Deva Akane couldn't understand why creatures that looked like featherless white pterosaurs had such unbearably unpleasant voices—like ducks. Worse still, dozens of them screeched at once, creating a chaotic, grating noise that irritated her.
"Kill."
She gave the command softly.
Blazing Hoof immediately opened its mouth. Crimson yokai power gathered rapidly, compressing into a blazing core of heat.
In the next instant, a fan-shaped inferno erupted outward with a thunderous roar, sweeping across the sky like a raging wildfire.
"Gah—!"
The Hell Birds caught in the flames were incinerated instantly, their bodies turning to charcoal before crumbling into ash midair, their shrieks cut short.
The remaining Hell Birds scattered in panic.
Bang!
A puff of white smoke burst from Deva Akane's hand as the naginata once wielded by Suikotsu appeared in her grip. Without hesitation, Blazing Hoof surged forward, carrying her straight into the flock.
Horse and rider became a blur.
The whistle of the naginata slicing through the air echoed sharply. Wherever its cold light passed, Hell Birds were cleanly severed in two.
Their bodies fell from the sky like rain, only to dissolve into glowing motes under the purifying power infused in the blade.
"Kwaa—!"
The brutal slaughter of their kin drove the remaining Hell Birds into a frenzy. Abandoning their attack on the fleeing villagers, they rose rapidly into the sky.
Crimson yokai power surged through their bodies. Flames ignited around them, turning them into blazing projectiles as they charged toward Deva Akane.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Stop."
Blazing Hoof halted instantly in midair, its body freezing as if time itself had paused.
Then it opened its mouth once more.
A concentrated pillar of fire burst forth, roaring across the sky and engulfing the charging Hell Birds. Those unable to evade were reduced to blackened remains in an instant.
As the flames faded, the surviving Hell Birds regrouped and surrounded Deva Akane from all directions.
Suspended in midair, Blazing Hoof remained motionless.
Then, all at once, the Hell Birds shrieked and dove.
Deva Akane didn't move.
Her pale purple Rinnegan swept coldly across them.
"Shinra Tensei."
Boom!
An overwhelming repulsive force erupted outward like an invisible tidal wave.
The charging Hell Birds slammed into it as if striking an unseen wall. Bones shattered. Blood sprayed across the sky.
Their bodies were flung violently away, falling like broken kites onto the burning village below.
A few survivors twitched weakly on the ground, letting out faint, dying cries.
Below, the remaining villagers screamed in terror as bodies rained from above, fleeing even farther from the devastation.
Seeing their companions annihilated so easily, the remaining Hell Birds let out panicked cries and turned to escape.
Deva Akane did not pursue immediately.
Instead, she directed Blazing Hoof to follow them at a steady pace.
She knew they would lead her to their master—Princess Abi.
At first, she expected they would retreat deep into the Land of Fire, to the lair of Tekkei. But unexpectedly, the flock descended onto a barren mountain not far away.
From below came that same unpleasant, duck-like chorus.
Hundreds of Hell Birds were gathered there.
At the center, seated calmly upon a rock, was a single figure.
The escaping Hell Birds rushed toward her, crying out urgently as if reporting everything that had just occurred.
Blazing Hoof carried Deva Akane forward, stopping in midair above the mountain.
The woman below slowly lifted her head.
Her gaze locked instantly onto Deva Akane.
Flames ignited beneath her feet as she rose into the sky, her figure cutting through the air with speed and authority.
Behind her, hundreds of Hell Birds surged upward like a living tide.
Deva Akane remained still, her Rinnegan calm and observant.
The one approaching was Princess Abi.
A breathtakingly beautiful yokai, her presence wild and dangerous.
Her red, form-fitting armor clung to her body, outlining her curves and slender waist, stark against her pale skin. Her long, jet-black hair flowed down to her hips, partially tied with a vivid red ribbon that fluttered in the wind.
A white skirt extended to her ankles, bound at the waist with a green sash, swaying with each movement.
Flames burned beneath her feet, making her appear like a lotus blooming within fire.
Abi stopped several meters away, her crimson eyes sharp and hostile.
"Who are you?" she demanded coldly. "Why did you kill my flock?"
Her gaze swept over Deva Akane, lingering briefly on the strange Rinnegan.
There was no trace of yokai aura.
Her brows furrowed.
"Not a yokai… then what are you? A human? Or a half-demon?"
Before Deva Akane could answer, Abi's aura exploded outward. Her hair lifted as if caught in an unseen storm, her eyes blazing with fury.
"Fine. Whatever you are… if you stand in my way, you die!"
With a sharp motion, she hurled a blazing sphere of fire toward Deva Akane.
Without needing a command, Blazing Hoof blurred into motion, dodging effortlessly.
Abi's expression darkened further. She unleashed a barrage of flames, one after another, while issuing a furious command behind her.
"Kill her!"
"Kwaa—!"
Hundreds of Hell Birds ignited, becoming streaks of fire as they surged forward like a storm of falling stars.
Deva Akane moved at last.
Her naginata flashed, imbued with shrine maiden spiritual power. The first wave of Hell Birds was instantly cut apart, their bodies purifying as they fell.
Blazing Hoof weaved flawlessly through the chaos, evading Abi's relentless attacks while Deva Akane struck with precise, deadly efficiency.
Fragments of burning feathers and fading light filled the sky.
Through their shared vision, Uchiha Kasage observed everything calmly.
Her gaze briefly lingered on Abi before she gave a quiet, almost amused nod to herself.
"…As expected."
Then her attention sharpened again.
"The power of a shrine maiden…" Abi muttered, noticing the purifying energy of the naginata, a hint of surprise crossing her face.
Realizing her ranged attacks were ineffective, she abruptly stopped.
With a cold snort, a trident appeared in her hand.
She surged forward.
In an instant, she closed the distance.
The trident pierced forward with deadly precision, slicing through the air toward Deva Akane's chest.
Deva Akane's expression didn't change.
With a slight turn of her wrist, the naginata intercepted the strike.
Clang!
Metal collided, sparks bursting outward. The miasma coating the trident hissed as it was purified on contact.
Watching through Deva Akane's eyes, Uchiha Kasage understood immediately.
Abi… had already allied herself with Naraku.