"Inuyasha! Naraku's demonic aura is weakening!"
Miroku stared at Naraku in the sky and suddenly shouted,
"It must be because the number of Yokai bodies inside him is decreasing!"
Hearing that, Inuyasha's spirits immediately rose.
He swung Tessaiga once more. The pitch-black Meido Zangetsuha swept across the battlefield, instantly erasing a massive wave of Yokai bodies and exposing Naraku's true form hidden beneath layers of protection.
"Naraku! All these worthless bodies you keep throwing away will soon be destroyed! And when that happens… I'll finish you with one strike!"
"Oh? Really?"
A sinister smile spread across Naraku's face, his eyes cold and mocking.
"Then let's see what choice you make now."
"What?"
Inuyasha froze.
"Lord Sesshomaru!"
Rin's frightened cry suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
Sesshomaru's sword halted mid-swing as he turned sharply.
Rin was being held tightly by Naraku's incarnation, Byakuya. He stood calmly off to the side, directly facing Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and the others.
Because Rin was in his grasp, no one dared to move recklessly.
"You filthy coward!"
Sesshomaru glared at Naraku, murderous intent burning fiercely in his golden eyes, but he restrained himself out of concern for Rin's safety.
"Naraku!"
Inuyasha gripped Tessaiga tightly, fury written all over his face.
"You're afraid to move?"
Naraku laughed arrogantly.
"Sesshomaru. Inuyasha. If you are willing to sacrifice this little human girl, then killing me should be easy."
His smile widened.
"But if you hesitate… then you will watch as I obtain the complete Shikon Jewel."
"Bastard…"
Inuyasha's eyes burned with rage, yet he couldn't move.
"Hmph. Don't worry, Sesshomaru," Naraku said mockingly.
"As long as you stay obedient, the girl will remain unharmed."
Naraku's expression was filled with confidence before his gaze shifted toward Kikyo, who stood beside Abihime.
"Kikyo… now every shard of the Shikon Jewel is in my possession. Completely corrupted by darkness."
His smile deepened.
"How does that make you feel?"
Kikyo looked at him calmly.
There was no anger in her expression.
Only faint ridicule.
Instead of answering, she quietly asked,
"Naraku… you released Naraku's Corruption on purpose, didn't you?"
Naraku's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You wanted Inuyasha and Sesshomaru to destroy it for you."
A brief flash of surprise crossed his face before he laughed softly.
"As expected of you, Kikyo. You figured it out."
"You never trusted anything," Kikyo replied calmly.
"Not even the Shikon Jewel itself."
Her words struck directly at the center of Naraku's thoughts.
"Before obtaining the complete jewel, you needed to eliminate Naraku's Corruption first. Otherwise, it would eventually become a threat to you."
"Correct," Naraku admitted openly.
"Now that Naraku's Corruption has been destroyed by Sesshomaru, the Shikon Jewel can finally become whole again."
Kikyo continued staring at him.
"And those Yokai bodies you discarded earlier… they were unnecessary fragments you intentionally cast away before merging with the jewel."
Naraku smiled faintly.
"You truly understand me, Kikyo."
"They were burdens I no longer needed."
"Damn it… he used us!" Inuyasha growled through clenched teeth.
Sesshomaru's gaze turned even colder. His grip around Bakusaiga tightened slightly, yet he still refrained from acting because of Rin.
"Now…"
Naraku slowly raised the jewel.
"Watch as I, Naraku, claim the true power of the Shikon Jewel!"
His eyes were filled with fanatic obsession and uncontrollable desire.
The final shards slowly merged into the jewel floating in his palm.
At last—
The shattered Shikon Jewel became whole once more.
"The Shikon Jewel… it's really complete…" Kagome whispered, staring at it in disbelief.
"Naraku actually did it…" Shippo said anxiously.
"Ahahaha!"
Naraku laughed triumphantly.
"The darkness has become whole again! At last… I've succeeded!"
He stretched out his hand, preparing to fuse the Shikon Jewel into his body.
"Yes…"
A mysterious smile suddenly appeared on Kikyo's lips.
"The Shikon Jewel is finally complete."
The moment Naraku saw that smile, his heart tightened.
Something felt wrong.
Instinctively, he hurried to accelerate the fusion.
But in the next instant—
A brilliant burst of spiritual power erupted from the jewel.
"What?! This spiritual power—!"
Naraku screamed in shock.
Intense pain exploded through his palm as the purifying energy rapidly intensified.
He instinctively tried to throw the jewel away, but before he could react, the spiritual power inside the Shikon Jewel erupted completely.
The sacred energy instantly purified his entire arm, reducing it to ash.
"Damn it!"
Naraku was forced to abandon the jewel and retreat rapidly.
The fully restored Shikon Jewel floated silently in the air, radiating pure spiritual power while cleansing all traces of evil miasma within it.
"That spiritual power… it's Kikyo's!" Inuyasha exclaimed immediately.
"The Shikon Jewel was purified?!" Kagome stared in shock.
The once pitch-black jewel now glowed with a pale violet radiance, completely cleansed of corruption.
Crack.
At the same moment, a sudden cracking sound came from Byakuya below.
Thin fractures spread across the arm he used to hold Rin.
Then—
It shattered instantly.
"Ah!"
Rin fell from his grasp.
"Rin!"
Kohaku reacted immediately.
His kusarigama shot forward and pierced straight through Byakuya's chest.
"Hiraikotsu!"
Sango threw her giant boomerang at the same time.
Byakuya looked down at his broken arm helplessly.
"So this is how it ends…"
His body was struck simultaneously by the kusarigama and Hiraikotsu, instantly breaking apart into white lotus petals.
But before the attack fully landed, the real Byakuya had already escaped onto a gigantic paper crane rising rapidly into the sky.
"…Naraku's situation looks worse than I expected," he muttered quietly while staring at the purified Shikon Jewel.
Sango held the rescued Rin tightly while stopping Miroku from opening the Wind Tunnel. Toxic miasma still surrounded Byakuya.
Kagome hesitated briefly, but instead of chasing him, she aimed her bow toward Naraku in the sky.
Suddenly—
Several sharp piercing sounds tore through the air.
A dense barrage of Adamant Barrage spear fragments erupted from the ground and shot directly toward Byakuya!
Byakuya's expression changed instantly.
He hurriedly controlled the paper crane to evade.
Although several diamond spears pierced through the crane beneath him, he barely avoided the deadly attack as the fragments whistled past his body.
Just as he let out a breath of relief—
A figure suddenly appeared behind him.
Boom!
A powerful kick slammed directly into Byakuya's back.
He crashed toward the ground like a broken kite, smashing into the earth and throwing dust everywhere.
"Kasage!"
Sango, Miroku, and the others lit up with relief and excitement as Uchiha Kasage descended calmly from the sky.
The sound of Byakuya crashing down immediately drew Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's attention.
The moment they realized it was Uchiha Kasage, both of them shifted their focus back toward Naraku instantly, wary that he might try to escape during the distraction.