-522- The start of chaos

On the rooftop of a skyscraper in Tokyo, a man stood there, gazing at the sky dyed red by the setting sun.

"The witching hour, huh?"

The man, named Mutobe Chihiro, uttered these words in a tone that was difficult to discern whether it was ironic or mocking.

"If I want to act, it's now, isn't it?"

Saying these words, Chihiro was the man who nearly collided with Rozen yesterday and engaged in a brief conflict.

Since that time yesterday, Mutobe Chihiro had been waiting here quietly, waiting for this moment.

Two years ago, on this very day, a great onmyouji known and respected by Mutobe Chihiro had also initiated an action here, which has been talked about and feared by the public until now.

Now, Mutobe Chihiro was preparing to do the same thing as that person.

This would undoubtedly cause many people to weep.

Mutobe Chihiro was well aware of this.

This would undoubtedly cause many casualties.

Mutobe Chihiro was well aware of this.

And, this was something that should never have been done originally.

On this point, Mutobe Chihiro was equally aware.

However...

"For the lament of us all, I have no choice but to do this."

Chihiro prepared himself with this determination.

So, Chihiro took off his backpack, took out a piece of paper filled with blood-red incantations, and spread it in front of him.

Then, Chihiro half-knelt there, closing his eyes, while forming intricate hand seals.

Jutsuryoku, surged within him.

Then...

"Please bless me, Mr Dairenji."

Chihiro spoke these words as if in prayer.

The person he mentioned was a figure well-known and revered by Mutobe Chihiro in the past.

Continuing, Mutobe Chihiro mentioned another figure he deeply respected, admired, and revered from the depths of his heart.

"Please forgive me, King of North Star."

After saying this, Mutobe Chihiro released his jutsuryoku while beginning to chant enigmatic incantations.

At this very moment, the spiritual veins throughout Tokyo started to spiral into chaos.

The reiki collectively distorted.

...

Onmyou Agency, Exorcism Division.

On this day, the first monitoring room of the Exorcism Division witnessed unusual chaos.

"A spiritual disaster has occurred! Location is Ueno! According to the agents on site, the spiritual disaster is approaching Phase 2!"

"Based on Meguro Division's report! There's a spiritual disaster in Shinagawa too! They are expected to reach the scene in a few minutes!"

"Report from the Sixth Squad! The spiritual disaster being exorcised suddenly escalated to Phase 2! The spiritual pressure is still rising! Requesting support!"

"According to the report from the spirit sight officer! The spiritual veins within Tokyo are showing abnormal chaotic patterns! The fluctuating values continue to rise! Requesting instructions!"

"Requesting instructions!"

"Requesting instructions!"

In this control room, a large number of staff were seated in front of monitors and computers. Some were frantically typing on keyboards, while others were constantly answering phones, causing a continuous stream of reports on various situations, creating a state of intense confusion.

Upon receiving the notification in this chaotic environment, Miyachi Iwao rushed here at the fastest speed, entering this chaotic scene.

As soon as he entered, Miyachi Iwao's attention was drawn to a massive screen situated deep in the monitoring room.

There, the display showed a map of the entire Tokyo, with blinking red dots.

Being the highest-ranking official in the Exorcism Division, Miyachi Iwao naturally knew what these red dots represented.

They represented the occurrence of spiritual disasters.

For the people within the Exorcism Division, this was not an uncommon occurrence.

However, at this moment, the densely packed red dots covered the map of Tokyo, telling everyone just how many spiritual disasters were happening within Tokyo.

This was clearly an abnormal state.

"Director!"

"Director!"

"Director!"

Upon seeing Miyachi Iwao's arrival, the staff members immediately showed expressions and gazes like they had found a savior.

"Don't panic."

Miyachi Iwao calmly gave instructions.

"Compile the locations of all spiritual disaster occurrences, notify the nearest squads to the spiritual disaster locations to perform exorcisms immediately, and issue evacuation notices to nearby residents. Ensure the safety of the citizens comes first."

Miyachi Iwao first issued this series of instructions.

"Prioritize dealing with the Phase 2 incidents. Isolate the Phase 1-level spiritual disasters using barriers for now and deal with them afterwards. Focus on monitoring the locations with chaotic spiritual veins. Dispatch troops immediately; those locations might escalate to a Phase 3-level dynamic spiritual disaster. They must be the top priority for handling."

Miyachi Iwao gave these instructions in an orderly manner.

But...

"Si... Sixth Squad report!"

A staff member suddenly shouted in a desperate tone.

"A spiritual disaster has occurred in Akihabara! It has reached Phase 3 in scale! A dynamic spiritual disaster has formed!"

Following this staff member's shout, the rest of the staff also received the news, reporting in a panicked manner.

"Reports are coming in from Ueno that the spiritual disaster suddenly escalated to Phase 3!"

"The squads heading to Shinagawa have also reported! They've confirmed the formation of a dynamic spiritual disaster on site! It's already causing damage in the vicinity!"

The reports from each staff member left Miyachi Iwao in silence and made everyone around him draw a sharp breath, their faces turning pale and grim.

Three spiritual disasters consecutively entering Phase 3 scale.

Such a situation was unheard of.

Moreover, spiritual disasters were continuing to occur throughout Tokyo. This was a terrifying situation beyond imagination.

However, as terrifying as this situation was, it was not unprecedented.

The same situation had occurred two years ago.

It was a horrifying attack event triggered by multiple artificially induced spiritual disasters, turning Tokyo into a state of pandemonium with a nightmarish parade of countless demons, causing massive damage.

The mastermind behind the event was Dairenji Shidou.

The terrifying attack event he triggered was...

"The 'Jou-i Daihara'..."

Someone spoke these words with a trembling voice, sending a chill through everyone in the room.

Correct.

The same thing happened two years ago, triggered by Dairenji Shidou.

After a two-year interval, Tokyo once again experienced multiple spiritual disasters, presenting a state akin to a night parade of a hundred demons.

"Could it be another spiritual disaster terror attack...?"

A staff member said this in disbelief, causing everyone to shudder.

At this moment, another staff member reported.

"Ano... Another new spiritual disaster has occurred! And its scale is rapidly expanding! Confirming the formation of a dynamic spiritual disaster at Phase 3!"

This was more of a scream than a report.

Miyachi Iwao silently took a puff of his cigarette and then asked in a deep voice.

"Where is the location?"

Miyachi Iwao asked only this question.

The staff member answered.

"Sekigome."

It was the location where the first-year students of the Onmyou Academy underwent their assessments.

To this, Miyachi Iwao said only one thing.

"Inform all independent exorcists. Mobilize everyone."

With this statement as a starting point, this night was destined not to be peaceful.