With that, Kazama Ya erupted in a dazzling white light that gradually spread outward.
It threw back its head and laughed a few times, then turned to Yui. "Hahahaha! Yui Hyuga, brace yourself. Don't pass out in a moment..."
Yui froze for a moment. Why did she feel there was something strange about the way Kazama Ya spoke?
With danger pressing in, she did not dwell on it. She simply nodded quietly. "Mm..."
As the white light gradually enveloped her, Yui felt the temperature plunge to freezing, sending a shiver through her entire body.
The approaching Red Ants sensed something amiss and retreated. Some that failed to escape turned back into yellow sand beneath the white light and fell to the ground.
"Yui Hyuga, how do you feel?" Suddenly, Kazama Ya leaned close to her ear and spoke in a strange manner.
Yui stiffened. Before she could work out what was odd about Kazama Ya's question, a swollen, aching numbness suddenly arose in her left arm, the one holding the purple crystal.
"No, what's going on?" she cried, hurriedly looking down at her arm.
Under Yui's gaze, tiny cracks slowly appeared in the purple crystal encased in Earth Release. Wisps of purple mist seeped out through those cracks.
The instant the eerie purple mist escaped the crystal's confines, it seemed to find its target. Like a predator spotting prey, it swiftly coiled around Yui's left arm. Soon, it found a way in and surged into the pores of her arm.
At the same time, Yui realized how serious the situation was. She tried to loosen her grip and drop the object in her hand.
But something unexpected happened. Her arm seemed to have slipped beyond her control. Instead of relaxing and opening, her hand gripped even harder.
As much as