Tokyo.
"AAAAHHHH..."
Wails filled the air unceasingly.
Under the barrier's cover, if viewed from the sky...
The once prosperous city was now a scene of a hundred demons parading at night.
Everywhere.
People were becoming food for Cursed Spirits.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
At this moment, Esdeath and her group were moving quickly through the streets.
Everywhere they passed...
Any Cursed Spirit or stray Devil they encountered was casually slain.
They were simply too strong.
Even the new servants like Nobara...
Were not something these cannon fodders could compete with.
Hum!
Just then.
Obscure, complex magic circles began to appear one after another in all directions of the city.
An ominous aura began to spread.
Esdeath and the others' expressions tensed, then they stopped in unison.
Maki frowned. "The aura of these magic circles is very strange. It seems this is the enemy's goal."
Nobara thought. "But there are too many magic circles. Which one do we go to? Should we split up?"
Esdeath decided. "Let's stick together. We'll go to the place with the strongest magical fluctuation right now."
"And notify the Jujutsu school of our destination."
They were not fighting alone now.
So they needed to use their forces effectively.
As Esdeath made the decision, the group moved again.
Regarding this strange phenomenon.
Even supernatural beings who hadn't yet been affected were all worried.
But there were exceptions.
Like in the living room of Ayato's apartment.
"Grayfia, are you done yet? It's my turn."
"What's the rush? I just started."
"Given the current situation, a big battle could break out at any moment. You should be conserving your strength."
"D-don't... nag me. I... I know what I'm doing."
Grayfia and Athena bickered, creating quite a lively scene.
All the furniture in the living room had been reinforced by Ayato's word magic.
So Grayfia and Athena could unleash their power without restraint.
Ayato lay on the sofa, his head on Athena's lap, with Grayfia before him.
While using his ever-changing Authority, he occasionally glanced at the magical image before him.
There.
It displayed Tokyo.
The reason he hadn't acted yet was also to fish.
If he could use this opportunity to completely uproot the Khaos Brigade, that would be great.
But now it seemed...
That wish might not be fulfilled.
Still, he was confident he could wait longer.
"But this is quite a large-scale operation."
Ayato looked, a glint of light in his eyes.
The enemy had set up some kind of ancient magic that sacrificed living beings to gain power.
If they succeeded...
Few in this country, aside from a handful, would survive as sacrifices.
Then.
Using those lives as the price...
The power gained would be astonishing.
Tokyo.
In front of a commercial building.
Esdeath, with her hands folded in front of her, looked at the magic barrier completely enveloping the building and spoke, "The person inside has a very strong aura. Definitely a Satan-level."
Maki pushed up her glasses and frowned. "A bit troublesome. This barrier's defensive capability isn't bad."
"Breaking it might take some effort."
Whoosh!
Just as Esdeath and Maki were speaking, a figure rushed out from the barrier.
It was a withered, emaciated figure, looking like a giant cockroach Cursed Spirit.
"Hehehe, what do we have here? So many Devils."
Kurourushi chuckled darkly. "Every single one looks like a delicious meal."
The moment his voice fell.
He raised his hand slightly, and a tangible beam of Cursed Energy easily tore through the air.
"Such powerful Cursed Energy."
Nobara exclaimed.
But before the beam of Cursed Energy could reach the group, it was frozen solid by a wave of cold.
Esdeath looked at Kurourushi indifferently and simply took a step forward.
Hum!
A vast wave of cold spread, freezing the ground and creating visible frost in the air.
The terrifying cold enveloped the area.
In an instant.
Kurourushi's figure was frozen in place, turning into an ice sculpture.
"As expected of Miss Esdeath."
Mai said admiringly.
But the next moment, her pupils shrank deeply.
Countless cracks appeared on the ice sculpture, and Kurourushi broke free.
Aside from shivering from the cold, he only had minor frostbite and wasn't seriously injured.