Back at the peak of Icy Storm Mountain, Eiji and the other participants formed a defensive line to shield their weakened comrades.

Rubble shifted as a massive beast emerged from the mist.

It did not charge; it did not growl.

It simply stood, its hollow eyes fixed upon the warriors.

"That doesn’t look like the one we fought before," Haruki whispered.

"It appears to be a bit menacing with that dark aura around it," Ishito added.

"What are you guys talking about? Isn’t that a snow ape?" Nobutaka asked, confused.

"They were already looking like that when we rescued the volunteers earlier," Eiji said.

"I don’t care what you think about it. All I know is that it isn’t like the ones we fought before."

Haruki paused.

“It feels much stronger.”

Haruki pointed his blade at the beast.

For a while, there was only silence.

They held their breaths, their chests drumming.

And finally,

The beast leaped, launching itself high into the air.

"Too high..."

Eiji thought as he stared at the beast above them.

"Look out!"

Ishito shouted, and everyone moved away from the area before the ape could land.

The ground cracked beneath its feet, but the samurai had no choice.

They lunged forward, fighting with everything they had.

As more monsters emerged, the small band of warriors faced them head-on.

They moved with a sharp focus, fighting for their lives against an enemy far stronger than any they had faced in training.

Though the beasts were powerful, the samurai fought back with grit and determination.

Like moths around the candlelight, the monsters fell.

Hours dragged on.

Their lungs burned with every jagged breath, and their muscles screamed in protest, yet they ignored the exhaustion.

They fought with the honor and pride of the Blades of Tsutsumi.

Ishito held his own against the strongest beasts, but he missed one fatal detail: a hidden enemy lurked in the distance.

A dark arrow hissed through the air and struck him in the back. He collapsed onto his chest, gasping in agony.

"Ishito!"

Haruki saw his friend fall.

The sight of Ishito’s blood staining the snow hit him harder than any blade.

Memories of their childhood came flooding into his mind: running through the deep woods, the simple joy of their younger days, and innocent laughter echoing in his head.

When he saw his friend’s broken form, a burning rage ignited within him.

Haruki threw himself into the fray.

Ignoring the claws raking across his own skin and the deep gashes on his arms. He slashed blindly, fueled by his rage, until a searing heat erupted from his naginata.

With every swing, the beasts didn't just fall; they turned to ash, as if they were nothing more than dust.

Haruki examined his weapon, a hazy heat shimmering around the pole. He felt no pain, only the surge of power.

When he swung again, his blade ignited with a bright, sunset flame.

Haruki had awakened the power of the flames.

He carved a path through the horde until he reached his friend. His rage melted into desperate relief when he felt Ishito’s faint, steady heartbeat. Haruki scooped him up and raced toward the tents, handing Ishito to the others.

"He’s still with us. Please take care of him."

Haruki said as he let the others have Ishito.

He turned back toward the battlefield, unaware that a fragment of his newly awakened power remained with Ishito.

Where the arrow had pierced Ishito, a soft, bright magenta flame glowed, sealing the wound.

Ishito’s blood stopped flowing out, and his wounds knit together as if they had never existed.

The samurai watching were frozen in shock.

Even the wounded stared in stunned silence.

…

Seiya, Nobutaka, and Nadare moved in the perfect rhythm of friends who had grown up side by side. They shifted seamlessly between defense and offense, their combined efforts thinning the enemy's ranks.

Seiya slipped beneath an ape's swinging arm, shoved Nadare away from a descending claw, then cut across another beast's ankle before vanishing into the chaos again.

Every shout vanished beneath the clash of steel. If only she could reach everyone at once.

Nobutaka, known for his iron-clad defense, found himself wishing he could command the very ground to rise, shielding them from harm and throwing the beasts off balance.

Meanwhile, Nadare used his small size to his advantage, staying fluid and darting around the monsters.

An ape lunged. Nadare stepped aside at the last instant, grabbed its wrist, and hurled the monster into two of its companions.

Nearby, Eiji handled the massive odachi as though it weighed nothing. Every strike sent the wounded monsters spiraling backward.

He had never fought so many enemies at once before, and his exhaustion was beginning to show.

"There are so many of them. How are we going to keep this up?"

Eiji thought as he swung his weapon against the enemies.

He took down another beast and scanned the camp. His friends were fighting with every ounce of strength they possessed, but he knew they couldn't hold the line much longer.

His attention shifted to the tents where he could sense the sheer terror of the wounded trapped inside.

A tremor shook the ground, causing dust to slide down from the tent walls.

"That’s it!"

Eiji spotted a huge, loose boulder.

He shoved the massive boulder over the edge. The heavy boulder rolled down over the enemies, taking a lot of them at once. Some of the samurai saw what Eiji did and followed his lead.

One after another, massive boulders thundered down the slope, crushing enemies in their path.

Eiji sighed in relief, but he knew the rocks wouldn't last forever. He needed a more permanent solution.

As he glanced toward Nobutaka, who was locked in a brutal struggle with a massive ape, he noticed something strange: every time Nobutaka planted his feet, the ground fractured, and stones began to hover in the air around him.

It was as if the ground itself was answering to his will.

