Tokyo No.2 Colony.
Minato Ward.
Once a glittering commercial district.
Now a graveyard of concrete and steel.
Skyscrapers had collapsed into piles of rubble.
Neon signs were twisted skeletons of metal hanging from shattered buildings.
Wind whistled through the ruins like a funeral song.
The air smelled strange.
Sharp.
Acrid.
Ozone.
The scent created when lightning tears through the atmosphere.
Blue-white arcs of electricity crawled across the ruined streets like living serpents.
Each discharge scorched concrete.
Melted steel.
Left black scars across the city.
Sitting atop a stack of shipping containers was a man.
His hair stood wildly like jagged lightning.
In his hand was a half-eaten chicken leg.
He chewed loudly.
Unrestrained.
Grease smeared across his mouth.
The man devoured the meat as if it were the greatest feast imaginable.
Bone cracked between his teeth.
This was Hajime Kashimo.
A sorcerer from four hundred years ago.
A man who had lived his entire life seeking stronger opponents.
And died without ever finding one who could truly satisfy him.
So he made a pact.
With Kenjaku.
In exchange for reincarnation in the future.
In exchange for a chance to fight someone truly powerful.
Kashimo spat out a bone.
The bone shot through the air like a bullet.
It slammed into a concrete wall fifty meters away.
Cracks spider-webbed outward.
"Hey."
Kashimo said lazily.
Looking down.
Under his foot—
Was Panda.
Or what remained of him.
Panda's body had reverted to its damaged core form.
His fur was scorched black.
Cotton stuffing spilled from torn seams.
One of his eyes had been blown out.
Lightning scars covered his entire body.
"Tell me something."
Kashimo said casually.
"That guy you mentioned earlier."
"Yagami Sora."
"Is he really that strong?"
Panda coughed weakly.
Smoke drifted from his body.
"…It's not about strong."
He said with difficulty.
"That guy…"
"…is something rare."
"…A monster."
Kashimo's eyes suddenly brightened.
"A monster?"
Electricity crackled louder around him.
The air hummed violently.
"Perfect."
"I've been bored to death fighting these modern sorcerers."
"They rely too much on techniques."
"No instinct."
"No creativity."
He jumped down from the container.
Lightning danced across his body.
"I want someone who can actually fight."
Then—
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion ripped through the sky.
Something black tore across the clouds like a meteor.
It crashed onto the port.
The impact shattered the dock.
Shipping containers flipped into the air like toys.
Seawater surged violently against the shore.
Dust rose like a storm.
When it cleared—
Someone stood in the crater.
Yagami Sora.
Black trench coat.
Hands in his pockets.
Completely calm.
The violent air currents around him split automatically.
As if the wind itself avoided him.
Even the ground beneath his feet was strangely untouched.
Every ounce of impact had been perfectly dispersed.
Sora's eyes moved.
Slowly.
They landed on Panda.
Still trapped beneath Kashimo's foot.
His expression darkened slightly.
For a brief instant—
The surrounding temperature seemed to drop.
Even the lightning flickering through the air hesitated.
Sora pointed at Kashimo.
Casually.
"Hey."
"Take your foot off my friend."
His voice was calm.
Almost polite.
But the pressure behind it was suffocating.
"Or I'll rip your leg off…"
"…and shove it down your throat."
Kashimo froze for a moment.
Then—
He burst into laughter.
Wild.
Excited.
"Hahahaha!"
"Good!"
He threw the chicken bone aside.
Lightning exploded around his body.
The containers nearby began melting under the heat.
Blue lightning shot into the sky.
Lighting the harbor like daylight.
"Finally."
Kashimo said.
"A strong one."
His eyes burned with manic excitement.
The look of a predator who had finally found worthy prey.
"Come on."
He spread his arms.
Lightning roared.
"Fight me."
"Let's see…"
"…if you're really a monster."
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