Takeuchi Hiroto & Liriael Amaryllis
It seemed like an eternity had passed before they came within reach of the promised gateway, and by the time both Takeuchi and his angelic companion had caught up with the demon Lili with their charge he was sweating profusely, his breath coming in long, ragged draws that slowly lengthened with each gasp for air. It had taken every ounce of concentration for him to make it this far, and they end of their journey was just around the corner as some would put it, but it still looked like they were miles away. His limbs felt as if they were weighed down by lead chains, forcing his once shuffling-step into an awkward drag that was continuously slowed them down, something he might worry about if he wasn't pouring every ounce of concentration into confining the powerful wraith in the combined auric field. A sigh of relief might have escaped his lips if the wraith hadn't targeted him, suddenly bursting forth with an unknown swell of power, taking advantage of his weakened state.
The malevolent spirit had been biding its time patiently, waiting and watching as its captors dragged it to some unknown destination, presumably the location of a gate the demon would then open to hurl it through. The Meister was weak though, and every step had been taking its toll on his crippled body, so it decided to save its energy for the right moment would it could burst forth and overwhelm the pitiful creatures trying to send it somewhere it didn't want to go in the first placed. They would pay, albiet the angel and demon had to be finished quickly, the human could die a slow, agonizing death, something that seemed only fitting giving the already inevitable, drawn-out deaths destined for them. After bursting forth from its bonds the dark entity swiped a vicious claw at the Meister, hurling him backwards into a nearby tree, and then it launch at the angel in a flash, wanting to eliminate any threat it had of being captured again. Once it dealt with the angel . . . the demon would be of no consequence.
That was it. Liri's patience was wearing thin, and when the Wraith at last burst from the body it was contained in, overwhelming the human's part of their defenses, Liriael set the body on the ground and drew the sword at her hip. The first thrust it made in her direction was parried by the silvery steel of the divine blade, and Liri whirled the instrument of death in a broad circle, slicing up and into the Wraith's arm at the elbow. The heavensmade sword did what ordinary steel could not, and wounded the creature, causing it to stagger backwards a few steps. That was all Liriael really required, and she stepped forward again, trying to get in underneath its guard and put it down.
Unfortunately, the creature moved to the side, its reach seeming to stretch supernaturally long, and a talonlike claw dug visciously into Liri's shoulder, making her turn to stumble back, shifting her grip to her other hand. Cackling madly, the Wraith went in to hit her exposed side, but she was quite ready for that, and pivoted, slashing at its abdomen to distract it, then abruptly redirecting, slamming her uninjured shoulder into its midsection and successfully knocking it prone. Her sword, she used to stake it to the ground by stabbing it between collarbone and pectoral muscle on the right side, or what would have been the collarbones and pectorals had it been human. The anatomy was close enough for the analogy to work, anyway, and though it thrashed around, it couldn't get free.
Glancing over at Xana, Liri narrowed her eyes just slightly. "Now... would perhaps be a good time to open that gate." She just hoped the delay had not killed their exorcist, but she couldn't exactly check when her blade was all that was keeping the thing in place.