While Kurama was gone...
All of them were injured severely from Erithea's powerful blast of dark thrown at them. Yukari's barrier only defended them for a short while before it shattered. Soon after that, the demon shinobis launched their group attack.
"Look out!" Yukari shouted and the group quickly dropped back to avoid being struck by the energy blades launched by the enemies.
At the last moment, the Sound Wielder turned back and charged her weapon with her spirit energy to conjure an attack and fired it at the enemies. But to her surprise, the demon shinobis managed to dodge the attack she cast. "It can't be!"
In that moment of surprise that Yukari's guard down for a little bit, vines burst out from underground and bound her tight. She was struggling to get out of the binds when several tentacles wrapped around her. Those tentacles were coming from the weapons of the demon shinobis that surprised the group.
"Yukari!" Soujiro screamed at the sight of his sister bound by the enemies. He materialized the Sword of the Sea the same way Ayako did to the Rod of Light.
But before they could throw an attack to help Yukari, the enemies began to torture her with electric blast after blast, causing her to scream in pain.
"We can't attack them like this or else Yukari-chan will be caught in it," Keiko said worriedly.
"So how are we supposed to save my sister?" Soujiro asked frustratingly, his grip on the hilt of the sword tightened.
"Don't worry about me, Onii-sama! You and the others have to go and defeat Erithea!" Yukari yelled despite the torture. "Go!" And after the shouted that, she focused all of her spirit energy into her weapon that she was still gripping tightlytoo not let it be taken by the enemies.
Yukari continued to scream as she increased her power output to an unbelievable level. The Harquebus of Sound then emitted an indigo-colored glow that surprised the demon shinobis but did not stop torturing her with an electric blast.
"You got some nerve using electric shock against me! But I will not allow you to hurt my friends, let alone hurt my mistress!" Yukari said firmly even though she was completely weak. Her grip on her weapon tightened and it glowed immensely bright, almost blinding. "Here I go... Sonic Crescent Smasher Blast!"
Upon shouting the attack, an indigo-colored ball grew from her weapon's mouth for a few seconds before exploding and releasing several beams that struck the demon shinobis through and through. The resulting blast threw up an ice pillar. The whole time, the others couldn't do anything to help Yukari since they were busy trying to prevent themselves from being thrown away by the blast.
"Yukari!" Soujiro shouted and tried to open his eyes to see the situation, only to have his heart crushed into tiny fragments when he saw his sister.
The materials and the smoke thrown by the blast slowly faded and cleared the view. But what had emerged from it made their eyes open wide due to extreme shock and the girl covered their mouth in horror, some of them shook their heads in denial.
Yukari was lying on a platform created from an ice pillar but that was not only what made them in denial at the moment. Several ice spikes stabbed the Sound Wielder all over but what horrified them was the spike that stabbed Yukari from the back of the neck. Despite all that, they could see that Yukari wasn't willing to let go of her weapon; her tight grip on it proved that.
The blue-haired Sound Wielder was staring blankly at the ominous night sky as a memory flooded into her mind...
xxxxxx
[Flashback]
After Yukari lost a one-on-one mock battle with Riya, both of them took a break as Yukari laid her back on the grass.
"How disappointing. I still can't defeat you even though I'm physically strong," Yukari complained and sighed. Riya chuckled at that as she sat beside her.
"You still have time. Just do your best next time we sparred, okay?" Riya said with a smile. And then her face turned serious as she gazed at the field. "Yukari-chan, can I ask you something?"
Yukari sat up and faced Riya. "Sure. But what are you going to ask me about, Riya-senpai?"
Silence filled the air for a minute or so before Riya spoke.
"How far would you go to become strong and prove yourself worthy to possess the Flute of Melody? And what do you want to do when you achieve all that?" Riya asked seriously.
Yukari looked at Riya for a short while before she reverted her gaze to the same direction her mistress was looking.
"As far as I could, even after death. And when I become strong, I want to protect you to many extents. You are my mistress, after all. But I know you wouldn't let me die for that. That's why I promise to stay alive so I could protect you and everything else precious to you... till the end of your lifetime," Yukari said without looking at Riya, determination evident in her voice.
Riya smiled after hearing that. "I see."
xxxxxx
A tear fell from Yukari's blank eyes as her grip on the Harquebus of Sound tightened even more.
"I'm sorry... Mistress Riya. I... failed..." Yukari whispered with her last remaining strength before her eyes closed for the final time and her body went completely limp.
Soujiro's eyes widened as he fell to his knees. "Yukari!"
That scream of horror from the Water Wielder was soon followed by a burst of sadistic, sinister laughter from Erithea.
