Kagetsu clicked his tongue as he stared at the night sky, now shining as brightly as day.
He glanced at Kikyo beside him.
"Just how much Sage Art spiritual power did you pack into that arrow? That was completely overkill."
Kikyo's cheeks flushed faintly. She turned her face away, clearly embarrassed.
"I… didn't expect it to be that powerful…"
Since arriving at the lake, she had spent nearly all her time converting her spiritual power by fusing it with natural energy,refining it into Sage Art spiritual power.
Just now, to ensure a decisive strike, she had poured all of it into that single arrow.
She had anticipated it might be excessive.
But not to this extent.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha and the others were still frozen in place, stunned.
Kagetsu had suddenly appeared,then vanished just as quickly, taking Kamihime with him. The entire sequence had happened so fast that no one had time to react.
"Crack,!"
As Kamihime's demonic aura faded, the vines binding Inuyasha weakened instantly.
With a forceful pull, he tore himself free, grabbed Tessaiga from the ground, and rolled his shoulder.
"Looks like Kagetsu and Kikyo are here too. Let's move!"
But just as he spoke,
A blinding light erupted in the distant sky.
Everyone looked up instinctively.
And froze.
"W-What… is that?" Sango stammered, staring at the radiant sphere illuminating the entire night.
"That's… sacred power. A priestess's purification…" Miroku swallowed hard, his voice filled with disbelief. "Though… it feels different somehow…"
"…It's Kikyo," Inuyasha said after a brief pause, his gaze fixed on the light. "I know her spiritual power. And earlier… Kagetsu carried her scent."
"Kikyo's power…?" Miroku muttered, shaken. "That's beyond anything I've seen…"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Kagetsu formed a hand seal, creating another clone.
He turned to Kikyo.
"Kamihime isn't dead. I'm going to check. Stay here,and be careful. Naraku is nearby."
"…Understood."
Kikyo nodded, gripping her bow tightly as her gaze sharpened, scanning the surroundings.
After a brief pause, Kagetsu activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
He vanished instantly.
The next moment,
He reappeared beside the kunai his clone had left behind.
Inuyasha's group was still staring at the distant light, completely unaware of his presence.
Without hesitation, he picked up the kunai,
Grabbed the Robe of the Four Souls,
And disappeared again in a flash.
"…Huh?"
Inuyasha frowned slightly, as if catching a faint scent.
He turned,but saw nothing.
Shaking his head, he dismissed it, completely unaware the robe was gone.
"Where did you go?" Kikyo asked as Kagetsu returned.
He held out the garment.
"This is the Robe of the Four Souls,the one stolen from the Celestial Maiden. Kamihime was trying to reclaim it."
"The Robe of the Four Souls…"
Kikyo accepted it, her eyes filled with quiet curiosity.
The fabric was thin as a cicada's wing, faintly glowing,a mysterious, almost unreal sensation passed through her as she held it.
Kagetsu glanced up at the fading light in the sky.
"Keep it safe. Don't let Kamihime get it back. This should be the core of her power,it's extremely important to her."
"Don't worry."
Kikyo nodded and carefully tucked the robe into her collar, securing it close to her body.
"I'll go check the lake."
With that, Kagetsu turned and headed toward the water.
As he reached the area where Kamihime had been blasted away, something caught his eye.
A faint glint.
Looking down,
He saw a golden, rhombus-shaped hairpin embedded in the ground.
"…Her weapon."
He recalled the moment before she was struck,the Shadow Clone had forced her to release her sword.
It must have fallen here.
He picked it up and stored it in his pouch.
A relic of the Celestial Maiden.
Likely a valuable artifact.
Without wasting time, chakra gathered beneath his feet as he stepped onto the water's surface, running toward the center of the lake.
But even after the light in the sky faded completely,
He found nothing.
No trace of Kamihime.
No demonic aura.
Only the castle,
Now slowly sinking back into the lake, vanishing beneath the surface.
"…Did she actually die?"
He frowned.
Then,A faint glow drifted down from the sky.
Slowly.
Gently.
Until it landed on the water nearby.
"…The Mirror of Life?"
Surprise flickered across his face.
Even after that attack,
It remained intact.
He stepped forward and picked it up.
Cracks covered its surface.
Within them, a faint purple light pulsed,slowly repairing itself.
"…It can regenerate?"
A true treasure.
Just like in the original events,even when shattered, it could still function.
But the moment he examined it,
A surge of black smoke burst forth.
It engulfed him instantly,
Forcing its way into his body through his mouth, nose, and ears.
"You destroyed my body… but it doesn't matter."
Kamihime's voice echoed from within the smoke, twisted with madness.
"I am the immortal Celestial Maiden!"
Her voice grew sharper.
"Though you are merely a man… your power to traverse space is just enough."
"You will become my new vessel!"
Before he could respond,
Splash!
The lake exploded.
A massive, grotesque creature surged upward,
A monstrous amalgamation of countless demons.
Tentacles lashed out instantly,
Wrapping tightly around Kagetsu's body.
Binding him completely.
"Hahahaha!"
A head emerged from the creature's torso.
Naraku.
His face twisted in triumphant delight.
"Excellent… Kagetsu… Kamihime…"
"Both of you,become part of me!"
"Disgusting half-demon!"
Kamihime's voice dripped with revulsion.
"Even touching something like you is unbearable!"
She instantly understood the danger.
If they remained trapped,
They would both be devoured.
The black smoke began retreating from Kagetsu's body.
But it was too late.
It had already penetrated too deeply.
Extraction was slow.
Kagetsu, bound tightly by the writhing mass of limbs, remained completely calm.
Only his head was free.
He looked at Naraku,
And smiled.
Cold.
Calculated.
"…Took you long enough."
Naraku's laughter stopped.
His expression froze.
"What,?!"
In that instant,
He understood.
This wasn't a coincidence.
It was a trap.
He tried to pull back.
To retreat.
But,Too late.
Kagetsu's voice rang out, low and decisive.
"Reverse Four Symbols Sealing."