Horizon (feat. Haliene) by Seven Lions Tritonal x Kill The Noise

The scent of burning dirt and skin plagued the air where bombs had gone off. Blood was even more prominent with the gunpowder that remained in the lingering smoke. It burned the eyes of those that had been on the outskirts of the blasts trying to search for their comrades that had disappeared in a split second. Lying on the ground covered in dirt, ash, and blood was an unconscious Akiko. Those moving around blindly in the cloud were not aware that the young woman had been caught up in the explosion. A shout in the distance caused her to stir, her facial features twitching before her eyelids began to flutter open. She was completely disoriented seeing double before a cough wracked her chest from the smoke. Body flexing to make sure she still had full control over her motor functions a pain shot up from a hip. Managing to just sit up the outfit she wore was stained red with blood. The bomb had been stuffed with metal shards and one was embedded into her skin halfway sticking out. Head falling back Akiko began breathing heavily to try and keep herself calm while gripping the shrapnel and jerking it out with a cry of pain. Pressing the free palm to the open wound ice spread across the area in a thick layer to stanch the flow as the healing properties of her demonic aura began to kick in.

Turning her attention back to her surroundings the smoke was finally beginning to clear. Being able to see the outcome was horrifying as corpses littered the ground as many of the demons were staring with unseeing eyes. There was also a ringing in the young woman's ears that Akiko had not noticed until it started fading away allowing the sounds of battle to come back. The reincarnation needed to move despite the pain when realizing someone was watching her. Glancing in the direction of her feet Lord Orochi came stalking out of the smoke clouds with a malicious grin. Akiko glared in his direction pushing her upper body off the ground with the help of the elbows.

"I am going to enjoy this," Lord Orochi grinned. Something hit the ground behind the young woman, daring to glance and watched as Kagome rolled across the ground with a low groan of pain. With worry Akiko wanted to rush to her side, but turned back to Lord Orochi who continued to stalk her like prey. "I knew it was too good to be true. To think that you would actually die as a result of the poison. That not only had I hindered the Hawk Clan, but the north as well in our efforts. Only now do I realize the households started those rumors to throw us off, we believed it! What wishful thinking. But no matter. I'll take pleasure in squeezing the life out of you with my bare hands instead for all to see. There's something more satisfying about it where I know this time no one will be able to help you. Maybe I'll even add a bit of poison to make sure you truly suffer."

Struggling, Akiko gasped while rolling onto her front. It didn't matter that the demon was slowly stalking closer; he was only doing it for sport. Pushing up on both hands and knees her slightly blurred vision from the head rush struggled to focus on Kagome, who was moving. The older teen managed to lift herself up a bit to see where she had landed. Her attention was completely on her cousin and was horrified to see Lord Orochi only feet behind her. "Once we are victorious I will take pleasure in hunting down all of those that helped you and ending their line."

There was another explosion further to their left as Kagome attempted to get up to help Akiko in some way. Head turning, the young woman found Sesshomaru growling at Akuhei with murderous intent. He was on the verge of shifting when he dodged another bomb released in his direction.

Through the forces Tobi finally caught sight on Akiko. A rabid snarl escaped his throat at the sight of Lord Orochi ready to strike her from behind causing him to race across the grass. "You have lost, human," the snake stated. His assassins that had been slithering through the dirt were beginning to surround the young woman on all sides so there was no escape. "If your life was so important to you, you should have remained in hiding."

She hated to admit but she was beginning to see that he was right. They needed a final push, Kagome needed an opening, the remaining reincarnations needed to be dealt with.

Her aura pulsed inside her core causing the reincarnation's breath to hitch. Not only was her injury drawing more of its power out, but restricting it would not help her situation. It was her last ditch effort, a decision that was similar to the one Aisu had to make so many centuries ago. She needed a release closing her eyes and blocking out Lord Orochi's approach. Deep inside herself the core demonic aura hummed in approval at Akiko's willingness. But this wasn't like those times in the dungeon where she would merely be training. And it reached out towards the offer breaking from its dormant prison and engulfing the young woman.

Its approach to the surface was gradual as the snake demon paused for a moment feeling the shift in the air. Glaring at the reincarnation all of his senses screamed that being near was dangerous. Hissing to himself he hated how a mere mortal made him feel this way extending his fangs.

Meanwhile, Kagome watched wonder what Akiko was doing allowing herself to become so vulnerable to the enemy. With her eyes closed she was blocking out everything around her as the older teen crawled across the ground towards her bow that had fallen from her grasp. She had to protect her when the shadow of a hulking ogre towered over the priestess's form.

The dirt around Akiko pulsed from the energy and the demonic aura did not go unnoticed by those fighting around them. Even the pack that was scattered throughout various parts of the battle was aware turning their heads in the direction it was coming from. It caused Tobi to run faster knocking over demons from the horde in his path. The temperature was dropping as a light blue aura began to roll off the young woman's shoulders and float up in the air in wisps when something snapped. It completely covered the reincarnation and caused the ground to tremble from the sheer force causing Lord Orochi to stumble. Angered, he could not allow this to continue on and ignored his instincts to run away. Removing his sword the demon rushed forward for the kill despite the fact that frost was beginning to form on his armor from the cold air.

