Tokyo Ravens - Volume 12 - Chapter 5.3

Part 3 
"Order!" 
Alongside a vigorous voice and a tearing noise, the torrent of magic hit the Yaksha. Wind blew her hair into a mess. 
Tenma was placing charms next to Natsume, and Kyouko was forming seals and chanting incantations across from them. Hakuou and Kokfuu dealt with the enemies to their left and right on their own, and Touji scattered the enemies in front of them. Hama was racing at full speed. 
"We can do this!!" 
A fighting spirit she had never felt before. Natsume and the others had been completely reinvigorated by Touji and Suzuka joining the fray. The two of them hadn't simply increased their fighting power by two people. The aura of their friends felt like it could support and encourage them just by being nearby. Her sad past and the various emotions she had endured and accumulated in her long period of hiding were all scattered by the strong wind. 
But in the end, these were defensive shikigami controlled by Shigeoka. After Suzuka and Touji joined the battle, the Emperors that had been on standby the whole time also entered the battle and finally started trying to take down Hama for real. The strength of the barrier that Hama put up had already been reduced by a half. Hama had reported that continuing to maintain the barrier would be very difficult. More importantly, the battle had already gone on so long that it wouldn't be strange for the Exorcist Bureau or the Mystical Investigators to come by as support. They had to win as soon as possible. 
"As I thought, we have to wipe out the shikigami." 
Only Natsume, Touji, and Suzuka were capable of destroying the defensive shikigami. They couldn't take Hakuou or Kokfuu off defense. Kyouko and Tenma were taking care of Akino and supporting everyone from behind. This was the optimal formation. 
Since traffic was restricted, there were no signs of ordinary vehicles around them. Right now was the time to fight! 
"Hama, slow down. Touji-kun, Suzuka-san, fight back." 
Kyouko and Tenma on either side were also extremely nervous. Akino shouted Natsume's name, worried. 
"It's alright." 
Natsume would use her magical energy to strike the enemy with her lightning magic, and Touji and Suzuka would finish them off. Though the durability of Shigeoka's defensive shikigami was worthy of praise, the combined power of the three of them would definitely present a problem. Most importantly, defeating the shikigami one after another would destroy the enemy formation. This would be good for Kyouko, Tenma, and Hama. 
"Okay, Natsume. Let's win." 
Touji received Natsume's instructions and leaped up, turning in the sky and stepping off the vehicle body with a shout. Akino was dumbstruck as she watched from the passenger seat. After all, the car was currently moving at high speed. 
"Eh...... W-Win?" 
"Yeah, we need to clean up over there." 
Natsume turned and looked up, and her body inadvertently became tense. Kyouko and Tenma couldn't believe their eyes, while Hama made an emergency brake when he saw the situation. But Touji was unconcerned as his eyes flashed and he roared "Third seal, release!!!" in midair. A dense demonic aura exploded out from Touji's body. Armor materialized and the demonic aura radiating from him formed a layer of flame that covered Touji. When he landed on the ground with a thump, the impact made the layer of flame dance. Touji tread on the asphalt road, instantly breaking through the Yaksha before him. 
Bang. 
With just one strike, he smashed through a Yaksha. The shikigami stopped moving entirely. He snatched the shikigami charm out of the air and it burned in the flames of demonic aura. Touji smiled and said: "One." The Yaksha also vanished completely as the shikigami charm was burned to ashes. Natsume was stunned. 
Recognizing Touji's power, the Yaksha to his left and right immediately changed their attack target and simultaneously commenced an attack. Touji just took the attacks from every direction, but the moment the clubs came in contact with his demonic aura, they caught fire and dropped down. Touji eliminated two more Yaksha the same way. Then, seeing that the Yaksha were no good, two Emperors came up to engage him. Touji smiled and attacked in a flaming dance. 
"Touji-kun!?" 
Natsume was very shocked. She even thought that Touji had been consumed by the oni and had already become a spiritual disaster. 
Just then, Suzuka said: 
"It's alright, that guy can control it." 
Suzuka sat on the hood of the stopped Hama. She dropped down and shouted. 
Touji had released the multiple seals that had been placed on his body. Touji's seals were only for his own safety. But he made use of their structure to release them by the smallest degree. If he made one wrong step, the oni would slowly consume him. What a death-defying way of fighting. Normally, it might be a bit reckless, but right now the fact that they were fighting with a Divine General was reckless itself. 
"But there's a limit to how long he can maintain that state. Natsume, come help, I'm going to fight the Garuda. If we don't take that shikigami down, Shigeoka will have free access to our information." Natsume looked up at the sky after Suzuka said this. 
The Garuda circled around nearby, still unable to leave the battle site after taking Suzuka's charm magic. The paper shikigami Suzuka had summoned still continued their attack, but they were skillfully avoided. 
"Oh no, Suzuka, the Garuda......" Kyouko shouted and Suzuka looked up in surprise. The Garuda that had originally been dodging Suzuka's shikigami scattered shikigami charms in midair. The unsealed Touji wasn't enough combat power for the current situation. Suzuka hastily ordered her shikigami to destroy the shikigami charms around them. But Shigeoka forcefully made the shikigami charms summon shikigami, and new Emperors and Yaksha materialized again. The number of defensive shikigami doubled in a flash. 
