IW: Chapter 251 - Is that all Takama-ga-hara has? Long time no see, Seimei!
"The ants that have been searching for me."
Kaguya narrowed her eyes slightly, a cold, aristocratic disdain washing over her features. She slowly evaluated the three intruders standing at the threshold of her domain. One of them radiated a staggering, bottomless reservoir of raw demonic power, while the other two possessed exceptionally dense, immaculate spiritual energy.
However, as her gaze lingered on Tsukuyomi, a flicker of deep confusion crossed her mind. One of these demons actually harbored undeniable traces of pure, divine spiritual power woven directly into her essence. Kaguya didn't dwell on the paradox for long—she casually dismissed it, assuming the entity had simply spent far too much time interacting with human priestesses.
Looking closer at the trio, an old, familiar hunger suddenly awoke deep within Kaguya's gut.
Ever since she had successfully ambushed and swallowed the true Celestial Maiden, she hadn't encountered a single target worthy of her appetite. But these three... if she could systematically devour them, she could weave their unique traits into her own foundation. Combined with the Celestial Maiden's absolute immortality, the apex demonic power of a Great Demon, and the piercing spiritual energy of a high-tier priestess, Kaguya genuinely believed she would transcend to rule the entire mortal world.
Furthermore, having forcibly unraveled the Celestial Maiden's stolen memories, Kaguya knew she couldn't afford to halt her pursuit of power. The cosmic abyss was watching. Once a rift of that magnitude opened, those terrifying entities would inevitably descend through the tear. She needed to be ready.
"Looking for this?"
Breaking her dark train of thought, Bai Ye calmly raised his hand. With a fluid motion, he produced the legendary Robe of Fire-Rat that he had secured earlier in his travels, placing it directly in front of Kaguya.
He had beaten her to the prize long before she even knew it was gone.
The moment the vibrant fabric materialized, a sharp flicker of genuine shock and calculation darted through Kaguya's eyes. She had been hunting for this artifact across provinces, never anticipating it would be casually held by the vanguard standing right before her.
Her internal strategy immediately shifted. If this powerful swordsman had tracked her down while carrying the exact treasure she coveted, he had clearly come to negotiate a high-stakes compromise.
"State your conditions," Kaguya said, her voice dripping with an elegant, detached indifference. Ever since she had completely consumed and assimilated the Celestial Maiden, she had fully adopted the goddess's identity as her own. In her mind, she was a supreme, celestial being—infinitely nobler than the base, mud-dwelling demons of the earthly realm.
"I have no conditions."
"No conditions?!"
A look of profound, startled disbelief flashed across Kaguya's face. In a world governed entirely by ruthless transactions, greed, and survival, the concept of a powerful entity surrendering a supreme artifact for absolutely nothing made no logical sense. What game was he playing?
She had originally thought that Bai Ye coming to her with the robe was to negotiate terms with her.
If Bai Ye didn't want to use this to negotiate terms with her.
"Because I never intended to give it to you, I just wanted to show it to you!"
With that, Bai Ye directly threw the item into Kamui Space.
Without the robe, Kaguya's strength was less than half.
Tsukuyomi, who was standing by, couldn't hold back a chuckle when she heard Bai Ye say that.
She had been a little confused, wondering if Bai Ye was taking this out to negotiate terms with Kaguya.
So, you just wanted to show it to her.
"You are not the Celestial Maiden; you are merely a demon occupying her body. What right do you have to negotiate terms with me?"
Bai Ye's tone also contained a good deal of disdain for Kaguya.
If it were the Celestial Maiden, Bai Ye felt he could talk.
"You know?!"
From Bai Ye's confident tone, Kaguya understood that Bai Ye probably already knew her identity.
She had only just swallowed her a short while ago.
The name Kaguya also belonged to the Celestial Maiden. She didn't have a name of her own, so she took the name Kaguya, along with this body.
If he knew about this, then there was no need to keep him, not to mention that Bai Ye had already stated that he wouldn't hand over the robe to her.
Then she could only act!
"Without the robe, you are truly weak, or rather, how strong can someone who gains power by devouring others become?!"
"Heh."
Kaguya didn't say much to Bai Ye. She knew very well that Bai Ye in front of her was a Great Demon. If they truly fought, she might be instantly killed if she wasn't careful.
So she didn't dare to be careless, mumbling a spell.
After realizing the power of sorcery, she always believed that it was a dimensional attack here.
"Mirror of Shisui!"
A five-pointed star flew directly towards Bai Ye and the other two.
Seeing it about to hit the three of them, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Kaguya's eyes.
As long as they were hit, they would sink into that irresistible sea.
"A demon occupying a body is ultimately not the true form, a pitiful worm who can't even exert her power!"
