"Kamihime?" Kikyo frowned slightly, looking at Kagura in confusion. "What kind of demon is that?"
Kagetsu froze for a brief moment when he heard the name.
He remembered her very clearly.
Kamihime wasn't just any demon,she was a major antagonist from the movie timeline. Her abilities were not only strange but outright troublesome, and her origins were even more unusual.
Like Naraku, she possessed the ability to devour demons and living beings to steal their power.
But what she accomplished went far beyond Naraku.
She had devoured a Celestial Maiden.
Not only taking her body and abilities,but also inheriting eternal youth and immortality.
And that wasn't even the worst part.
After obtaining the Robe of the Four Souls, she could cast a terrifying spell,Clear Mirror Water State.
Using a pentagram as a medium, she could freeze everything within its range.
Time itself would stop.
Kagetsu's eyes narrowed slightly.
Fortunately, in the original story, Kagome,being a traveler through time,was unaffected by that ability. The same applied to the items she carried, allowing the group to fight back and ultimately defeat Kamihime.
But that raised a question.
He wasn't from this world either.
Would he… also be immune?
He quickly dismissed the thought for now.
It wasn't surprising that Kikyo didn't know about Kamihime. Although the demon had been sealed fifty years ago, everything about her clearly took place after Kikyo's death.
Still…
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it felt.
The power scaling in this world was a mess.
Kamihime, who possessed a near "bug-level" ability like time stop, had been sealed by Miroku's grandfather,Mishaku the Monk.
Yet in the original story, even Kagura and Kanna were effortlessly subdued by her.
And Naraku?
He couldn't resist the time-stop at all.
So why was he so confident now?
Even stranger,Kamihime herself had once feared Naraku enough to remain sealed rather than risk confronting him.
And yet, when they finally clashed, Naraku had been defeated almost instantly.
Then there was Mishaku.
According to Miroku, his grandfather had known about Kamihime's time-stop ability,and still managed to seal her.
Without any "cheat" like Kagome.
It made no sense.
Kagetsu couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.
This world's logic was… inconsistent, to say the least.
Kagura, unaware of his thoughts, began explaining:
"She calls herself the Princess of the Celestial Palace. Very mysterious."
Her expression darkened slightly.
"Fifty years ago, she was sealed inside the Mirror of Life by a monk. Now, Kanna and I have been ordered to gather the items needed to break that seal."
Her tone grew more serious.
"Naraku intends to devour her."
She paused, then added,
"Kanna seems to know more than she's saying. She told me to find you, Kagetsu."
Kagura's pink eyes locked onto him.
"She said Kamihime must be killed,and Naraku must not be allowed to succeed."
Kagetsu's brows furrowed as he rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
In the original timeline, Naraku had faked his death to deceive Kamihime, tricking her into breaking her own seal before devouring her.
But now…
Kagura's heart was still in his hands.
Which meant Naraku hadn't used that method.
Either he had simply abandoned his castle and gone into hiding,or his condition had deteriorated to the point where he couldn't even maintain such a deception.
"Kagura," Kagetsu said, looking up, "you mentioned Naraku has been acting strangely. In what way?"
Kagura frowned slightly, tapping her fan against her chin as she thought.
"He's been staying inside the castle almost constantly. Rarely shows himself. Everything outside has been left to me and Kanna."
She paused,then her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Ah,there was one time…"
She snapped her fan lightly against her palm.
"Part of his body suddenly turned into demon limbs. It disappeared quickly, but that's never happened before."
Her voice lowered.
"And… he's been ordering me to capture more and more demons."
Kagetsu's eyes sharpened.
"I see."
A look of understanding crossed his face.
"I think I know what's going on,and what he's after."
"Kagetsu?" Kikyo turned to him, curiosity evident in her gaze.
Kagura leaned forward slightly as well, watching him intently.
"If I'm not mistaken," Kagetsu said slowly, "the power inside Naraku is starting to spiral out of control."
He walked over to a wooden bench beneath the tree and sat down casually before continuing.
"Remember what I told you before? Naraku was born when Onigumo offered his body to countless demons. His will,his malice,was the core that held everything together."
Kagura's eyes widened in realization.
"You mean… when Onigumo's will separated as Muso,and then got destroyed by Kikyo,Naraku lost the very thing holding him together?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Is he… going to die?"
"Not that easily." Kagetsu shook his head, shattering her hope.
"His existence doesn't depend solely on Onigumo's will. The Shikon Jewel is also sustaining him. As long as it exists, killing him outright is extremely difficult."
"The Shikon Jewel…?" Kagura looked genuinely surprised.
"Yes. The connection is complicated."
Kagetsu continued calmly,
"And even though Muso is gone, Onigumo's obsession hasn't completely disappeared from Naraku. As long as Naraku exists, that influence remains."
He paused briefly.
"It's just… the strongest fragment died with Muso. What remains is weak,almost negligible."
"In that sense, Naraku did achieve his goal," he added. "But he didn't anticipate the consequences."
Kagura's shoulders slumped slightly, her disappointment obvious.
Kagetsu glanced at her, then added in a more reassuring tone:
"Even so, his situation isn't good."
"Don't forget,he's still suffering from the side effects of the Rinne Rebirth technique. His life force is constantly draining."
"You mentioned before that he used the demons within his body to bear that burden. That worked before because Onigumo's will suppressed them."
His gaze sharpened.
"But now…"
"Now the demons inside him are out of control," Kikyo finished, understanding dawning in her eyes. "They won't willingly sacrifice themselves anymore. They might even resist."
"Exactly." Kagetsu nodded.
"That's why Naraku is so desperate to devour Kamihime. He wants to use her power to stabilize,or fix,his body."
He stood up slowly.
"Don't worry. I'll handle Kamihime myself."
Kagura exhaled softly, relief washing over her expression.
"Good. Then I'll be going."
She stepped onto her feather as it drifted down beside her.
"Naraku is in a hurry. His demons are still gathering the items to break the seal. It won't be long before Kamihime is released."
She paused, offering one last piece of information:
"The Celestial Maiden's castle… is located in the Sea of Motosu."
A gust of wind rose.
In the next instant, Kagura was gone,carried off into the horizon.