May 1, 2024. Rain.
The rain grew heavier.
Raindrops the size of beans smashed against the window frame and burst apart, their star-like sprays falling at the edge of Uesugi Tetsu's eyes and jolting him back to his senses.
He lowered his head, withdrawing his gaze from the silent crowd and the bloodstains that had been diluted until they were almost invisible. Then he raised his head and looked toward the thunderous clouds.
Once upon a time, that had merely been an ordinary natural phenomenon.
But things were different now.
Every surging thunder dragon was wantonly releasing Spiritual Power from the other side of the world.
The tide had not diminished with the passage of time. Instead, it had grown larger and larger, seeping into the mortal world through every natural phenomenon.
BOOM—
The terrifying thunderstorm rumbled one after another, throwing the crowd into a commotion. But in the next moment, a gigantic barrier dotted with starlight rose into the sky, giving everyone an incomparable sense of security.
Even so, people could not help looking up, as though they had seen a tide rolling backward from beyond the firmament.
Just as ordinary people could not suppress the curiosity in their hearts, at this moment, whether in the mortal world or Everworld, no matter where they were or what they were doing, every faction and entity aware of the tide's arrival raised its head in unison—
At the 634-meter-high summit of Tokyo Skytree.
Thunderclouds churned. The violent tide of Spiritual Power extended the slightest tendril toward this height, closer to the sky, and could easily tear apart most overconfident demons and Onmyoji.
Within the pitch-black clouds, four figures in plain-colored robes stood shoulder to shoulder.
The thunderbolts that could once have blasted ordinary gods and ghosts into oblivion seemed to enter