"Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."
Aomori chanted softly, consuming a significant amount of energy to cast a Curtain that enveloped the entirety of Mount Hakurei.
The effect of this Curtain was simple: "Prohibit anything possessing demonic energy from leaving."
"Is this a barrier?" Kikyo asked in surprise, gazing up at the sky that had been replaced by an inky blackness.
"Precisely. Naraku is a man who loves to run; I have no intention of letting the tiger return to the mountain again," Aomori replied.
He couldn't stay in this world for long, so it was best to be thorough. By cutting off Naraku's path of retreat, he would turn him into a cornered rat, a turtle in a jar.
'A being shrouded in mystery, seemingly omnipotent... is this the power of a god?'
After the incident with Saint Hakushin, Aomori's status in Kikyo's heart had risen repeatedly. She finally began to truly accept his identity as a Kami-sama.
"Shall we go and kill Naraku now?" Kikyo asked.
With this man present, she didn't believe Naraku stood a chance of escaping this time.
"No, let's head elsewhere first. There's something very interesting over there."
This was the advantage of knowing the plot. Under Aomori's "cheating" perspective, Naraku's painstakingly planned operations appeared utterly insignificant.
"Alright," Kikyo nodded.
Inuyasha and the others had clashed with Naraku many times and always managed to turn danger into safety; she wasn't worried about their immediate well-being.
Using his telekinesis, Aomori lifted Kikyo into the air, and they flew toward the location he sensed.
…
"Sesshomaru, you're an utterly boorish man!"
Mid-air, Kagura gritted her teeth, maneuvering her feather to dodge the continuous lashings of Sesshomaru's light whip.
"I will say it once more: hand it over," Sesshomaru said coldly.
"Hmph!" Kagura knew that if this continued, she would undoubtedly be killed mercilessly by Sesshomaru. She began to consider the idea of simply dropping the object in her arms.
'Isn't having Sesshomaru deal with Naraku exactly what I've always wanted?'
"Kagura, I advise you not to do that." A high-pitched, childish voice suddenly emerged from within the tightly wrapped swaddle.
"You... you're alive?" Kagura frowned. "Don't tell me you're another one of Naraku's incarnations."
"Isn't that obvious?" A small slit opened in the swaddle, revealing the face of an infant.
"My name is Akago. Kagura, if you want your freedom, do exactly as I say." Akago's eyes seemed to peer through everything, including the depths of Kagura's heart.
"What are you talking about? I don't understand!" Kagura said with a grim expression after dodging another strike from Sesshomaru.
"There is no need to hide from me. As a fellow incarnation, I want to escape Naraku's control just as much as you do."
"An incarnation that craves betrayal the moment it's born? Naraku truly is a failure," Kagura mocked with a laugh. She then asked, "Do you have a way to repel that man, Sesshomaru?"
"I have no way of repelling Sesshomaru," Akago said with a smirk. "Do I look like I have any combat ability?"
"Are you making sport of me?" Kagura glared at him.
"Don't be angry; I'm speaking the truth. Faced with Sesshomaru, your only option is to flee. Dive into the heart of Mount Hakurei, use the terrain to lose him, and then wait for Naraku to break the barrier. He will surely succeed."
"Tch!" Kagura admitted Akago had a point. At this moment, she had no choice but to follow his lead.
She turned her feather around and dove toward the mountainside.
Sesshomaru's expression remained as cold as still water as he followed her with elegant strides.
However, before Kagura could enter the mountain, Aomori had already tracked them down, blocking her path.
"Kagura, we truly are destined to meet again."
"You?!" Kagura's face paled upon seeing Aomori and Kikyo. She was no fool; she realized that the series of miraculous events today were likely orchestrated by this seemingly kind man.
'A tiger in front, a wolf behind... am I doomed?' For a moment, Kagura considered giving up entirely.
"Go back to Sesshomaru!" Akago was clearly terrified by the situation. He could read hearts and understood that falling into Sesshomaru's hands offered a slim chance of survival, but being captured by that man meant there was no hope at all.
Kagura bit her lip and turned her feather back toward Sesshomaru.
'Better to die by his hand.'
Aomori didn't care much about Kagura, the tragic laborer, but he had no intention of letting Akago go.
With a burst of telekinetic force, he snatched Akago from Kagura's arms and pulled him back.
Unimpeded, Kagura steered her feather toward Sesshomaru.
