It possessed long, slender, jet-black limbs that gripped the flooded ground like some grotesque, four-legged beast. Its unnaturally elongated torso towered high into the rain, draped on every side by thick, slick black hair that hung like a wet shroud.
Its face remained completely featureless—a blank, smooth slate like the lesser spirits before it—save for two massive, twisted ox horns that burst from the hairline, curving menacingly toward the sky.
'Mmm... Gabimaru...' Shion thought to herself, her eyes flicking toward him for a fraction of a second. 'The sheer volume of Reiryoku radiating from him is incredible. It seems he's grown exponentially stronger in such a short span... I wonder what trial he endured while we were separated.'
Before her thoughts could settle, the creature moved.
It tilted its horned head with an eerie, sickening snap. In an instant, the dense blood barrier Gabimaru had raised to hold back the flood simply dissolved, allowing a wall of raging water to surge down the narrow alleyway.
Without exchanging a single word, Shion and Gabimaru leaped into action as one. Shion scooped up the young boy into her arm while Gabimaru grabbed the little girl, both launching themselves clear of the torrent just as the floodwaters slammed into the stone where they had stood a heartbeat prior.
"Huuhh—?!" Shion gasped softly, glancing down at the trembling boy in her arm. 'This child...'
She couldn't dwell on the thought for long. The black floodwaters rose violently beneath them, threatening to engulf the alleyway completely.
With a quick flick of her wrist, Shion hurled the bone hairpin high toward the upper brick wall and leaped upward after it. To an ordinary observer, it appeared as though the hairpin were magically pulling her through the air; in reality, she had woven a razor-thin strand of shadow thread onto the pin, using it as a winch to launch herself and the boy clear of the surging current.
Beside her, Gabimaru manipulated the pooling blood, snapping his fingers to form small, condensed platforms under his feet to vault higher into the air with the young girl held securely against his chest.
'Damn it all! My blood is getting washed away by that water,' Gabimaru cursed inwardly. 'It seems that entity's aura has the ability to disrupt the flow of Reiryoku around it. Tch... what a troublesome enemy.'
Suddenly, the massive Shimenawa ropes ripped entirely free from the shrine walls. Spurred by the spirit's dark presence, they lashed upward into the downpour like striking vipers, aiming to bind both Shion and Gabimaru. But Gabimaru kicked off another blood platform at the last possible second, ascending just high enough for the ropes to miss them entirely and shatter against the wet brickwork below.
Back in the village square, after the children were safely delivered to their families, the massive white Shikigami that Gabimaru had conjured suddenly dissolved, melting down into the cobblestones as pure, fading Reiryoku.
The villagers froze, staring in total confusion.
"Ha—?!" The crowd looked among themselves, whispers rippling through the guards and parents alike.
"They... they just vanished! Were they real to begin with?! What's going on... I hope those young warriors are alright!"
In that very same breath, the two Shikigami materialized out of thin air beside Gabimaru, their white forms tearing through the downpour in a burst of light.
"Huh—?!"
Shion gasped. Shadow-laced Reiryoku swirled violently around her body as she instinctively shifted her stance, readying a lethal counter-strike against the sudden entities.
"Calm down, they're allies!" Gabimaru roared over the storm before she could release her blade.
Recognizing his command, Shion slowly lowered her stance, her sharp gaze snapping back to lock onto the ox-horned beast towering ahead of them.
"You—over here!" Gabimaru barked at the giant avian.
The bird heeded his call instantly, sweeping its massive white wings to hover beside him. With swift precision, Gabimaru placed the trembling young girl securely onto the creature's broad back.
"Shion! Place him on here as well!" Gabimaru called out, holding out his arm as the giant white bird hovered steadily between them.
Without a word, Shion nodded. But just as she prepared to set the young boy atop the creature's back alongside the girl, a soft, trembling voice broke the silence.
"Hey... big sister," the boy whimpered, looking up into Shion's eyes with a small, peaceful smile. "Will my little sister be safe now?"
Though Shion wanted to speak, the curse on her voice held her back; she simply gave him a warm, earnest nod.
"Huuu... That's great," the boy murmured, his smile broadening as he turned his eyes toward the little girl on the bird. "I can finally go now... seeing how she's safe."
He reached out a fading hand. "Kuna... have a wonderful life. Say hello to Mother for me..."
Gabimaru and Shion's eyes widened in horror. Before their very eyes, the boy's body began to rapidly deteriorate, crumbling away into pale, glowing dust that scattered into the storming wind.
"Ha—?!" both Gabimaru and Shion gasped in total shock.
The little girl looked back at the drifting ash, tears welling in her eyes, though a strange, gentle acceptance washed over her face.
"Thank you for everything, Big Brother..." Kuna whispered softly into the rain.
Without waiting for a command, the white Shikigami flapped its massive wings, ascending into the night sky to carry Kuna to safety.
'Tch... so my instincts were right. That boy was long dead,' Shion thought, her jaw tightening as she watched the last glowing particles of ash dissolve into the downpour. 'His soul lingered in this realm solely to save his sister... How remarkable that he remained here without turning into a vengeful spirit. It's unlike anything I've ever seen.'
Her thoughts were cut short as the entity unleashed an ear-splitting screech. The soundwave vibrated through the alleyway, shaking the floodwaters until they swelled into churning columns.
The water boiled and twisted, forming liquid arms that reached upward to drag them down. But before the torrent could swallow them, Gabimaru's white stag charged through the air. Encased in a brilliant aura, the beast slammed into the rising wave, shattering its form and sending torrents splashing harmlessly back to the stone below.
With their minds finally freed from protecting the children, Shion and Gabimaru surged forward as one.
Gabimaru's focus was razor-sharp. Behind the monster, where the spirit's aura had not yet disrupted the air, he condensed a heavy, dense sphere of blood. With a violent burst, the sphere shot forward like a cannonball, piercing straight through one of the creature's black limbs.
Simultaneously, Shion channeled shadow energy through the bone hairpin in her grip, expanding it into a sweeping, razor-thin scythe. With a blinding flash, her blade severed the entity's remaining arm. Off-balance and crippled, the towering abomination crashed heavily onto the flooded ground.
As Shion landed gracefully on the far side, her eyes softened with solemn resolve. 'I know the immense burden of resentment you carry... Allow me to set your soul free.'
Opposite her, Gabimaru's eyes burned with fierce, unyielding fury, his fingers instantly snapping into a final hand seal. 'You vile beast... You've brought so much agony to this village. I'm putting an end to you right here!'
Side by side, the two warriors stood in the pouring rain—bound by a single purpose, yet carrying their own distinct feelings into the final strike.