Deva Akane glanced at Abi as if she were looking at a fool, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Naraku gave you that, didn't he? Nothing that comes from him is ever safe to use."
With a sharp motion, she forced Abi back, knocking the trident aside. At the same time, she flicked her wrist—condensed spiritual energy formed into a blade and slammed violently against the barrier surrounding Abi.
Boom!
The barrier rippled violently, trembling under the impact as Abi was thrown backward several meters.
"Ridiculous!" Abi steadied herself, her eyes burning with fury. "Naraku is nothing more than a tool I'm using!"
Deva Akane let out a cold scoff, her gaze briefly sweeping over her before she spoke with cutting mockery.
"All that arrogance… and no brains to match. At this rate, even if Naraku sold you out, you'd probably help him count the profit."
"What did you say?!"
Abi's face twisted in anger. Without hesitation, she raised her hand.
"Kill her!"
"Kwaa—!"
The Hell Birds surged forward again, flames burning even brighter as they flooded toward Deva Akane in a blazing wave.
"I'm done playing with you," Deva Akane said coldly.
Blazing Hoof let out a sharp cry, its form blurring as it shot upward—then suddenly reversed direction, diving straight down toward Abi and the swarm below.
At the same time, Deva Akane extended her hand, her Rinnegan glowing intensely.
"Shinra Tensei."
Boom!
An overwhelming repulsive force crashed downward like an invisible mountain.
The charging Hell Birds were obliterated instantly—bones shattered, flames exploded, and bodies tore apart into blood and fragments that rained from the sky.
The ground below trembled violently as the remains crashed down like falling meteors, shattering rock and earth.
"Damn it!"
Abi clawed her way out from the rubble. Though Naraku's barrier had protected her from death, the impact left her disheveled and shaken.
For the first time, she realized—
The shrine maiden before her was no ordinary opponent.
Before she could fully recover, Deva Akane's voice echoed again from above.
"Banshō Tenin."
Abi's eyes widened in shock.
An invisible force seized her, dragging her violently upward toward Deva Akane.
"This is ridiculous! I won't lose to a human!" she roared, flames erupting from her trident as she swung it wildly.
The explosion of fire engulfed both Deva Akane and Blazing Hoof.
"…Did it work?" Abi muttered, hope flickering for a brief moment.
Then—
"Shinra Tensei."
Boom!
The flames were blown apart in an instant.
Deva Akane and Blazing Hoof emerged completely unharmed.
Before Abi could react, an even stronger force struck her.
Her body was hurled downward like a cannonball.
Boom!
The earth shattered on impact, forming a massive crater. Cracks spread outward in all directions.
Abi's barrier shattered completely this time.
Blood spilled from her lips as she lay embedded in the rubble.
"Cough…!"
She struggled weakly to rise—
Whoosh!
A flash of cold light pierced through the air.
The naginata struck like lightning, impaling her through the abdomen and pinning her firmly to the ground.
"Ah—!"
She cried out in pain, instinctively reaching for the blade—
But the moment her fingers touched it, a surge of pure shrine maiden spiritual power flooded into her body.
Her yokai power collapsed instantly.
Her body went limp.
Footsteps approached slowly.
Deva Akane stood at the edge of the crater, looking down at her with cold indifference.
"…Who are you?" Abi asked weakly, her voice trembling. "Why are you targeting me…?"
"Deva Akane."
Her voice was calm.
A black receiver formed in her palm and shot forward, piercing Abi's chest.
She let out a muffled groan.
"You're a yokai who slaughters humans," Deva Akane continued without emotion. "As a priestess, stopping you is only natural."
"…What did you do to me…?"
Abi's voice trembled with fear.
She tried to move—but couldn't.
The naginata's spiritual power continued suppressing her, while the black receivers spread a strange force through her body, seizing control piece by piece.
Deva Akane showed no reaction.
One after another, black receivers shot out, piercing her limbs, shoulders, and torso.
Soon—
Abi lay completely immobilized, unable even to scream.
Deva Akane turned away and walked toward the fallen weapon—Abi's Trident, formed from Naraku's bones.
She picked it up and snorted coldly.
A surge of white spiritual power ignited in her palm.
In an instant, it transformed into blazing purifying flames that engulfed the trident.
The weapon melted rapidly under the intense purification, crumbling into ash that scattered into the wind.
Afterward, Deva Akane stood silently beside the crater, her Rinnegan scanning the surroundings as if waiting.
Abi could only lie there, helpless, her body completely controlled.
Not long after, a figure appeared beside Deva Akane in an instant.
Footsteps echoed softly.
Abi's vision shifted upward—
A man stood above her.
And his eyes—
They were the same pale purple.
Uchiha Kasage.
Having arrived using the Flying Thunder God Technique, she looked down at Abi without emotion.
She reached down, grasped the naginata, and pulled it free.
Before Abi could even cry out, Kasage placed a hand on her abdomen.
"Human Path."
Abi's eyes widened—
Then the light within them faded completely.
Kasage closed her eyes.
Memories surged like a tidal wave through her mind.
In moments, she understood everything.
Abi had only recently begun cooperating with Naraku. She and her mother, Tekkei, never truly trusted him. Their goal was simply to use his power to gather human blood faster and heal her mother's wounds.
After confirming the situation, Kasage opened her eyes.
Without hesitation, she extracted Abi's soul.
A massive phantom of the King of Hell slowly manifested behind her.
With a calm motion, Kasage cast both Abi's soul and body into its open mouth.
And just like that—
She was erased.