However, when they crossed paths, Sesshomaru didn't even grant her a glance. He bypassed her entirely, leaving the speech-prepared Kagura stunned. It took her a long moment to process the snub.
'Every single one of you... do you all choose to ignore me? Dammit! It's not like I'm that girl Kanna who has no presence!'
Kanna suddenly appeared beside Kagura, her calm eyes staring at her.
"What? What are you looking at? I didn't say anything bad about you," Kagura said guiltily.
Kanna shook her head and looked at Akago, who was being held by Aomori. "You messed up," she said.
"Whatever. I admit defeat. This time, I'm afraid even Naraku won't escape," Kagura replied, having long since prepared for death.
"..." Kanna lowered her head in silence.
"Akago, is it?" Aomori looked at the infant in the swaddle with great interest.
Beside him, Kikyo sensed the same aura as Naraku emanating from the child. She frowned. "Another of Naraku's incarnations?"
"Kikyo, and you, unknown powerhouse... I am indeed Naraku's incarnation." Akago tried his best to look harmless. 'Damn it! I can't peer into the hearts of either of these two!'
"Kill him," Kikyo said, making no effort to hide her intent.
"Mm, he definitely needs to die, but I should kill him in front of Naraku," Aomori said, sounding like a proper villain. "I wonder what kind of expression Naraku will make?"
"Wait, wait a minute!" Akago tried one last struggle. "I'm different from Naraku! I was just born; I haven't done anything. I'm as pure as any infant. I'm a good person!"
"Do you think 'righteous' people like us believe that kind of nonsense?" Neither Aomori nor Kikyo were moved. "Blame the fact that you're Naraku's incarnation."
Sensing the unwavering resolve in Aomori's tone, Akago's face turned ashen.
"Aosora, I challenge you!" Sesshomaru had been politely waiting for Aomori to finish his conversation before speaking.
"Confident so soon?" Aomori waved a hand. "Fine, but it has to wait until we've dealt with Naraku."
"Deal!"
Aomori flew back toward Naraku with Kikyo, and Sesshomaru followed.
"Let's go too," Kagura and Kanna followed as well.
…
The ruined Mount Hakurei looked entirely different now, almost like another world.
Not only was a massive sphere of rock suspended in the sky, but there was now a layer of black covering everything.
During their fierce battle with Naraku, Inuyasha and his group had also noticed this strange phenomenon.
"What is it this time? A barrier?" Naraku narrowed his eyes. He couldn't see through the black dome. None of Inuyasha's party could have achieved such a feat, so it was undoubtedly the work of the person who had destroyed Mount Hakurei.
"Inuyasha, it seems you've found quite a formidable ally."
A similar thought occurred to Inuyasha's group. The only person capable of this was Aomori.
"Inuyasha! While Aosora-sama has this barrier up to block Naraku, let's kill him here!" Miroku shouted.
"Hmph! I don't know how it happened, but as long as this black dome is here, you won't be able to run away again!" Inuyasha pointed his blade directly at Naraku. "Naraku, your time is up!"
"That remains to be seen." On the surface, Naraku appeared unperturbed, but he was secretly uneasy.
Under the barrier's restriction, Kagura and the others had failed to leave the mountain. Furthermore, to survive, he had always maxed out his defense and regeneration talents; he had always been somewhat lacking in offensive skills.
He might truly be unable to break this black dome. However, he could use the strength of Inuyasha's party.
Naraku looked at Inuyasha provocatively. "Inuyasha, you only talk of killing me, yet the attacks from your Tessaiga are so soft and weak. Do you really think you can talk me to death?"
"You bastard!" Inuyasha's temper flared instantly. He swung the Tessaiga down with all his might, sending a golden blast of energy soaring.
"Take this! Wind Scar!"
"Hehehe." Naraku sneered, standing his ground. He allowed the Wind Scar to slam into his barrier. The red eye on his chest snapped open, and the Wind Scar was actually absorbed.
"Inuyasha, why don't you have a taste of your own Wind Scar?"
The barrier, having finished absorbing the attack, spat it back out, only this time, the target was Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha, watch out!" Kagome, Shippo, and Kohaku arrived late, only to see Inuyasha in immediate peril.
As the surging golden energy returned along its original path, Inuyasha wasn't afraid; he was delighted.
With the collision of demonic energy, he could unleash his strongest attack.
"Die! Backlash Wave!"
