Shisui moved like lightning.
Arch Energy surged through his limbs as he appeared mid-air above the creature, drawing its attention with a shower of kunai laced with polar tags. He activated his Polar Pulse Field, wrenching nearby metallic shards into a concentrated vortex to disrupt the abomination's balance.
Kaien and Mikazu struck from the flanks, coordinated and relentless, while Naoko provided support with precision genjutsu illusions to confuse the beast.
Ayato formed a massive seal on the canyon floor.
"Buy me two minutes. I'll trap it!"
The creature let out a guttural screech. Its body began vibrating at high frequency—uncontrolled Ferro-Spiritual Disruption. Shisui grit his teeth as pain shot through his body, blood iron reacting to the electromagnetic pulse.
Naoko screamed as she collapsed, ears bleeding from internal resonance. Shisui launched into action, drawing on deep reserves of Arch Energy.
"Magnetic Sandstorm Armor: Tetsu Veil Mode!"
He wrapped himself in a shell of spiraling iron sand and exploded forward, piercing through the creature's hide with his Rail Fang Cannon, shattering the Phase I's magnetic core in a devastating implosion.
Ayato's seal activated a second later—collapsing the remnants into a sealed sphere of spiritual magnetism.
Silence followed.
The team stood among wreckage and fallen bodies, the last of the convoy guards looking to them in shock and awe.
Ayato approached Shisui, eyes grave. "That thing… wasn't meant to survive. Someone knew this mission would fail."
Shisui clenched his fists, heart pounding. "We need to know who's behind this… and why they're using my clan's Kekkei Genkai."
Naoko slowly rose to her feet, gripping his sleeve.
"You're not alone, Shisui. We'll unravel this together."
And in that moment, under the blood-red sunset, the seeds of war were sown… and Shisui's quiet rebellion grew stronger roots.