We gathered our gear and fell into formation once more, the damp earth squelching beneath our boots as we pressed deeper into Aokigahara. The sun’s rays barely pierced the thick canopy above, painting shifting patterns of light and dark across the moss-covered roots that snaked over the ground like twisted fingers. I walked at the rear, my hand resting on the hilt of my sword, its crimson-tinged steel feeling warm even through the leather wrap. The weight of it was familiar now, a comfort in the oppressive silence of the forest that seemed to swallow sound whole.
“Tsubasa talking to all units,” came the telepathic voice in our heads, clear as if he were standing right beside us. “Shirou’s picked up a concentration of yomurei trails heading northwest. The detector readings are solid blue, C to C+ rank. Also, there’s a structure deeper in that direction, looks man-made, but we can’t make out details yet. Proceed with caution. Oh, and Shirou says the ground ahead is unstable in places, watch your steps near the ravines.”
“Understood, Irukawa-kun,” Itsuki said aloud, his voice carrying easily despite the forest’s muffling silence. He adjusted his grip on his massive sword, its black blade seeming to drink in what little light there was. “Team East, adjust course to northwest. Stay tight, we don’t know what’s waiting for us there. Maintain ten-meter gaps between teams, keep your detectors handy, and signal immediately if you pick up any rank shifts.”
I glanced up ahead, where Souta walked with his hands tucked into his belt, daggers already half-drawn. Even at rest, he exuded quiet tension, like a coiled spring ready to unleash. His azure tempest energy hummed around him so faintly you’d miss it if you weren’t looking close, making the air ripple slightly whenever he moved. Reina walked beside him, her twin fans folded at her waist, silver filigree catching the sparse light. She ran her fingers over the intricate patterns on the fan surfaces, something I’d noticed she did when she was concentrating. Masato was a few steps ahead, his polearm slung over his shoulder, eyes scanning every shadow as if he could see right through them. His Obsidian Eye was probably already active, picking up traces we’d never notice.
“Kiryu-san,” I called out, quickening my pace to catch up. The ground sloped gently downward here, and I had to steady myself on a tree root to keep from stumbling. “You mentioned earlier you can see things others can’t, have you picked up anything here?”
He turned his head slightly, dark eyes meeting mine. “Kazenagi. The ground here, there are traces of something heavy being dragged through the mud three days ago. Not yomurei, their trails are chaotic, uneven. This was deliberate. Calculated. See the way the earth is compressed? Whatever it was weighed at least a ton, and it was moving slowly, like it was being pulled by something strong enough to carry it but not fast enough to rush.”
I looked down at the earth, seeing nothing but uneven dirt and scattered leaves. The mud was dry now, cracked in places from the sun that rarely reached the forest floor. “How can you tell that from just looking?”
“Obsidian Eye,” he said simply, tapping his temple with one finger. “I can see the residual energy left by movement, like footprints in time. The weight distribution suggests at least two large objects, or one very big one. And there’s something else.” He paused, sniffing the air as if tasting it. “Iron and rot. Not blood, blood has a sharper scent. This is more like rust mixed with decaying plant matter, but wrong somehow. Artificial.”
“Let me check,” Tatsuya said from my left, his voice as calm and even as always. He closed his eyes for a moment, and I could see faint blue sparks dancing along his fingertips, his lightning shin’en reacting to something in the atmosphere. “There’s a charge in the air. Not natural, lightning usually follows moisture patterns, but this is concentrated in pockets, like it’s being stored somewhere. Could be from a yomurei’s shin’en, or whatever that structure is Tsubasa mentioned.”
Ayaka moved to join us, her breath forming small white puffs even in the mild forest air, her ice shin’en kept her body temperature low, which meant she was always cool to the touch when we stood close. “Kasei-san, should we spread out a bit? Cover more ground while staying within support range? The forest is opening up just ahead, we could cover wider without losing sight of each other.”
“Good idea, Sumeragi-san,” Itsuki called back without turning around, his eyes still fixed on the path ahead. “Team Gesshoku take the left flank, Team Kurogane center, Team Sankō right. Maintain ten-meter gaps. If you spot anything, unusual tracks, strange energy, yomurei, signal immediately. Irukawa-kun will relay it to everyone, but having eyes on the ground is better.”
