December 24. Dark clouds hung over the streets of Shinjuku. The cold winter wind funneled through the gaps between high-rises, stirring up scraps of paper and dust from the ground.
An unnatural stillness pervaded the entire city-not the quiet of night, but the breathless, suffocating silence before a storm.
"Everyone! Avoid damaging the buildings as much as possible! There may still be civilians inside who haven't been evacuated! Cover their retreat!" Masamichi Yaga's voice thundered through the air.
His gaze swept over every sorcerer, making sure everyone was in position. Then he turned toward the white-haired figure beside him, who had been staring up at a distant high-rise.
"Are you listening, Satoru?"
Satoru Gojo did not lower his head. His gaze pierced the gray-white sky and the rows of towering buildings, settling on a faint black speck in the distance. White bandages wrapped around his head from his forehead, covering his eyes, but he saw more clearly than anyone else.
"There's someone pretty troublesome over there."
Satoru Gojo murmured to himself.
On a distant rooftop, the wind was strong enough to make Miguel's beret shift slightly. He stood at the edge with both hands in his pockets, his gaze cutting through the overlapping buildings to lock onto the figure wearing white bandages.
"I see. So it's the one wearing the white bandages?"
Suda Manami stood half a step behind him, holding a map in both hands. Her gaze moved back and forth between the map and Miguel. Her voice was steady and clear, as though she were reporting intelligence that had been checked over and over.
"Lord Geto chose Shinjuku as the main battlefield for one reason: there are three Special Grade Sorcerers stationed here. To buy time, Lord Geto deployed two special grade cursed spirits to hold off the