Edict!
A red talisman was shot out by Bai Ye, and the Edict directly blocked the five-pointed star.
The magical powers of both sides began to contend in the air.
Kaguya, who had been somewhat relaxed, now showed a rare hint of strain on her face.
How could this be!?
After swallowing the Celestial Maiden, Kaguya had always believed that she would basically not encounter any enemies.
After all, this kind of sorcery was not comparable to what people in this world possessed.
"You're distracted during a fight. I take back what I said earlier, even if you occupy this body, it's a waste."
Bai Ye's voice rang in Kaguya's ears, and she snapped back to reality the moment his voice fell.
"So fast!!?"
Kaguya hadn't even reacted when she was directly slapped away by Bai Ye's tail, then caught in a giant purple-black energy hand.
"Let me see your secrets."
With that, Bai Ye directly invaded her memories.
In the sea of memories.
Bai Ye saw how Kaguya swallowed the Celestial Maiden, and also understood her true origin.
At that time, it was because the Celestial Maiden was too kind and easily trusted Kaguya, which led to her being swallowed.
"How is it?!" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Just as we suspected, a soul-type demon. The Celestial Maiden's soul is imprisoned by her. Given some time, she can completely assimilate the other party's soul."
This also seemed to explain why she could be sealed by Miroku's grandfather.
Although Miroku's grandfather was also a somewhat famous monk, he certainly couldn't compare to the Celestial Maiden.
"Kill this demon's soul."
"I can pledge loyalty to you, don't…"
That burning sensation in her soul, this feeling of powerlessness, she felt she would never experience it again after swallowing the Celestial Maiden.
At that time, she had basely exploited the Celestial Maiden's kindness.
But in her opinion, wasn't that what the Celestial Maiden deserved?
She didn't even have the most basic precautions, yet she was so talented and possessed such powerful strength.
Since she had no defenses against her, Kaguya naturally had to seize these things!
But when she heard that Bai Ye was going to strip her from this body, Kaguya panicked.
She didn't want the power she had just acquired to be gone like that.
In the past, she had been hiding everywhere, with very little power. It was so hard to finally gain it, and she even had an immortal body. How could it be like this?
She could pledge loyalty to Bai Ye, she could even pledge loyalty to the Demon Country!
"No need."
Bai Ye couldn't sleep with a demon around who could swallow him at any time.
Bai Ye would not keep such a despicable demon.
And Bai Ye's refusal became the last straw that broke her.
The searing pain of her soul made her scream. She was unwilling, but it was useless.
After her soul was burned to ashes by Bai Ye's flames, the Celestial Maiden's original soul also broke free from its confinement.
Opening her eyes again, Kaguya looked at Bai Ye with a hint of gratitude.
If it weren't for him, she would have died.
At that time, she trusted that demon too much, which led to her being swallowed.
[Ding! Changed Kaguya's fate, rewarded with one lottery chance.]
Indeed.
If he had just killed her, then he wouldn't have gotten this opportunity.
"Has her soul been destroyed?" Kikyo could clearly sense that the Kaguya in front of her had suddenly become different from before.
Even if the previous Kaguya tried to hide it, she couldn't hide her evil aura. Kikyo could see it at a glance.
The Kaguya in front of her was clearly different from before.
"I was too careless before. I thought she was truly good to me." Kaguya said, a hint of annoyance flashing across her face.
Her soul had witnessed all of this from within the body earlier.
"You came down from Takama-ga-hara, right?" Bai Ye didn't care how Kaguya had been ambushed.
Because Bai Ye had already seen everything in her memories, so there was no need for an explanation.
Bai Ye was more concerned about matters concerning Takama-ga-hara.
That opening...
"Yes, I came down from Takama-ga-hara. You saw my memories before, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did."
"…" Kaguya was silent for a moment, but still asked, somewhat unwillingly, "You saw everything?"
"I only looked at the things related to Takama-ga-hara."
"Oh, that's good." Kaguya seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. She was truly afraid that Bai Ye would say he had seen everything.
"Do you want to go to Takama-ga-hara?" After Bai Ye released her, Kaguya stretched her body. She deeply disliked being occupied by that female demon. She had been eagerly watching the outside world for a very long time and finally got her body back.
After stretching, Kaguya also became curious about Bai Ye's question. Did he still want to go to Takama-ga-hara?
"No, I just want to know if only you know about that opening?"
"Actually, I just accidentally discovered that this place can be descended. As for whether others know, I'm not sure. And it's very difficult to cross that spot; I almost felt like I died. I initially thought my strength was too weak, so I used my robe, but after using it, the pressure on me became even greater!"
Kaguya explained.