We split as ordered, the forest opening up into a stretch of woodland where the trees were spaced further apart, allowing more light to filter through. Haruto walked at the front of Team Sankō, his sword resting across his shoulders, flames flickering faintly along the blade’s edge as if eager to be let loose. The fire from his shin’en didn’t seem to affect the dry leaves around him, he had perfect control over its intensity, something only advanced Shi-ranks could manage. Aiko and Mina stayed close beside him, Aiko’s posture rigid and ready, her muscles already tensing as if preparing to take hits, while Mina’s body was relaxed but her hands hovered over her short swords, fingers moving in small, practiced motions.
“Ren,” Tatsuya said quietly, his eyes still scanning the trees around us as we walked the left flank. “Your crimson shin’en, when you used Kyomu Danretsu earlier, did you notice anything different? The way the energy interacted with the trees? The charring pattern was unusual, more like it burned from the inside out than from direct contact.”
I thought back to the moment, how the red beam had cut through yomurei like paper, but left the bark charred and cracked in spirals that seemed to follow the tree’s growth rings. “It felt, more intense than usual. Like the energy was hungry for something. I tried to pull it back a bit so I wouldn’t damage the forest too much, but it kept going, like it had a mind of its own. I can’t explain it.”
“Keep an eye on it,” he said, his gaze never wavering from the path ahead. “Elemental shin’en have clear limits based on rank and training, but yours, it’s unpredictable. Could be a strength if you learn to control it, or a danger if you lose your grip on it in a tight spot.”
Before I could respond, a sharp crack echoed through the forest, loud and unnatural, like a tree trunk being split by something far stronger than wind. It was followed a second later by a guttural shriek that made the hair on my neck stand on end, rough and grating like stones being ground together.
“Contact! Three o’clock, fifty meters out!” Haruto’s voice rang out clear and sharp, and I saw flames erupt from his sword as he charged forward, leaving a trail of controlled fire in his wake that burned away dead leaves but left living plants untouched.
“Tsubasa here, multiple yomurei emerging from the undergrowth! Twelve confirmed, all C-rank! More closing in from the north and east, at least eight more moving to flank Team Sankō!”
I drew my sword in one smooth motion, feeling crimson energy surge up my arm, painting the blade in glowing red light that cast my surroundings in an eerie hue. To my left, Tatsuya was already moving, his body leaving trails of blue lightning as he darted from tree to tree, closing the distance in seconds. His speed was incredible, even without using his shin’en to enhance it, he was one of the fastest fighters I’d ever seen.
“Ren, cover the left!” he called out, and I watched as he swung his sword in a wide arc. Lightning crackled along the blade, and a bolt shot out that split into three separate strikes, each one hitting a yomurei that was lunging at Aiko from the side. They convulsed and fell, their bodies dissolving into black smoke, but more were already pouring out of the bushes at the edge of the clearing.
These yomurei were different from the ones we’d fought earlier, taller, standing almost seven feet high, their skin a sickly gray-green that seemed to shift and ripple in the light. They had long claws that glinted like broken glass, curved and sharp enough to slice through wood and metal alike. Their eyes were hollow black pits, but I could see intelligence in their movements, they weren’t just charging blindly. They were working together, flanking us, trying to push us toward the steep drop-off I could see through the trees to our right.
I gripped my sword tighter, focusing on the energy flowing through me. Left side, two coming in low, aiming for my legs to trip me up. One high, going for my head. I need to hit the low ones first, then redirect my momentum upward to catch the third before it can strike. I stepped forward, feeling my body move faster than usual, one of the benefits of my crimson shin’en enhancing my reflexes, and swung horizontally. A red air slash cut through the air with a low hum, slicing through the legs of the two low attackers. They fell with screams that echoed off the trees, but the third leaped over their bodies, claws extended toward my face.
I ducked and spun, bringing my sword up in an upward arc. Red lightning-like energy crackled along the blade as I struck, piercing through the yomurei’s chest. It dissolved into black smoke that smelled of burnt hair and rot, but I didn’t have time to catch my breath, more were coming from behind, their claws scraping against tree bark as they climbed down to cut me off from the rest of the team.
“Ren, behind you!”
I spun around to see Souta landing beside me, his double daggers moving in a blur of silver and blue. Azure tempest energy wrapped around his blades like wind made solid, leaving trails of blue light that cut through three yomurei before they could even raise their claws to attack. He landed lightly on a thick tree root, his movements so fast I could barely follow them, Ha-rank speed was on a whole different level from what we could manage.
