This merchant caravan was not small. At full strength, it had nearly thirty to forty people, with almost half of them being armed. Their overall combat power was actually not weak.
The problem was that they had already endured successive attacks from the Wolf Demon Clan and the Paradise Birds. Not only had their numbers been reduced by more than half, almost everyone left was wounded.
The awkward part was that even now, the caravan leader still had no idea why the Wolf Demon Clan had been relentlessly chasing them.
Under such circumstances, when facing the well-prepared Rakshasa Oni bandit gang, they had no strength left to resist.
The enemy occupied both timing and terrain, completely sealing off their escape route while attacking from above.
By the time Kōga arrived, only the caravan leader remained alive on the battlefield, kneeling on the ground and begging the bandits for mercy.
"Lords! Lords! Please spare me… Money, grain, cloth—I'll give you everything. Please, just spare my life… spare my life!"
The bandits had originally planned to toy with him for a bit. However, when Rakshasa Oni saw Kōga chasing after them, he immediately made a throat-slitting gesture toward his subordinates.
The bandit who received the signal promptly swung his blade, severing the caravan leader's head, then retreated back into the formation.
Having operated as a bandit gang for several years, they naturally knew how to deal with yōkai.
The ponytailed youth before them looked human, but his pointed ears and wolf tail exposed his true identity.
"A Wolf Demon Clan yōkai—are you looking to clash with us?"
As the leader of the bandit gang, Rakshasa Oni's actual strength aside, his presence when facing yōkai was at least passable.
Kōga swept his gaze around and saw that the caravan wagons carrying his clan's stolen treasure were already tightly surrounded by the bandits. Rage flared within him.
"Hey, you lot," he shouted. "Hand over my clan's treasure right now if you know what's good for you. Otherwise, you'd better be prepared to be torn to pieces by a pack of wolves."
Hidden among the bandits, Spider Demon let out a cold laugh.
Yōkai really were yōkai. Talking like that—who could tolerate it? Even if Rakshasa Oni could endure it personally, for the sake of maintaining his authority, he absolutely could not let it slide.
And so, a battle unfolding exactly as Spider Demon had anticipated became inevitable.
Yes—everything had proceeded according to his plan.
From stealing the Wolf Demon Clan's treasure, to secretly hiding it aboard a merchant caravan that would soon pass through this area, to deliberately choosing a mountain with a concealed Paradise Bird nest to ensure the pursuing Wolf Demon Clan would not be too powerful.
Paradise Birds were among the rare yōkai that preyed on wolves. They were century-old enemies of the Wolf Demon Clan, and compared to humans, these birds much preferred the taste of wolf flesh.
Thus, when faced with a merchant caravan intruding into their territory and a group of Wolf Demon Clan members, they naturally chose the latter as their targets.
At first, Spider Demon had worried that no Wolf Demon Clan members would manage to break through the Paradise Birds' blockade. But Kōga's appearance ensured that the plan could proceed smoothly.
Upon hearing the Wolf Demon Clan's insolent words, Rakshasa Oni's face darkened, just as expected.
"A brat from the Wolf Demon Clan wants to snatch something from my hands?" he sneered. "Then show me the strength to back it up."
Kōga snorted coldly. "Since you're courting death, then die."
With that, the young lord of the Wolf Demon Clan lunged straight into the bandit gang.
...
Awooo—
Kree—
On the other side of the cliff, dozens of wolf yōkai were still facing off against the Paradise Birds in the sky. However, compared to their previous frenzied slaughter, both sides were now far more restrained.
The reason was simple—a stronger third party had appeared.
The moment Kikyo and Satsuki arrived, they had eliminated a considerable number of Paradise Birds with demon-purifying arrows.
Although Paradise Birds were widely distributed predatory yōkai, the number of members in each nest was actually quite limited.
This was the law of nature. As part of the food chain, the higher one stood, the fewer numbers they could sustain. It was the rule of energy transfer.
Satsuki had no interest in this kind of trash-tier yōkai conflict to begin with. Moreover, the battle between the Wolf Demon Clan and the Paradise Birds was no different from beasts fighting each other—primitive, crude, and devoid of technique.
The reason she had brought Kikyo along was because Kikyo had discovered fresh wagon wheel tracks along the road.
From this alone, it was clear how exceptional this demon-slaying shrine maiden's eyesight was—she could clearly discern details that ordinary people would overlook, even in the darkness of night.
Wagon tracks meant wagons. Wagons meant humans.
And the training Kikyo had received as a shrine maiden was precisely to exterminate yōkai and protect humanity.
"It looks like the Wolf Demon Clan is also following the wagon tracks," Kikyo said seriously, keeping an eye on both the Paradise Birds and the wolf pack around them. "But it won't be easy for us to catch up now."