She was playing around earlier, so she came down here to take a look, originally thinking it was just an ordinary opening. But she actually descended from Takama-ga-hara.
She had tried to go back, but it was impossible.
"The Tree of Ages has a crack."
Bai Ye understood. It seemed to be an issue with the Tree of Ages.
The gods had not only made a deal with Seimei, but they had also been preparing to unseal the Tree of Ages for years.
The stronger one was, the harder it was to descend, as the Tree of Ages' seal was still in place.
"Seimei!"
Tsukuyomi blurted out directly. Now that the Tree of Ages was problematic, Seimei had to be dealt with.
Seimei had already said that he had made a deal with the gods.
"Should we wait for him at the Tree of Ages? Wouldn't that be too passive?"
"Go to Heian-kyō, he can only be in Heian-kyō!"
Bai Ye knew very well that Seimei should be in Heian-kyō now.
He couldn't possibly go anywhere else besides Heian-kyō.
The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons in Heian-kyō.
Isn't that the legend?
"Um… what should I do now?"
Kaguya stood awkwardly between the few of them. She wasn't part of this team, and following them didn't feel right. But looking at them, it seemed she could only rely on them to return to Takama-ga-hara.
"By the way, do you know what the gods on Takama-ga-hara are like?"
Kikyo asked curiously. Bai Ye's previous conversation with Seimei implied those gods were despicable.
"I haven't seen them, and I can't access them."
Although everyone was on Takama-ga-hara, it wasn't like she could just meet them whenever she wanted.
After listening to Kaguya's explanation, Kikyo didn't say anything more.
"So, are we going to Heian-kyō?"
"Me?"
Kaguya pointed to herself. She had thought there was nothing left for her to do, as they didn't know each other.
"If you need me, I can go."
Kaguya thought for a moment and decided to follow their advice.
After all, they had just saved her life. If it weren't for Bai Ye, she would have been swallowed, so she figured she should repay their kindness.
"Of course you have to come along. Later, if I need you to take me to Takama-ga-hara, I'll need you to lead the way!"
Kaguya was his guide.
If he wasn't hoping Kaguya could help him later and provide a chance for a lottery draw, he wouldn't have bothered so much just now.
"Alright."
Lead the way to Takama-ga-hara?
Then she had no choice but to follow Bai Ye.
Kaguya had been wondering how to get back, and now by following Bai Ye, she could return, couldn't she?
"By the way, you don't have any relation to the gods of Takama-ga-hara, do you?"
"No."
Didn't she just say she didn't know them?
It felt like Bai Ye's intention wasn't just to go up for a simple visit.
Seimei's residence in Heian-kyō.
Naraku was playing chess with Seimei.
This man, even knowing that Bai Ye had arrived in Heian-kyō, could remain so composed.
Kikyo had also come with Bai Ye. Feeling Kikyo's aura, Naraku felt his heart stirring. It wasn't his… it was Onigumo's heart.
Even after becoming a demon, Naraku still couldn't let go?
"There's nothing shameful about loving a human woman."
Seimei said indifferently.
"I want to become a true demon, and I am no longer Onigumo."
Even though his core was pierced, Naraku still believed that this matter was not his true intention.
He had always wanted to escape Onigumo's Shadow.
"Inuyasha Bai Ye is a true demon."
Seimei looked up, his gaze deep as he stared at Naraku.
He seemed to not understand that being a true demon didn't mean forgetting everything.
"But Inuyasha Bai Ye is unique."
"What about Inu Daisho?"
"..."
How could Naraku answer that?
Naraku opened his mouth but eventually swallowed his words.
Was he really wrong?
"However, you won't get that Miko's heart. You're too evil."
Was it necessary to say that out loud?
Although Naraku felt Kikyo wouldn't like him either, being told so unceremoniously by Seimei still left him feeling a knot in his chest.
Throughout the anime, wasn't Naraku always trying to prove he didn't like Kikyo?
However, in the end, he realized that what he had always sought was Kikyo.
"I win." Seimei placed a black piece, then picked up his folding fan and stood up, looking out the door: "Since an old friend has arrived, why not come in?"
Since Bai Ye had come to Heian-kyō, he naturally knew all of Seimei's arrangements in Heian-kyō.
Come to think of it, he had been a bit naive before.
He had even thought of having these demons impersonate humans to deceive Bai Ye.
Indeed, he was his old rival.
"Are you really not considering it? Once those guys from Takama-ga-hara descend, it won't be good for you or me, and we have a common goal."
Seimei still wanted to try to win him over.
If Bai Ye agreed, then they wouldn't need to continue fighting.
Why couldn't they work together against the gods of Takama-ga-hara?
"We were mortal enemies from the start. I disliked you the first time I saw you."
