Erina's snap twofold spatial distortion saved her from the crushing fist that landed in front of her and still threw her off her feet with the ensuing earthquake. Okay, the oni wasn't slow, it just wasn't mad enough yet! She hurried to her feet and took off into the tree line, seeking cover from the enraged oni kicking and uprooting the trees as it bellowed in rage.

  "Pick an animal, stick with it, and die like one!" Akira kicked the nue in the head again. Its face had long since been pounded into mush, but it was still on its feet and kept coming. Static crackled around Akira as she flipped aside to escape its paw swipe. "I said die!"

  The dead snake that used to be the nue's tail appeared in her hand, and Akira stabbed its fangs into its own original body. The nue shrieked in surprise and leapt away. It made one more bird-like chirp at Akira and then ran off, but it was already over.

  "Punk. Rot out there." Akira wiped some of the blood off her cheek. It'd be dead in minutes to its own venom, and after that many empowered hits from Akira on top of that, it wasn't coming back.

  Erina backed into the brush as the oni tore up the tree right in front of her. Too late—it spotted her. She ducked as its axe ripped through the greenery, trees toppling all around her. Fleeting spell circles formed as she ran, offering stable footing to escape the giant stomp that followed.

  The oni grunted as its head was struck by a broken-off piece of the steel beams that used to hold the barrels in place.

  "Over here, tubby!" Akira came in hot, landing on its chest with a powerful kick.

  The blue oni took one step back to steady itself, but no further. Akira flipped and rolled, and the oni's grabbing fingers slipped just under her as she hitched a ride on its wrist. The axe slammed to the ground as it tried to swat her, only for the tiny girl for jump to the other shoulder. A kick to the head, and the oni snarled as it clapped its hand to its shoulder, only for Akira to run around to the other. It turned its head, giant hand coming up to swat the fly again.

  Perfect! Just the opportunity Akira needed to jump up and drive the snake's fangs into its eye.

  A loud slam as its iron hand collided with her, and Akira rocketed to the ground with a brutal crash before bouncing away twice more. The oni stamped back and forth, clutching its face with a deafening roar.

  "Akira!" Erina ran to her, hopping over the new crater in the earth.

  "You win some, you lose some…!" Akira grabbed onto Erina for support as she hauled herself to her feet. She wobbled and almost keeled over a second time before finding her balance, licking the blood from the corner of her grinning mouth. "Look alive, Erina!"

  Erina turned around and they split up as the oni's huge foot left its huge imprint where they were standing. Roaring in rage, the oni threw the tiny snake to the ground and crushed it flat as it stomped around, trying to squish the bugs darting between its legs.

  Erina focused on dodging and not tripping with every earth-shaking stomp. Akira found a window to kick it in the ankle, but that only seemed to make the oni angrier.

  "What about the snake?" Erina called out in between stomps.

  "Don't think the venom's gonna help!" Akira yelled back, rolling away from the next place the oni's foot landed. "Too big! And with how much they drink? They might as well be poisoned all the time to begin with!"

  Erina stopped as an idea crossed her mind.

  …Poison?

  The oni spotted the darker of the two little insects making its way across the encampment. It threw one more whiffed kick at the orange one before stomping after the dark bug, every step shaking the ground. Erina felt its steps growing closer and closer behind her as she leveled two fingers and shot a hole into one of the spilled barrels. Green light flashed inside the wood.

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  She looked over her shoulder and took a wild dive to the side, eating dirt as she barely escaped the shadow of the oni's foot. Before it could think to finish the dusty schoolgirl sprawled on on the floor, the aroma of alcohol drew its attention away. The oni snatched up the barrel in question and smashed a larger hole into it with its fingers before lifting it high over its head, its maw opening to guzzle it down in seconds—

  Erina raised her arm and slashed. The spell circle inside the barrel activated.

  The spear shot down the oni's throat and triggered. The branches of light exploded into its body, spreading rapidly in the blink of an eye… and not exiting. Unable to pierce its skin, the tree remained trapped inside, beams bouncing madly through its internal organs, flooding down every limb and tearing everything apart from the inside. The oni bolted ramrod straight as energy exploded from its eyes and mouth and nose and ears, the tree of light finally sprouting free through every orifice it could find.