With the demonic aura releasing it healed Akiko's hip as her eyes opened to see Kagome's predicament feet from her. And with narrowed brows her fingers dug into the dirt causing it to freeze over underneath. Lord Orochi was close enough now to strike, swinging down. But a whirlwind of ice and frost kicked up completely cutting him off as his weapon bounced off the surface. Tobi's form began to alter as well, growing even more in height with each step till the snake's arm holding his sword was in his grasp and clamped down before ripping it off. The lord bellowed in rage as the half-demon threw the limb away and rushed inside the vortex without pause. It only took a second for him to come breaking through the other side as the vortex expanded before materializing into thin air. The Beta was not alone. There was as a figure with near-white skin that almost matched his fur that seemed to glide across the ground a few inches ahead. Ice grew out from the vortex in all directions trapping the assassins in place without air to breathe. Lord Orochi barely had enough time to move out of the way as spikes began protruding out of the ground in a defensive manner, glaring at the figure. And to the snake's shock and mild horror the reincarnation was no longer human.

The frost had turned the strands of hair completely white, having also gathered along the eyebrows and lips. Her nails even had a coating of ice over them that came to a point at the tips in a claw like manner, while the tips of her ears had extended a bit more. The armor had also felt the effects of the transformation, as ice came to points on her shoulder, elbow, and arm guards in various sizes.

Moving towards the ogre that threatened to crush Kagome a hand extended creating a half dome that protected her cousin, while sharp shards of ice protruded from the surface. They impaled the creature as the young woman sliced off a leg allowing his form to fall further into the daggers and kill it. Every step Akiko took the ground froze over and even extended ahead of her not allowing any demon on foot to grow close. Cutting through the dense numbers of demons Kagome could find her way back to Inuyasha, quickly gathering up her weapon and rushing back towards her task at hand.

All the wolves had grown in size towering over the soldiers below as they ran rampant through the field. They tore into reincarnations and caused fear to run through the horde at their strength and numbers. From the new transformation ice shards had become visible among the fur, a collection of smaller ones forming around the elbows for further protection. The households were gaining ground once more as ice took over and scattered around allies before either overtaking the enemy or at least holding them in place for an easy kill. Akiko did her part by eliminating all of the assassins from the snake clan that had killed a fair amount of boar demons. They attempted to run by slithering away, but with her ice they were good as dead.

Gripping Tobi's fur, the Beta pulled them to the right as hawks dove low into their path to catch the few demons that chased the two from behind. In doing so it brought them closer to Sesshomaru's fight against Akuhei. Realizing that he was the reincarnation responsible for the explosions Akiko had a new target as she watched him intently while Tobi circled the two and protected the young woman. Aisu came rushing in between the two, throwing the man off as she attempted to sink her teeth into his flesh without success. Akuhei watched the former queen tear into wild boars nearby when her target switched. He reached into the top of his kimono to remove another bomb when the young woman made her move leaving Tobi's side.

Coming up from behind the reincarnation, Akuhei didn't even realize she was there till the air around him suddenly chilled. But by that time Akiko had gripped both wrists holding them firmly in place. Sesshomaru didn't like the fact that she was so close to the spawn of Naraku when their eyes met. Her pupils were electric with demonic aura, a brilliant blue that enticed the demon in him to be completely let free. Her cold touch froze Akuhei's hand that was gripping a bomb to his chest, the other stuck at the waist. The ground around him became overrun with ice trapping the feet so he could not run and as quickly as she was there, the young woman pulled away giving them space.

"Jaken!" Seshomaru ordered.

The imp cackled a few feet behind the demon lord, slamming the staff of two heads into the ground and engulfing the reincarnation with its flames. While the attack may not have directly affected the man, it did ignite the bomb in hand. Akuhei attempted to break the hold on him. His eyes went wide realizing that he couldn't escape or even try to let go of the bomb so it would at least roll away a few inches to avoid a direct hit. Instead when this one went off it all did as the reincarnation glared when Sesshomaru stepped back. Akuhei went up in grand explosion.

Howls echoed once more throughout the field as the Beta immediately returned to the young woman's side spitting out a dead bat demon. "The reincarnations are dead," Tobi shouted over the noise.

"Good," she answered. "Now we have to just kill a snake and a spider." Fingers' latching onto the half-demon's fur she held on as the two sprinted back into the fray sensing Naraku's miasma. Upon finding the half-demon he was in an all out war against Inuyasha, Kagome, and Sango. Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara were holding the line, but a few demons managed to slip through as Akiko threw around her blade freezing them in place.

It was then she sensed something coming in from behind, shouting, "Move!" as Tobi lunged out of the way of an attack. And turning in the direction it came from their brows narrowed.