"I think I might've said something earlier about how curse-related stuff usually doesn't appear during big events like Halloween… You can forget about that. Maybe I remembered wrong."
"..."
"..."
Ichiiji Nijika and Yamada Ryo's expressions froze for a moment.
Once they processed it, their faces instantly turned pale.
"You can't be serious…"
"Not even Halloween is safe?"
"Ahaha…"
Kita Ikuyo let out a bitter laugh.
She pointed at the sky.
"There's a pitch-black curtain covering the sky, blocking everything outside. That's probably what they call a barrier… I feel like something's happened…"
At that moment.
A growing murmur of unrest began spreading around them.
The noise grew louder and louder, gradually drowning out the festive clamor. No one knew what was happening, but unease and panic slowly seeped through the crowd.
"I'll go check the edge!"
"We'll come too!"
Kita Ikuyo took off, running toward the barrier's perimeter.
Nijika and Yamada Ryo, their faces filled with anxiety, hurried after her.
All three prayed it was just a mistake, just a coincidence—desperately hoping they could leave safely.
But reality rarely goes as one wishes.
Before long, the three arrived at the barrier's edge.
The massive barrier loomed like an upside-down bowl, covering the entire street and trapping countless visitors inside.
"What the hell is this?!"
"Why are we locked in here?!"
Ordinary people couldn't see the barrier, so they could only scream in panic, venting their fear.
It was like an invisible wall stood there, barring their escape.
People outside could enter, but those inside were sealed in by the barrier.
This was the epicenter of the chaos—panic rippling outward from the barrier's edges, spreading toward the center.
Kita Ikuyo and the other two stood at the barrier's edge, staring at the scene in stunned silence.
"Why has the world turned out like this…?"
Nijika murmured under her breath.
Voicing the complicated thoughts of the other two.
Wasn't everything fine before?
When exactly did the world start going wrong?
It had suddenly become so hostile to ordinary people.
Don't ordinary people have the right to live?
"Hey! What's that?!"
"A… person?"
"What are you talking about? That thing is flying—how could it be—"
But it really was a person.
A figure floated in the sky.
As if swimming freely through the ocean, the figure glided through the air, gradually descending until it appeared before the crowd.
It was a woman.
A completely naked woman.
Completely naked from head to toe, her tall and slender figure was voluptuous yet perfectly proportioned. Her long pink hair seemed like something out of a dream, leaving many momentarily entranced.
Yet despite being entirely unclothed, she didn't expose any critical areas. Her chest and lower body were mysteriously covered—as if the sky itself had been flattened from three dimensions into two, transforming into her garment. Though the curves of her bare skin were mesmerizing, no one could catch a glimpse of what lay beneath.
"Listen up, everyone."
The pink-haired woman descended from midair, landing at the center of the crowd.
Her bizarre entrance left everyone present frozen in terror.
Her expression was icy, her pitch-black eyes chillingly lifeless as they swept over the assembly.
"From now on, every single one of you will shout, 'Bring Roy here!' You will shout until you collapse from exhaustion. Anyone who dares slack off will end up like this building!"
With a mere gesture, she reached out.
The building beside her twisted like a painting, crumpling into her grasp as if it were a rolled-up scroll.
Then, with a single kick—
BOOM!
The building shattered like a twisted rope, steel and concrete exploding in all directions.
Screams erupted instantly.
But it wasn't just here.
At nearly the same moment, identical scenes unfolded in three other directions.
To the east, a colossal slug, over forty meters tall, burst from the ground. With a single nudge, it toppled a skyscraper, crushing countless beneath the rubble.
To the west, a beam of light shot into the sky before exploding like fireworks, fracturing into dozens of smaller beams that slithered through the streets like serpents, effortlessly claiming lives.
To the north, crimson blood streaked like bullets, whipping through the air like a lash, bisecting bodies at the waist. In moments, the streets ran red.
At the center, atop Shibuya Tower—
Kenjaku stood, gazing at the chaos unfolding in all directions, savoring the surging cursed energy. His smile grew ever more benevolent.
"You're really going all out," Jogo remarked from the rooftop's edge, watching the panicked masses below, his tone dripping with scorn.
"Those people… they were all your subordinates once, weren't they?"
"Making the most of resources—isn't it wonderful?" Kenjaku replied with a light chuckle, as if pleased by the praise.