  The barrel burst as it hit the ground, spilling a wave of wine across the dirt. The oni dropped to its knees and then fell completely, its face striking the wet earth with a booming crash. Black smoke and the smell of burnt meat rose from its head.

  "Poison," repeated Erina. She got to her feet clutching her front, panting and waiting for the sharp pain in her chest to fade. "That was a good idea."

  "Steak and wine." Akira limped up and assessed the damage. "Classic. Wanna try some?"

  "No, thank you."

  Akira's boot met the top of the fallen oni's head. She drew her leg back and struck it again, and then again. It took the fourth try to finally break a hole in its crown.

  Akira pulled her leg back with a trail of viscera and inky venom. "That'll keep it down."

  "How are you feeling?" panted Erina.

  "Never felt better." Akira grinned as she grabbed her shoulder and rolled her neck. "Only had just about every bone in my body broken for a few seconds." Catching Erina's worried look, she assured her, "We heal it off. First real hit I've taken today."

  "Oh… I see."

  "How you holding up?"

  "I need a few minutes to rest." In truth, Erina's head was spinning again. The combined physical exertion, hits taken, and spell usage were starting to add up.

  "You're doing good. Take a second to look around at what you've achieved, why don'tcha?"

  Erina looked. A torn-up clearing with damaged buildings, unconscious and bleeding bodies littered about, burn marks everywhere…

  "It's a little unpleasant," she said.

  "It's a lotta men you took out," said Akira.

  "They seemed to lack an Affinity."

  "Most of 'em, yeah. Takes a lot of effort to realize potential, and Goukei doesn't exactly run a tight ship. Less of a criminal organization and more a big pack of thugs that gathered around the biggest, baddest guy in town. But credit for holding your ground all the same! No skirting around taking down an oni either."

  "The terrain was advantageous, and I had your help. If you weren't here, I wouldn't be able to keep down the youkai without an extended battle. The—"

  Akira exhaled sharply as she turned. "Just take a compliment, can you? For me."

  "Oh. I see." Erina shuffled on the spot. "Um, thank you, Akira."

  Akira motioned for her to follow as she set off towards the cave entrance at the back of the site. "This way. We can take our time. Doubt we'll be seeing anyone else for a bit."

  Erina looked ahead. Those two statues reminded her of something. She racked her brain, trying to pull up what she remembered of various mythologies, but there was so little to go off. Two buff headless statues could mean anything. Trepidation slowly creeping into her heart, she followed Akira into the cave.

  The road up the mountain was carnage. A car had veered off the road, nearly split in half by a tree. Another had fallen down the mountainside, beaten and hammered into a wreck. Several cars were simply parked where their occupants had gotten out and left for the Reverse. Bodies lay strewn about. Some were unconscious mages, others were youkai gradually regenerating from their wounds. Covered in bruises and with a few raw wounds still closing, Akira's driver slowly got up.

  The sound of a nearing motor drew his attention, and he turned his head. A sleek motorcycle rushed down the dirt path, black machine parts covered by smooth red plates. The lights shined bright in his eyes—

  Asayuki barely slowed down as she rammed the man into the dirt, her wheels grinding him right back into roadkill. Her visor was on, shielding her eyes from the howling wind. Her jacket and scarf flapped in her wake as she rushed up the mountainside, expertly maneuvering through the debris and the stopped cars.

  The analysis she requested from HQ came in a few hours ago. Most of the wild youkai appeared in roughly the same general area, but they often found one or two stragglers who had strayed far from this zone. It wasn't just a statistical anomaly. They were trying to converge somewhere, and the position was triangulated to this mountain.

  Asayuki's comms were silent today. Darius was sortied elsewhere. Years of experience had taught her that in matters of the supernatural, there were times when one's intuition was as valuable as any hard evidence. By the time the others mobilized and set out with her, it'd be too late to make it to the scene on time. As soon as she received word, she was on the road to stop whatever was happening. Any less would be too late.

  This looked like the scene of a battle. She wasn't the only one here.

  Asayuki revved her motorcycle and sped up, roaring up the mountain as fast as it could take her.