As soon as Mahoraga appeared, it immediately slammed its fist into the ground.
Boom!
The massive force shattered the earth, and the surrounding display cases were torn apart by the impact.
Ding.
Mahoraga's wheel spun.
Dhruv's attack was adapted to.
The wounds Mahoraga had sustained from the Shikigami rapidly healed.
"Damn it, what is this thing!"
Seeing Mahoraga for the first time, Dhruv frantically dodged its relentless attacks.
Mahoraga pursued him faithfully, carrying out Eichi's orders while demolishing everything in its path.
"This is bad. Tamamo-no-Mae, if you don't step in now, I'm pulling out!"
Dhruv had two Shikigami.
One of them was massive, even taller than a seven-story building.
The space inside the barrier clearly wasn't suitable for summoning it.
And for some reason, the other Shikigami's attacks had suddenly become ineffective.
If no one came to assist, Dhruv would have no choice but to summon the Great Fish Shikigami, even if it destroyed the barrier.
At that moment, an overwhelming surge of Cursed Energy erupted from deep within the barrier.
And it was still climbing.
"Ice Sand Shockwave!"
A powerful blast of Cursed Energy cannon fire shot out from within.
Mahoraga was blasted straight out of the barrier.
Seeing this, Eichi immediately retreated from the interior, transferring himself outside.
Rumble—
A thunderous roar echoed.
A Great Fish Shikigami, standing 30 meters tall and over 70 meters long, emerged near the sea.
Rumble!
The massive creature let out a deafening roar at Eichi and Mahoraga.
The sonic pressure forced Eichi to retreat quickly.
Ding.
Mahoraga adapted to the sonic attack.
The Sword of Exorcism in its right hand slashed toward the Great Fish Shikigami.
Pfft.
Its size prevented the Shikigami from dodging, and the Sword of Exorcism easily cut into its body.
But it wasn't enough.
The Great Fish was simply too large, and the sword wasn't long enough to fully pierce its thick flesh.
Moreover, it was a Shikigami, not a Cursed Spirit, so the Sword of Exorcism's special trait against Cursed Spirits couldn't fully activate.
The Great Fish Shikigami thrashed violently, its immense strength sending Mahoraga flying.
"Ice Sand Shockwave!"
Another cannon blast fired.
Mahoraga, airborne and unable to dodge, was struck and slammed into the ground.
The impact and explosion created a massive crater.
Ding.
Mahoraga's adaptation continued.
"Hmm?"
As the smoke cleared, Mahoraga's silhouette emerged from the pit.
"Interesting. Even a Special Grade would've had trouble with that shot. And that thing barely flinched."
Ryu's expression grew serious.
Ding.
Mahoraga charged toward Ryu at high speed.
Ryu was about to respond when Dhruv's Shikigami moved first.
The Great Fish thrashed its massive body.
Its enormous tail swept toward Mahoraga with terrifying force.
Mahoraga's body surged with Cursed Energy, and its original five-meter frame rapidly expanded.
Bang. Crash!
Mahoraga wrapped both arms around the slamming tail and stopped it cold.
"Impossible!"
Dhruv's eyes widened as he stared at Mahoraga, now nearly the same height as the Shikigami.
Ding.
Mahoraga ignored his reaction.
With both hands, it lifted the Great Fish and slammed it down.
Boom!
The towering 30-meter, 70-meter-long beast was hurled to the ground with brute force.
The shockwave shook the earth.
Boom. Boom. Boom!
Mahoraga continued to lift and slam the creature again and again.
The sheer impact forced both Ryu and Dhruv to retreat.
"Ha! Interesting. This is amazing! Come on, entertain me!"
Ryu laughed maniacally, gathering Cursed Energy.
At that moment, a pair of eyes opened in the shadow behind him.
Bang.
Eichi launched a sharp elbow strike toward Ryu's back.
Sensing the sudden killing intent, Ryu turned just in time.
Dhruv intervened, blocking the strike with his own elbow.
"Man, you're colder than ice. You're freezing my excitement."
Ryu grinned as their elbows collided.
Eichi gave off the impression of a frozen winter river.
Underneath the cold surface surged a bottomless flow of Cursed Energy.
"If you're not here to fight, just give up. With that physique, you'd be a great addition to our side."
Eichi responded casually.
Then raised his leg and kicked.
The two instantly shifted from Cursed Technique combat to close-quarters brawling.
Meanwhile, Dhruv was already on the run.
The Great Fish Shikigami had been unsummoned.
Not because Dhruv found it useless, but because if he didn't unsummon it, it would die.
Its massive size granted great power, but that same size had become its weakness.
Every time Mahoraga slammed it to the ground, it suffered catastrophic damage.
Thump. Thump. Thump!
Mahoraga's strikes landed with increasing pressure.
To escape, the elderly Dhruv resorted to every technique he had ever learned.
Judging from his frail build—worse than Takako's—it was clear he was never a close-combat type.
Mahoraga raised its casserole-sized fist and brought it down.
"Ootengu, help me!"
Dhruv shouted desperately.
Whoosh.
A figure flew through the air like an arrow loosed from a bowstring and landed in front of Dhruv.
Bang.
Ootengu caught Mahoraga's punch.
Mahoraga turned to glance at Ootengu.
Then twisted its wrist, and the Sword of Exorcism slashed down at him.
Ootengu was stunned, its wings stiff from panic.
Boom.
Ootengu unleashed a violent windstorm to propel itself away, narrowly evading the blade.
Another figure appeared behind Mahoraga.
Takako.
She wrapped her arms around Mahoraga's waist from behind and pulled hard.
Mahoraga's body distorted along with space.
Using her Technique, Takako compressed Mahoraga's size in an increasingly twisted form.
Then, placing her hands on the center of the distortion, she unleashed a burst of violent Cursed Energy.
Ugyo Rodan.
Takako's Sky Technique attack.
She used the twisted space to trap her enemy, then shattered both the space and the enemy like fragile ice.
Mahoraga was blasted away like a cannonball.
At some point, Tamamo-no-Mae had also joined the battlefield.
"Mahoraga? So that brat who uses shadows came looking for him..."
She watched with a grim expression as Mahoraga emerged from the pit like a demon god.
Squeak. Squeak.
A black Cursed Spirit emerged beside Ootengu.
Special Grade Cursed Spirit, Kuroi Bokusatsu.
A being born from humanity's fear of cockroaches.
Crunch.
Mahoraga's massive foot crushed the debris underfoot.
Its body fully regenerated, standing firm.
Facing five Special Grades.
(To be continued.)