Sword slashes appear out of thin air. One by one they jam themselves into the creature's face. But they do not cut. Instead, the creature's body warps like a rubber balloon and is only beaten back slightly. But it's enough for The Batter to break away from it. Someone opens the car door and drags her out into the street.
"What the hell is that?" Kasai's voice is surprisingly pleasant to listen to when she's not nagging.
"I– I don't know." The Batter tries to get up but her legs are shaking too badly. "We need to get to the gate."
"Yeah."
"Right now."
"Yeah."
The thing lifts its head out of the car wreck and stares at the two. That's motivation enough for The Batter to pull herself together and stand on her own two feet. "RUN!"
"I KNOW, I KNOW!"
Both The Batter and Kasai break into a dead sprint, dashing into the narrow stone pathway carving through the dense forest. Their dexterity is put to the test as they step from stone to stone, knowing full well that the smallest slip spells a horrible death. In contrast, the creature simply barrels through the forest, brute strength crushing swathes of bamboo in its path.
Kasai peeks over her shoulder just in time to realize that the beast is lunging. She jumps out of the way. One of the thing's fangs grazes her shirt's sleeve, tearing it along with a scrap of her skin.
"Kasai!"
"I'm fine! Keep running!"
The smell of the great seal gets stronger and stronger until finally, they see it. Up ahead, at the end of the path is a large torii gate as tall as the bamboo surrounding it. The Batter is the first to reach it.
"「Taijutsu - Special Homerun!」"
Her bat is enveloped in blue flame as she smashes it against the seal. There's a sonorous toll like a humongous bell being struck. But it doesn't even crack.
"「Taijutsu - Special Homerun!」"
She can feel her heart pounding in her throat. Her bat nearly slips from her hand because of the sweat. Every single hair on her arms stand on end.
"「Taijutsu - Special Homerun!」"
But after everything, the seal does not budge. Again and again and again, she slams her bat against the seal, demanding for it to break.
Then finally, she feels it, the tiniest of gives. She lifts her bat to reveal a sliver of a crack– as if she scratched it with her fingernail. It's almost like it's laughing at her. She doesn't feel like crying– no, she's way past that point. It's over. This is as far as her determination can get her. She hears the rumble of the creature coming closer rapidly become less and less distant.
"HAAAAAAAAA–!" But Kasai enters the picture. She stabs her blade into the tiny crack.
"Come on." Little by little, she forces the blade to slide deeper and deeper into the seal. "Come on!"
"「Taijutsu - Special Homerun!」" The Batter swings, using her bat and Kasai's blade as hammer and nail. Suddenly, the once fingernail-wide crack grows into a fissure that splits the seal in two. The magic symbol fades away into a purple miasma. Kasai wastes no time, stepping through the gate and into the spirit realm. From The Batter's perspective, it's as though Kasai spontaneously vanished. She pays no mind to where this leads, right now, she just needs to get out of here. The Batter leaps through the gate. The creature's hot breath on her back disappears. Then the world goes dark.
First, there is nothing but the darkness and herself. Then, her memories begin flooding back. Endless battles, birthdays spent alone, blazing gunfire, and that creature's face. Her eyes shoot open to behold a dark, starless sky. There's a warm glow at the edge of her vision. She groans as she drags herself back onto her feet, sands smoother than silt– dust, shifting beneath her. The only light here comes from what seems to be a brightly lit village in the distance. It looks almost like a donut, with a single exceptionally large building at its very center.
"What the hell was that thing?" Someone stumbles into her view– Kasai.
"I… don't know. It was in the sky, waiting for me."
"Are we safe?"
"Yeah… I don't think it can follow us here. Or at least, I hope it can't." The Batter groans as she sits back down, her shaky legs betraying her. "How long have you been following me?"
"From the very beginning."
"Christ, you're persistent." The Batter shakes her head.
"I just… I know that you're right. I know this is all my fault. But I'm not just here to save my sister. I want to fix what I've broken. In whatever little way I can, I want the chance to atone for my sins." Kasai walks over to where The Batter is sitting and extends a helping hand. "So please, I know it's a lot to ask but I beg you, let me have that chance."
"...Fine. You saved my life back there, you've earned your right to be with me on this. I owe you this much, at least." The Batter looks at Kasai's hand for a moment before pushing it away. "But let me be clear, don't think for even one second that I'm your friend."
"That's fine with me."
"Good. Then let's get to work." The Batter grunts as she gets up.
"I guess we can start by getting to that village in the distance." Kasai squints at the nexus of light.
"I can smell that it's infested from yokai even from all the way here. You really want to just waltz into a place like that?"
"What else can we do?"
"I guess you're right."
Heaving a pair of deep sighs, the two make the lengthy trek towards the light. Like moths to a flame.