The usually barren area around the Great Blowhole; the ancient ex-geyser which became the entrance to the Underground tunnels and Former Hell, was completely transformed.
Twisted; gnarled roots covered the area, and cherry blossoms flew in the wind; which swirled around the giant tree.
Youmu put her sword out.
"Let me lead. I know the range of the Ayakashi. Even a millimetre too far will cost you your lives."
The tree was massive, itself rooted over the blowhole, blocking it. It was; admittedly; a breathtaking sight. The beauty of the cherry blossom tree would have lured those who did not know better in. Rumia could swear she could hear it calling to her on the wind.
For a few moments; at least. Then Youmu stopped; and everything went silent; everything except the wind.
Slowly; the wind picked up. The beckoning voices silenced; before a siren-like voice began to whistle in the wind.
"So you have come to try and stop me... even a Shinigami stands before me to offer her life to feed my blossoms." The Ayakasi said.
"Yeah yeah." Komachi said lazily; before she swung her scythe; and it looked like space itself warped for a moment; but one thing was clear. Komachi recoiled; and a magical barrier formed around part of the tree's trunk.
"I did not expect your scythe to reach this far; Shinigami; but the fact you swung from that range gave it away; so I was able to defend myself."
"The Ayakashi's not stupid." Youmu said. "Remember; this tree is as old as Yuyuko and Yukari; maybe even older."
"You know too much; Gardener." The tree said; before the wind suddenly picked up.
"Defend yourselves!" Youmu cried; as a blizzard of cherry blossoms carried by the wind rushed past. Rumia could feel both the wind and the petals cutting into the dark energy barrier she set up around herself; and she could see the others doing their best to defend themselves, but Byakuren cast a spell which knit their wounds together almost instantly.
'It would be great to have Byakuren's raw strength helping here; but she's primarily a close-range fighter. I'm not even sure if her Recitation reaches that far.' Rumia thought.
And then her train of thought was ruined by Patchouli and Marisa fireing two attacks at once. Marisa fired her Master Spark; while Patchouli fired a massive torrent of flames; flames which looked like those of the sun itself. Mokou added to the inferno unleashing a barrage of punshes in the air; launching a fire-fist each time; while Kaguya touched the Fire Rat's Robe; hich glowed before unleashing mystical flames of it's own.
"Fire... the enemy of life..." the tree said; before unleashing a chilling gale; which froze even the ground and the moisture in the air; sapping the heat of the flames, what remained; and the Spark; hitting a barrier. The grave chill washed over everyone, not doing anything except putting the chills down their spines.
"The chill of the grave." Youmu said. "It's coldness can snuff out even the hottest fire."
"Hmph; what sort of tree does not appreciate my Requests?" Kaguya said angrily.
Patchouli summoned a book; which opened and glowed green; flurrying through pages; before she pointed at the tree.
"I wonder how a being of wood will react to the Wood Sign." She said; as parts of the Ayakashi's trunk and bark began to splinter and crack; the tree even grunting in pain.
"I am the strongest elemental mage in the world." Patchouli said calmly. "Wood is one of the elementals I can manipulate. And I'm in good health today."
Daiyousei flew next to Patchouli, and helped reinforce with her own Wood Sign magic, while weaker; and out of practise due to her own four-element square not including it; it was still enough to cause a couple of branches to snap, and the trunk to ruin more.
"Way to go Dai!" Rumia said, before she suddenly shouted "Watch out!", as the ground erupted into roots; rushing up to impail the pair; forcing them to break the spell and move again.
"So... you think you can get away with manipulateing my very self; forcing me to rip myself apart..." the tree spoke. "I will admit; maybe that would have worked in the past; but not with me reinforced with the enemy of the Goddess herself!"
The Ayakashi's wounds began to mend slowly; it's bark twisting back together, it's branches regrowing. Patchoul attempted to focus to cast again; but the tree's roots were too fast; even with Mokou; Youmu; Meiling and even Flandre attempting to intercept them; they would simply split around them.
"Rumia; block out the sun would you?" Mystia said.
"Eh?"
"It's a tree; it takes energy from the sun!" Mystia explained. "Maybe it can be weakened if you block out the sun."
"OK; but I can't keep that up too long; direct sunlight is hard for me to block out for an extended period." Rumia said; before she cast a shadow over the sun itself; plungeing the area into dusk. Almost instantly; the tree's roots began to slow down, although this did not afford Patchouli the time she needed.
"Rika; Alice; if you're gonna do it; now's the time; while it's distracted with Patchouli and Daiyousei!" Rumia shouted.
Alice brought fourth her largest doll; Golaith; which charged towards the tree, chopping down rots as they got in its way with its massive duel-swords. Rika happily flew forwards; evading the roots instead with quick bursts of energy, her hands changed into one chainsaw and one axe.
"It's time to go all lumberjack on you!" Rika shouted.
"Impossible!" the ayakashi roared in surprise. "How can you approach me?!"
"The Yama already has my soul!" Rika shouted back; before her and Goliath stuck the tree; cutting deep into it's trunk from opposite sides. Rika pulled back her axe; and Golaith pulled back it's swords; before they swung again; making the damage deeper.
"What are you going to do; demon tree?" Rika asked. "If you stop to focus on us the mage is gonna rip you apart again. And even if you do hurt someone; we got other ways to destroy you. I'd like to see how long your magical barriers last against all of us."