“Arashi-san!” I said, catching my breath as I swung my sword to block another yomurei’s attack. The impact sent vibrations up my arm, but the crimson energy reinforced the blade so it didn’t even chip. “Thanks.”
He didn’t respond, just gave a slight nod before moving again, his daggers whirling in a pattern that was both beautiful and deadly. “They’re herding us,” he said, his voice barely audible over the sounds of battle. “See how every attack pushes us closer to the ravine? They want us on unstable ground where we can’t move freely.”
I looked where he was pointing and saw he was right, every time we tried to move left or forward, the yomurei would converge to block us, forcing us slowly but steadily toward the steep drop-off lined with jagged rocks that would break bones if we fell. “We need to break their formation! If we can push through one side, we can get to higher ground where we have the advantage.”
“On it!” Reina’s voice cut through the chaos, and I looked up to see her leaping into the air, twin fans spreading wide like wings. Starlight threads shot out from the edges of the fans, glowing silver and white as they weaved through the air like a spider’s web. They wrapped around a group of five yomurei that were moving to cut off Team Sankō, pinning them to the trees with threads sharp enough to slice through their thick skin. “Kiryu-san, now!”
Masato was already there, his polearm spinning in a perfect circle that created a shield of wind around him. I could see his eyes glowing faintly gold, Obsidian Eye fully active, calculating every angle, every possible movement the trapped yomurei could make. He thrust forward with precise speed, the polearm’s tip piercing through three of them in one clean move, then spun to sweep the legs out from under the other two. “They’re not just herding us, they’re buying time,” he said, pulling his polearm free and spinning it to shake off black smoke. “Whatever’s in that structure Tsubasa mentioned is preparing for something. I can see residual energy from recent rituals, they’ve been gathering here for days, maybe weeks.”
“Team Sankō, fall back to the large oak!” Haruto shouted, his sword sending waves of flame across the ground that formed a wall of fire to block the yomurei’s advance. The flames were hot enough to make the air shimmer, but they stopped exactly at the edge of our formation, never once threatening us. Aiko stepped forward, her body hardening to metal as three yomurei charged her head-on. They swung their claws with enough force to crack stone, but when they struck her skin, sparks flew and their claws shattered into pieces. She didn’t even flinch, just stood her ground as they circled her. “Mina, now!”
Mina moved in fast, her short swords flashing like silver streaks through the air. Her body was soft as silk, letting her dodge the few counterattacks the yomurei managed with fluid grace, while Aiko held them in place. Together, they made a perfect pair, defense and offense working in seamless harmony. Mina sliced through the first yomurei’s neck before it could turn, then spun to take out the second, while Aiko grabbed the third by the arm and threw it back into the wall of fire.
Ayaka joined me and Souta, her hands outstretched as ice spikes shot up from the ground in precise patterns, impaling four more yomurei that were trying to flank us from the left. The spikes were sharp enough to pierce through their tough skin, and they shattered into harmless ice dust when she waved her hand to clear the path. “They just keep coming! How many are there?”
“Tsubasa here, twenty more closing in from the north! And the detector’s shifting, some are B-rank now! Yellow lights on your devices, be careful, these ones have basic shin’en abilities of their own!”
I glanced down at my yomurei detector, sure enough, the steady blue light had faded to a bright yellow, pulsing in time with the energy signatures around us. B-rank yomurei were stronger, faster, and had more powerful attacks than their lower-ranked counterparts. Some could manipulate elements, others had enhanced strength or speed, we couldn’t afford to underestimate them.
“Everyone, tighten up!” Itsuki commanded, moving to the center of our formation and drawing his massive sword fully. The blade gleamed with a silver light that cut through the forest’s gloom, and I could feel the power radiating from him, Sen-rank strength was something else entirely. “I’ll take the front. Gesshoku on my left, Kurogane right, Sankō rear guard! We push through them, don’t let them force us back any further! We need to get to higher ground where we can see what we’re up against!”
Itsuki charged forward first, his sword swinging in a wide arc that released a wave of pure energy. It cut through a dozen yomurei like they were made of paper, and the force of it sent more flying backward into the trees. Behind him, we followed, our formation tight, supporting each other with every step.
