"Rumble..."
Accompanied by a faint tremor in the ground, one Onmyo Agency vehicle after another arrived in succession, blocking both sides of the street.
Leading the charge from one direction was Kogure Zenjirou, riding his motorcycle.
"Found you! Tsuchimikado!"
Kogure Zenjirou stopped his motorcycle, gripping his unsheathed sword tightly. He leaped into the air, landing firmly on the ground, his eyes locked onto Rozen with unwavering intensity. Four Utengu alongside him.
"So you were here?"
From the other direction, Yamashiro Hayato stepped out of a vehicle. The moment he landed, he crushed a shikifu, summoning venomous miasma that spread like a black fog. Holding another handful of spell talismans, he eyed Rozen warily.
"Swish!"
At the same time, high above, Karura reappeared, scattering shikifu from the sky. One Nio after another, along with several Yaksha, landed, blocking the entrances to the alleys and completely sealing off the area.
"Tch..."
Seeing his colleagues arrive one after another, Kagami Reiji showed no relief—on the contrary, his irritation became even more apparent.
If even Kagami Reiji was reacting this way, there was no need to mention Shaver, whose expression twisted with hostility, looking as if he could charge in at any moment.
Then, Magic Crimes Investigation Department officers and Exorcism Bureau operatives began stepping out of the vehicles as well. Some wielded firearms, some held talismans, some deployed shikigami, while others erected barriers, completely surrounding the area.
The air became unbearably heavy and eerily silent.
At that moment, everyone was staring intently at Rozen, assuming battle stances, their tension palpable.
Rozen scanned his surroundings, his expression as calm as ever.
By contrast, Kurahashi Kyouko instinctively moved closer to him, her face slightly pale.
There was no helping it.
In the end, she was being treated as a jujutsu criminal.
And under circumstances as severe as these.
It was impossible for her not to waver.
Of course, an even more unsettling revelation was still to come.
"…I didn't expect you to be here as well, Kyouko."
A voice filled with authority and familiarity emerged as an elderly man, wielding a paper fan, slowly stepped forward from the rear of the assembled forces.
"Grandpa Amami!"
Kyouko held her breath.
Rozen also shifted his gaze toward Amami Daizen.
"It's been a while, Chief Amami."
Rozen spoke indifferently.
"Indeed, it has been a while."
Amami Daizen fixed his gaze on Rozen. The once sharp and arrogant eyes now carried traces of astonishment and contemplation.
"Your transformation is immense. If I hadn't witnessed it myself, I wouldn't have believed it. The level of spiritual energy radiating from you…"
It wasn't just Amami Daizen—anyone who had known Rozen in the past would find this hard to believe.
Even those who once taught him at Onmyo Academy.
"…Truly unbelievable, Akikan-kun."
A voice emerged from the shadows.
No one at the scene had noticed this person's presence.
The entire crowd flinched in unison.
Except for Rozen, whose gaze had already locked onto that very spot.
Only then did everyone else realize—someone was stepping out of a dimly lit alley.
A man dressed in a disheveled suit, with unkempt hair, wearing glasses. One of his legs was missing, replaced by a wooden prosthetic, and he leaned on a cane, each tap against the ground echoing clearly.
"Ohtomo-sensei...!?"
Kyouko gasped in shock.
"Jin."
Kogure Zenjirou's attention was drawn to him as well.
"This guy…"
Amami Daizen sighed with an expression of resignation.
"So that's Ohtomo Jin?"
Even Yamashiro Hayato looked surprised, his expression shifting rapidly.
"Ohtomo!"
Kagami Reiji's eyes widened like never before, and he shouted in disbelief.
The newcomer was none other than Ohtomo Jin, once known as the "The Shadow" of the Twelve Divine Generals—the ace of the Magic Crimes Investigation Department, who had single-handedly handled the agency's underground dealings. Even the infamous Abe no Seimei's descendant, Ashiya Douman, had been held at bay by him.
Once a lecturer at Onmyo Academy, Ohtomo Jin had since left, only to be reinstated into the Twelve Divine Generals under Amami Daizen's direct orders.
In other words, the Ohtomo Jin standing here was now Rozen's enemy.
"Your invisibility jutsu is as exquisite as ever."
Rozen remained unfazed, speaking in an almost casual tone as he smiled at Ohtomo Jin.
"It reminds me of the night I first encountered you during that Yakou follower attack."
"Yeah."
Ohtomo Jin stared at Rozen, his usual carefree expression intact. His tone remained lighthearted, but his words carried weight.
"Even now, I don't want to believe it. That you would become a jujutsu criminal."
Clearly, Ohtomo Jin still held some affection for Rozen.
Unfortunately…
"That is the one thing I have already accepted."
For the first time, Rozen's casual demeanor faded as he exhaled softly.
"I'm sorry for disappointing you, sensei."
That apology was genuine.
Because back in his academy days, Ohtomo Jin had protected him from the harassment of Yakou fanatics more times than he could count.
Despite his laid-back and flippant attitude, Rozen had always seen Ohtomo Jin as an unexpectedly responsible and remarkable mentor.
And Ohtomo Jin must have held some expectations for him as well.
Even when others regarded Rozen as Yakou's reincarnation, Ohtomo Jin had never looked at him differently. Instead, there was always an unspoken hope—perhaps Rozen could bring change to this rigid jujutsu world.
As someone who had spent years in the underground jujutsu world, Ohtomo Jin had seen the darkest depths of this system.
It was natural for someone like him to yearn for change.
But in the end…
Perhaps even Ohtomo Jin never imagined that this world's darkness ran far deeper than he had ever anticipated.
"Even Kyouko has gone over to your side now."
Ohtomo Jin exhaled, then fixed his eyes on Rozen.
"Will you come with us peacefully, Akikan-kun?"
That was his final request.
"What if I refuse?"
Rozen responded.
But before Ohtomo Jin could answer—
"Everyone, attack! Take him in!"
Yamashiro Hayato, having steeled himself, gave the order.
To which Rozen had only one reply.
"Do you all really think I wouldn't dare lay a hand on Onmyo Agency?"
His voice carried through the air like a chilling gust of wind.
Like an icy storm.
"If you're so eager for a fight, then allow me to take this a little more seriously."
A terrifying surge of jutsuryoku erupted from his body.
"Stop him!"
Sensing imminent danger, Amami Daizen's pupils shrank as he shouted.
But it was already too late.
"Summon Shikigami."
Rozen's voice rang clear.
"Come forth—Hundred Demons."
True calamity descended.