The subway cracked from within, smoke and cursed energy swirling like a silent storm.
Nobara Kugisaki and Maki Zen'in were moving forward, battered but determined.
Every step closer to the heart of Shibuya felt heavier. The pressure… suffocating.
"Why do I feel like we're being watched?" Nobara muttered.
Maki grunted, gripping her weapon. "We are."
From the shadows, a twisted smile emerged.
Mahito.
"Hello, ladies," he sang, stepping forward with casual malevolence. "Mind if I play with you for a while?"
Before either of them could react, Mahito launched an attack. Cursed energy spiraled, and from his hands erupted black-blue flames—unlike anything he'd used before.
"Burn," he whispered, smiling.
The cursed fire surged.
Maki jumped in front of Nobara instinctively, swinging her weapon, but the flames hit her chest—a direct hit. Her body was engulfed. A scream followed.
"Maki!!" Nobara shouted, eyes wide with horror.
Maki collapsed. Smoke rising. Unconscious.
Mahito turned to Nobara. "Your turn."
Nobara stood shaking. Eyes burning with fury. "I'm not afraid of you."
"You should be."
And then came a flurry—Mahito morphing his limbs, shifting his shape like liquid nightmare. Nobara dodged, countered, stabbed with nails—but he was too fast. Too cruel. Too unpredictable.
A final strike sent her flying back, slamming into concrete.
She lay motionless, her body twitching slightly—barely alive.
Mahito tilted his head, his voice dark. "Such fragile humans…"
He raised his hand for the final blow—
Until a voice echoed, calm and sharp:
"…Step away from my students."
Mahito turned.
Nanami Kento stood at the edge of the platform, adjusting his glasses.
His tie loosened. His expression unreadable. His cursed energy, however—boiling.
"Oh?" Mahito grinned. "The salaryman shows up. Are you going to clock in?"
"I don't have time for jokes," Nanami said coldly, stepping forward.
Mahito laughed.
"Then come on, suit man."
As Mahito leapt, Nanami responded with devastating precision.
The battle had begun.
Nanami's blade glowed with cursed energy as it slashed through the dark.
This wasn't a rescue.
This was vengeance.