"Show yourself!" I yelled, gripping my weapon tightly, ready for whatever was coming.
"Please be patient, my dear guests..." the mysterious voice echoed around us, calm yet menacing.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and the unmistakable sound of massive footsteps grew closer. Emerging from the shadows, five enormous ice monsters appeared, similar to the one we'd fought earlier. Atop the head of the largest beast sat a man draped in a flowing blue cloak, his eyes glowing with an unnatural light.
"Fall into despair... for I, the one you sought to hunt, will now be the hunter," the man said, his voice dripping with malice.
The sight of the massive creatures caused my stomach to churn, but I quickly forced myself to focus. Holding back wasn't an option anymore.
"Kitsune, we can't mess around this time. We have to go all out," I said, shifting my weapon into scythe form.
Kitsune smirked, her nine tails swaying with anticipation. "You don't have to tell me twice."
"Claws of the Thunder God" she chanted, summoning her manifestation, a claw with a burst of purple lightning that crackled through the air, illuminating the battlefield.
I turned to Himeko, who was frozen with fear. Her trembling hands clutched Yuki, and her wide eyes darted between the towering ice beasts.
"Nishi!" I called. "Get Himeko and the others out of here. Take them back to the camp now!"
"Understood!" Nishi responded immediately. She, Mitsushi, and Yoshi surrounded Himeko, forming a protective shield of wind as they guided her to safety.
As soon as they were out of range, I activated my Spirit Arts.
"Spirit Arts: The Fate Foretold"
My eyes glowed white, granting me the ability to alter and foresee events in the immediate future.
"It's truly an honor to face such legendary opponents," the man said mockingly from atop his monstrous summons. "My name is Azkadha. Shall we begin?"
Azkadha summoned a volley of ice spears that rained down toward us.
"Kitsune, block it!"
"Claws of the Thunder God: Dimension Breaker"
She swung her claws at the incoming ice spears, destroying all of them in an instant and leaving massive fissures of space time on the air.
"These shabby attacks of yours won't work on us..." Kitsune boasted.
"Then try blocking this..."
Azkadha ordered his five giant ice monsters to attack us.
"Claws of the Thunder God: Heavenly Lightning"
Lightning bolts fell from the sky, striking the monsters and reducing them to frozen shards.
I stepped forward. It was time for me to contribute.
"Fate Alter: Pocket Timeline—Ice monsters won't regenerate," I chanted, forming a glowing dome over the battlefield.
"This cheat skill of yours again, huh... Misaki," Kitsune teased, smirking at me.
But my grin faded as I saw the shattered monsters starting to regenerate.
"It looks like these monsters were created by Azkadha's manifestation..." I said to Kitsune. "I can't change the course of anything directly tied to another's manifestation."
"It seems you understand my power well...." Azkadha said smugly.
"You... where did you get the manifestation you're using?" I demanded.
"It's a gift... a precious gift from my Master...."
Master? It seemed this guy was working for someone. At least I was relieved that the manifestation he wielded wasn't mine. I wouldn't be able to handle the guilt if the weapon he used to kill Nishi's parents had come from me.
But whoever his master was, they had to be powerful.
"Oh? Bragging about your shabby manifestation, aren't we?" I said, smirking.
"I'll make you destroy it."
"Huh?" he said with a curious look.
"Pocket Timeline rule: Azkadha will destroy his manifestation."
"Why would I destroy my—"
Before he could finish, his body moved against his will. He pulled out a wand, its top glowing with icy crystals.
It is such a shame to destroy a rare manifestation... I might sell it on high price..
"No! Stop this!" he screamed as his hands smashed the wand into the ground, shattering it into pieces.
The ice monsters fell one by one, their power extinguished along with the wand.
"Fall into despair, because you dared to mock us... ancient spirits," Kitsune said arrogantly.
Azkadha's face was painted with hopelessness.
"Misaki, why didn't you just command him to kill himself?" Kitsune asked curiously.
"Because my Pocket Timeline isn't allowed to kill anyone... in accordance with the God of Death's law."
"God of Death?"
"Yes. Anyone who dies inside my Pocket Timeline, their soul will be trapped here forever. That goes against the God of Death's rules since he needs all souls to move on and reincarnate."
"And if you disobey?"
"I'll die..."
"I'm removing the Pocket Timeline. Hurry up and kill him," I demanded to Kitsune.
But as soon as I lifted the spell, a vision of the future flashed before me. In mere seconds...
Kitsune would lose her head.
"Fate Alter: Fate Revision"
"KITSUNE! HIDE BEHIND ME!" I shouted unconsciously
I cast a protective spell immediately.
"Fate Alter: Pocket Timeline rule—no attacks will hit us."
A translucent dome enveloped us just as a massive attack slammed into it, shattering the ground around us but leaving us unharmed.
"As expected of my rivals, huh?" said a deep, sinister voice. "To think you could avoid my strike..."
The voice was colder than the ice monsters we had just fought. It seemed to come from the depths of hell itself.
"My... my lord!" Azkadha stammered, trembling.
"Lord?" the voice growled with disdain. "You are nothing but a failure."
Before I could react, Azkadha's head was severed cleanly. His lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
"What just happened?!" I shouted, panic creeping into my voice.
"Misaki," Kitsune said, her voice tense. "I'm calling my daughters. We need to retreat. Now."
I didn't argue. Whoever this was, we weren't ready to face them.
As we turned to flee, the oppressive aura grew heavier, suffocating us with its malice.
"Kitsune," I whispered, my voice trembling. "That wasn't just anyone, was it?"
"No," she said grimly, her expression dark. "That was one of the Six Retainers of Hell."