Kirashi forced his eyes open, his vision swimming. Kara was still suspended in the air, a small figure trapped in the massive Seele's grip.
The beast's hand was clamped tight around her neck, but she wasn't screaming. She was straining against the pressure, her face flushed but her gaze intense.
"Kirashi-san! Take the letter!"
"Letter...?"
Kirashi's mind snapped back into focus.
"The Seele!"
He gritted his teeth, the sound of grinding bone echoing in his ears as he forced his broken body upward.
"I have to take it down."
Raising his right hand, he channeled every ounce of remaining strength into a powerful blast of wind aimed directly at the Seele's head. The air shrieked, but the impact was muffled.
"That did nothing..."
Kirashi gasped.
The Seele turned its attention toward him. Its grip on Kara loosened slightly, but it still held her body like a trophy.
"Kirashi-san! Take it!"
Kara shouted, raising the small envelope and letting it drop.
"Windgott-sama wants you to protect that. It's 'special' to him!"
Nearby, Itoshi finally stirred.
"Shit... my head..."
He sat up, clutching his temple as the world stopped spinning.
Then he saw her.
"Kara!"
With no hesitation, he ignited his heels, ready to rush the beast.
"Itoshi! Wait!"
Kirashi barked.
Itoshi skidded to a halt, his flames flickering in confusion.
"Kirashi! We have no time!"
"Wait!"
Kirashi prevailed, his voice steady despite the pain.
"Look at it."
Itoshi turned his head, his brow furrowed in a mix of rage and doubt.
"B-but Kara?!"
"The Seele isn't moving."
The creature stood perfectly motionless, its black eyes fixed on Kirashi with an eerie, predatory focus.
"What is happening?"
Itoshi wondered aloud.
"I don't know. Take Ryujin's weapon. Cut its hand,"
Kirashi muttered, his eyes never leaving the monster.
"OK!"
Itoshi dashed to where Ryujin lay. He checked for a pulse—faint, but there.
"Good! He's still alive."
He grunted, snatching up Ryujin's spear and sprinting toward the back of the house. The Seele noticed the movement and suddenly blurred, jumping in front of him to block the path.
"You bastard! Let go of Kara!"
Itoshi roared. He clashed with the creature, parrying its heavy swipes with the shaft of the spear.
Behind them, Kirashi advanced slowly.
"Why is it... why isn't it hurting Kara? Why is it just holding her?"
Then he noticed her face.
"Her eyes... they were cyan, right? Why are they red now...?"
Itoshi was more exhausted than he had ever been in his life. Every movement felt like pulling lead through water, but the sight of Kara's life on the line gave him a second wind.
"Damn you! Let go of her!"
He misjudged the reach of the Seele's massive arm and took a heavy blow to the shoulder. "Damn it!"
He was flung backward, but he managed to dig the spear into the dirt, landing on his feet.
"Not gonna happen again."
He wiped blood from his cheek and looked up. Again, the Seele had stopped its attack, simply watching Kirashi. Itoshi shouted over his shoulder,
"Oi! What do we do? Do we distract it?"
"It's already distracted,"
Kirashi replied.
"Do you have a plan?!"
"Yeah..."
Kirashi hushed, loud enough only for Itoshi to hear.
He took one deep, stabilizing breath.
"And that is to... run away!!"
Kirashi turned on his heel and bolted downhill, disappearing into the dark forest.
Itoshi stood stunned, his eyes wide and blinking.
"What kind of plan is that?!"
The Seele didn't hesitate. It took off after Kirashi with terrifying speed, still clutching Kara in its left hand.
"Come on, Itoshi! Save your sister!"
Kirashi thought as he sprinted.
Itoshi finally saw the opening.
"I see!"
He leapt high into the air, Ryujin's spear ablaze with concentrated blue flames. With one clean, high-output slash, he severed the Seele's left arm at the elbow.
Kara dropped free, hitting the soft grass.
The Seele paused for a heartbeat, glanced at its smoking stump, and then—to Itoshi's horror—resumed its chase after Kirashi as if the loss of an arm meant nothing.
Itoshi rushed to Kara's side as the severed limb began to fade into black ash.
"Kara?! You okay?!"
Kara's eyes slowly fluttered open. When she saw her brother, the fiery red faded, and a gentle smile formed on her face.
"Yes, I am okay!"
Her eyes had returned to their natural cyan.
"Thank God..."
Itoshi muttered.
"Koya... let me help Ryujin-sama,"
Kara suggested, her voice weak but determined.
Itoshi nodded quickly.
"OK..."
He lifted her onto his back, and she held Ryujin's spear tightly as they began to trek back up the mountain toward the ruins of the hut. Itoshi raised his head, shouting into the treeline, "Kirashi!! Wait for me!!"
[Kirashi Against The Red Beast]
"I've been hit so many times... How am I still moving?"
Kirashi pushed forward, limbs burning, vision blurred. The adrenaline surging through him kept his body going long after his limits.
