…
And yet… Shinzo is something even greater. As if… the technique was born from him."
---
Back to Tora
Tora's eyes snapped open. His breath came ragged, his body trembling. Through the link with his raven, he had felt it—the faint brush of connection between his shikigami and the monster on that battlefield.
"That creature… it's terrifying. If Shinzo's chimera is this strong… then what of Sukuna's Agito?"
The sky roared. Thunder split the heavens.
Tora's raven flapped its wings frantically, trying to retreat—but then—
Shinzo's gaze locked onto it.
Instantly, Tora willed his raven upward, breaking the link and recalling his shikigami in the same breath.
---
Tora staggered. His eyes flew open, sweat dripping down his face.
"He knows… I was watching him…" he whispered.
His fist clenched tight. Beside him, Rainbow Dragon raised its head and growled low, a rumble like a distant storm.
"If I hadn't pulled it back… my shikigami would've been erased."
Shoko, who had been standing silently, suddenly froze—her eyes wide with shock.
"This… this cursed spirit…" her voice trembled as she stared at the towering creature before her. Its black scales shimmered like obsidian veined with faint spectral light. Its breath stirred the air in crushing waves.
"To… Tora… this enormous thing… is it yours?"
Tora simply nodded, calm and almost casual. "Ah… this must be the first time you've seen it, huh?"
Rainbow Dragon lowered its head slightly, letting out a deep growl.
"Grrrzz…"
The sound was like a reprimand—or perhaps… a greeting.
Shoko, still stunned, pointed at the massive shikigami.
"It's huge… this cursed spirit… it's just like Geto's. But… its color—Geto's was white."
Tora's lips curled into a faint, cold smile.
'Yes… it belonged to Suguru Geto. But now… it's mine.'
"Rainbow Dragon, take Shoko down."
The dragon bowed its colossal head, casting a massive shadow across the ground. It leaned forward, inviting her to climb on. Shoko hesitated.
"Tora…" her voice was soft, anxious. "Gojo and Geto… are they alright?"
Tora met her gaze—calm, unwavering.
"They're fine…" he said firmly.
Shoko exhaled in relief, then nodded. "Alright… I'll wait down below."
She stepped forward and mounted the dragon. With a single powerful movement, its wings swept down, whipping up a whirlwind of dust and leaves. With a deep, resonant roar, Rainbow Dragon soared down the mountainside, leaving a spectral trail behind it.
Tora watched them vanish into the distance. His breath steadied.
"…Alright…" he muttered, his sharp gaze turning toward the storm at the mountaintop.
"…time for the main course."
With unshakable resolve, he stepped forward, vanishing into the waiting darkness.