"Wait, Inuyasha!" Miroku realized something was wrong. Naraku knew about this move; why would he intentionally give Inuyasha the chance to use it?
Unless there was a plot!
Unfortunately, Miroku's warning was a second too late. Inuyasha had already swung the Tessaiga.
A vortex of demonic energy caught the Wind Scar, rushing toward Naraku with doubled power.
"Hehehe." Naraku's body actually began to disassemble just as the Backlash Wave arrived. He broke into pieces, letting his own demonic energy merge into the vortex, spinning with it.
The Backlash Wave, carrying Naraku's demonic energy and his fragmented body, flew straight toward the black curtain at the edge of the sky.
"I see!" Miroku finally understood Naraku's plan. "He wants to use Inuyasha's power to break the barrier!"
"What?!" Inuyasha realized the scheme too late.
The Backlash Wave was too fast; they could only watch as it struck the black veil.
BOOM!
With the addition of Naraku's demonic power, the Backlash Wave was extraordinary. Even Naraku himself would be shredded by this force, but since he currently possessed an immortal body, being shredded didn't matter.
However, as powerful as the Backlash Wave was, when it hit the black curtain, it only managed to trigger a tiny ripple, like a small pebble falling into a vast lake.
"This... this is impossible!" For the first time, Naraku lost his composure and screamed.
"Nothing is impossible." A calm, indifferent voice sounded from behind Inuyasha's group. Aomori had arrived.
If even a Curtain set by a weakling could stall Satoru Gojo for a time, one set by Aomori would not be so easily breached.
"Aosora-sama?!"
"Kikyo? And Sesshomaru? Why are you here too?" Inuyasha asked, looking at his brother.
Sesshomaru stood aloofly to the side, acting as if he hadn't heard Inuyasha's question.
"You're still as punchable as ever!" Inuyasha huffed and looked away.
"It's not just Sesshomaru. Kagura and Kanna are here too." Miroku spotted the two incarnations keeping their distance and stood on guard with Sango.
"Kikyo... Sesshomaru..." Naraku's expression turned grim.
"It seems all the key players have arrived," Aomori said, looking around. "In that case, let the public execution of Naraku begin."
He lifted Akago up, showing him to Naraku.
"Naraku, I assume you recognize this fellow?"
"Tch! Kagura is truly more trouble than she's worth." Naraku glanced at Kagura before turning back to Aomori. "So it was you... the one who killed Saint Hakushin, destroyed Mount Hakurei, and set this barrier."
"I don't recall having any enmity with you. Why would a being like you wade into these muddy waters?"
"Slaying demons and exorcising evil is simply my duty. You were just unlucky enough to run into me."
"Slaying demons? Hahaha! What a joke!" Facing a crowd of enemies, Naraku remained arrogant. "I am an immortal, eternal being. You cannot kill me!"
"Is that so?" Aomori tightened his grip on Akago's small head. "Even if I crush this heart of yours, it won't affect you?"
In the original story, Naraku's heart was never truly destroyed this way. Aomori wasn't entirely sure if this would finish him.
"You really do know everything," Naraku said, still appearing fearless. "Feel free to try."
"Naraku's heart?!" Inuyasha was itching for action. "Let me do it!"
"Fine. I'll leave it to you."
Aomori tossed Akago into the air.
"Naraku, you're dead!" Cold light flashed in Inuyasha's eyes as he swung the Tessaiga, unleashing the Wind Scar directly at the falling infant.
Under everyone's gaze, the violent blades of wind instantly tore Akago into fragments.
"Is it... finally over?" Kagome clutched her hands, full of hope.
"Well?!" Inuyasha stared at Naraku, expecting to see his enemy screaming in agony.
Naraku's body did indeed dissolve significantly, and his demonic power plummeted, his aura becoming very weak, but he did not die.
"Hahaha! Do you see? I am immortal!" Naraku laughed maniacally. "I am a collection of countless demons; this physical body is merely a vessel I can discard at will. As long as my soul remains, I will live forever!"
"So, you're saying that if I destroy your soul, you'll die?" Aomori suddenly appeared right next to Naraku. He effortlessly reached through Naraku's weakened barrier and placed a hand on his head, energy flickering in his palm.
"Thanks for the tip. Have a nice afterlife."
"Hado #63: Raikoho!"
BOOM!
A blinding flash of light erupted on Mount Hakurei, taking a long time to slowly fade away.