He glanced behind.
"Good, he's still coming... I need to get him away from the others. What is he after—This envelope?.. or me?"
Suddenly, his foot caught on something. He tumbled, rolling violently down the hillside until his body slammed into a rock, halting his momentum.
"Gah!!"
He forced himself to stand—barely. But the Seele was already upon him.
Its severed left hand had completely regenerated.
"This is it, isn't it...?"
He looked down at the envelope clutched tightly in his hand. His eyes scanned the surface.
From: Windgott.
He turned it over.
"To: "My Child"... Windgott-sama had a child, huh... That might be why he left."
"Well then... I need to get this delivered. No matter what."
The Seele reached out with its massive right hand, ready to end it.
But Kirashi wasn't done.
A furious gale erupted from him, a massive burst of wind energy that blasted the Seele backward and sent leaves and branches whipping through the surrounding forest.
[The Child of The Storm]
Kirashi's emerald eyes began to glow. He tucked the envelope safely inside the coat Ryujin had given him, then turned to face the Seele.
"Let's go."
The Seele's left hand, freshly severed by Itoshi, was now fully regenerated. It screeched, then charged.
As it lunged toward him, Kirashi attacked, channeling bursts of wind with each strike. Every blast that struck the creature made it shriek in pain.
"You feel pain from a simple cold breeze? Pathetic."
The Seele dropped to all fours, mouth wide open, and dashed forward in an attempt to swallow him whole.
Kirashi dodged effortlessly.
Again and again, the Seele tried, snapping its jaws at him, but each time he avoided its attack, staying just out of reach. The creature grew visibly agitated and slammed its fists into the ground over and over.
"Pissed off, aren't we?"
He raised his left hand, palm facing outward as he took a huge breath.
"Wind Gale."
A small, transparent sphere formed in his hand. It floated forward slowly—then suddenly accelerated, rocketing toward the Seele.
The moment it struck the creature's chest, it bored a perfect circular hole through it.
For a second, silence.
Then the Seele's body crumbled, disintegrating into pieces.
But it wasn't over.
From the fragments, its body began regenerating—starting at the head and spreading downward.
"Not so fast."
He launched a flurry of wind attacks, hammering the Seele relentlessly and slowing the regeneration process with each hit.
~~~On Kirashis home~~~
Itoshi managed to bring Kara to Ryujin. Kara immediately knelt beside him and began tugging at her clothing.
Itoshi blushed, shocked on the sight.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Hand firmly gripped on her lower shirt, She turned to Itoshi.
"I need to patch up his wound!"
"Idiot! Not yours—use my t-shirt!"
He tore off his jacket, then ripped his shirt and quickly handed it to her.
Kara quickly took the long cloth as she ordered.
"Koya! Get some water!"
"O-OK!"
He sprinted to the nearby well and scooped up some water while Kara removed Ryujin's coat and laid him gently on the ground.
"Water!"
"Thank you!"
She carefully cleaned Ryujin's bleeding head, then wrapped the wound with the strips of Itoshi's shirt.
"Is there more you need?"
Itoshi asked, out of breath, but still determined.
"I'm good. Thanks!"
"I'll go help Kirashi!"
"OK!"
Kara nods.
Itoshi dashed off down the mountain, following the trail of broken trees and scorched ground left by the Seele.
Back near Ryujin, a sharp beep sounded from his coat. His device was receiving a call—Hachi. Kara quickly answered.
"Hello?!"
"A woman?! Who are you? Where is Ryujin?!"
Kara responded.
"I'm.."
She took a breath as she hesitated.
"I'm part of the squad. The leader is badly injured—his head's bleeding! We need help!"
Hachi was immediately alerted.
"OK! You guys are in Cape Hedo, right?"
"We're in Kirashi's.. .no, we're in the forest right now! South of Hedo!"
"Got it. I'll send the nearest team for backup. I'll track Ryujin's device."
The call cut off. Kara let out a breath of relief, knowing help was on the way.
Meanwhile, Itoshi was sprinting through the forest, weaving between trees and following the path of destruction.
"Damn it... I hope I make it in time!"
Kirashi, still fighting the Seele, was at his limit. His breath was ragged, his body shaking.
"I can't... hold... any longer..."
He collapsed onto his knees. The wind stopped. He didn't black out, but he was barely conscious. His eyes followed the creature's body as it slowly regenerated again.
"Blue hair... hurry up..."
At that moment, a blaze streaked through the trees.
"Found you!"
It was Itoshi.
His fists ignited with fire as he soared into the air. He slammed his blazing fists into the Seele's half-regenerated head, lighting it up in flames.
The creature shrieked as fire consumed its face. It had only recovered half its torso and a single full right arm. It tried to claw at the flames, but Itoshi didn't let up—he kept burning it, his flames spreading across its body.
"Itoshi..."
~~~To be Continued~~~