"It's actually not as difficult as you think," Satsuki replied.
As she spoke, Satsuki lifted her golden Tenseigan toward the sky and gave a light glare.
In an instant, a blue force field burst forth along her line of sight. The blue light flashed and vanished like lightning. Wherever it passed, both Paradise Birds and wolf yōkai were struck as if by a massive weight, wailing as they were all blasted off the cliff.
—Byakugan · Pressure.
This was a technique once used by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, capable of knocking opponents down or killing them from afar, similar in nature to the repulsive force of Shinra Tensei released by the Rinnegan.
However, to Satsuki now, this move was nothing more than a toy.
"Let's go."
Leaving the road behind, Satsuki and Kikyo immediately sprinted toward the narrow pass in the direction of the wagon tracks.
Before long, they saw the Wolf Demon Clan fighting the bandit gang—and the merchant caravan already lying slaughtered across the ground.
"Looks like we're too late," Satsuki said calmly, with no intention of intervening.
After glancing at the caravan corpses, Kikyo spoke softly. "Those wounds were caused by blades. They were killed by those people."
"So what will you do?" Satsuki asked with interest. "Help the bandits who blocked the road and robbed them fend off the yōkai? Or stand by and do nothing?"
"..."
Very quickly, Satsuki saw Kikyo's answer.
She raised her demon-purifying arrow and fired a shot into the sky.
The arrow's landing point was the Wolf Demon Clan yōkai slaughtering people among the crowd. Its speed was not fast—clearly more of a warning than an attempt to kill.
"Danger!"
The moment he was locked onto by the demon-purifying arrow, a powerful sense of danger surged in Kōga's heart.
At present, he was only a mid-tier yōkai. Both his body and yōki were still far from fully matured.
Facing Kikyo's demon-purifying arrow, he immediately felt a lethal threat.
After performing several backward flips to evade the arrow falling from above, Kōga came to a halt at the edge of the cliff. He glared at Kikyo, who held her bow, and roared, "Shrine maiden, are you courting death?"
"That arrow was only a warning," Kikyo replied calmly, unmoved by his threat. Resolve shone on her beautiful face. "Leave now. Otherwise, the next arrow won't be so lenient."
"Hmph. I'm the young lord of the Wolf Demon Clan. Since when have I ever obeyed a human's orders?"
Kikyo's brows furrowed.
"Then you'd better be careful."
Just as Kikyo and Kōga faced off against each other.
The members of the bandit gang also noticed the sudden appearance of the two shrine maidens.
"Hahaha, our luck's really good today. Who would've thought we'd run into two shrine maidens here?" A smug expression appeared on Rakshasa Oni's face. He was already planning to wait until the two shrine maidens chased the yōkai away, then seize the opportunity to capture them.
Several other bandits also noticed Satsuki and Kikyo approaching. Their attire made the bandits freeze for a moment—then, expressions that Satsuki could only classify as "courting death" spread across their faces.
Satsuki was not a shrine maiden of this world. She had no interest whatsoever in saving people, and when it came to these bandits, she could kill them without the slightest psychological burden.
The only reason she had followed Kikyo here was because she had seen a line of fate entwined around Kikyo, connecting at this very place to one of the bandit gang's members.
And this was no ordinary bond.
It was a [Karma] so intense that it could span life and death.
This was the first time Satsuki had seen [Karma] manifest in a concrete, visible form. Though it was only a minor karma bound to an individual, it was still her first direct encounter with this power's manifestation since becoming a Demon Buddha.
If one were to explain exactly what [Karma] was, it would be exceedingly complicated. Put simply, [Karma] was the entire process of something from arising due to conditions to dispersing when those conditions ended.
In itself, it was not a concept with direct lethality. Different karmas led to different outcomes.
The most vicious karmic calamities were things even Buddhas could not escape, while the smallest karmas were ones even ants could pass through unharmed.
In fact, a blade posed a far more concrete threat to life than [Karma] ever did.
Yet for Satsuki, the discovery of [Karma] carried immeasurable significance.
Because [Karma] was a means used to deal with beings at the level of the Awakened Ones—one could even say it was the only means.
The Awakened One—Śākyamuni—had always been a thorn lodged deep in Satsuki's heart.
Since transmigrating into this body, he was the first opponent she had ever faced whom she could not defeat even at full power. In her mind, the danger he posed ranked even above the entire Ōtsutsuki Main Family.
That was an existence transcending the mundane world, standing above all realms, surpassing the Three Thousand Worlds—unique under heaven and earth.
Even though Satsuki already possessed powers such as the Three Divine Kings' Sacred Wheel, the Black Domain Buddhakṣetra, the Aspect of the Demon Buddha, and the Dead Line Boundary, none of these meant anything to an Awakened One.
