Thunder cracked over the city.
It had started as a quiet hum in the clouds above—barely noticeable. But by dusk, ominous clouds had formed a tight spiral directly above the abandoned Shirogane Tower. The pressure in the air was suffocating, thick with cursed energy so dense even the spiritually blind complained of migraines and unease.
Riku stood on a rooftop two buildings away, golden eyes scanning the swirling skies.
Beside him, Aira Shiratori finished adjusting her gloves, her cursed energy already pulsing like a violet tide beneath her skin.
"This storm isn't natural," she said.
"No. It's being made."
As if in answer, a lightning bolt cracked across the skyline—twisting, black instead of white.
Momo appeared behind them, landing lightly from a rooftop jump, chewing on Pocky like it was just another day.
"Got your call," she said, jerking her thumb at the sky. "What the hell is that?"
"A nesting point," Riku murmured.
"For what?"
He said nothing. His eyes narrowed.
A shriek echoed from the clouds—long, high, and inhuman.
Then it descended.
A cursed spirit shaped like a storm dragon—wreathed in roiling clouds, each wingbeat shaking the air. Its body coiled like a typhoon, eyes glowing with hate and hunger. Its name etched in the cursed flow:
> "Kuraiden—the Sky Flayer."
It didn't just cause storms—it was one. And it had one goal: erase all spiritual presence beneath it. Including shikigami. Including exorcists.
Including Riku.
Aira's eyes went sharp. "We can't fight it in the open."
"I can," Riku said simply.
"Riku—" Momo started.
But he had already stepped to the edge, his shadow extending unnaturally long behind him.
> "Ten Shadows Technique: Nue."
A single pulse of cursed energy ignited the air around him.
From the black depths of his shadow, Nue emerged—larger than before, its feathers laced with veins of electric gold. Its beak crackled, and its lightning-streaked wings split the sky as it rose upward.
The storm reacted violently—winds raging harder, clouds swirling faster, as if recognizing an ancient rival.
Kuraiden shrieked again, and the sky ignited.
Lightning lanced toward Riku like divine wrath.
He didn't move.
> "Nue," he whispered. "Cry louder than the sky."
The bird responded with a soul-shaking shriek, and then it launched.
The two aerial titans collided above the city—Nue's lightning and Kuraiden's storm body clashing in blinding flashes of cursed power.
Riku's connection to Nue strained. The feedback hit like migraine fire. Blood ran from his nose.
"He's pushing too hard," Aira muttered.
But he didn't stop.
Instead, he raised his hands in precise gestures, chakra-like lines of cursed script forming in the air around him, syncing with Nue's body.
> "Enhanced Command: Split the Skies."
Nue dove, folding into a spear of living lightning, and pierced through one of Kuraiden's storm-wings. The beast howled in fury and pain, spinning wildly as chunks of cursed wind and energy rained down across rooftops.
Momo cursed as she shielded herself with a barrier.
"Tell your bird to warn us before making it rain pain!"
Riku didn't respond. He was too focused.
Kuraiden recovered and coiled upward, charging a maelstrom in its throat. If it fired, the entire district would become a crater.
Riku whispered, "Time to end this."
He clenched his fist.
Nue shrieked.
Then it dove straight toward Kuraiden's open maw—its form surrounded now not only by lightning but Riku's cursed energy itself, glowing a dangerous red.
The collision was cataclysmic.
A blinding burst split the sky, followed by a shockwave that shattered nearby windows and knocked trees sideways. The cursed energy dispersed violently—and then, silence.
Smoke rolled across the rooftops.
Kuraiden's headless corpse fell, vanishing into cursed dust before it hit the earth.
Nue hovered briefly, then fluttered back to Riku, weakened but victorious, before dissolving into shadow once more.
Riku collapsed to one knee, panting.
Momo rushed to his side. "You insane idiot—why didn't you let us help?"
Aira followed, arms crossed but concern behind her glare. "You synced too hard with Nue. You almost fried your brain."
"I had to push the bond further," Riku said through clenched teeth. "If I don't evolve my summons… Mahoraga won't obey me."
At that name, both girls paused.
They had heard it before. In whispers. In warnings.
The shikigami that even curses feared. A beast that adapted to anything. Even death.
"You plan to summon that thing?" Momo asked.
"Eventually," he replied. "And if I don't push my limit, it will kill me the moment it's called."
The air was heavy with the knowledge of what he aimed for.
Then, unexpectedly, Momo grinned and shoved a Pocky into his mouth.
"You're lucky you're hot, curse-boy," she said.
Riku blinked.
Aira rolled her eyes. "Try not to die next time."
"I'll try," he said, still chewing.