"They just keep coming......" Touji was surrounded but continued his assault undaunted. But it was still unknown how long Touji's attack could continue for. First off, this wasn't all the shikigami charms the Garuda carried. They hadn't yet added in their fighting power due to constraints on the shikigami controller's mind. Shigeoka was just calmly driving the battle, calculating accurately and strategically. 
"Uh oh, this will just be a war of attrition if it goes on. Natsume, let's consider escaping again." 
"That's why I said, we have to attack the Garuda first, stupid Glasses." 
"Suzuka, your shikigami haven't been able to catch up to the Garuda, right?" 

"I've been trying." 
A tense atmosphere hung over them. All of them were in anxious moods, but they only thought of facing the situation and not of giving up. Of course, Natsume was the same. 
"Anyways, Natsume, you go support Touji. Clean up those shikigami before that guy reaches his limits." 
"Suzuka, let's ride a shikigami." 
"I see, we can have three people surround the Garuda." 
"No, that won't work, it's not a very big shikigami." 
"Suzuka, can you stop the Garuda's movements for a moment?" 
"Eh, if it's just a moment......" 
"Kyouko, Tenma, prepare fire charm magic for Five Elements Mutual Generation. It's going to be wood generating fire, not fire generating earth. Suzuka and I will save Touji and stop the Garuda's movements at the same time." 
"Understood." Natsume replied and focused her mind on forming the seal of Indra. 
"Noumaku sanmanda botanan indoraya sowaka". She chanted and strengthened her defensive shikigami's lightning. Magical energy gathered together in the blink of an eye. 
"Hokuto, please lend me strength. First seal, release." 
The moment the seal was released, draconic aura gathered again in Natsume's body and her aura swelled up and exploded outwards. This time Kyouko and Tenma were stunned. Natsume's friends were already with her, so she just needed to put out all her power. The water-element draconic aura generated wood aura. The dragon itself was the Tsuchimikado family's guardian beast, Hokuto. Everyone watched as the Garuda was stopped successfully. Ignoring the reactions around her, Natsume's draconic aura became greater and greater. She raised her right hand and the draconic aura poured out like a soaring dragon, shooting out towards the gathered Emperors and Yaksha. 
"Suzuka!" 
Suzuka moved immediately and the group of paper shikigami all rushed the Garuda together. At the same time, the raptor shikigami she had prepared joined up with the group. Suzuka loudly shouted for Touji, and Touji leaped up. The raptor shikigami commenced their attack and Kyouko and Tenma threw out fire-element charms. That instantaneous exchange resonated and bore fruitful results - a beautiful combination. That moment, Shigeoka finally saw Natsume's true target. But it was already too late. 
"Thunder, fill the sky for nine days!" 
Garuda dodged reflexively, but Suzuka's nearby shikigami stopped it. 
Thunder roared. 
Even the Garuda's high speed was to no avail. The spear of light that shot down from the sky instantly hit the Garuda. The flying bolt gave off a rumbling roar when it made contact and vanished without a trace. But that wasn't the end. 
"Go." 
Natsume swung her right hand, and the afterimage of a dragon flashed through the night sky with another imposing bellow. The sky and earth were connected by light as thunder rumbled and the wind raged. The lightning hit, and half of Shigeoka's defensive shikigami were instantly reduced to ashes while the others were all covered with flames, reduced to appalling states. The lightning and draconic aura generated wood aura. The burning flame of the defensive shikigami's magical energy illuminated everything around them. The shadows of a group of stunned people flickered with the flames. Not long afterwards, Akino gingerly asked from the backseat: 
"Is it over?" 
"Yeah......" 
Natsume didn't answer again. She uttered a brief "reseal". All that was left after the intense magic battle was Natsume's voice echoing through the silent environment. 
"Amazing." Tenma expressed his opinion. Kyouko nodded her head. Suzuka was still looking wide-eyed at the traces left by the lightning bolt. 
Touji, who had suffered the impact and fallen onto the asphalt road, smiled wryly. He was also unable to keep his energy from being drained by the resealing. Natsume took some time to investigate the surrounding aura. Though it was a bit abnormal, she couldn't find out where it was. But Hama said: 
"Master, I propose we leave this place." 
"Yeah, we don't know when Onmyou Agency men will come here." 
"Suzuka, bring Touji back to the car." 
Tenma hastily returned to the driver's seat, and Kyouko dematerialized Hakuou and Kokfuu. 
Since Garuda had been destroyed, Shigeoka was also unaccounted for. Natsume looked out of the car, speaking to Akino in the passenger seat: 
"Akino, it's alright." Hesitantly, Natsume spoke to Akino again. Akino was hugging her knees in the passenger seat, looking in the distance. Natsume looked in the same direction as Akino but didn't see anything, not even any strange aura. 
"Akino, what's wrong?" 
Not only did Akino not reply, she didn't even react. Tenma and Kyouko also noticed Akino's shocked expression. Natsume loudly called out to Akino, shaking her shoulders. Natsume noticed that the place Akino was looking had been the place where the Yamantaka method magic pattern had been drawn. She shook Akino's shoulders again, and this time Akino moved her gaze to a place even farther away. 
"What is it?" Natsume sighed. Just then, Tenma, Kyouko, and Natsume's gazes all met. They smiled knowingly and looked in the distance just like Akino. That was where Harutora and the others were. 
Then......