Raizen steered the giant bird through the skies, carrying Yume toward Numa Country. The guardians who had remained in the Miko Village followed the trail Raizen had deliberately left, and the hidden siblings, Hayato-san and Misaki-san, tracked the same false signals. What they didn't know, however, was that Raizen and Yume were flying high above them. Manipulating the clay bird required minimal chakra, making the journey far faster than any foot or horseback pursuit. What would have taken days on land was now completed in just over a day.
The witch's guards, unable to locate Raizen and Yume, deduced that some form of concealment was in play. Their captain, along with Ren, decided to go directly to the Sealed Land in Numa Country to wait for Miko-sama. No matter how clever Raizen's tactics, the Miko would eventually be found.
Meanwhile, Hayato-san and Misaki-san, frustrated by repeated failures, tapped into the Sprite-bestowed power they had been hoarding. The trip that should have taken two or three days was cut in half—they were determined to reach the Sealed Land before Raizen and Yume could complete the sealing.
Finally, Raizen set down the giant bird at the edge of Numa Country's Sealed Land. Yume dismounted, gazing at the cave where the Sprites were trapped. Her fists clenched; this was the place where her mother's life had ended and where her own fate would be tested.
"Yume, be careful!" Raizen called, pulling a Flying Thunder God kunai from his bag and pressing it into her hands.
"If there's danger, call my name. I'll appear instantly! Remember—call my name if anything happens!"
"Okay!" Yume gripped the kunai, determination burning in her eyes, and sprinted toward the cave. Raizen remained at the entrance, ready to intercept any threat.
Inside, Yume placed the Guardian Monument on the ground and inhaled deeply. She closed her eyes, recalling the spells and chakra imprints her mother had painstakingly taught her. When she opened them again, light radiated from her body. Her lips moved in rapid chant, and symbols of sealing appeared in her hands as if etched by the air itself.
"Om…"
The Guardian Monument trembled violently. With Yume's seals completing, the Sprites trapped within began to stir. Evil chakra surged toward her, but Yume's protective barrier flared into existence, surrounding both her and the cave, keeping the threat contained.
"The fate between you and my mother ends here!" she declared, her voice steady despite the weight of grief and responsibility. A flicker of pain crossed her eyes as memories of her mother's death surfaced.
A mocking laugh echoed. "You're still too young. Even sealed by the barrier, you've missed something. I am not alone…"
From the shadows, Hayato-san and Misaki-san emerged, eyes blazing with malice. Despair flashed in Yume's heart—she had calculated every step and believed the sealing was complete, yet she hadn't accounted for these hidden enemies.
"Miko! Five years ago, you refused to wield the Sprites' power. Now, after five years, it will finally belong to us!" Hayato-san sneered, slamming Yume into the ground with a surge of chakra. Pain exploded through her body as she landed hard, kunai clattering from her grasp.
Tears welled in her eyes. The sealing she had fought for, the life her mother had sacrificed to protect, seemed undone. She remembered Raizen's warning, hesitated—her instincts told her to call for him—but the vision in her mind showed him falling to these enemies. She couldn't risk his life.
"I can't just rely on someone else," she whispered, grit hardening in her voice. "I have to do something that proves I'm worthy!"
Clutching the Guardian Monument, Yume activated the Flying Thunder God seal she had carried, releasing a surge of chakra that radiated outward, suppressing the enemies in the cave. The sheer, untamed power startled Hayato-san and Misaki-san alike—and even Raizen, stationed at the entrance, felt the tremor of her energy ripple through the air.
The battle for the Sealed Land had only just begun.