Like coordinated ants, trained for thousands of years, they retreated perfectly. A few held the defensive, placing their lives at the ready for the others. Notably, they were the advanced aged. In addition, they would swap uniquely, moving about in an odd rhythm as they returned to the city grounds.

Luckily, Akio's newly transformed self and the supposed King of the Shadowy Black Knights were engaged in a fierce battle that turned to the battlefield in the sky into an absolute mess. The knights found it hard to follow with the constant sonic boom like explosions.

This gave them enough room to swiftly return in the blink of an eye. Some knights ferociously pursued, but the moment they got within a few hundred meters of the city gates, an illusory flame was birthed around them, inducing h.e.l.lish screams.

This flame was translucent like gla.s.s and seemed not to burn physical matter. It halted their steps as they were engulfed, forced to retreat into the swarm of allies. Only then did the fire quell. A light of trepidation and confusion appeared in many of the knights' eyes and concealed faces.

They held untold battle intent but no release. Many roared like beasts and tried to rush forward with indomitable momentum only to be killed by the illusory flame. They dropped like flies in the final seconds of their life.

The constant thuds served as a reminder to the others. They halted where they were and waited. Unlike the Kitsune, they were not given any order except to kill. In fact, it wasn't just that, but to kill with no regard for their own lives.

Despite that, reckless suicide with no hope wasn't an order they were given. They turned their eyes towards the sky as they watched the battle between Akio and their king.

In the sky, the world was a cataclysmic mess. The air currents and soundwaves were like two clas.h.i.+ng G.o.ds attempting to reshape the sky in their image. It was awe-inspiring. 

Akio slashed his blade in a tricky manner as a violet glow brimmed around his body. With each clash with this King Caliburn, his expression would become darker. They fought and exchanged lethal acts, but to Akio, to the young warrior, it felt off.

He couldn't pinpoint how, but it definitely was. 

With his arming sword in hand, King Caliburn sliced shadow arcs in the sky. Akio parried and pushed away, gathering distance. 

He swiftly a.n.a.lyzed the situation below and deduced that the ritual had ended. The retreat of his people meant they could use the advantages of the village's inherent formations to fight.

Those formations were frustrating as they were foreign. If activated during the ritual, it would've been tainted. This forced them to fight outside the village and keep the formations inactive. Despite the formations unusual nature, they could easily defend against these people several times over.

He looked at King Caliburn with a fierce gaze. The King had ceased attacking. His gaze looked towards the village formation, and a shadowy mist flowed out of his eyes — a pearly white smirk filled with excitement formed on his lips.

Akio frowned. He was debating on retreating, but he knew his strength was temporary. This King Caliburn had enough strength and experience to clash with him on equal terms; it's unlikely that he could kill him. However, the thought still emerged in his heart.

If you kill the commander of an army, the soldiers become like ants without heads. However, he knew not to be a hero unnecessarily.

"Thief," King Caliburn spoke, his voice tinged with an echo of darkness. His tone was mocking. 

Akio frown deepen. He didn't have memories of his past ancestor, so he had no idea why this invader was calling him a thief or what the grail he mentioned earlier was. 

"Your actions before, you will pay for it a thousandfold." King Caliburn smirked, confidently stating his intent. However, as he did, he looked, not towards Akio, but towards the village. That smirk that hung on his lips gave Akio a bad feeling. This feeling was as if a shadow had emerged in his thoughts, blotting out a particular thought.

A soft violet light flickered continuously through his eyes for a moment. Then, with a swift turn, he shot off like a comet back to the village. His speed was awe-inspiring as the surrounding atmospheric pressure shattered into a tremendous explosion.

The resulting waves sent the world into chaos. King Caliburn mockingly chuckled, "too late. We shall once more seize our day." As those ominous words fell, an event that the Kitsune had fought to prevent had already happened!

-----

Two minutes prior.

Akane and Kaiga were standing on the platform, waiting for the ritual to reach its conclusion. Kaiga protectively stood beside her as he wielded a katana in both hands, displaying an odd dual-swordsmans.h.i.+p rare amongst Kitsune. His eyes gleamed with warmth and concern whenever he looked towards Akane, but harsh and h.e.l.lish coldness when he glanced at the sea of darkness.

To them who were far away, it was like black and multicolored droplets of water falling to the earth from a sea of darkness. It truly left one feeling cold knowing that those droplets were the recently departed. Many of whom he knew.

"How long?" Kaiga softly asked. It was unbearable to watch your clansmen fall like flies reaching the end of their lives while you do nothing but watch. Of course, he knew that his current mission was far more important, but it didn't ease his fiery heart.

Akane shook her head helplessly, "I'm not sure." Her words left one feeling like a bottomless pit was formed at the base of one's stomach. A sinking feeling emerged. She felt heavy, as if the world was on her shoulders. Was the ritual and lives of her ancestors going to end by her hands?

The very thought made her want to cut off her arms.

Unfortunately…

"It should be soon," seeing Akane's depressing aura, he couldn't help but try to rea.s.sure her.

Shroom!

A piercing sound burst into life, causing Kaiga and Akane to be on the alert as they looked towards that direction. A figure, translucent and nearly invisible was impatiently and quickly traveling by air towards their position.

Their eyes widened as they looked towards this figure to realize it was a woman. A nude woman. Her features weren't clear, but her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and lack of a third-leg indicated her gender.

"Waa?" An exclamation of surprise sounded from the woman as she abruptly stopped in mid-air. Raising her palms, she looked at her hands in utter disbelief. "My spatial concealment is exposed?" The amount of shock in her voice clearly showed she wasn't sure how or why.

While that happened, Akane and Kaiga were too focused to notice the silver flickering light in Akane sleeve. 

Kaiga jumped to defense. This woman had no tail and, despite her features being unclear, she was definitely a threat. Her brandished his twin swords with fierceness and readied himself.

The woman turned to realize that the two had already seen her. Her eyes turned cold as killing intent emerged from her eyes. 

"Is that?!" Her eyes suddenly changed as she noticed the sword hilt sticking out of the stone. "The Grail's Prison!" Her words were said with excitement, pure excitement. 

"Intruder, be gone lest I slay you where you stand!" Kaiga threatened. 

"Harrumph!" She coldly sneered. Using her palm, she drove it directly into her chest. Shockingly, no blood surfaced as it punctured deep within. With a swift yank, she pulled out a pure white pearl. It was about the size of a marble.

Without any delay, she threw it towards Akane and Kaiga. As if it were sentient, it sped towards Akane like a bullet with eyes. 

Kaiga reacted quickly, soaring into the air and decisively cutting down. However, the pearl veered away from his sharp blades like a fish dodging a predator. The speed was so fast that he couldn't even react or turn around before it reached Akane.

Akane's eyes widened as she tried to urge her powers, but because of the ritual, she could only stare as it approached.