Tagorihime nodded and called out toward Tagitsuhime:
"Understood!"
The next instant, blue-green gales swept through the canyon of Ryūchi Cave, locking Hayashi firmly within the swirling winds.
The wind did not blow from any single direction.
From every side, above and below, the air throughout the canyon became blue-green blades of light, enclosing the steps of light beneath Hayashi's feet, the ice and snow around him, and the Tachi in his hand within the same cage.
Even the water beneath Ichikishimahime and the hem of Tagitsuhime's clothes were securely protected at its center.
Hayashi's Mind's Eye of the Kagura felt as though someone had deliberately damaged it.
An unbroken tide of warnings erupted deep within him, showing no sign of stopping.
One warning piled atop another, leaving him no opening to distinguish directions, no room to gather his thoughts. Only one thought battered his mind over and over-
Danger, danger, danger.
It was as though any move he made within these gales would leave him at the mercy of his opponent's assault.
"What... is going on...?"
"Forgive me, Lord Hayashi. The strength you have demonstrated has made you somewhat difficult for us to handle."
As Tagorihime's words fell, an instant later, a boundless surge of mental power pierced Uzumaki Hayashi's mind, carried by the blue-green gales.
That mental power was cold and sharp, driving straight through the gaps torn open by the wind.
Within his mind, those painted scenes in which everyone had lost their own hearts unfolded before his eyes once more.
"Ugh... ah..."
"What... aren't I in Sage Mode...?"
"Is this... genjutsu, or..."
Hayashi clutched his head in agony. The Tachi formed from frost in his hand dropped straight down.
Then it broke apart in midair, turning into shards of ice that scattered with a clatter and vanished