Hide, Kalthona, and Lyon trekked through the woods in search of Seikichi. His mana was moving around rapidly, and after Hide was able to track Bonney and Maisie’s mana, he knew the old man was after the girls.

“This way.” The blood mage instructed. Kalthona and Lyon swiftly followed after him, and they swiftly led to the village centre, where Seikichi stood, glaring at Maisie and Bonney, who stood behind the protective barrier. Following Nanushi's uproar, the streets were left barren, as many took cover within shops, their homes, and small brothels.

"Hey, old man!” Kalthona called out, swirling around her flamed axe. The old man turned around to see the trio standing there with smirks sprawled across their faces. Now, Seikichi was no fool. He knew he wouldn’t be able to beat all three of them, but something deep within his mind pushed him to fight them, since he himself had not shown his full power. He morphed his body into a slimmer and taller build. Maisie, witnessing this, slightly widened her eyes in surprise.

“Body transformation is a skill within Voodoo magic. That man was well within his means to lift the curse; he just wasn’t powerful enough to do so.” Bonney said, rolling her eyes. "I can't believe I thought he was simply adding body mass using mana.” She added, irritated at the lack of immediate knowledge.

Kalthona, Hide, and Lyon encircled the man slowly. Seikichi kept his eyes bouncing from each figure, testing to see who he would strike first. The trio’s display of mana was equal. So, in old traditions, she went after Kalthona, figuring she’d be the weak one. Boy, was he wrong? Kalthona knew he was coming after her, so as he moved forward at high speeds, she evaded him by jumping up and flipping backwards. Then, before Seikich could react, Kalthona slashed his back. Seikichi screamed out in pain, stumbling forward. He then morphed back into his muscular build. He then whirled around, knocking Kalthona off her feet and, in turn, knocking the axe out of her hand. The weapon was thrown far away, setting panic in Kalthona as she tried to dodge the next attack.

Maisie watched as Kalthona hurried towards the axe, an action that greatly confused her.

“Is the axe connected to her powers? Can’t she use her flames without the weapon?” The elf asked, remembering how Kalthona coated her legs with flames to elevate herself when she fought the wolfertor the first time they met.

Bonney took a deep breath.

“She tries to limit the amount of organic flames she produces, relying on the flamed weapon she has. I too was confused at first, and when I probed around, I was met with a wall." Bonney watched as Kalthona dodged another attack. “I sense a hatred for her power. No matter how hard Kalthona tries to cover it up, it’s there.” The voodoo mage added. Maisie bit her lip, feeling for Kalthona. She ended up hating magic for three months during her surface. Although she was never on the ground fighting and instead used as a human aircraft, Maisie had never wanted to be a soldier. But when the top mages of her university were drafted, including herself, she felt herself hating her magic and skills. Peace is all she wanted, and peace is all she would strive for.

Lyon and Hide jumped in, giving Kalthona a break. The ex-crusader swung around his two hands and struck the muscular man on the thigh, creating deep lacerations. Hide, who cut himself, used his blood to shoot bullets at the nanushi. The attacks pierced the old man’s torso, and they successfully rendered the old man immobile for a bit. Seikichi quickly changed into his small, frail body, having expended so much of his mana.

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Kalthona finally reached her axe and grabbed it before she flipped from her stomach and laid on her back, the cold, snowy ground freezing her skin a little. Her lilac eyes then moved up as she stared at the grey skies with a feeling of disgust and slight anger. The flame mage then bit her bottom lip in frustration. As Lyon used a piece of ripped cloth from his cape to tie the nanushi’s hands, Hide walked up to Flame Mage and offered her hand. Kalthona graciously took it, and she pulled up from the ground.

“Don’t beat yourself too hard.” Hide said, giving her a smile as he slung his arm across her shoulder. Kalthona nodded, moving herself closer to Hide, placing her arm around his waist, and comforting herself. Seikichi glared at the trio.

“You’ve completely ruined what we had here!” He yelled, angered by the ordeal. “You could’ve turned a blind eye after lifting the curse. You are not from here. You don’t know how long this damned village has been poor. We finally had something working for us, and you ruined it!” He screamed the last part.

“If something means using innocent girls as cash cows, then we’re glad it’s ruined.” Hide replied, throwing up a middle finger at the old man. Lyon sheathed his sword, rolling his shoulders back. Bonney finally removed the barrier, and then she and the elf entered back into the village. Slowly, the people of Takabetsu slowly left their confinements and entered the streets, slowly surrounding the Sabre Soul group and their nanushi.

“We should kill him; only then will the curse truly be lifted.” One girl spoke up, and one by one, the village women agreed, leaving no room for the men to argue against it. The group stepped back, leaving the villagers to deal with Seikichi.

“I guess our job is done.” Maisie spoke up. Everyone except Lyon agreed. He instead glared at her.

“You barely did anything.” He commented. Bonney rolled her eyes, then placed a palm on her face.

‘Not this again.’ She thought to herself. Maisie, on the other hand, argued back.

“I’ll let you know that those bodies wouldn’t have been purified if I hadn’t helped lift the river.” She spat, getting in the taller man’s face. Well, she tried, painfully craning her neck up. Lyon glared harder, and so did she. The tension bouncing off them was enough to suffocate the rest of the group.

"Okay, cut it out.” Kalthona spoke up, pulling the two apart. “Try and be civil.” She added.

"It seems you have done your part.” Tsubaki’s voice then reached them. The group turned around and watched as Hide’s sister and a group of young girls walked towards them.

“Where’s Mina?” Hide asked. Tsubaki looked around, scanning the girls. Mina was nowhere to be found. The swordsman could have sworn they were chatting along the way back.

“Have any of you seen Mina Nakamura?” The girls looked at each other and shook their heads. “She was with me when I came to free you from the brothel.” The swordsman added. One of the girls spoke up.

“We thought you were crazy. You were speaking to yourself a lot.” She explained. Tsubaki and the group’s eyes widened before the raven-haired woman broke out in laughter.

“Oh Mina.” She said she was piecing the pieces of the puzzle together.

In the depths of the forest, Mina walked around, whistling. Her body slowly became transparent before it blended with fog, ultimately disappearing. Now, she could lay at rest, knowing she had done her part.

Takabetsu had a new beginning waiting for them on the horizon. They had a lot of work to do, but the group and Tsubaki knew they would persevere through the challenges. And with that, they left the village and headed their separate ways, with Tsubaki returning to her guild. The Sabre Soul Five resumed their journey towards Milhania, slightly excited about what the journey held next.