Tatsuya moved beside Itsuki, his lightning syncing with the leader’s energy in a way that made their attacks more powerful together. “I’ll clear the left side, my speed will let me hit them before they can react or coordinate their attacks,” he said, and then he was gone, his body becoming a blur of blue light as he darted from tree to tree. He leaped from branch to branch, sword swinging in precise strikes that never wasted movement, each one taking down a yomurei cleanly, without giving others time to adjust their positions. He’s calculating every step, I thought, watching him work while fending off my own attackers. How many targets can he track at once? Where will the next attack come from? He must be mapping out their movements seconds ahead.
Souta was right beside him, his azure tempest making him almost as fast. He spun through the air in tight circles, daggers whirling like a buzzsaw that cut through yomurei while leaving trails of wind that knocked others off balance and into the path of our attacks. “Reina, cover the gaps!” he called out, his voice carrying over the sounds of battle, and she responded immediately, her starlight threads weaving a protective net around our flanks that trapped any yomurei trying to sneak past us.
“Kiryu-san, what do you see?” Reina asked, fanning out more threads to trap a B-rank yomurei that was trying to use wind to blow sand into our eyes. The threads wrapped around its arms and legs, holding it in place while she adjusted her position to cover another gap.
Masato was scanning the entire battlefield, his eyes glowing brighter by the second as his Obsidian Eye worked overtime. “There’s a pattern to their attacks, they’re rotating in waves. Every thirty seconds, a new group comes in from a different direction, and the ones we’re fighting fall back to recover. They’re being coordinated by something, something we can’t see yet, probably hidden in the trees or further back near the structure.” He thrust his polearm forward with pinpoint accuracy, piercing through a yomurei that had gotten too close to Ayaka. “And there’s more behind them, lots more. We can’t keep fighting them all here, we need to break through and find whatever’s controlling them.”
“Haruto!” Ayaka called out, her ice forming a wall to block a wave of fire from a B-rank yomurei with flame shin’en of its own. The fire splashed against the ice wall, turning to steam that obscured our vision for a moment. “Your fire, can you create a diversion? Something big enough to draw their attention away so we can break through?”
“On it!” He raised his sword high above his head, and flames erupted around him in a spiral, growing hotter and brighter until they formed a massive wall of fire that stretched across the entire clearing. The heat was intense enough to make us step back, but Haruto stood firm at its center, controlling every inch of it. “Aiko, Mina, get ready to move when I say so! When I drop the wall, we’ll make our move through the gap on the right!”
Aiko nodded, her body still hardened to metal as she positioned herself at the front of Team Sankō, ready to take any hits that came their way. Mina crouched low beside her, short swords drawn and ready to strike the moment the path opened up. “We’ll take the right side, clear a path through the trees and make sure it’s safe for the others to follow!”
I gripped my sword tighter, feeling crimson energy surge through my body until every muscle felt light and powerful. If we can break through their front line, we can get to higher ground where we can see the structure and plan our next move. But first, I need to take out the strongest ones here so they don’t follow us. I focused all my energy into my blade, watching as it glowed brighter, red particles swirling around me like tiny embers.
The air grew thick with tension as Haruto’s fire wall blazed higher, casting dancing orange shadows across the faces of our enemies. The yomurei hesitated at the intense heat, some stumbling backward as their skin began to smoke and char at the edges. For a brief moment, they broke their formation, their coordinated movements faltering as they turned their attention to the wall of flame that stood between them and their goal of herding us toward the ravine.
“Now!” Haruto roared, and with a sharp downward slash of his sword, he pulled the flames back into a narrow channel that carved a path straight through the center of the enemy lines. The fire rushed forward like a river of heat, consuming every yomurei in its path and leaving a clear corridor through the trees. Aiko charged first, her metal form gleaming in the firelight as she barreled through the gap, knocking aside any remaining enemies who tried to block our way. Mina was right on her heels, her short swords moving so fast they became a silver blur, cutting down targets with precise efficiency.
I charged forward with a burst of speed, swinging my sword in a series of rapid strikes that sent red air slashes cutting through the air. Each one took down a yomurei cleanly, and when a B-rank yomurei leaped at me with claws wreathed in black energy, I was ready. I dodged to the side, letting its momentum carry it past me, then spun and brought my sword down in a vertical strike. Red lightning crackled along the blade as it connected, and the yomurei dissolved into smoke with a shriek that echoed through the forest.
