Shinjin Lake.
On the shimmering surface of the water, a small altar resembling a kagura dance platform floated.
It was a simple wooden structure made by connecting small boats together.
On the altar stood Kuraki Shirona, with Haba Yuiri and Hikawa Shio behind her, while Akatsuki Hisano stood guard with a naginata at the ready.
Upon closer inspection, Shirona was dressed in shrine maiden robes, while Yuiri and Shio each carried a girl in their arms.
Yuiri held Nagisa.
Shio held Avrora.
Both girls were deep in slumber, also clad in shrine maiden attire. Their expressions were far from peaceful—instead, they seemed troubled, as if haunted by nightmares or weighed down by sorrow.
Before long, Azama Tatsumi and Okiyama Mitsue arrived at the altar with a squad of Attack Mages.
"Lady Kuraki, Priestess Akatsuki."
Azama bowed respectfully to Shirona and Hisano.
"Special Officer Azama."
Shirona and Hisano turned their attention to him.
The three represented different factions.
Shirona stood for the Lion King Agency.
Hisano represented the local forces.
Azama was the voice of the Self-Defense Forces.
Yet, at this moment, they had to cooperate to resolve the crisis at Shinjin Lake.
Among them, Shirona held the highest status.
"It seems you are prepared, Special Officer Azama."
Shirona smiled leisurely, her tone unhurried. Despite appearing the youngest of the three—even among all present—she carried the presence of an elder, an odd yet undeniable aura.
Azama, however, showed no discomfort. Instead, he treated her with the deference due to a senior.
"Yes. We are ready to assist with the ritual at any time."
His response was firm.
"What is the status of the Black Shell?"
Hisano finally interjected.
"The situation is not optimistic." Azama's expression tightened. "Its activation rate is accelerating. According to calculations, the seal will exceed critical thresholds in less than two hours. What happens after that... no one can predict."
"I see." Hisano nodded. "Then we must act quickly."
"Indeed." Shirona's tone remained relaxed, but her gaze sharpened as she looked toward the center of the lake. "After all, calamity will not wait for us."
At her words, Hisano, Yuiri, and Shio all turned their attention to the lake's depths.
As spiritualists, they could sense what ordinary people could not.
A black mass pulsed beneath the water.
Its irregular, shifting shell resembled a membrane sealing immense magical energy.
Inside, a suppressed force reverberated like a balloon on the verge of bursting.
Unmanned underwater drones circled it like submarines guarding a sunken ruin, their surveillance meticulous.
According to the agreement, the Kamioda Shrine was responsible for preparing the ritual and gathering intelligence, while the Lion King Agency would conduct the ceremony and handle the aftermath. The Self-Defense Forces would serve as the defensive line, surrounding the lake to intercept any threats and monitor the Black Shell.
Thus, the perimeter of Shinjin Lake was tightly secured by armed troops, their vehicles stationed nearby, and helicopters hovering overhead, casting an air of tension over the water.
Everything was in place.
"Let us begin, Yuiri, Shio."
Shirona wasted no more time, her expression turning solemn as she spoke.
"Yes!"
Yuiri and Shio responded with tense voices, then carried Nagisa and Avrora to the center of the altar, laying them down like offerings before the lake.
"Nagisa..."
Hisano gazed at her granddaughter's sorrowful face, her eyes clouded with guilt.
"So that is the rumored No. 12?"
Azama stared intently at Avrora, his expression grim.
Shirona, too, looked at the two girls, her voice softening.
"Forgive me for dragging you into this. But we have no other choice. We will make amends afterward—I hope you can forgive this old woman."
With those words, she stepped forward before the altar.
"Yuiri."
"Understood."
Yuiri and Shio tensed, gripping their silver greatsword and Western-style longbow respectively.
"Hmph."
Hisano also stepped forward, raising her naginata, ready to strike at any moment.
"First Lieutenant Okiyama, order all units to be on high alert. If enemies appear, they are authorized to eliminate them on sight."
Azama issued his command.
"Yes, sir!"
Okiyama lifted her communicator and retreated.
"Then... let us begin."
Shirona closed her eyes, forming a hand seal as she chanted an arcane incantation.
"Gleam—!"
The altar shone with light, and enormous magic circles spread across the water's surface, centered around the platform.
"Gleam—!"
Nagisa and Avrora's bodies also began to glow.
Spiritual energy and magical power intertwined like twin streams of vapor, merging into a single pillar of light before unraveling into countless ethereal threads.
"Go."
Shirona pointed toward the lake's depths.
Guided by her will, the threads stretched toward the Black Shell, ensnaring it like a spider's web.
"Bzzzt—!"
The shell trembled violently.
And the tremors only grew stronger.
"Crack—!"
Suddenly, fissures spiderwebbed across its surface.
"What?!"
Shirona's eyes snapped open in alarm.
Not just her—Hisano, Yuiri, and Shio all paled.
As spiritualists, they could all see it.
The Black Shell, infused with Nagisa's spiritual energy and Avrora's magical power, had not stabilized.
Instead, it had reached its breaking point.
And from within the cracks—shadows surged forth.
Monstrous figures with iron-gray bodies and compound eyes.
"No!"
Shirona shouted in warning.
"Fall back—!"
But it was already too late.
"BOOM—!"
With an earth-shaking explosion, the surface of Shinjin Lake erupted.
Countless monsters surged forth, their shrieks piercing the sky as they emerged into the open air.
Shinjin Lake had been overrun.
And chaos descended.