Sango hit the ground hard, landing in a disheveled heap.
Crack,!
Behind her, the Hiraikotsu slammed into a massive tree, snapping the trunk clean in two before embedding itself deep within the splintered wood.
"Th-Thank you… Miroku."
Still shaken, Sango glanced at the weapon lodged in the tree, a chill running down her spine. If that strike had hit her directly, even with her endurance as a demon slayer, she would have been gravely injured.
"You monk… how troublesome."
Kamihime's expression darkened as she watched Sango survive. Her gaze shifted coldly to Miroku. With a sharp flick of her sleeve,
Several crimson thorns shot out like venomous serpents.
"Oh no,!"
Miroku's eyes widened. He leapt aside immediately, but the thorns were too fast to fully evade. Gritting his teeth, he raised his arm to block,
"Kamihime!"
Kagome's voice rang out.
Whoosh,!
A sacred arrow, glowing with pure spiritual light, tore through the darkness,heading straight for the arm Kamihime had used to attack.
"Hmph. A futile trick."
Kamihime lifted her sleeve dismissively, intending to bat it aside.
But in the next instant,
The arrow pierced through her sleeve effortlessly, as if it were paper.
Her expression shifted.
The arrow continued forward, forcing her to raise her arm and dodge.
As a result, the crimson thorns lost their aim, grazing Miroku's shoulder before embedding themselves into the ground behind him.
"A sacred arrow…" Kamihime murmured, glancing at her torn sleeve.
Her attention shifted completely.
She looked toward Kagome, a faint smile curling at her lips.
"Interesting… your spiritual power intrigues me."
Step by step, she approached.
Slowly.
Calmly.
Yet with an invisible pressure that made it hard to breathe.
"Let Inuyasha go!" Kagome shouted, raising her bow. Though her voice trembled, her aim did not waver.
"Idiot! Get out of here!" Inuyasha roared, struggling violently against the vines binding him.
Kagome ignored him.
Her eyes remained locked on Kamihime.
"Hmph… go ahead. Try to shoot."
Kamihime sneered, continuing forward without pause.
Kagome gritted her teeth.
At this distance,
She only had one chance.
If she failed, everyone here would,
But just as she was about to release the arrow,
Kamihime suddenly stopped.
Her gaze dropped.
At her feet, partially exposed from a fallen bundle, lay a faintly glowing pink garment.
The Robe of the Four Souls.
"Oh… so this is it."
Her eyes lit up with interest.
"The true Robe of the Four Souls."
Her attention shifted completely, dismissing Kagome without a second thought.
This was the bundle Hojo Akito had dropped when he was blasted away earlier.
"I'll take this first."
She sneered faintly.
At her command,
The robe stirred.
It slowly lifted into the air, drifting toward her as though drawn by an invisible force.
Whoosh,!
A sharp sound cut through the air.
A kunai shot out from the darkness, aimed directly at her head.
"Pathetic."
Kamihime raised her sword without hesitation.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the kunai struck the blade and ricocheted away.
But,
Before the sound had even faded,
A figure appeared in front of her.
Crimson eyes glowing in the dark.
Sharingan.
He caught the rebounding kunai in one hand.
In the next instant,
A piercing, crackling sound erupted.
Lightning gathered in his palm, shrieking like a thousand birds,
And drove straight through Kamihime's chest.
Yet,Even with her heart pierced,
Kamihime remained unfazed.
Her golden sword swung down mercilessly.
Clang!
Steel met steel again.
Her strike was blocked.
"Who are you?" she demanded, frowning as numbness spread from the lightning wound in her chest.
The man grinned.
"Just someone who bares his heart the moment we meet. Touched?"
Even in the middle of battle, he couldn't help but admire her beauty.
A true celestial maiden.
"Kagetsu…? Why are you here?" Kagome exclaimed, stunned.
"Oh?" Kamihime's eyes gleamed. "So your name is Kagetsu."
Her smile widened.
"You used teleportation just now, didn't you?"
Her gaze turned greedy.
"Good… if I devour you, your power will become mine."
From her chest, a terrifying suction force erupted, trying to drag the Shadow Clone into her body.
But he resisted, Sage Mode chakra flaring.
And then,He smiled.
"No… it's you who's been caught."
He released the kunai.
And in the next instant,
Activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Both of them vanished.
The Robe of the Four Souls, freed from Kamihime's control, drifted down,
Landing gently atop the kunai embedded in the ground.
At the shores of Lake Motosu,
Kagetsu's eyes snapped open.
He sensed it.
The moment the marked kunai fell,
"Kikyo. They're here."
As his words fell,
Two figures appeared beside the tree where the kunai had been embedded earlier.
The Shadow Clone.
And Kamihime.
Kikyo had been waiting.
Since dusk, she had been gathering Sage-enhanced spiritual power.
Now,She released it all at once.
Drawing her bow, she infused every ounce of power into a single arrow.
It glowed,
Radiant.
Pure.
Like condensed starlight.
"Kamihime!"
With a clear, resolute cry,
She released the string.
The arrow shot forth like a falling star.
Kamihime's expression changed instantly.
"Move,!"
She tried to break free.
But the Shadow Clone held fast.
The hand piercing her chest transformed,
Wood spread outward, erupting into countless spikes that anchored them together.
"Are you insane?!" Kamihime screamed, panic finally breaking through her composure. "Do you want to die?!"
She abandoned her sword.
Raised the Mirror of Life.
Formed a seal.
Chanted desperately,
But it was too late.
The arrow had already arrived.
It struck the Shadow Clone first.
For a brief moment,
Kamihime thought he would block it.
But,
Poof!
He dispersed into smoke.
Gone.
And the arrow,
Continued forward.
Unhindered.
It struck her directly.
The explosion of spiritual power was instantaneous.
Her demonic energy shattered.
Her body began to disintegrate.
The force carried her backward, tearing through everything in its path,trees, earth, stone,reduced to nothing under the radiance.
Then,
It drove her into the lake.
A massive column of water erupted skyward,
And in the next instant,
The arrow detonated high above the surface.
A blinding sphere of light bloomed.
Like a miniature sun.
The night sky turned white.
And the lake below shimmered,
Bathed in sacred light.