The ground beneath us was uneven here, littered with fallen branches and exposed roots that threatened to trip us as we pushed forward. Tatsuya moved ahead of me, his lightning energy illuminating the path and allowing him to spot hidden obstacles before they could slow us down. He leaped over a particularly large root, then spun in mid-air to send a bolt of lightning into a group of yomurei that were trying to circle around to cut off our advance.
“Ren, look out!” Tatsuya shouted, and I turned just in time to see a massive yomurei, easily B+ rank, with skin like rough stone, charging toward me with a club made of twisted branches and roots. It was at least eight feet tall, and its movements were surprisingly fast for something so large. I braced myself, ready to meet its attack head-on, but Souta was there before I could move.
He leaped onto the yomurei’s back, his daggers glowing with intense azure energy. He drove them into the creature’s shoulders, where the skin was thinnest, then pushed off and flipped through the air as the yomurei roared in pain and swung its club wildly. The weapon crashed into a nearby tree, shattering the trunk into splinters that rained down around us like wooden shrapnel. Tatsuya followed up immediately, his sword striking the creature’s head with a bolt of lightning so powerful it split the stone-like skin and sent the yomurei crashing to the ground.
“Good work, you two!” Itsuki said, cutting through another group of yomurei with his massive sword. The blade moved with incredible speed despite its size, each swing sending shockwaves through the air that knocked smaller enemies off their feet. “Now, push forward! The ravine edge is just ahead, if we can get past it and up the slope on the other side, we’ll have the high ground!”
We moved as one unit, our teamwork growing stronger with every passing second. Ayaka’s ice created temporary bridges over small streams and holes in the ground that would have slowed us down, the frozen surfaces gleaming like crystal under the dappled light. Haruto’s fire kept the yomurei back, creating barriers that gave us space to move while also burning away the thick undergrowth that could have been used as cover by our enemies. Aiko and Mina covered each other flawlessly, Aiko taking hits that would have seriously injured anyone else, Mina striking down enemies before they could recover or regroup.
Reina’s threads trapped yomurei while Masato guided us through the safest path, pointing out unstable ground and hidden traps with his Obsidian Eye. He’d stop occasionally to study the earth or the bark of a tree, his glowing eyes picking up on energy signatures we couldn’t perceive. “There’s a sinkhole just ahead, ten meters to your left,” he called out once, and when we looked where he pointed, we could barely make out the subtle depression in the ground that would have swallowed anyone who stepped on it. “They’ve been setting these up for days, using their energy to weaken the earth from below.”
Souta and Tatsuya moved like a well-oiled machine, taking out threats before they could reach the rest of us. When a group of yomurei tried to climb the trees and attack from above, Souta launched himself into the canopy, his azure tempest carrying him from branch to branch as he cut down enemies with his daggers. Tatsuya stayed below, sending lightning bolts upward to strike any targets that Souta missed, the two of them creating a seamless defense against aerial attacks.
And I used my crimson shin’en to break through the toughest defenses, my sword cutting through even B+ rank yomurei like they were nothing. With each strike, I could feel the energy growing stronger, more responsive to my commands. The earlier feeling of it being “hungry” had faded, replaced by a sense of connection between my mind and the blade, as if we were working together to protect our friends. I swung wide to clear a path for Ayaka, who was struggling to hold back a group of flame-wielding yomurei that were trying to melt her ice barriers. My red air slash cut through three of them at once, giving her the space she needed to reinforce her defenses.
But just as we reached the edge of the ravine, where a narrow dirt path wound up the slope on the other side, the forest around us erupted in chaos.
A deafening roar shook the trees, so loud it made leaves rain down from above and sent vibrations through the ground that made us stumble. The sound was unlike anything we’d heard before, deep and powerful enough to make our bones vibrate in our bodies. From the treeline ahead, a group of yomurei emerged that made my blood run cold. There were at least thirty of them, and their detectors glowed bright yellow, all B to B+ rank. At their head stood three massive creatures, their detectors flashing a steady green that made my heart sink.
“A-rank!” Tsubasa’s voice was tight with worry, and I could tell he was pushing his telepathy to its limits to reach all of us. “Three A-rank yomurei leading the charge! Shirou says there are hundreds more behind them, they’ve been hiding in underground tunnels we couldn’t detect earlier! They’re all moving to cut us off!”
