"FEEL THE WRATH OF THE MIGHTY GENTŌ!"

The purple Saniya that burst from his eyes covered his body. Then, it spread to his furry blanket, making it flow in a majestic display. The Baku's grin widened when the Amikiri circled his elongated body around him, followed by a limping Oni.

Slowly, the Yūrei's neutral posture shifted to a fighting stance. "I see. Perhaps there is more to you than I thought."

Gentō chuckled. "Too late for regrets! I'll send you packing!"

He dashed at the icy Monoke as fast as his short legs could allow. And it turned out to be MUCH quicker than he expected! Before he realized it, he was only a few inches from his opponent. The raging river of Saniya was taking over his brain, sending electrical currents to his limbs to comply with his impulsive thoughts.

Both his friends disapproved of his tactic. "GENTŌ! STOP!" They shouted in unison.

The Baku lunged at the Yūrei, pulling off a flying kick! However, the sorceress quickly intercepted his foot by summoning an ice kunai in her hand, sturdy enough for such a feat. Then, she swung the cold blade hard enough to fling the dream Monoke a few meters away.

He had lost his trusty pelt on the way back, leaving his nude body at full display. However, this exhilarating energy enthralled him! It whispered in his ear, seducing his body to keep it flowing through every limb, every vein, every blood drop!

Perhaps... His power-drunk state got him TOO excited! If you know what I mean...

Let's say something stiffened, NOT because of the cold.

Yuki-onna had finally noticed his "upstanding" little friend. Her regularly neutral face finally twisted into a scowl. "Disrespectful, perverted little clown!" She extended her right hand at him, an icy mist slowly covering it.

Hanaken's booming voice erupted, breaking Gentō out of his trance. "You fool! Watch out!"

A massive rock was flung in the sorceress' direction, prompting the Baku to roll out of the way. Unfortunately, before the earth spell could hit the target, it stopped and then gradually enveloped by a frosty layer. The dream stealer and the red brute gasped as the boulder floated above Yuki-onna's fingertips.

"Not enough." Her index finger bent in their direction, and the frozen stone followed. Before Hanaken could step in and use herself as a meat shield, Kreef did the honors for her, flying in a rapid spinning motion, creating a whirlwind strong enough to pivot the projectile's trajectory.

The Amikiri cackled. "Don't forget about me, you snowy whore!"

The sorceress' eyes twitched. "Enough." She flew upwards a couple of feet, regaining the higher ground. She raised her hands in the air. "Toying with you three will lead me nowhere."

Gentō saw a twinkling blue flash, shining as a beautiful sapphire between the Yūrei's palms. However, his body shook in horror as his eyes lingered on it. The Baku was left confused, but when he dug deeper into this strange feeling, he realized...

He was sensing her Saniya. To be more precise, the energy concentrated on that faint glimmer. His ankles shook with the revelation. It was... terrifying. If charged, the spell would finish the trio.

Gentō decided to put his mind over his instincts. "Hanaken. Throw me."

The Oni stared at him, dumbfounded. "You want me to WHAT?!"

His patience was running thin. "Just like with those Wolves! Throw me, and I might work something out! I HAVE NO TIME FOR YOUR ASININE COMPLAINTS!"

She gulped, her yellow eyes communicating her shock. However, she quickly swallowed these feelings and then stoically nodded. "Fine."

Kreef's claws snapped like a motivated woodpecker. "I'll go with you, captain!"

The Baku was already being grasped by the Oni's hand. "No! Keep an eye out for an opening! Then strike!"

The Amikiri's eyes widened, but he also nodded, putting his complete trust in his leader. It was an odd feeling, but there was no time to dwell on that!

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Hanaken twisted her arm back enough for a powerful throw with, once again, her best friend as the projectile. "Ready!"

Gentō huffed, flaring his aura to its fullest. "Set!"

Kreef hovered above them, screaming. "GO!"

The red brute swung her arm as hard as she could for maximum momentum, launching the Baku at an incalculable speed! As a comet of destruction, he crashed into-

"Too late!" The tiny crystal Yuki-onna conjured cracked. A chilling hurricane burst from the microscopic fissure, pushing the dream stealer back to the ground!

However, another force pushed him back in the sorceress' direction! A powerful gust of wind pressured Gentō's back, driving him forward!

"What?"

"What have I JUST told you?!" Kreef's confident voice filled the Baku's heart with hope and determination.

The dream stealer closed his eyes and poured all his energy into repelling the frigid blast. Bit by bit, he could feel himself gaining new ground on the clash until...

