The sky had changed.
"BOOM BOOM——!!!"
Thunder. Lightning.
Several bolts of jagged lightning pierced through deep space, illuminating the night in a blinding flash that turned darkness into daylight.
The sky churned like the eye of an abyssal whirlpool, sweeping clouds across the world. The center of the thick, black vortex seemed to stare directly down at Sobu High School.
And then, without warning…
The bright moon was polluted.
A crimson hue spread across its surface like spilled ink. Almost in the blink of an eye, the silver light turned into the color of fresh blood.
A Blood Moon hung in the sky—a clear omen of great misfortune.
Haruno Yukinoshita slammed on the brakes, stopping the car immediately. She stared at the apocalyptic world in astonishment.
The vast spiral of clouds was streaked with violent lightning. Even at this distance, the car windows rattled from the radiation of the sky's power. It felt as if the glass would shatter at any moment.
At this moment, Haruno finally woke up from her obsession with profit, as if a basin of ice water had been poured over her head.
She remembered Grandma Mitsue's words.
"The Supernatural is poisonous…"
Looking at the scene before her, Haruno felt her scalp tingle and a chill run down her spine.
So, this is what she meant by "poisonous"!?
And then…
"Run! Don't just stand there! Run!"
Shinichi Kudo warned with a shrill voice.
Then he started running, using all the strength he had. He wished his parents had given him two more legs.
Small.
He felt too small.
Human power was as insignificant as an ant in the face of this supernatural disaster. A single gust of wind from this storm could sweep everyone away.
Without experiencing strong winds and waves, you cannot understand the greatness of nature. Without facing giants, you cannot understand true fear.
The oppressive feeling of the dark clouds pressing down on the city made them almost collapse on the spot.
As for the Artifact—the Copper Pestle—that started it all?
Sae Chabashira had very good eyes.
Even while running wildly for her life, she widened her eyes and noticed that the copper pestle was already suspended in mid-air, floating above the stone platform.
Obviously, no one present had a chance to claim it anymore.
But… Run!
Run like crazy!
Despite the fear, an inexplicable excitement made Chabashira's eyes turn red. She had the urge to shout at the top of her lungs.
Why?
Why didn't you tell me earlier!!
A Divine Weapon.
So this is a Divine Weapon!? This is the power a Divine Weapon can unleash!?
She was wrong. She was really wrong.
If she had known that the power of the artifact could be so great, she never would have agreed to be a dog for the Suzuki Zaibatsu.
With that weapon in her hands, she could have been a Goddess above all the powerful families.
While running, she regretted it so deeply. No one could understand the heartache she felt at this moment. She had missed the opportunity to change her fate, and now she had to run for her life like a common rat.
Her complicated, turbulent mood was no better than the crazed Haruki Yamauchi, who was also scrambling away in terror.
Everyone ran as fast as they could. Facing a life-and-death crisis, adrenaline pushed their bodies to the limit.
"BOOM BOOM——!!!"
Thunder roared suddenly.
Accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, the windows of Sobu High School finally gave way, exploding under the destructive pressure of the thunder.
At the same time, forces other than the Four Families noticed the anomaly.
Tornado? Thunderstorm?
With cold sweat soaking his back, Inspector Megure no longer urged his driver to speed down the highway.
Instead, shuddering, he took out his mobile phone with trembling hands.
The signal was interfered with by the thunderstorm. The call was intermittent, static-filled, and finally cut off directly.
"...…"
There was a moment of silence in the car. Then, Megure's face turned grim.
"Bullshit!!!"
"Notify all logistics personnel! I want to see all surveillance feeds related to Sobu High School!! Technology? What technology?! The Metropolitan Police Department pays you to fix these things—get it done now!!"
As for going to Sobu High School in person…
Megure's mouth was dry. He swallowed hard.
In his field of vision, the thick black cloud vortex looked like a great evil being born. The lightning, the thunder, and the strange Blood Moon hanging in the air…
He couldn't help but shake his leg anxiously.
The Extraordinary Seed appeared in the world.
Is this the power caused by its advent?
He grabbed his hair in frustration, unable to look away from the cloud vortex even though his eyes burned.
God…
Tokyo City
Many residents couldn't sleep. The thunder resounding through the sky had awakened half the city.
Some night owls were excited, taking out their phones to record the scene.
It's a rare astronomical phenomenon!
I have to post this on social media…
But the thunderstorm was extremely dangerous. Lightning struck down randomly, like punishment from heaven. Reporters dared not get too close; it wasn't worth risking their lives just to watch a storm.
On the outskirts of the school, Haruno Yukinoshita had already turned the car around.
But she didn't step on the accelerator.
Because the distance was far enough, she wasn't directly under the sweeping clouds.
Horrible.
It was truly horrible!
If the "Extraordinary Power" was an extension of this kind of natural disaster… if it was equal to or above this level…
Then no matter who it was—the Four Families or the Zaibatsu—they would have to be convinced. They would have no choice but to keep their heads down and obey.
A natural disaster just for the introduction?
Who can withstand this? Even a small-scale nuclear explosion isn't this outrageous.
In fact, Haruno was forcing herself to stay calm. Miwako Sato was the same.
The only giveaway was the veins bulging on Sato's hands as she gripped the steering wheel. She was obviously ready to flee the scene at any second.
But they had to wait.
They had to wait for the order from Grandma Mitsue.
If she ran away as fast as she smelled the benefits, but fled the moment danger appeared? There would be no need to curry favor with Grandma Mitsue after that. The Godmother of Downtown would never respect such a coward.
Here it comes.
The old car behind them finally arrived.
However…
"BOOM BOOM——!!!"
"BOOM——!!!"
The arrival of Mitsue Takeda seemed to have triggered a chain reaction.
The thunder and lightning became more intense. The oppression of the thick black clouds grew heavier, suffocating the earth.
It was as if the Great Evil between Heaven and Earth had been waiting.
Waiting for whom?
"It was waiting for me, Mitsue Takeda…"
The old woman's voice was calm, but the sentence instantly exploded in Kyoaki Hashimoto's heart.
His face turned pale. His lips trembled as he spoke tentatively.
"Wait… wait for whom!? Grandma Mitsue!?"
Why?
Mitsue glanced at the Great Onmyoji—a man who had only a reputation and no real power—with a calm face.
She opened the car door.
"Too much talk."
Inside the car, Hashimoto wanted to scream at the High Priest and the Archbishop to drive away immediately.
But after gritting his teeth, he forced his weak limbs to move and opened his door as well.
But… the moment he stepped out, the sky changed subtly again.
He lowered his chin, his eyelids widening until his eyes seemed to bulge out of his head.
He felt confused.
What was that?
Could it be… am I hallucinating? Did I see the Ancestor appear?
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