“Everyone, fall back!” Itsuki shouted, but it was too late. The lead A-rank, a massive beast with four arms and skin like solid granite, charged forward, swinging one of its massive arms in a wide arc that sent dirt and rocks flying. The force of the blow was so strong it created a shockwave that knocked several of us off our feet.
I tried to dodge, but the creature’s arm caught me in the side before I could get out of the way, sending me flying through the air. The world spun around me as I crashed into a thick tree trunk, the impact knocking the wind out of me and making my vision blur for a moment. Pain shot through my side as I slid down the rough bark to the ground, my sword still clutched tightly in my hand. When I cleared my head and looked up, I saw Souta and Tatsuya both diving toward me, Souta had been thrown by a second A-rank with wings made of shadow, while Tatsuya had been forced back by a wave of corrosive energy from the third.
“Ren! Are you okay?” Souta landed beside me, his daggers ready, and I could see a deep cut on his bicep that was bleeding steadily. He pressed his hand against it for a moment, and the azure energy around him sealed the wound enough to stop the bleeding, another trick I didn’t know his shin’en could do. His breathing was heavy, and there were scratches across his face and arms from where he’d been struck by the shadow yomurei’s claws.
“I’m fine,” I gasped, pushing myself up and ignoring the pain in my side. My sword was still in my hand, crimson energy flickering weakly as I tried to gather my strength. The world was still spinning slightly, but I forced myself to focus on my surroundings. “Where’s everyone else?”
Tatsuya stood beside us, his sword held steady despite a tear in his jacket and a dark stain on his shoulder that looked like blood. His hair was disheveled, and there was a thin line of blood running from his temple to his jaw, but his eyes were clear and focused as they scanned the chaos around us, taking in every detail. “The A-ranks split us up. Look,” he said, pointing through the trees with his sword.
I followed his gaze and saw the battle had descended into complete disarray. The granite-skinned A-rank had slammed Itsuki into a tree, the impact leaving a massive dent in the trunk, then charged after him as he rolled away into the forest, alone, but still holding his ground with his massive sword ready. Itsuki’s silver energy was flaring bright around him, creating a protective barrier that kept the creature’s blows from landing full force.
To our right, Ayaka was fighting alongside Haruto and Masato, they’d been pushed toward a dense thicket of bamboo that would limit movement but give them cover. Haruto’s flames were creating walls of fire around the thicket, keeping the yomurei from surrounding them completely, while Ayaka’s ice was forming sharp spikes along the ground to slow any attackers who tried to get close. Masato was moving between them, his polearm striking out at targets that managed to break through their defenses, his Obsidian Eye allowing him to anticipate every move the enemies made.
To our left, Reina was trapped in a web of shadow threads, twisted from her own starlight threads by the winged A-rank, with Aiko and Mina fighting desperately to reach her. Aiko’s metal body was covered in scratches and dents from taking hit after hit to get close enough to cut her free, but she never slowed down, pushing forward with relentless determination. Mina was moving around the edges of the shadow web, striking at the threads whenever she saw an opening, her small frame allowing her to dodge the counterattacks that would have hit larger fighters.
More yomurei poured into the gap between us and the others, cutting off any chance of regrouping. They moved with renewed purpose now that the A-ranks had joined the fight, their movements more coordinated than ever before. The granite A-rank let out another thunderous roar and charged toward Itsuki, who was already moving backward in a controlled retreat, his posture never wavering, still the calm, steady leader we’d come to trust completely.
“Reina-san!” I shouted, gripping my sword tighter and preparing to charge forward to help her, but a group of B-rank yomurei cut me off before I could move, their claws glinting as they circled us. They were larger than the ones we’d fought earlier, their skin tougher and their movements more deliberate, clearly trained to act as a unit.
“We can’t get through to them right now,” Tatsuya said, sending a bolt of lightning through two of the circling yomurei. The electricity arced between them, taking down a third before fading away. “We’re being pushed toward the northern part of the forest, away from the others. We need to create some space before they overwhelm us.”
The yomurei closed in tighter, their black eyes fixed on us as they slowly advanced. One of them let out a low growl that rumbled through the ground, and the others followed suit, creating a wall of sound that made it hard to think clearly. I could feel their energy pressing in on us, heavy and oppressive, making it difficult to draw on my own shin’en.