Because an Awakened One was omnipresent.
No external force could ever erase an Awakened One. At best, one could only destroy an Awakened One's aspect—something utterly meaningless to the Awakened One itself.
Only the power of [Karma] could contend with an Awakened One.
Because the principle of [Karma] precisely targeted the very foundation of Buddhist doctrine—dependent origination and emptiness of nature.
Even for Satsuki as she was now, this was a power that demanded serious consideration. It was absolutely not something she could hope to master in a short period of time.
She was not anxious about it, however. After all, the likelihood of encountering an Awakened One again anytime soon was extremely low.
With that thought, Satsuki followed the karmic line with her gaze—only to discover that its other end was wrapped around a bare-chested man within the bandit gang.
This discovery made her glance at Kikyo with curiosity. She very much wanted to ask what kind of past existed between Kikyo and that bandit.
But clearly, now was not the time to ask.
Because Kikyo had already begun fighting that Wolf Demon Clan yōkai.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that the humanoid wolf yōkai was unilaterally dodging Kikyo's arrows.
From the very beginning, Kikyo had merely drawn her bow and taken aim—she had not released a single arrow.
Even so, Kōga did not dare advance a single step. He did not even dare remain in one spot, because from the moment he saw the shrine maiden before him, the sense of danger in his heart had never ceased for even an instant.
This was his most unique ability—danger premonition.
But when facing this demon-slaying shrine maiden, that very ability left him with no room to attack at all.
"Damn it… how can this shrine maiden's archery be this terrifying?!"
After several rapid changes of direction in midair, Kōga still could not escape the warning screaming within his mind. The black-haired shrine maiden advanced with steady steps, her cool gaze locked firmly onto his every movement.
Even more frightening was that the point her arrow was aimed at always preceded the point where he was about to land.
"Has she… already seen through all my movements?"
Kōga realized that his actions were being predicted again and again. That meant one thing—if the shrine maiden wanted him dead, all she needed to do was simply release the bowstring.
—"This is your final warning. Leave."
The cold voice flowed like water over stones in a mountain ravine. Killing intent had already surfaced in Kikyo's eyes.
"..."
Sensing that she had truly decided to kill him, an unwilling expression appeared on Kōga's face. A low growl escaped his throat—his body instinctively expressing fear.
"Hm? Still refusing to let go?"
Just as Kikyo prepared to release the string, the young lord of the Wolf Demon Clan suddenly let out a howl and surged forward at unprecedented speed.
He plunged straight into the bandit gang that had been watching from the sidelines, using them as cover as he closed in on the merchant caravan's cargo.
After kicking several people flying, he grabbed a chest from among the wagons and fled at full speed.
The entire process took only a few seconds—so fast that he did not even have time to leave behind any harsh words.
Kikyo merely watched him disappear into the distance, then slowly lowered the bow in her hands. She glanced at the bandits once, then turned as if preparing to leave.
Was it really over just like that?
Of course—not a chance.
In this world, there was never any shortage of idiots who thought far too highly of themselves. This was an immutable law.
"Hey, shrine maiden. You think you can just leave like that? We've got plenty of wounded here, you know."
Bandits holding blades gathered in groups of three and five, closing in. Their bodies reeked of dirt and sweat. Even from dozens of meters away, the stench was overwhelming. Their trademark shaved foreheads paired with leering expressions made the word fodder come vividly to life.
If Ruri had been here, she probably would have applauded mockingly and said, "Tch. When it comes to being punchable, you're even more professional than me."
Kikyo ignored the bandits' presence, but their words still made her stop. As a shrine maiden, she answered calmly, "I am currently traveling. I do not carry medicinal herbs for treatment."
"Hehehe, that's fine. If you don't have any, we do."
The bandits drew ever closer, the lewd light in their eyes growing more blatant as they looked at Satsuki and Kikyo.
Beautiful—truly beautiful.
They had never seen such stunning women before. Compared to these two shrine maidens, all the women they had previously looted were utterly unbearable to look at.
Farther away, Rakshasa Oni and the rest of the bandit gang quietly raised their bows, ready to prevent Satsuki and Kikyo from escaping at any moment.
From beginning to end, none of them had considered a single possibility—whether the shrine maidens before them might fight back.
At that moment, Satsuki suddenly spoke.
"The rest of the cleanup… leave it to me."
Kikyo glanced at Satsuki in silence. In the end, she turned her head away, tacitly allowing Satsuki to take action.
"Cleanup? Hahaha, you shrine maiden really know your stuff. You know to clean the wounds first?"
A minor bandit grinned stupidly, drool glinting faintly at the corner of his mouth.
Then—
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion like a mountain collapsing echoed into the ears of everyone present.