"One down, four to go," Erithea said with a smirk. "My minions, go take the weapon from the dead wielder!"
The demon shinobis headed straight toward Yukari's dead body and Soujiro was about to use his weapon when all of a sudden, the enemies' attacks were deflected by the barrier surrounding the ice pillar. All were surprised to see that.
"Even in death, she's still protecting it," Yumi said.
Soujiro's grip on the hilt of the Sword of the Sea tightened as he glanced at his sister's dead body.
'Don't worry, Yukari. I'm not going to let your death be in vain,' the blue-haired Water Wielder thought as he faced the enemies with narrowed eyes.
The sword emitted a bright blue glow as he channeled his spirit energy to it. Soon after, Soujiro charged toward the group of demon shinobis who attacked Yukari to get the Harquebus of Sound.
"Soujirou, what do you think you're doing?!" Yumi yelled at the sight but Hiei interrupted her.
"He wouldn't allow his sister's death to be in vain. Not only that, he's going to defend his honor as a Legendary Weapon Wielder and as one of Riya's warriors. You, of all people, should know that."
"But that doesn't mean I want him to end up dead like Yukari!"
"So what are you going to do?"
But before Yumi could answer that, they heard something that smashed into the ground and the blast almost blew them away. Seconds later, they heard Soujirou scream.
"I have to help him!" Sei announced, upon hearing that. But before anyone could stop her, she rushed towards the place where Soujiro was fighting.
"Sei-chan, don't come near here!" Soujiro yelled despite the injuries he acquired during the battle.
"But Jiro-kun---"
"Ah, the traitor had come to help her beloved," one of the demon shinobi said with a sneer and aimed a dark orb at Sei. The orb soon turned into tentacles, the same ones that tortured Yukari. Those tentacles were about to hit Sei when Soujiro threw himself in front of her to protect the girl. They all heard the dreaded stabbing sound soon after and when Sei looked, she was shocked to see the tentacles stabbing Soujiro.
The tentacles were pulled from Soujiro's body and it didn't cause a through and through wound, but the pain was there.
"Jiro-kun!" Sei yelled as her eyes began to water. She was about to approach the Water Wielder but Soujiro stopped her.
He didn't say anything but he continued to walk toward the group of demon shinobis. When he stopped at a certain spot, he closed his eyes and focused his spirit energy on his sword. But before he could utter his attack, several tentacles gripped Soujiro from above and began torturing him the same way the other group of demon shinobis tortured Yukari. He screamed in pain but didn't stop focusing his spirit energy on his weapon. He increased his power output to an unbelievable level before releasing it.
"Water Spiral Blast!" Soujiro shouted as his weapon glowed intensively bright, followed by several water beams in a form of a double helix striking the demon shinobis torturing him. But it only intensified the degree of electric blast to him. Though this time, the enemies were getting electrocuted with their power, along with Soujiro's water attack.
The glow to his sword grew and exploded soon after, destroying the electrocuted demon shinobis at the same time. The resulting blast threw up another intricate ice tree upon which Soujiro was suspended after being stabbed by one of its spikes. His blood flowed to the ice, staining it red in the process. The remaining wielders looked at it in horror and disbelief.
Another of their comrades was killed. None of them had anticipated this. Did Erithea's powers go completely strong to the point where her minions had killed two of the wielders?
Soujiro stared blankly at the ground below before barely facing his Sword of the Sea in his hand. His grip on it tightened using his last remaining strength as he remembered a certain memory...
xxxxxx
[Flashback]
"You know, you could have decided not to be a Legendary Weapon Wielder. That way, you could still live your life normally like before," Riya said while they were eating the boxed lunch after they sparred.
Soujiro chuckled at that. "Since before, my life was never normal, Riya-san."
"Is that the reason why you accepted your fate as a wielder?"
But he shook his head as an answer and looked at the clear sky.
"I accepted that fate of mine despite my reluctance at first because I wanted to have the power to protect what is important to me and my family. When I learned that I was chosen to protect you and become the wielder of the Scythe of the Deep Waters, I was glad because possessing that power meant that I could do what I wanted. I knew that possessing that power isn't meant to destroy; it's to protect. So I'll hold on to it, no matter what happens. I won't let go of that scythe to the enemies even if it kills me. That way, even after death, I could still protect you since you're our mistress and I'm your warrior."
Riya smiled at that. "I guess that answers my question." And then both of them laughed as they continued to eat their lunch.
xxxxxx
Soujiro smiled weakly after that and closed his eyes for one final time before uttering his final words.
"I'll defend you and this weapon, Mistress... no matter... what..." And then he heaved his last breath with his hand clutching tight on the sword.
The three wielders shut their eyes in anguish as Sei screamed in horror.