Shinyuuchi Hunters

The Shinyuuchi Hunters are a highly dangerous group of ability users, not just because of their individual skills, but because of their goal: the theft of the enormous powers contained within numerous Shinyuuchi across the world. Not only do they pose a serious threat to the natural balance, but they risk bringing the wrath of the gods down upon mankind.

Goal & Requirements
The goal of Shinyuuchi hunting is to channel much or all of a sacred ground's power into a separate being, effectively designating them the Shinyuuchi's new master. Doing this, however, is both extremely difficult and very dangerous. Under normal circumstances, even the most powerful of Ayakashi could not hope to contain a Shinyuuchi's power: it would overwhelm them and cause their body to explode. For this reason, two special persons are required to successfully drain a Shinyuuchi's power. First, there must be someone capable of controlling space and manipulating the spirit world (this is why Sumiko Sumimura is initially suspected of being a Shinyuuchi Hunter: a powerful Kekkaishi like her could easily fill this much-needed role). Second, there must be someone capable of containing the massive power of the Shinyuuchi safely. So far, the only persons known to be capable of this are Spirit Reservoir Owners. They are essentially immortal so long as their reservoir is not emptied, and have enormous power reserves that make them ideal storage containers for a Shinyuuchi's power.

The Hunt
Based on the intended hunting of Karasumori, there are three main steps in the process of Shinyuuchi hunting: weakening the land, gaining access to the spirit world, and finally draining the Shinyuuchi's power.

Step 1: Weakening the Land
To weaken the land, the hunters employ a series of spells.
 * Spell 1: Any physical obstacles that would prevent access to the underground spirit world (in the case of Karasumori, the school itself) are transferred to sky above the site of the hunt.
 * Spell 2: The caster creates a large gear, with them at the center. On the caster's command, the gear's blades carve out the land around them, creating a mirror image of the floating land above it. The spell then expands massively to enclose the surrounding area within the spell's target zone.
 * Spell 3: A giant version of the gear appears in the sky, with the floating land positioned within the center. On the caster's command, the gear begins to spin. Once started, it builds power, and cannot even be stopped by the caster.

The devastation to the land would severely weaken it and ultimately make it easier to conquer: under such conditions, the master's power would decrease as the land's state worsened.

Step 2: Accessing the Spirit World
Because local gods so rarely appear outside of their Shinyuuchi's spirit domains, a hunter must first gain access to them. Obviously, a god is not going to grant permission for a known enemy to invade, which is what makes space manipulation so necessary. To establish a connection to the spirit world, the hunters use young children, trained as Kekkaishi, and what appear to be either miniature Shakujō, or simply the topmost metal portion of one, to speak to the god. Presumably, the god would sense no malice in the children, who have no idea of the harm they could cause, nor the high (and often fatal) risk placed upon their bodies in the process.

Step 3: Draining the Shinyuuchi's Power
The actual act of taking a Shinyuuchi's power is something of a mystery, though most likely involves the use of a powerful spell. The hunters usually seem to target the land, rather than the god, with the end result being that the land is ravaged, and the god either dying, vanishing, or becoming mentally unstable. But there is some evidence that suggests the god can be targeted in the same way with similar results. Though Kakeru is the only spirit reservoir owner that took part in the actual hunts, she never mentions taking the power into herself, and it has been confirmed that Haruka contains the power of several Shinyuuchi. Because it is the Sousui that confirms this, more than likely the stolen power was given to Haruka, without her knowledge, on his command.

Combat Strength
The Shinyuuchi Hunters are an extremely powerful team, despite the fact that they never devote their full strength to battle. Combat is left entirely up to the bodyguards (Zero, Ichigou, Nigou, and Sangou), who are all highly skilled fighters. This allows the spellcasters (Michiru and Kakeru) and the Kekkaishi to focus on the group's primary goal and namesake: hunting Shinyuuchi.

Spellcasters

 * Michiru: As the leader and driving force behind the Shinyuuchi Hunters, Michiru controlled virtually every aspect of the group, with the original intention of supporting the Sousui. After being abandoned by him, the group's focus shifted to proving their own worth at any cost.
 * Kakeru: Michiru's assistant and most devoted follower. With Michiru's death, leadership essentially fell to Kakeru, and her only goal was to see that Michiru, killed on the Sousui's orders, was avenged.

Bodyguards

 * Ichigou: Originally Michiru's assistant, Ichigou now accompanies Kakeru faithfully, though even he is unsure why.
 * Nigou: Driven by and excelling at violence, Nigou enjoyed bathing his foes in flames.

Kekkaishi

 * Girl Kekkaishi: A young, female Kekkaishi who died, likely from overuse of her powers.
 * Boy Kekkaishi: A young, male Kekkaishi who was trained for, and participated in, the Karasumori assault. When the mission failed, Michiru released him so he could escape unharmed.

Others

 * Sangou: Sangou left the group under the Sousui's orders, and even fought against them as a defender of Karasumori.
 * Zero: Zero left the group under the Sousui's orders, and for the most part remained under the Sousui's command until his body was possessed by Tsukihisa Oumi.
 * The Accomplice: A demon tamer that Michiru and Kakeru used as a distraction during their first assault on Karasumori. He was merely a temporary hire, and was abandoned once he'd served his purpose.