Bai Ye shook his head. Although the conditions Seimei offered were tempting, Bai Ye chose to refuse.
It was the oldest law of the spiritual world: individuals who detested one another from the very first glance could truly never stand on the same side.
"Indeed... I thoroughly disliked you the moment I laid eyes on you, too," Seimei sneered, his voice echoing from the puppet's lips.
The first time their paths had crossed, Seimei's immediate, instinctive reaction had been a desperate urge to shove Bai Ye into the core of the Shikon Jewel. To say he harbored no regrets about how that turned out would be a blatant lie. The ancient Onmyoji was practically drowning in a bitter, rancid sense of regret; back during their first encounter, Bai Ye hadn't yet achieved the absolutely absurd, world-crushing level of power he wielded today. If he had just taken the threat seriously from the start...
"As expected, cooperation between us is a complete impossibility. Therefore, I will simply have to eliminate you right here," Seimei declared smoothly, the puppet's eyes flashing with an eerie, artificial life. "Once your heart stops beating, I will personally refine your corpse into a supreme puppet. It will make dealing with those entities later far easier."
"You know, I'm almost entirely certain I've heard you give this exact same speech before," Bai Ye mused, casually stroking his chin as a faint, mocking smile played on his lips.
If his memory served him correctly, Seimei had used almost the exact same script years ago, confidently boasting about turning him into raw material for the Shikon Jewel. Yet, through a beautiful twist of poetic justice, it was Seimei who ended up trapped inside the glass pebble. And now, after crawling back from the abyss, his grand ambition had merely upgraded to a puppet show.
"Naraku."
Bai Ye casually shifted his gaze over to the newly forged half-demon, a trace of genuine amusement in his eyes. He wasn't entirely surprised to see the two plotting in the same shadow. As expected, birds of a feather flocked together; both were toxic biproducts of the Shikon Jewel's malice, so it only made sense they would huddle together for warmth in the dark.
However, looking closer, Bai Ye realized the entity standing directly in front of him was merely a flesh-and-blood clone. The bastard truly is as paranoid as they come.
Being pinned under Bai Ye's effortless, piercing gaze, an involuntary wave of cold unease washed over Naraku. In that singular moment, the harsh truth of Seimei's earlier warning crystallized perfectly in his mind: there was absolutely no comparing him to the Lord of the Western Wilds. The gulf was an ocean. Just a casual, passing glance from the swordsman was enough to send an instinctual, violent shiver running straight down Naraku's spine.
"Do not grow overconfident, traveler. This time, I am infinitely better prepared," Seimei's puppet countered, its voice rising in pitch. "I have systematically managed and reshaped the spiritual foundations of Heian-kyō for centuries. Had we met in the wilderness, I would not dare boast. But the moment your boots stepped through the gates of this capital, my victory was assured."
The second the final syllable left the puppet's mouth, the pristine, sunlit sky above Heian-kyō violently fractured.
A suffocating, pitch-black demonic aura erupted from the earth, rapidly blotting out the sun and plunging the ancient imperial city into absolute, terrifying darkness. Above the clouds, a massive, glowing violet hexagram materialized, its jagged spiritual lines expanding until they perfectly enveloped the entire perimeter of the capital.
Seimei's long-term stewardship of Heian-kyō hadn't just been a defensive measure. He had secretly woven a catastrophic, continent-tier restriction formation directly into the city's ley lines. Once trapped within its boundaries, an intruder's power would be heavily suppressed, ensuring Bai Ye could no longer fight with the terrifying freedom he possessed in the past. Back during his first defeat, Seimei had been forced to operate out in the open, relying on a hasty, temporary array that couldn't hold a candle to the absolute trap he had built here.
Furthermore, his descent into the void hadn't been a hollow exile. Upon crawling back through the Rift of Death, he had dragged a massive, ravenous vanguard of high-tier underworld entities back to the mortal coil with him.
Suddenly, the surrounding rooftops and shadows swarmed with hundreds of ancient, distorted demons. Their malicious eyes locked onto Bai Ye and his companions with absolute, gluttonous greed. To a pack of starving monsters, devouring every single living soul within the walls of Heian-kyō wouldn't provide a fraction of the immense spiritual nourishment offered by the four apex powerhouses standing in the courtyard.
RUMBLE—
With a deafening, earth-shattering roar, the massive, bone-chilling Gate of the Underworld tore through the stone plaza, rising toward the darkened sky at Seimei's supreme command.
The heavy, rotting doors creaked open, revealing the endless, churning sea of the Undead Legion waiting in the abyss. This absolute, infinite army was the true foundation of Seimei's confidence—he was entirely certain that the weight of the underworld would finally bring the legendary swordsman to his knees.