The figure who stepped forward was Sora, holding a little girl in his arms, with Matsu following behind.
Kusa was terrified of this crazy woman, clutching Sora's clothes tightly, her little head buried in his chest, not daring to look at the fierce Karasuba. Matsu wasn't particularly afraid of Karasuba, but in this atmosphere, she wisely chose to remain silent.
"Sora! Matsu! Kusa!"
"Master Ashikabi!"
Seeing it was Sora, both Musubi and Kaho showed a hint of joy, quickly jumping over to him.
"What? Are you going to stop us from continuing the fight? If so, I don't mind cutting you down too!"
With a cold smile, Karasuba, who was more interested in sparring with Sora than these two persistent girls, spoke.
"Hey, little crow, you should speak with some conscience! When have I not let you fight to your heart's content? And always talking about cutting down your own Ashikabi, you really are an unqualified Sekirei!"
"Well, this time things have changed. The multinational coalition forces have invaded Kamikura Island again, and we don't have time to waste. Let's settle this with one move!"
Faced with Karasuba's obvious provocation, Sora rolled his eyes, feeling exasperated.
Hearing Sora's words, both Musubi and Kaho were shocked. Although Karasuba's expression didn't change much, the fleeting murderous intent in her eyes revealed that she wasn't entirely calm.
Although Musubi and Kaho were pure and kind-hearted girls, they both remembered that it was because of these people that Musubi's Sekirei core was destroyed, and Kaho was almost captured and sent to a cruel experimental table!
As for Karasuba, in her eyes, any human other than Sora was like a cockroach—ignorant, lowly, and disgusting!
"Master Ashikabi, please give me strength!" Taking a deep breath, Kaho, dressed in her shrine maiden attire, spoke to Sora.
"Sora, Musubi too! Musubi too! Let us settle this with Lord Karasuba!" Full of fighting spirit, her eyes sparkling with stars, Musubi jumped up and down, shouting.
"Ha… You two are really full of energy!"
Seeing the determination in the girls' eyes, Sora had no reason to refuse. He handed Kusa over to Matsu.
"Go for it, my lovely little Sekirei. You must… defeat that arrogant woman…"
Pulling the two girls into his arms, Sora kissed them on their lips.
"Heh? Interesting, then I'll give it a try too. If you can really defeat me, I'll acknowledge you."
With a smile, Karasuba walked over, boldly kissing Sora.
"My dance of vows, the calamity of the Ashikabi, sweep away all!"
"My fists of vows, the disaster of the Ashikabi, shatter all!"
"With my blade of vows, the enemies of the Ashikabi, annihilate all!"
Radiant light burst from their bodies, wings of a Sekirei spread behind them, ancient prayers on their lips. The three of them exuded an overwhelming aura, as if they were about to explode at any moment.
"Um, Sora, I think we should step back a bit."
"Perhaps it's no wonder she's No. 4, even her prayers are so chilling! Ha… haha…"
Watching the three in front, Matsu's eyes twitched, speaking with some unease.
"Cough, cough, well, I think we should step back too."
To be honest, Sora was also startled by Karasuba's prayers. Annihilate all? This woman was truly born for slaughter!
Although Sora wasn't afraid, Matsu and Kusa might not be able to withstand the aftermath of their battle. With a flash, Sora retreated with the two girls.
"Lord Karasuba, let my blade pierce through you!"
"Sekirei Kagura, Dance of the Twin Wings!"
"Bear of my faith, gather in my fists…"
The power of the Sekirei surged forth, a long blade of energy extending from Kaho's naginata, the blade itself seeming to grow ten times larger! Musubi also gathered her power into her fists, forming a massive bear-like fist.
The ground caved in under the girls' immense power, their figures shooting towards Karasuba like cannonballs.
"Hehe… hehehe… This feeling, this power, it's so wonderful!"
"Blade of the Underworld—Eternal Grudge!"
Using the prayer for the first time, the unprecedented pleasure made Karasuba's entire body twist with excitement. Her blade was enveloped in a black aura, like a black hole ready to devour everything, exuding an extremely dangerous aura.
"Ah…"
Time seemed to slow down as the blades and fists carrying the girls' faith finally collided…
Boom!!!
A massive explosion erupted, and a small mushroom cloud rose into the sky. The air rippled outward like waves, obliterating everything in its path!
Crack! Crack, crack, crack!!! The sound of ice shields shattering.
"Cough, cough… Matsu, Kusa, are you two okay?"
As the dust settled, a hemispherical protective layer made of tightly woven vines slowly unfolded, revealing Sora, Kusa, and Matsu inside.
Even Sora hadn't anticipated that the battle between Karasuba, Musubi, and Kaho would cause such destruction. If he hadn't noticed the ice shield failing and quickly reinforced it with a wooden barrier, Kusa and Matsu might have been in serious trouble!
"Big brother, Kusa is fine."
"Hehe, it was scary, but Matsu's okay too."
Looking at the two little heads poking out from under him, Sora let out a soft sigh of relief.
