"That idiot Nanami actually swallowed the Sprite's power!"
The last of the four shouted, contempt dripping from his voice.
"It doesn't matter. As long as you can deal with the rest, go kill the witch's daughter. I'll handle the Miko myself!"
Hayato-san barked the order to his shadowed allies and charged straight at the altar.
The figure known as Ghost smirked at the little girl inside the altar, amused, before lunging at Yume.
"All four are here!"
From atop the giant bird, Raizen's sharp eyes tracked the remaining three. Hayato-san was racing toward Zhige, Ghost was closing in on Yume, Nanami blocked the path ahead, and Misaki-san was dismantling the guard formation. Raizen felt the danger radiating off them and knew he had to intercept the monsters threatening his charges.
He sneered at Nanami, who was barreling toward him, and drew six Flying Thunder God clay constructs. Whispering the subtle incantation, he prepared his counter.
"Look up. Let's end this quickly."
Nanami, eyes wild, charged full force, assuming Raizen was frozen in fear. "It's now!"
With a fluid motion, Raizen hurled a Flying Thunder God at Nanami's torso with his right hand, grabbed a lump of clay with his left, and vanished in a scream.
Huh huh!
Six clay constructs clung to Nanami's legs, arms, chest, head, and wings. Nanami barely noticed the flickering shadows; Raizen had moved his constructs to precisely hit every critical spot. Before she could react, he reappeared atop the giant bird.
"Bye-bye."
With a sharp whistle, Raizen triggered the constructs. Boom! The explosion ripped through Nanami, tearing her body apart in a gruesome spray. Blood misted the air, carried by the wind, filling every nose with the metallic stench of death.
"Nanami!"
The other three froze for a split second, horrified. Misaki-san roared, her water chakra flaring violently. Streams of water shot from her body like a living fountain, twisting and coalescing into a massive sphere. Her grin was feral, her form contorting as Sprite energy warped her into a shark-like monstrosity.
"I'll bury Nanami—and you—with him!" she bellowed.
Water Style · Needle Stitch!
The water sphere surged forward, needle-thin jets slicing the air. Raizen's giant bird dodged nimbly; each jet packed a force that shredded the ground and tore through the remaining guards like a hornet's nest. Misaki-san's fury only grew as Raizen evaded her, spinning her form violently, scattering more piercing jets in all directions.
Thorn~~~~~
Several needles punctured the giant bird and Raizen's armor. For the first time, he felt true pain as the sharp streams nicked his flesh.
"Time to retreat. Sprite energy has limits," Raizen muttered through gritted teeth, forcing his body to vanish with a scream, leaving his constructs behind.
On the ground, Ghost and Hayato-san exchanged worried glances as Misaki-san's attacks slowed, the density of the needles thinning. Two minutes later, her form reverted to her normal appearance, leaving a strange scarlet mark on her face. The Needle Stitch attack finally ceased.