Eiji remembered the words of General Hyosei:

“Some of you may awaken your own true power. To weave the elements at will.”

Eiji leaped forward, his blade helping Nobutaka finish off the beast.

"Thanks... That one almost got me."

Nobutaka said, bending and taking a deep breath.

"Do you realize what you were doing just now?"

Eiji asked, his face lit with excitement

"What?"

"Look!"

Eiji pointed at the floating rocks around Nobutaka.

"The terra is responding to you."

"It... does?"

Nobutaka then waved his hand up as if trying to guide a rock up his palm.

"I can command the terra..."

He whispered, unable to believe the power he now wielded.

"You have no idea how happy I am for you, but for now, I need your help."

Eiji held Nobutaka’s shoulders.

…

Nobutaka stood with his eyes closed, focusing his mind and his newfound strength into a stance that felt like a long-forgotten memory.

Eiji stepped in front of him, deflecting every blow meant for his friend.

“Just keep going, I’ll protect you!”

Nobutaka trusted Eiji with his life.

And as he continued to concentrate, the ground began to tremble so violently that even Haruki, currently locked in a fierce struggle nearby, felt the ground lurch beneath his feet.

Inside the tent, the wounded were thrown about by the rhythmic rocking of the mountain.

“Terraquake?” Seiya realized after taking down an enemy.

“What’s going on?” Nadare exclaimed, dashing toward Eiji.

“Nobutaka is going to be the key to escaping this place.”

Eiji said with a confident smirk.

Nadare glanced at Nobutaka, who had settled into a steady stance, holding his right fist with his left hand.

Nobutaka’s eyes snapped open, and he drove his fist into the frozen ground.

The mountain shook.

Everyone froze.

Then the ground erupted.

The samurai were stunned, silent as if they were only seeing Nobutaka for the first time. They knew he was good at standing his ground in training, but they never imagined he could tremble the very ground they stood on, at will.

Monsters climbing the steep slope lost their footing, tumbling backward as massive boulders tore through, crushing the enemies in their path.

The endless tide finally broke, but they were still surrounded.

“I know you just got your power, but could you make a wall around us!?”

Eiji shouted.

“Do I have a choice?”

Nobutaka shouted back.

“Eiji, the others also awakened the same power. Nobutaka doesn’t have to do it alone.”

Nadare pointed out.

“But I don’t think they’ll hear me from here.”

Eiji said, his brow furrowed as he scanned the chaos.

Just then, Seiya appeared at his side and tapped his shoulder.

“I might be able to help.”

“Seiya! You’re okay!”

Eiji's relief quickly turned to confusion. He could hear Seiya's voice, but she was nowhere in sight.

“Did you hear Seiya just now?” Eiji turned to Nadare.

“What are you talking—”

Nadare paused; he heard Seiya in his head.

“I think… I think I can speak… With my mind?”

Seiya was unsure herself.

“How are you doing it?” Eiji asked loudly.

“This is weird…” Nadare shivered.

“I can sort of hear everyone’s thoughts, and it’s a bit confusing; voices are all over the place.”

“I’m also struggling to talk to more people at the same time.”

“But I think I can do it.”

Eiji and Nadare exchanged confused looks.

“Forget about that. I think I can use this to pass a message to those who can do the same as Nobutaka.”

Hearing everyone’s thoughts, Seiya struggled to sift through and find those who could bend the Terra.

But slowly, she was able to pass the message.

"Please, help Nobutaka build a wall around us."

Everyone who heard Seiya's voice in their minds felt their fur stand on end.

It was as though an unseen spirit had invaded their thoughts.

Yet despite the fear and confusion, they obeyed her.

Across the battlefield, one samurai after another answered Seiya's silent plea.

Palms struck the frozen ground, and jagged walls of stone burst upward around the summit, sealing every approach.

Eiji and Nadare could see the rising walls from different directions until the summit had been successfully covered.

It may have taken some time, but the plan was a success.

With the monsters trapped outside, Eiji scrambled to the top of a boulder Nobutaka had raised for him.

“Everyone!”

Eiji called once again.

“While the enemies are out, we need to grab everyone and get them on the sleds.”

Eiji paused to breathe.

“We’re going to slide away from this place!”

He continued.

His voice echoed off the stone barricades, reaching every corner of the camp.

Nadare, confused, tilted his head.

“But how are we going to do that?”

Eiji smirked and patted Nobutaka’s shoulder.

…

Nobutaka and the other terra-wielders smoothed a path down the mountainside, then raised stone walls along its edges, cutting off the encroaching horde.

With the path cleared, the sleds carrying the wounded slid down, protected by those who could fight off any beasts attempting to scale the stone barriers.

Haruki led the first group, cradling Ishito on his sled.

Eiji, Seiya, Nobutaka, and Nadare remained at the rear, making sure no one was left behind while keeping the pursuing monsters at bay.

Behind them, terrifying roars echoed as the enemy battered against the stone walls.

The descent was long and treacherous, but it was their only hope of escaping the summit’s trap.

As the final sled touched the base, an explosive flame shot into the sky.

It was Haruki’s signal; the escape was a success.

”That’s the signal. Thank goodness, they were—”

Eiji paused when he saw a second flame erupt into the air.

”Wait, that means....”