“Arashi-san, can you create an opening?” I asked, swinging my sword to block a claw swipe that would have taken my arm off. The crimson energy flared brighter as I focused, and the blade cut through the yomurei’s claw like it was made of wood. The creature let out a shriek of pain and stumbled backward, giving us a brief moment of space.
“Try to keep up!” Souta said, and then he leaped into the air, azure tempest energy wrapping around his body like a blue tornado. Wind spiraled around him, picking up leaves and dirt and creating a vortex that obscured our enemies’ vision. He spun through the group of yomurei in front of us, his daggers cutting through them all in one fluid motion and clearing a path through the trees. The vortex dissipated as he landed on the other side, already moving deeper into the forest. “Now!”
We ran, our boots pounding against the uneven ground as we followed Souta through the trees. The sounds of battle faded behind us as we were chased by a smaller group of yomurei that had broken off to follow us. Their shrieks echoed through the forest, mixing with the calls of unknown birds and the rustle of leaves in the wind. I glanced back one last time, seeing Ayaka’s ice walls holding firm around her group as Haruto sent waves of fire over the bamboo to keep yomurei back, seeing Reina finally break free of the shadow threads and unleash her starlight threads in a silver explosion that took down half a dozen attackers, seeing Itsuki standing his ground against the granite A-rank, his sword glowing with silver energy as he prepared to strike.
Then we turned a corner into a narrow ravine, and the forest swallowed us whole. The walls of the ravine rose high above our heads, covered in thick moss and hanging vines that blocked out most of the light. The air was cooler here, and the ground was damp and slippery underfoot. The yomurei chasing us suddenly stopped at the entrance to the ravine, letting out frustrated shrieks before turning back toward the main battle, like something had ordered them not to follow us further. We slowed to a walk, leaning against the ravine walls to catch our breath, the silence of the forest heavy around us.
The only sounds were our ragged breathing and the drip of water from the vines above us, each drop landing with a soft plink on the stone floor of the ravine. The air smelled of damp earth and decaying leaves, and somewhere in the distance, we could hear the faint sound of running water.
“We’re split up,” Souta said quietly, cleaning the blood from his daggers on a patch of moss. His voice was flat, but I could see the worry in his eyes as he looked back the way we’d come. The azure energy around him had faded to a faint glow, and he looked exhausted, his movements slower than usual. “Just like they wanted.”
I looked at Tatsuya, who was checking his sword for damage and wiping blood from the blade with a piece of his jacket. He’d already tied a strip of cloth around his shoulder to stop the bleeding, his hands moving with practiced efficiency. He didn’t say anything, but his jaw was tight, his eyes focused on the entrance to the ravine as he listened to the distant sounds of battle, he was thinking the same thing we were. Three of us, alone in an unfamiliar part of the forest, with no way to contact the others except through Tsubasa. And somewhere out there, the rest of our friends were fighting for their lives, with Itsuki facing an A-rank enemy all by himself.
To our right, we could hear the distant sound of bamboo rustling and flames crackling, Ayaka, Haruto, and Masato were still fighting. The fire would be illuminating the thicket, casting long shadows through the tall stalks as they defended their position. To our left, the sharp swish of fans and the clang of metal on claws, Reina, Aiko, and Mina were holding their own, Reina’s starlight threads weaving through the air as she regained control of her abilities. And further back, the crash of stone and steel, Itsuki was still standing against the granite beast, each clash of their weapons sending shockwaves through the forest.
We were completely separated now. I with Souta and Tatsuya; Ayaka with Haruto and Masato; Reina with Aiko and Mina; Itsuki alone against impossible odds. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the forest floor and painting the sky in shades of orange and red that matched the glow of my sword. The light that filtered into the ravine was growing dim, and soon we’d be fighting in near darkness if we had to move again.
Somewhere in the heart of Aokigahara, whatever had coordinated this attack was waiting, and we had no way to warn each other of what was coming next. As I looked at my two companions, their faces grim with determination despite their exhaustion, I knew we couldn’t stay hidden in this ravine forever. We had to find a way to regroup with the others, to help them face the A-rank threat that had been unleashed against us. But first, we needed to rest, to heal our wounds, and to prepare for whatever came next in this forest of shadows.
