Morning sunlight was always so gentle and full of hope.
Tokyo, Shibuya.
This sleepless fashion capital had just awakened from last night's revelry, its streets already filled with young men and women brimming with youthful energy.
And among this crowd of "normies," one pair stood out conspicuously.
The man was handsome and dashing, with an upright build, wearing seemingly ordinary but actually expensive casual designer clothes. His face wore a devil-may-care, heart-flutter-inducing smile.
The woman was youthful and spirited, wearing tight jeans and a white T-shirt that perfectly outlined her stunning figure. Her lustrous black ponytail bounced playfully with her light steps.
It was our protagonist Cloud and the "Wangan Queen"—Chizuru Kagura—who had been "kicked out" by her sister for a date.
"Mmm... this takoyaki is SO good! Cloud, try some! Say 'ahh'—"
Chizuru, the motorcycle girl who was usually as cold as a queen, now acted like a naive "innocent girl" experiencing the city for the first time, curious about everything on the street.
One hand held a skewer of steaming takoyaki while the other carried seven or eight shopping bags emblazoned with various luxury brand logos.
That gorgeous face beamed with a heartfelt, radiant smile.
She couldn't quite understand why her sister—who was usually as homebound as an "ancient person"—had uncharacteristically "kicked" her and Cloud out of the shrine this morning.
And even given her an unlimited credit card, telling her to show Cloud around Tokyo properly.
But... being naturally playful, she didn't think too hard about it.
In her mind, this must be her sister creating an opportunity for her and this interesting "playboy" to be alone!
Thinking this, an enchanting blush involuntarily spread across her cheeks.
"Hey, princess."
Cloud looked at the girl who had practically "emptied" the entire snack street, his face full of helplessness.
"Are you sure... the money your sister gave you is enough for this spending spree?"
"Hmph, who are you looking down on?"
Chizuru proudly brandished the black gold card.
"My sister's loaded! Forget buying out this street—she could buy all of Shibuya and still have change to spare!"
While talking, she very "naturally" hooked her soft arm through Cloud's, dragging him toward the next clothing store.
"Let's go, let's go! I saw a new menswear shop over there! The clothes would definitely look great on you!"
Feeling the arm transmit its astonishing softness and elasticity, along with the girl's unique, orchid-like fragrance, Cloud felt another wave of helplessness.
He knew this girl had probably misunderstood something.
But he didn't point it out.
Because he knew exactly what was happening at the shrine right now.
All he could do was cooperate.
Cooperate with Maki Kagura in performing this tragic, resolute... "diverting the tiger from the mountain" stratagem.
...
Meanwhile, at Kagura Shrine.
In stark contrast to Shibuya's bustling streets.
Here it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The air was thick with a suffocating, "calm before the storm" oppressive atmosphere.
Maki Kagura maintained her gentle, serene appearance.
She wore pure white shrine maiden robes, kneeling quietly in the shrine's main hall.
Before her burned three sticks of purple sandalwood incense.
The curling smoke condensed into various eerie, ominous shapes in the air.
She had been sitting here, motionless, for the entire morning.
Those usually deep-as-ancient-wells eyes were now tightly shut. Her long lashes trembled slightly. Fine beads of fragrant sweat had formed on her smooth forehead.
She was... divining.
Using her Yata Mirror power—capable of seeing through past and predicting future—to peer into the approaching apocalyptic disaster!
In her "vision," the entire world was shrouded in endless darkness and storms!
Countless lives wailed and withered in the tempest!
And at the storm's center, a man in priest's robes coldly surveyed everything.
Those eyes regarded all below like a god examining insignificant ants!
Goenitz!
Finally, Maki slowly opened her eyes.
Those deep eyes carried a hint of exhaustion, a hint of compassion, but above all, the resolve and determination inherited by shrine maidens across a thousand years!
"Sigh..."
She let out a soft sigh, filled with helplessness and indulgent affection for her sister.
"Chizuru, that girl... must be having a wonderful time right now?"
"And... that interesting man..."
Despite herself, Cloud's handsome face with its devil-may-care smile surfaced in her mind.
"A Kusanagi branch family member? Yeah, right!"
Her lips curved into a helpless smile.
"Cloud... who exactly are you?"
She knew that man had been hiding something from them sisters from the very beginning.
But she could also sense that man harbored no malice whatsoever.
Instead, he radiated an aura that made even her... feel at ease. Reliable.
"Never mind..."
She slowly rose and walked to the shrine's courtyard, lifting her gaze to the sky—clear to the point of being excessive.
"Whoever you are... this is my Kagura clan's inescapable destiny."
Just then—
"WHOOOOSH—!!!"
An extremely abnormal wind—saturated with ominous, destructive aura—sprang up without warning in the quiet shrine!
The wind was so cold, so violent!
It made the thousand-year-old tree in the courtyard groan under the strain!
It made the sun in the sky seem to lose all warmth!
The entire shrine trembled under this terrifying wind pressure!
Yet facing this scene that would make heaven and earth change color, Maki's gentle, elegant face showed not the slightest trace of fear.
She simply straightened her white shrine maiden robes, disheveled by the wind.
Then, addressing the empty sky, she spoke in a voice of absolute calm yet filled with majesty:
"Goenitz of the Tempest..."
"I've been waiting for you."
The instant her words fell, a handsome man in well-tailored priest's robes, wearing a benevolent smile, appeared before her as if teleporting—without a sound.
He was the leader of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi," master of wind—Goenitz!
"Shrine maiden of the Yata clan!"
Goenitz's face wore the gentle smile characteristic of clergy, but those golden eyes were filled with absolute coldness and ruthlessness that regarded all things as mere straw dogs.
"It seems you've already... foreseen your destiny."
"Destiny?"
Maki only shook her head.
"All I see is a madman... about to meet his end."
"Hehehe..."
At this, Goenitz laughed as if he'd heard the greatest joke, his laughter low and grating.
"Foolish human. How could you possibly comprehend... the greatness of God?"
"Enough talk."
Maki refused to engage in meaningless "verbal sparring."
She knew that against an enemy of this caliber, words were meaningless.
Only... a fight to the death!