At the same time, Rin had finally been rescued from Byakuya.
With nothing holding them back anymore, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha immediately closed in on Naraku and launched a relentless assault.
"Damn it!"
Naraku roared as he once again released countless Yokai bodies from within himself to block Bakusaiga's deadly strikes.
His eyes flickered toward the Shikon Jewel floating in the air.
A trace of hesitation crossed his face.
He had completely lost control of the jewel.
If this continued, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha would eventually corner and destroy him.
What confused him even more was Kikyo's behavior.
The Shikon Jewel had already been purified. Neither he nor Sesshomaru could approach it carelessly because of the overwhelming spiritual power surrounding it.
But for Kikyo…
This should have been the perfect chance to reclaim the jewel.
Yet she did nothing.
She simply stood there beside Abihime, calm and silent, almost as if she were intentionally allowing Naraku to try taking it.
"Distracted during battle?"
Sesshomaru's cold voice suddenly echoed beside him.
Naraku's eyes widened.
In the instant he lost focus, Sesshomaru had already appeared directly before him.
Bakusaiga slashed downward in a violent burst of Yokai energy.
"Aghhh!"
Naraku screamed.
Although he avoided a fatal hit at the last moment, his entire left arm was severed from the shoulder.
Before the attack fully landed, Naraku abandoned half his torso without hesitation. Thick poisonous miasma exploded outward as he retreated miserably, barely escaping death.
"Hmph. How many more times can you keep escaping?"
Sesshomaru looked down at him coldly, his golden eyes filled with contempt.
"Meido Zangetsuha!"
Inuyasha seized the opening instantly.
The pitch-black Meido surged forward, glittering with dark starlike light as it rushed toward Naraku.
"Curse you!"
Naraku glanced at the incoming Meido, then at Sesshomaru closing in again.
Finally, his gaze landed on the Shikon Jewel.
The spiritual power around it was slowly weakening.
He could sense it.
Soon, the purification would fade.
But he no longer had time to wait.
A ruthless look flashed through his eyes.
In the next second, his remaining body suddenly expanded grotesquely.
Massive amounts of miasma burst outward while countless Yokai poured from within him, blotting out the sky as they charged toward Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, and the approaching Meido Zangetsuha.
At the same time, Naraku's true body—reduced to only his head and part of his chest—shot toward the Shikon Jewel like a black shadow.
He intended to seize it by force.
"Kaze no Kizu!"
Inuyasha immediately realized Naraku's plan and swung Tessaiga again.
A massive golden slash tore through the battlefield toward Naraku, but endless Yokai bodies threw themselves into its path, blocking the attack layer after layer.
"Hiraikotsu!"
Sango's giant boomerang spun through the air with a piercing whistle, shattering countless Yokai in its path.
Kagome's sacred arrows followed immediately after, purifying large numbers of demons at once.
They had already entrusted Rin to Koga, who had recovered enough strength to protect her.
Meanwhile, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Kohaku rushed forward to support Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, helping clear away the overwhelming tide of Yokai.
On the other side, Sesshomaru advanced rapidly through the battlefield.
Each swing of Bakusaiga erased huge groups of Yokai instantly.
But by then—
Naraku had already reached the Shikon Jewel.
Several thick tentacles burst from his body and lashed toward it violently.
Dark evil energy surged along the tentacles, desperately resisting the purification radiating from the jewel.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted urgently while cutting down another wave of Yokai.
"Naraku's trying to take the Shikon Jewel! Stop him!"
"Right!"
Kagome nodded immediately.
But before firing, her eyes briefly drifted toward Kikyo.
Kikyo still hadn't moved.
Doubt filled Kagome's heart, but she quickly forced herself to focus.
She raised the Azusa Mountain sacred bow and aimed directly at Naraku.
"Concentrate…" she whispered softly to herself.
"My target is Naraku. I can't miss."
Spiritual power rapidly gathered around the arrow.
Then—
She released the string.
The sacred arrow shot across the sky in a brilliant flash.
But just before hitting the Yokai in front of Naraku—
It vanished.
Naraku's expression changed instantly.
The next second, the arrow suddenly reappeared directly before his face.
Boom!
The arrow pierced through the tentacles grabbing the Shikon Jewel and slammed straight into Naraku's head.
"This—!"
Naraku tried to dodge desperately, but it was too late.
The sacred power exploded.
Half his head was instantly purified away.
"Is this Kagome's power…?"
Even Kikyo showed slight surprise as she watched the impossible shot.
"She really is amazing."
"She is," Abihime replied with a faint smile.
"But luckily she didn't kill him outright. That would've been too merciful for someone like Naraku."
Kikyo quietly withdrew her gaze from Naraku.
"We should begin now. If Inuyasha and the others accidentally kill him too early, things will become troublesome."
"Understood."
Abihime quickly formed hand seals.
"Summoning Technique!"
White smoke burst forward.
As it cleared, Uchiha Kasage appeared before them.
"Are you ready, Kasage?" Kikyo asked softly.
Kasage nodded calmly.
"Everything is prepared."
"We can begin."
The space beside him twisted immediately as Kamui activated.
A spiraling vortex opened slowly.
The first to emerge was Enju.
"Lady Kikyo!"
Enju steadied herself quickly before hurrying beside Kikyo, looking nervous.
Kikyo smiled gently.
"There's no need to be afraid."
Her voice softened slightly.
"Soon… you'll truly return to life."
Enju nodded firmly.
"Yes!"
Then the Kamui vortex opened once more.
This time, Midoriko's clay body slowly emerged from the dimensional space.
The moment her body appeared—
The Shikon Jewel reacted violently.
Naraku, who had just survived Kagome's sacred arrow, immediately sensed the change.
The spiritual power surrounding the jewel exploded outward once again.
But this time…
It was different.
The overwhelming sacred aura was unfamiliar, ancient, and vastly stronger than before.
"This power…"
Naraku's pupils shrank.
Fear appeared in his eyes for the first time.
The spiritual pressure radiating from the jewel was even more dangerous than Kikyo's power.
If he touched it now—
He knew instinctively.
He would be purified completely.
Without realizing it, Naraku retreated several steps.
At that moment, countless black runes began spreading around the Shikon Jewel.
A massive technique formation quickly took shape in the air.
Naraku couldn't understand what the formation was for, but Kikyo's strange behavior finally made him realize something was terribly wrong.
He immediately sent his tentacles toward the jewel again.
But the instant they touched the sacred aura—
They were purified instantly.
The purification even spread back toward Naraku through the tentacles themselves.
His expression twisted violently as he severed them immediately.
Then—
The formation was completed.
Under Naraku's stunned gaze, space around the Shikon Jewel distorted.
The jewel slowly sank into the formation as if being swallowed by another dimension.
And then—
It disappeared completely.
"What…?!"
Naraku froze in place.
His eyes filled with disbelief and fury.
"The Shikon Jewel… vanished?!"
At that same moment, Inuyasha finally broke through the remaining Yokai with Kirara and Kagome.
But the instant they arrived—
They too witnessed the disappearance of the Shikon Jewel.
Inuyasha stared blankly at the empty air.
"…What the hell just happened?"