38th Star: Wrath of the Witch

As Baba Yaga turned her attention to my team, she sent a powerful gale at us. Though the energy shield Hoshi and his friends generated was able to withstand it, Baba Yaga raised her other hand which caused a bolt of lightning to hit the shield which electrified my Shikigami's paper star Mediums scorching them in the process. This caused the shield to die down as me Annabelle and Lou got blown back by the wind. While Radim managed to get back on his feet and explain what was going on to the audience, all I could focus on was getting to Hoshi and the other paper stars.

Then just as Baba Yaga was about to raise her mortar again, Lou retrieved the bullet he fired earlier which stunned the back of Baba Yaga's head before returning back to his hand. Yet to everyone's surprise, Baba Yaga quickly recovered and started flying around in her pestle using the mortar like an oar. While she did this, more gusts of wind arose causing my paper stars and Annabelle's dolls to get blown around as Lou struggled to take aim of Baba Yaga once more.

"Looks like Baba Yaga is turning out to be more than Team LouAnnShi can handle!" Radim announced. "She's not only capable of flying around in her mortar and pestle, but also is able to use weather-based powers that make things more difficult for her opponents. Though I do have to wonder how long Maria is planning to do this for, considering how much she's bleeding."

"I'm fine!" Maria snapped, holding her hand over her wound which partially slowed the trickle of blood. "This match will be over soon."

"Wait a minute," Annabelle's spirit realized. "If Baba Yaga's power comes from Maria's blood, then all we have to do is patch her up. Lou!"

"Yeah, Annie?" Lou said.

"Shoot your Ricochet Bullet to stun the members of Team Seishin-Gumi, and then I'll have my dolls go over there and stop Maria's wound from bleeding more," Annabelle's spirit responded. "If my theory is correct, that should weaken Baba Yaga."

"But we have to get past Baba Yaga first," Lou pointed out. "And Shizu's friends look too fried to help us."

Indeed as I managed to brave the winds and pick up the paper stars, they were darkly singed as the Shikigami's yellow eyes blinked weakly at me. Seeing this made my throat tighten, as I recited their names once more: Hoshi, Ishi, Kori, Tetsu, Iowa, Dou, and Netsu. Though blue black white gray brown orange and red lights glowed over each paper star of the same color, the Shikigami only hovered a few feet in the air before they got blown away by another gust of wind sent by Baba Yaga.

How could I have let this happen? I thought as I fell to my knees. My friends are depending on me, and I'm letting them down…if only there was something that could get rid of this stupid Witch for good!

The sound of fluttering paper caught my attention, causing me to look up. To my surprise, the seven blackened paper stars were merging together into a single paper star which grew to the size of a large bear. Then as it landed in front of me, Baba Yaga's face went from a mischievous grin to a confused look as she flew around the large paper star. It used one of its sharpened points to knock Baba Yaga out of her pestle causing her to fall towards the ground. But to my amazement, she thrust her hand downward causing the ground to shake as a large house emerged with chicken feet sticking out of its bottom. In the commotion, I was tossed around along with Lou Annabelle Delia Lowanna and Maria who lost her footing.

"This is not good," Lowanna abruptly said. "Because Maria bled so much, Baba Yaga was able to summon chicken-foot house which means Maria's closer to dying. We must stop bleeding now, Delia."

"Right," Delia nodded, letting the harp go and she knelt down and used her blindfold to wrap it around Maria's bleeding elbow.

"Stop it," Maria insisted, pushing Delia's hand away. "Baba Yaga knows what she's doing. She'll crush this thing in no time."

As the chicken-footed house took to running circles around the large paper star, it grew several sizes till it was as tall as the house with the enormous chicken feet included. Then as the paper star watched the house run, I saw that it was the Ogre I had summoned years ago with the same downward crescent-shaped eyeball that was yellow and cat-like in terms of the pupil while its mouth contained rows of fanged teeth. I was unable to move due to fear, watching as the star-shaped Ogre extended its left and right points which sliced through the house causing the chicken feet to instantly run away. But that only caused the Ogre to roar as it extended its points again cutting through the chicken legs this time which made the house fall completely crushing Baba Yaga in the process.

Then as the star-shaped Ogre advanced onto the terrified members of Seishin-Gumi, I shouted, "Please stop!"

Yet the primitive creature didn't seem to listen as Delia raised her hands causing a bright light to emit from Apollo. This blinded everyone including the creature, which stared in confusion as the light died down revealing that Delia and Lowanna had dragged Maria towards the edge of the stadium where an obvious exit was.

"Seeing how the members of Team Seishin-Gumi are running away from the giant Ogre instead of reactivating their Oversouls, I'm tempted to declare that Team LouAnnShi has won this round…assuming they get this monster under control," Radim said nervously in his microphone.

While I tried to figure out what to do, Lou held up his Lightning Shot rifle and cried, "Lightning Shot! Fatal Shock!"

The bullet not only penetrated the star-shaped Ogre from the back, but it also electrocuted it causing the creature's form to dissolve into the seven burned paper stars that were once Hoshi and his friends' Mediums.

To be continued…