"Hmph. Gathering your old underlings, force-feeding them cursed objects to let ancient sorcerers incarnate through them—now that's what I call efficiency!" Jogo sneered, though a chill ran down his spine.
Is this really Suguru Geto?
The man who supposedly valued "family" above all else?
Yet here he was, rounding up his former followers and, without hesitation, shoving cursed objects down their throats. Two men, two women—every last one of them turned into vessels for incarnated sorcerers.
He still remembered the sheer despair on the faces of those twin sisters as they were forced to swallow those cursed objects.
"Setting that aside, don't you think this lineup is spectacular?" Kenjaku smoothly changed the subject, spreading his arms as if embracing the scene.
Jogo said nothing, scanning the surroundings.
In all four directions—east, west, north, south—stood a vessel housing a Special Grade cursed object.
On the rooftop of this Shibuya building, there were him and Geto Suguru.
Looking behind, there was also a monk with a bob cut and a girl who looked like an executioner. By his side stood a humanoid octopus-like cursed spirit.
A total of nine special-grade combatants!
This was the result of their efforts over the past month.
And below this building, countless ordinary people were being held hostage.
"Truly an extravagant lineup!"
Even Jogo had to sigh in acknowledgment.
With such a formation, barring any internal conflicts, he couldn't imagine how they could lose!
"With this lineup, we can defeat anyone head-on! Let's use this to end this rotten era and usher in a new one!"
For a moment, Jogo felt his heart surge with excitement.
No matter what, this power would be his to wield!
"Bring Roy here!"
"Bring Roy here!"
"Bring Roy here!"
Gradually, countless shouts rose from all directions, piercing through the barrier and spreading like waves.
The assistant supervisors waiting outside the barrier immediately paled and hurriedly contacted their superiors.
...
"Hahaha, I'm so popular!"
Outside the barrier, Roy stood atop a building, listening to the shouts coming from all directions, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
His face was filled with delight, as if he didn't care about the situation at all.
"Is this really the time to be laughing?"
A vein throbbed on Yaga Masamichi's forehead.
Do you even understand the gravity of the situation, you idiot?
"Well, should I be crying instead?"
Roy laughed heartily before finally stopping and pointing at the massive barrier covering several kilometers in the distance.
"Look, they've prepared such a grand stage just to welcome me!"
From all sides, the barrier spanned at least five kilometers around Shibuya Building. For a barrier of this scale, it was enormous—something most barrier users couldn't possibly create.
"I'm guessing the danger level is proportional to the size of this stage?"
Maki, gripping her naginata, stood at the edge of the building with a stern expression, gazing at the colossal barrier in the distance.
"Please don't let that be the case! If it is, I'll be so disappointed!"
Roy, however, raised his hands in an X gesture, earnestly hoping Maki's speculation wouldn't come true.
"The danger level should be at least ten times greater than the stage's size—that'd be more like it!"
Maki gave him a deadpan look.
"Sensei, why do you sound so excited about this?"
Since when did you turn into a battle maniac looking forward to fights?
"Because ever since I came to this country, I haven't had a single serious fight!"
Roy lightly bounced on his feet, stretching his body, his face brimming with exhilaration.
"Really?"
Yuta, who had been listening nearby, looked surprised.
"I heard your debut battle involved taking down three special-grade cursed spirits at once. That wasn't a serious fight?"
Even for him, facing two special-grade cursed spirits would be troublesome. Against three, he'd be unsure if he could win.
Yuta understood that Roy was undoubtedly stronger than him.
But just how much stronger, he had no idea.
"Back then, I was in a state where I couldn't go all out."
Roy smiled nonchalantly.
"Besides, my strength is constantly improving. Right now, I'm at least three times stronger than I was back then. I wonder if there's even an opponent in this world who can keep up with my progress—that's what I'm really looking forward to!"
Yuta blinked in confusion.
The current me is at least three times stronger than I was half a year ago?
A sorcerer's strength primarily depends on their cursed techniques. In other words, 80% of a sorcerer's power comes from innate talent, with only the remaining 20% relying on personal effort.
Could any sorcerer truly become three times stronger in just half a year?
Even mastering reverse cursed technique would only allow for at most a twofold increase in power!
"Roy, the Kamo family sorcerers have completed setting up the formation. They're now positioned around the perimeter of this massive barrier, ready to breach at any moment."
At that moment, Masamichi Yaga received a phone call and returned to report to Roy.
"I don't understand why you only asked the Kamo family sorcerers for assistance."