The Kijin charged.
Its enormous body crossed the ruined field in a single violent motion, tearing through snow and broken earth as its four arms spread outward. Darkness followed behind it like a tide.
Nathan vanished before the first claw reached him.
The Kijin's hand struck the ground.
BADOOOOOM!!
The road outside Minami Kyoto disappeared beneath the impact.
Stone erupted into the air. A deep crater formed where Nathan had stood, its edges filled with black smoke. The creature's second arm swept across the field at the same moment, cutting through the remains of a watchtower and sending shattered stone toward the city walls.
Shiina appeared at its side.
Blue light flashed around her.
Her two blades cut through the air.
The Kijin turned too late.
One sword struck across the creature's lower arm. The other cut into the already wounded scar near its ribs. Blue magic surged through the wounds, freezing black blood as it spilled across the snow.
