The Kijin tore one arm free from Yukihime's ice.
The frozen spikes shattered in every direction.
Chunks of blue-white ice rained down across the battlefield, striking the ruined road and broken gate with enough force to crack stone. Soldiers below raised shields over their heads while shinobi pulled wounded civilians farther into Minami Kyoto's inner streets.
The Kijin's roar shook the city.
Its empty eyes moved between Nathan, Shiina, and Yukihime.
Three figures stood before it.
Nathan held Kusanagi in his right hand, its divine blade casting gold, green, and blue reflections across the snow. Dark magic flowed around his body in slow waves, threaded with the golden aura Amaterasu had left within him.
Shiina stood several steps to Nathan's left.
Her armor was gone. Her dark blue hair was loose and disheveled around her shoulders. The kimono beneath it was torn and stained, and blood marked the cuts across her arms and cheek.
Yet her blue katana remained steady.