Suddenly; the roots pulled back in at a tremendous pace; before vanishing, and the tree vanished as well. Everyone's eyes moved to what was the central point of the tree trunk, where there was now a humanoid figure.
It was Yuyuko at first glance; however, instead of her natural hair; it was cherry blossoms. Her skin and eyes were devoid of life. It was as if it was a puppet in her shape. Everything about her seemed... uncanny.
"Very well. If you can chop down a tree; I simply will not take the form of a tree. I shall possess the very body used to seal me." The Ayakashi said, speaking in Yuyuko's voice.
Patchouli attempted to sue her Wood Sign on the Ayakashi; but this time, nothing happened.
"This body is part bone now. Your attempts to use my nature against me will not work. I am possessing Yuyuko Saiyougi. Behold." The tree said; before unleashing a massive storm of butterflies.
Youmu looked in fear and anger.
"Everyone; dodge like your lives depend on it; if you're hit by those butterflies; you'll die!" Youmu shouted; sounding furious.
"You mean while she's takin' a joyride in Yuyuko's body; she's using her powers?" Marisa asked.
"Yes!" Youmu replied.
Everyone dodged or counter-attacked frantically; except Rika; Mokou and Kaguya; who attempted to fight back; but their attacks were either parried by a blast of magic or evaded. Mokou and Kaguya; when hit; just instantly resurrected.
"Wriggle!" Rumia asked. "Do you think you can try something?"
"What?" Wriggle asked; hiding behind a barrier Rumia made.
"Can you get an insect to fly towards her? I think if she's not herself; and possessing Yuyuko instead; she might not have her 'Kill Zone' anymore."
Wriggle suddenly smiled; and a group of small insects started to fly between the butterflies; far faster and more agile than normal insects. Some got hit and died; but suddenly; Wriggle exclaimed.
"It didn't die!"
Youmu seemed to have noticed; and with a cry; and a flash of steel; almost seemed to teleport. Suddenly; everything went quiet, and Yuyuko's body split along the waist.
"So... fast..." the Ayakashi said weakly.
"You let your guard down. You saw you were losing in your natural form; so possessed Lady Yuyuko instead and tried to use her powers. But using her powers and her body sealed yours. An insect flew past you. I regret having to bisect Yuyuko's body; but it must be done."
Youmu sheathed her sword, before a second cut went up Yuyuko's body, and the tree fell apart into four; the body returning to naught but a skeleton; the wood vanishing, and a large amount of souls rushing out of it.
"Strange... I only cut it by the waist." Youmu said. "and that cut could not have been by my sword."
"Yeah; I was waiting for a chance to chop down that tree myself." A voice said from above.
Everyone looked up to see a ghost. A ghost dressed almost like a samurai in red; with a massive; red horn. She wielded a large blade in one hand.
"Who are you?" Rumia asked first.
"I'll tell you down below. I think most of you should stay up here and get some rest. But not shuteye." The ghost said.
The ghost dove down the blowhole, and Youu suddenly jumped when she noticed Yuyuko; the real ghost of Yuyuko; appear next to her.
Yuyuko looked around, before yawning.
"Oh my; what happened Youmu? Why am I here?"
"Lady Yuyuko..." Youmu said, before hugging her.
"Aw; Youmu... why are you so sad?"
"Youmu kinda cut your skeleton in half. You got dragged back into the Ayakashi and it went on a rampage thanks to Titania." Byakuren explained.
Yuyuko blinked a few times.
"Oh." She said flatly. "Well; that would explain why I feel worn out; if I was just fighting all of you without even knowing it. That must have been hard for you Youmu."
"Well; anyway... what are you going to do now?" Remilia asked.
"The Netherworld must be in a mess." Yuyuko said. "And besides; myself and Youmu have no way to aid you in a fight against a God."
"So we wasted all this time?" Rika said in an annoyed tone.
"Oh no." Rumia said. "Remember; we just needed to get the tree out of the way so we could reach the Underground because of Utusho."
"Oh yeah." Rika said.
"Although there is the question of who that other samurai was." Rumia said. "Well; anyway; she's right; too many people underground at once might cause issues. The youkai down there are not exactly used to large visitor bands and may think the worst; especially in these times. They put up with everyone when Shinki was invading; but that was probably only because Satori explicitly called for help from above."
"So who's goin' down there?" Marisa asked.
"People who know the Underground well; of course. Which would be myself, you, Alice and Patchouli too; seeing as they helped you back then."
"I'm not going underground." Patchouli said. "The dust and dirt will trigger my asthma."
Rumia sighed. "Fine; us three should be enough anyway."
"I will go as well." Nue said. "I have friends down there as well. I was stuck down there for a few hundred years until Rin's Geysers blasted me loose. And besides; I'd just sneak down there anyway if you said no."
Rumia looked at Nue questioningly, before she shrugged.
"Well fine. I don't see a reason why you shouldn't come." Rumia said.
Rumia looked at the others. She noticed Komachi, Youmu and Yuyuko had already left.
"Wriggle; I'm going to ask you to do something very important." Rumia asked.
"Yeah?" Wriggle said.
"Use your insects to find where Maribel and Renko are. Yuuka led them to a place. Then lead everyone else there; and send two over to us. One stays with me while I get the Taoists afterwards, the other leads everyone else there." Rumia explained.
Wriggle nodded, and Rumia; Alice; Marisa and Nue jumped down the blowhole.