"An unwanted old woman."
Faced with Tsubaki's mockery, Kikyo's expression did not change. Her tone was calm, as if she were merely stating a simple fact.
"You—!"
The words struck straight at Tsubaki's deepest wound. Her eyes widened, her face flushing red in an instant.
She had always been jealous of Kikyo. Jealous of her talent. Jealous of her overwhelming strength. Jealous that she had been chosen to purify the Shikon Jewel. Jealous that, despite being a priestess, she could still be loved like an ordinary woman.
Meanwhile, no matter how hard Tsubaki tried, she had always lived in Kikyo's shadow.
Rage nearly overwhelmed her. She clenched her fists, forcibly suppressing the urge to attack.
"Kikyo, why did you come here?" she snapped coldly. "That half-demon abandoned you long ago. What does Kagome's life or death have to do with you?"
As she spoke, her gaze swept over Kikyo from head to toe, a teasing glint flashing in her eyes.
"Don't tell me… you came to beg for that girl?"
With that thought, Tsubaki's stubborn arrogance resurfaced. She lifted her chin smugly.
"Go on, beg me. If I'm in a good mood, maybe I'll let her live."
"She's here."
At that moment, Kikyo suddenly turned her head toward the outside of the barrier and spoke softly.
Tsubaki froze. She lowered her gaze to the Shikon Jewel in her palm—and her eyes widened in shock.
The dense evil aura within it was being purified by a surge of pure, radiant power.
"Was it that woman—Kagome?"
She looked up abruptly, disbelief filling her eyes.
Kikyo shot her a cold glance, her voice heavy with undisguised ridicule.
"I told you, Tsubaki. With your power, you could never curse Kagome."
She lifted her chin slightly, a trace of pride in her brows, looking down at Tsubaki.
"Kagome is my reincarnation. Fifty years ago, you couldn't defeat me. Now, your curse can't harm her either."
It was clear that Tsubaki's earlier provocation had truly angered her. Now, Kikyo returned the mockery without mercy.
Tsubaki stared at her, and memories from fifty years ago flashed through her mind—her carefully planned ambush, crushed effortlessly by Kikyo's casual strike.
"Don't joke with me!" she shouted in humiliation. "If you hadn't interfered, Kagome would already be dead!"
The moment her words fell, the barrier surrounding the area began to tremble violently.
Then it shattered into countless motes of spiritual light, dissolving into the night sky.
"Ah… my barrier!"
Tsubaki stood frozen in shock.
Through the drifting lights, a figure could be seen falling from the sky—Inuyasha. On his back was Kagome, holding her bow, still in a shooting stance. Spiritual light lingered on her fingertips.
Clearly, she had shattered the barrier with a single arrow.
"Heh."
Kikyo let out a soft laugh.
To Tsubaki, that sound was like a sharp slap across the face—far more humiliating than any insult. Her face flushed crimson, as if it might bleed.
"I just realized… Miss Kikyo is really good at making people angry," Sango whispered to Miroku.
"Mm. This priestess named Tsubaki is no match for her at all," Miroku nodded in agreement.
"Kikyo…"
At that moment, Inuyasha landed with Kagome on his back. The instant he saw Kikyo standing before Tsubaki, he stopped, frozen in place, his expression complicated.
"Inuyasha! Miss Kagome!"
Miroku and Sango hurried over.
"You're here too…" Inuyasha said, snapping out of it.
"Miroku, Sango…"
Kagome weakly lifted her head, pain still evident in her voice. The curse was still tormenting her. When she saw Kikyo nearby, she called softly,
"Kikyo…"
"Inuyasha?"
Tsubaki stared at him, teeth clenched in frustration.
"Kagome actually missed?"
Hearing this, Kikyo's brows furrowed. Her icy gaze fell upon Tsubaki.
"You tried to use Kagome to kill Inuyasha?"
"What, Kikyo? Did that remind you of fifty years ago?"
Tsubaki laughed arrogantly, deliberately provoking her.
"That's right! I made Kagome shoot him—just like you did back then!"
She expected Kikyo to explode in anger.
Instead, Kikyo chuckled softly, her expression returning to calm.
"That was Naraku's doing, wasn't it? Such a boring trick."
"Kikyo, you pretentious woman! You're infuriating!"
Tsubaki snapped, her face dark.
Kikyo ignored her completely. She turned and walked straight toward Kagome, exposing her back without the slightest guard.
Her confidence was absolute. She did not see Tsubaki as a threat at all.
"Tch!"
Tsubaki stared at her back, teeth grinding. Yet she did not dare to attack.
The shadow of her defeat fifty years ago resurfaced vividly in her mind, forcing her to suppress any thought of activating her curse.
"Kikyo, why did you come…"
Inuyasha gently set Kagome down. He knew Kikyo was about to remove the curse.
"I sensed something wrong with the Shikon Jewel, so I came to take a look," Kikyo replied simply.
White spiritual light bloomed in her palm as she placed her hand on Kagome's shoulder.
The glow enveloped Kagome's body. As the curse was purified—
Clink.
A clear sound rang out.
The Shikon Jewel shard that had acted as the medium for the curse was forced out of Kagome's body and fell to the ground.
"Thank you so much, Kikyo!"
With the curse gone, Kagome immediately felt lighter. The pain vanished. She sat up and bowed gratefully.
"Kagome, as my reincarnation, you possess such powerful spiritual energy. Yet you were cursed by someone like her. That's really embarrassing," Kikyo said, her tone carrying mild reproach.
Kagome lowered her head shyly, unable to respond.
"Forget it. It's also Kaede's fault for not noticing earlier," Kikyo added, softening her tone.
After all, Kagome had spiritual power but no formal priestess training. She had done remarkably well already.
Whoosh!
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Tsubaki, who had been quietly retreating, froze. A spiritual arrow grazed past her ear, severing several strands of gray-white hair that drifted down in the wind.
"Stay where you are," Kikyo said coldly, bow in hand, her arrow locked onto Tsubaki.
"Move again, and the next one will kill you."
"Kikyo…!"
A chill ran through Tsubaki. The anger in her heart was instantly replaced by fear when she met Kikyo's icy gaze.
She hated to admit it, but the memory of her effortless defeat fifty years ago still haunted her like a nightmare.
She wanted to fight again, to rely on the demons within her body and defeat Kikyo.
Yet a voice deep inside warned her—if she tried, she would die horribly.
"What do you want?" she demanded, forcing herself to remain calm.
"Kagome's curse is gone. Why won't you let me leave?"
Behind her back, she clenched the Shikon Jewel tightly.
Feeling the near-complete Jewel in her palm, Tsubaki roared inwardly:
As long as I have this… my power will grow even stronger!
Next time, Kikyo, I will defeat you!
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