"What if Naraku absorbs all those evil souls, becomes even stronger, and we still can't defeat him?" Kagura asked, trying to sound casual, though the worry in her eyes was obvious.
"Hmph."
Sesshomaru gave a cold snort, his expression filled with disdain. Yet beneath it, there was also anticipation.
"Then all the better," he said coldly. "I'd prefer to kill that filth sooner rather than later."
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"We are likely the strongest group gathered in this era. There's no reason we should lose."
Kasage glanced at Kagura, almost speechless at how cautious she was, before pointing toward Midoriko.
"Don't forget," he said calmly, "we also have the priestess who originally created the Shikon Jewel."
Seeing that Kagura still looked uneasy, he added in a quieter but confident tone:
"As long as I'm here, nothing will go wrong."
Remembering Kasage's overwhelming strength, Kagura finally relaxed slightly and gave a small nod.
"Then let's begin."
Kasage looked around at everyone gathered there before solemnly taking the Shikon Jewel from Midoriko's hands.
The instant his fingers touched the jewel, he activated the Human Path of the Rinnegan.
His consciousness was immediately pulled deep inside the Shikon Jewel.
Darkness.
An endless void stretched in every direction, filled with the shadows of countless yōkai souls drifting through the abyss.
All of them were moving toward a single location.
Kasage's consciousness moved deeper into the darkness.
Suddenly—
A brilliant wave of spiritual light tore through the void.
A blade of pure spiritual power swept forward, instantly erasing entire groups of yōkai into ash.
Yet moments later, more yōkai emerged from the darkness.
Again and again, the cycle repeated endlessly.
At the center of that eternal battlefield stood a lone figure.
A woman dressed in red-and-white shrine maiden robes similar to Kikyo's, though covered by primitive warrior armor.
In her hand was a glowing katana radiating pure spiritual energy.
Every swing purified countless yōkai, but no matter how many she destroyed, more continued pouring from the darkness without end.
Even so, she kept fighting silently.
Relentlessly.
Alone.
The armored miko and the endless horde of yōkai had become the only existence within that empty world.
Kasage's eyes narrowed.
"So this is where you've been… Midoriko."
Without hesitation, he moved toward her.
Midoriko showed no reaction to his presence. She continued swinging her blade mechanically, as though trapped in an endless battle without beginning or end.
Kasage wasn't surprised.
At this moment, she was only a manifestation of spiritual power, not a complete soul.
He quickly reached her side and placed his hand against her armor.
The moment his palm touched her—
Midoriko suddenly stopped moving.
Soft white spiritual light began glowing from her body.
Then, in the next instant, her form transformed into a sphere of brilliant soul energy, which Kasage firmly grasped in his hand.
"Midoriko's soul… secured."
He exhaled softly in relief and turned to leave.
But suddenly—
The entire Shikon Jewel reacted violently.
The yōkai that had been attacking Midoriko immediately went berserk, their crimson eyes glowing with madness as they charged toward Kasage in overwhelming numbers.
"Susanoo."
Kasage's eyes turned cold.
Pale blue chakra erupted around him instantly.
A gigantic skeletal warrior formed within the darkness. Muscles, armor, and the tengu-like helmet appeared one after another until the Complete Body Susanoo towered over the void.
Massive wings spread from its back while a colossal katana materialized in its hand.
The darkness itself trembled.
"Pathetic."
Kasage's voice echoed coldly.
The Susanoo swung its blade.
—BOOOOM!
A gigantic azure slash exploded across the darkness.
The charging yōkai froze mid-motion before disintegrating into ash beneath the overwhelming force.
The entire void was cleared instantly.
Only a handful of scattered yōkai survived at the outer edges, slowly beginning to reform once more.
Kasage glanced at them indifferently.
"Hmph. Endless pests."
Without wasting another second, he exited the Shikon Jewel with Midoriko's soul.
He understood clearly:
As long as Midoriko's soul and the Shikon Jewel continued to exist together, these yōkai could never truly die.
Only by destroying the jewel itself could the cycle finally end.
Back in the outside world, Kasage suddenly opened his eyes.
"Kikyo," he said immediately, "Midoriko's body."
Kikyo, who had been watching carefully the entire time, stepped forward at once while carrying Midoriko's body.
Without hesitation, Kasage pressed the glowing soul sphere into Midoriko's chest.
The soul merged instantly.
At once, brilliant spiritual power erupted from the clay body, shining brighter and brighter with every passing second.
But Kasage had no time to focus on it.
The moment Midoriko's soul left the Shikon Jewel, the balance inside it collapsed completely.
Massive amounts of evil energy burst out from the jewel violently.
The Shikon Jewel became dangerously unstable, as though it could explode into countless evil spirits at any moment.
Kasage reacted instantly.
With a sharp motion, he hurled the jewel directly toward Naraku.
A black blur shot through the air before piercing into Naraku's body.
The instant the Shikon Jewel entered him, the immense evil energy inside Naraku resonated with it.
The countless yōkai souls sealed within the jewel were immediately corrupted into violent evil spirits.
They flooded outward like a black tide—
Only to be instantly devoured by Naraku's natural power to absorb yōkai.
Naraku's remaining upper body regenerated rapidly.
Then his entire body began twisting and expanding grotesquely as his yōki skyrocketed at a terrifying speed.
"What monstrous evil energy…" Miroku muttered in shock as dark aura flooded the surroundings.
"But he's losing control," Sango said grimly, staring at Naraku's transforming body. "The evil energy is consuming him."
Naraku's human appearance rapidly vanished, replaced by a grotesque mass of writhing flesh.
"Uchiha… Kasage… you…"
The black receivers embedded in Naraku's body could no longer fully restrain him due to the overwhelming demonic power raging inside him.
Struggling desperately against the chaos consuming him, Naraku glared at Kasage with savage hatred.
"You always desired the power of the Shikon Jewel, didn't you?" Kasage said coldly while raising his hand toward him.
"Well… now you have it."
A faint smirk crossed his face.
"No need to thank me."
Before the words fully faded—
"Shinra Tensei."
An overwhelming repulsive force erupted from Kasage's palm.
—BOOOOM!
Naraku's body was blasted away violently like a broken kite.
That impact completely shattered the fragile balance within him.
The evil souls instantly spiraled out of control.
His body twisted and expanded at terrifying speed.
By the time he crashed into the distant cliffside, he had transformed into a gigantic spider-like monster.
Countless demonic limbs writhed and fused together across his grotesque body. Dense evil aura poured from him like solid darkness itself.
"ROOOOOOOAR!!"
The monstrous spider released a deafening roar.
Black miasma spread across the land.
Wherever it touched, the earth cracked apart and vegetation withered instantly into lifeless decay.
"Bansho Ten'in."
At that moment, a calm voice echoed across the battlefield.
Standing atop a nearby rock, Deva Akane raised one hand toward the cliff above the giant spider.
The next second—
RUMBLE!!!
An enormous boulder was ripped free by gravitational force and hurled downward.
—CRASH!!!
The massive rock slammed directly onto the giant spider's back.
Stone exploded everywhere.
The monster's roar stopped abruptly as its gigantic body crashed heavily onto the ground.