"I see it!" Rael's voice was all business now. "Eunice, save the Prince and the guests! I'll handle this remnant!"
They burst into action. But the corrupted Nihilastra was faster. He vanished, reappearing in a blur of purple energy directly behind them. Rael's hand went to the sword at his hip, the blade still sealed in its sheath. In the same moment, Shiro didn't hesitate; he leaped through a stained-glass window, shattering it into a thousand glittering pieces as he flew down toward the giant.
Below, Rael and Nihilastra fought a breathtaking duel. It was kung-fu style, a blur of blocks, strikes, and parries, with Rael still holding his sheathed sword. They exchanged a flurry of blows, each impact echoing like a thunderclap, before a powerful push sent them skidding apart.
With a guttural roar, Nihilastra charged at full speed. Rael stood his ground, and in the instant before impact, he moved. It was too fast to see. He simply drew his sword a single inch from its sheath and made a clean, horizontal cut. A line of light appeared across Nihilastra's torso. The corrupted half-elf froze, then fell to his knees, blood beginning to pour from the wound in a torrential rain.
Rael turned, about to go help Shiro, when a chilling, feminine laugh echoed from Nihilastra's body.
The corpse rose, the grievous wound still bleeding profusely. "Well," it said in a woman's voice, "I never expected to find you here." The pooling blood began to levitate, swirling around the body in a vortex of dark red energy.
Rael's eyes narrowed. "Hmm."
"Blood Manipulation: Crimson Blades!" the entity shrieked. The blood solidified into razor-sharp scimitars that attached to its arms. It bent low, ready to speed blitz.
Rael finally settled into a true swordsman's stance. "I don't recall Nihilastra being able to use blood manipulation."
They clashed. The fight was a storm of slicing crimson blades and the flash of Rael's still-sheathed sword. Strikes appeared in the air around them, moving at impossible speeds. The entity managed to grab Rael by the leg and, with monstrous strength, hurled him straight through the palace wall and out into the courtyard.
Rael tumbled through the air, but in a fluid motion, he drew his blade just enough to make a precise cut, severing the spectral hand that still gripped his ankle. He landed gracefully, his shoes skimming the surface of a large fountain, standing on the water as if it were solid ground.
The entity, now standing on the broken palace wall, clapped its bloodied hands. "Ohh my...."
"You are not Mitsuri, aren't you?" Rael called out, his voice cold.
"It took you long enough," the voice mocked. "I am impressed by how you severed that hand without even fully removing your sword from its sheath."
"Why don't you reveal yourself?" Rael demanded.
The entity teleported directly in front of him. "Well, I can't do that," it purred, "because I have plans for you in the future." It slammed its palms into Rael's chest, sending him flying backward into the path of the shadow giant, which was now turning its attention from Shiro.
The giant's fist came down, intent on crushing Rael into the ground. In that moment, a terrifying aura erupted from Rael. He finally drew his sword, a mere few inches, and a wave of invisible pressure shot out. He became a blur, moving with such speed that he seemed to be in multiple places at once. In the space of a heartbeat, he had zipped past every corrupted giant in the courtyard, and finally, past the blood-manipulating entity itself.
A moment of absolute silence hung in the air. Then, every single giant and the entity froze. Perfect, clean cuts appeared across their forms, and they all fell apart, dissolving into motes of fading purple energy. Nihilastra's body fell to the ground, the corrupting soul gone, returning to normal before vanishing entirely.
"That takes care of one problem," Rael muttered, sheathing his sword.
But the danger wasn't over. High on a palace rooftop, two figures appeared: Anastasia, holding a glowing Celestial Gem, and her companion, Beatrice. They were weaving a giant lightning storm directly above Prince Kai.
Shiro, still in his granny form, was running toward the prince. (Damn! I can't access my full power in this female body!)
"I'll take care of this, Shiro!" Rael yelled. He closed his eyes, his hand resting on his sword's hilt. He didn't draw it, but simply moved. He vanished from the courtyard and reappeared on the rooftop behind the two women in the same instant. There was no sound, only a line of light in the air.
The giant lightning construct in the sky was cleanly bisected. So was the rooftop they stood on, and a line of trees and a building in the distance were silently cut in half.
Beatrice turned, her form already beginning to fade. "I shall return for you, Rael ....." she whispered, before both she and Anastasia disappeared into thin air.
The sky instantly cleared, the dark clouds dissolving to reveal a calm blue sky. Below, Shiro, the Prince, Zuzu, and Ryo could only stare in stunned disbelief.
Inside the hall, a maid went to pick up a silver cup. As her fingers touched it, the top half slid cleanly off, clattering to the floor. She looked up, saw Rael standing there with his eyes closed, and marched over, whacking him on the head with a tray.
"You almost cut me in half!" she screeched.
---
Later, in the serene royal hot springs, steam rose into the cool night air. Rael and Shiro, still in their female forms, sat in the soothing waters.
"Now this," Shiro (Eunice) said, leaning back against the rock, "is special treatment."
"Yep," Rael agreed with a content sigh.
Just then, the bamboo door slid open. "May we join you?" came Zuzu's voice.
Ryo and Luna stood with her, all three wrapped in towels.
Rael and Shiro froze. Their faces, already flushed from the heat, turned a deep, uniform, and utterly mortified crimson.
As their female spell fades away their forms returned to male.
I can explain "Shiro said trampling"
Hyaaaa "Ryo,zuzu,Luna screamed