"Gah! NOT AGAIN!" Hanaken growled.

"Hanaken! What- AH!" Kreef cried. The wind pushing Gentō forward then suddenly ceased. What happened to them?!

"Desist." Yuki-onna's spell quickly broke through the Baku's rippling aura, assaulting his fur and skin with her overwhelming wintry might!

When he crashed on the floor, he was surprisingly numb to the pain. However, when he opened his eyes, a snowstorm overwhelmed his vision, making it clear that the cold was responsible for the phenomenon.

Gentō attempted to utter a word, but his throat refused to cooperate. In fact, none of his limbs were listening to his brain any longer. A whiteish, blurry mess was the last thing his eyes picked up before fading to black.

"My... Family..."

----------------------------------------

Hanaken:

"NO!!! DAMN YOU!!!"

She tried to brute-force her way out from those thick vines. Her fangs and tusks dug deep into her bindings, but only superficial holes were formed from her efforts.

She should've eaten something before running away for so long. Because of her foolishness, her only two friends were turned into ice statues. Kreef's horrified eyes were now forever etched into his final moments. She couldn't see if the same was true for Gentō.

"NO!!!" Her tears brought warmth to her cheeks. Her heart pounded with grief and desperation, and her muscles defiantly twisted the vines holding her captive!

After basking on her cruel work of art, Yuki-onna's gaze finally lingered on the Oni. "Do not resist, foolish girl. Your companions are not dead."

Those telepathic words were all it took to appease the brutish Monoke. "C-Come again?!"

Two other Monoke approached the sorceress' side. Another Yūrei, which possessed a long, jet-black mane. Each strand floated around and/or wrapped around each other in a chaotic pattern. She was the bitch who ensnared Kreef and ruined everything.

"Yuki, you should de nore gentle my hair! I lost a good chunk of it to your ice!" Apparently, she lacked her partner's telepathic abilities, though Hanaken could comprehend her vain complaints very well.

On Yuki's right side, there was that fucking bard again. It seemed that returning him the broken flute was a fatal flaw. Either that or it was a new instrument. Judging by his heartbroken reaction to the Human snapping it in two, it was unlikely.

His tune, which the Oni would've appreciated under any other circumstance, ground her ears, making her blood boil. It was almost as if the Daien composed this song exclusively to taunt her, to remind her about how she tended to disappoint anyone close to her.

She was fated to live alone, wasn't she? Her deceased mother, her father, her extinguished relationships, and now, her current friends wouldn't even look her in the eye for failing them.

"Could you be at least more normal? You're scaring them."

"You're reaching your 400s! Why are you single, still?!"

"I thought having a strong girlfriend was cool at first. But you're kinda embarrassing me now."

.........

You know what?! Fuck. That.

She was tired. Tired of having to prove herself to a bunch of inconsiderate buffoons who never really asked what SHE wanted to do!

She would live her life HER way! Find a partner who loves HER, not someone else wearing her skin!

If Kreef and Gentō hated her, it would be their problem. For now, she would do the saving HER way!

Her muscles bulged while a red aura seeped through her pores. The pointy thorns prickled her arms and legs, but the pain only fueled her burning spirit!

Fire magic was something she was interested in for a long, long time. However, her father only settled on teaching her earth spells for self-defense, deeming the other elemental path too dangerous for her "little girl."

Well, she wasn't THAT little anymore!

Picking up on what she gathered from a few fire specialists over the years, she converted her will into a heated mass of plasma, creating a powerful explosion that reduced the sturdy vines into piles of ash!

All left was a panting, sweaty Oni, barely holding on to her spiked club. Her knees trembled at the herculean effort of holding her own weight, but the red brute remained firm and resolute.

Her blurry sight only saw her assailants as three misshapen dots who blended into each other. The one on the right approached her but was stopped by the one in the center.

"Let her go, Hari. She can barely hold her own."

After a few seconds, the hairy Yūrei complied.

"This was my first and final warning, Oni. Cease your thoughtless ambitions, or I will force you to. Permanently."

And so, Yuki-onna and her accomplices disappeared. Hanaken tensed the muscles on her right leg to force it to make a step, but...

"Da... Damn it..."

Her equilibrium eventually shattered. After keeping herself together for so long, the dirt proved a blissful bed for the crimson beast. Her heavy eyelids were slowly winning the battle against her stubbornness.

She chuckled under her breath. "Sorry, guys... I've fucked up again..."

Then, it all faded to black.