With a hint of concern, the three of them turned their gaze toward the battlefield.
There, three figures stood motionless—Karasuba, Musubi, and Kaho.
Splat, splat, splat!!!
Their clothes tore, and countless wounds appeared on their bodies, blood spraying into the air. It was Musubi and Kaho!
Thud! Thud!
Completely drained of strength, the two girls, severely injured, collapsed to the ground.
"Is this all the power you have? In the end, this is all you're capable of…"
With her usual cold smile, Karasuba's mocking voice came from behind the two girls. A long gash ran across her chest, and a black fist mark was imprinted on her stomach, but the crazy woman seemed utterly unfazed.
In a flash, Sora appeared beside Musubi and Kaho, cradling them in his arms. He channeled two streams of life energy into their bodies, and their deep, bone-exposing wounds began to heal at a visible rate.
"You've lost, Karasuba!"
While treating the two girls, Sora spoke to Karasuba.
"The prayer chant is about releasing all the Sekirei's power at once. Even though you're still standing, do you really think you can do anything now?"
"Being pushed to this point by two juniors you looked down on—you've already lost, woman!"
Without holding back, Sora mocked her in return.
"Oh? You figured it out, huh…"
Karasuba didn't argue back. Instead, a strange smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
It was a mix of joy, reluctance, and… relief.
Thud!
Unable to hold on any longer, Karasuba collapsed to the ground.
"Sora…"
"Master Ashikabi…"
Under Sora's healing, Musubi and Kaho slowly regained consciousness. Their pale faces, drained from overexertion, regained a hint of color.
"Karasuba-sama, how is Karasuba-sama?"
Without worrying about themselves, the two girls immediately thought of Karasuba.
"Don't worry, that crazy woman has been defeated by you two! The message you wanted to convey—"
"She must have received it by now!"
Looking at Karasuba, who was lying on the ground with a dazed expression, Sora smiled as he gently stroked the girls' foreheads.
"Really? That's great…"
Clasping their hands together, the two girls' faces lit up with joy and excitement.
Defeating Karasuba-sama and conveying their beliefs to her—something that had seemed impossible—they had finally done it!
"Alright, take my power and go join the others to defeat the invading enemies!"
"They're the ones who hurt you back then, so don't hold back!"
Since the girls' strength was depleted, Sora transferred some of his Sekirei power into them. It would be more than enough to deal with the soldiers.
"Hehe, enemies, enemies! Musubi's full of energy again!"
With their bodies restored and Sora's power flowing through them, the bubbly Musubi was back to her lively self, punchin her little fists in the air, seemingly unable to wait any longer.
"This is Master Ashikabi's power… so warm, so strong…"
"Master Ashikabi, please take care of Karasuba-sama."
Compared to Musubi, Kaho was much more composed and reserved. Standing up, she glanced at Karasuba, who was still lying on the ground, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
"Hehe, you two go ahead. As for this woman, I'll 'take good care' of her, so don't worry!"
Looking at Karasuba, whose tattered clothes revealed glimpses of her body, Sora's lips curled into a mischievous smile.
Though they were still worried about Karasuba, there were more urgent matters at hand. After exchanging a glance, Musubi and Kaho vanished in a flash, heading straight for the battlefield.
"Karasuba, you're really pitiful right now."
"No, I should say you've always been pitiful. A dark-hearted, soulless creature who needs little girls to save her."
Without mincing his words, Sora looked down at Karasuba, who was lying on the ground.
"Dark-hearted? Soulless? That does seem to fit. Are you pitying me, you bastard?"
Karasuba tried to struggle to her feet, but with her strength completely drained, she failed several times. She glared coldly at Sora, her eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Haha, of course not!"
"You're not someone worthy of pity, and I won't pity you. I never have, I don't now, and I never will."
With a light chuckle, Sora didn't mind Karasuba's hostile attitude. He was already used to this rebellious woman.
Picking up her sword and slinging it over his back, Sora lifted Karasuba into his arms.
Though Karasuba had been full of hostility, for some reason, after hearing Sora's words, she seemed to grow distant, and the icy barrier around her seemed to melt away.
"Little crow, I don't care what kind of person you are or what you've done. All I know is that everything about you belongs to me—your body, your soul. Understand?"
Whispering into Karasuba's ear, Sora's words snapped her out of her daze. Her silver-gray pupils contracted.
"I only know how to kill. Do you still need me?"
A wicked smile spread across Karasuba's face as she spoke.
"Yes, I do. From now on, you'll only kill for me."
Without hesitation, Sora replied.
"Is that so? Then I'll be your blade from now on."
It seemed as though something in her heart had been unlocked. For the first time, Karasuba truly acknowledged Sora.
A smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and a sense of immense accomplishment washed over Sora.
This woman, who had seemed beyond saving, had finally become his—completely.
Both body and soul!
"Well, before that, you'll have to learn how to serve me!"
Serve me… Serve me… Serve me…
The words echoed in Karasuba's mind, and her entire face stiffened.
If she could move right now, she would've sliced this guy in half without a second thought!