When Retsu and Arashi joined forces, it wasn't simply a matter of one riding atop the other. Their attacks became one, amplifying their strength twofold.
"This won't do—I need to find a way to separate them!"
Compared to her earlier battles against single Guardian Blades, Mei now faced genuine trouble.
Tom, overhearing Mei's words, scratched his head before casually pulling a lasso out from behind his back.
He threw it leisurely toward the shadowy figures.
The lasso drifted steadily through the air at an easy-going pace. Though the shadows had no idea what it was, they instinctively evaded it.
The wolf-like shadow immediately bolted, triggering Arashi's immense speed, and landed elsewhere in an instant.
Mei shook her head slightly at the sight.
As expected, she'd have to trap them within a tight space to restrict their movements and separate them effectively.
But doing that would demand exhausting effort. She'd initially planned to conserve her strength for the battle with Owari, but it seemed she had little choice now.
Mei gripped Hajime tightly, preparing a barrage of blood-red sword strikes to seal the enemy's movements.
Yet, at that very moment, the lasso made an impossibly sharp turn, returning from behind with uncanny precision, positioning itself even closer above the shadowy figures.
The wolf-shadow darted again—but the lasso pursued relentlessly, stretching endlessly across the sky, weaving a dense web.
Finally, as the wolf-shadow leaped through midair, the lasso suddenly tightened around its neck, yanking both shadows sharply downward.
Mei stared in astonishment, unable to comprehend Tom's logic-defying methods—but she knew she couldn't waste this opportunity.
"I'll finish off Retsu first! Tom, keep Arashi tied up with that rope for a while—I'll be back quickly!"
Tom gave a quick nod, securing the rope's other end to a nearby protruding rock. He then rolled up his sleeves, revealing furry arms, and dramatically drew a rapier from behind his back before charging fiercely at the wolf-shadow.
Panicked, the wolf-shadow tried fleeing again—but immediately reached the rope's limit, freezing comically midair before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
Tom instantly appeared in front of it. Despite lacking flashy powers, Swordsman Tom boasted peerless fencing skills.
In seconds, the wolf-shadow gripping Arashi was scrambling in panic. Cornered, it unleashed dozens of rapid wind blades, slicing Tom neatly into five separate chunks.
Yet each chunk instantly became a tiny Tom, each wielding miniature rapiers, wildly attacking the shadow from every angle, stabbing relentlessly as wisps of black mist scattered.
The wolf-shadow frantically leaped into the sky again, this time staying just within the lasso's maximum reach. It shook violently, throwing off all but one of the tiny Toms.
Four of the little Toms landed conveniently atop one another, quickly merging back into Tom's original form. But the fifth tiny Tom missed its landing slightly, tumbling aside.
Standing up, dazed, the little Tom noticed its larger counterpart lying on the ground, eyes shut. It glanced toward Yevenko's direction, broke into a broad grin, waved enthusiastically at the audience, and blew a farewell kiss.
Then, with determination, it dashed toward the larger Tom, pulled open a zipper that suddenly appeared on the bigger Tom's belly, and climbed inside.
A moment later, a tiny paw emerged, blindly searching for the zipper handle before finally pulling it closed from the inside.
In the blink of an eye, the zipper vanished, and Tom leaped upright, fully restored.
Looking up at the airborne wolf-shadow, Tom swung his rapier a few times experimentally, finding he couldn't reach. He glanced around thoughtfully.
In a flash, Tom vanished off-screen and returned with a long pole. Taking a running start, he planted it into the ground, vaulting confidently upward.
Realizing the plan was working, Tom grinned smugly, showcasing eight gleaming teeth.
Holding the pole with one paw and brandishing the rapier dramatically in a flying pose, he aimed straight for the shadowy wolf.
But in the next moment—
He realized too late the pole was slightly too short, narrowly missing the wolf-shadow and soaring helplessly past.
CRASH—!!
Tom slammed violently into the ground, creating a perfect Tom-shaped crater. His rapier ended up shoved into his mouth, its tip grotesquely bulging out the back of his head.
Grumbling angrily, Tom sat upright in the crater, fingers rhythmically tapping its edge like piano keys while pondering his next move.
Moments later, he decisively whipped out a revolver from behind his back, aiming it skyward and furiously blasting away.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Watching this spectacle, Yevenko nodded approvingly.
"As expected of Tom! After just a few sword moves, he's already grasped the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Truly, he's become the Sword Saint of Ashina."
Having recovered slightly thanks to Yevenko's Path of Trailblaze easing her pain, Nuan watched Tom's antics with bright eyes and cheerful laughter, applauding enthusiastically.
"Wow!"
"This is so much fun! Is Tom really a doll filled with lots of smaller cats inside, holding him up?"
"Hahaha, how did Tom miscalculate his jump and miss that doggy shadow? Come on, Tom, you can do it!"
Seeing Nuan's innocent joy, Yevenko smiled warmly, gently patting her head.
With the wolf-shadow finally crashing to the ground, the battle neared its conclusion. Soon, they'd confront Owari itself.
Yevenko took Nuan's hand, walking toward the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Raiden Mei paid little attention to Tom's chaos, focusing intently on her battle with Retsu.
At this point, the humanoid shadow wielding Retsu had surrounded itself with relentless flames, making approach nearly impossible. Any contact meant flames that refused to extinguish.
Mei could only maintain distance, forced into an exhausting stalemate.
Just then, Tom ran in swiftly, carrying a bucket. He tossed it dramatically, sending it spinning perfectly onto the shadow's head, instantly dousing the raging flames with a splash of water.
Steam erupted everywhere, clouding the area.
Mei froze momentarily, stunned that the supposedly inextinguishable flames were somehow snuffed out by plain water.
Without hesitation, Tom charged forward wielding a baseball bat, leaped onto the shadow's shoulder, and vigorously hammered the bucket downward.
Duang! Duang! Duang! Duang!
With each strike, the shadow sank progressively lower, driven into the ground until only the bucket remained visible.
Finally satisfied, Tom stopped.
The next moment, a long, pink, swollen bump burst comically upward through the bucket, rising absurdly into the air.
Raiden Mei: "…?"