Behind the mountain.
Behind the demon slayer village lay an open training ground used by generations of demon slayers.
Now, the moonlight spilled across that empty space like water.
Tsubaki sat cross-legged on a blue-grey rock, surrounded by the faint glowing patterns of a white barrier. Three paper shikigami stood silently around her in a triangular formation.
Her eyes were closed.
She appeared to be meditating.
But at this moment, when her mind should have been calm, this shrine maiden, renowned across the land as Kikyō's equal, found her thoughts unusually tangled.
For the past three days and nights, she had been reminiscing.
She thought of her past.
And she suddenly remembered her childhood.
"Tsubaki, I hear that shrine maiden from the countryside, Kikyō, is making astonishing progress in her training."
Back then.
Her master's voice still echoed in her memory.
And his face.
He was the monk who guarded the Tahōtō, closely tied to the Shikon Jewel.
A great monk recognized even by the Kyoto Onmyōryō.
Yet even though she was his disciple, the old man's thoughts were never truly on Tsubaki.
They were always on that other girl they had met only once on the road.
"Both began training at seven. Kikyō could perform exorcisms independently by ten. And you?"
"Still practicing basic barrier techniques."
The look of regret on her master's face when he said he wished he could have taken Kikyō as his disciple was deeply etched in Tsubaki's heart.
Back then, of course, Tsubaki refused to accept it.
Why?
Why was that woman, called a genius since childhood, better than her at everything?
She was called a genius too.
She worked just as hard.
She trained until late every night, her fingertips bleeding, her spiritual power exhausted to the point of fainting. She never gave up.
Yet in her master's eyes, there was only ever that one name.
Kikyō.
Kikyō.
Kikyō.
"If you could reach even half of Kikyō's level, I would be satisfied."
Those dying words of her master were like a thorn lodged forever in Tsubaki's heart.
But Tsubaki had believed she and that rural shrine maiden named Kikyō would never truly cross paths. Kikyō was just a village girl. Her own birth and status were far superior.
Until.
The year she turned fourteen.
A chance encounter.
On the border of Musashi Province, she came across a group of demons attacking a village. Alone, she could not handle them.
Then that figure in white and red appeared, accompanied by her younger sister.
Kikyō.
They fought side by side.
That was the first time Tsubaki witnessed Kikyō's strength with her own eyes.
One arrow.
Just one arrow.
The horde of demons she had struggled desperately to subdue vanished into ash beneath Kikyō's single shot.
Not even residue remained.
In that moment, Tsubaki finally understood.
Her master had not been wrong. She probably could not compare to Kikyō.
But
She refused to accept it.
Both were shrine maidens. Both were called geniuses. Why could Kikyō stand at the summit while she could only look up?
From then on, Tsubaki traveled the land, training relentlessly, accumulating experience.
She wanted to become stronger.
She wanted to surpass Kikyō.
She wanted to prove her master wrong.
She was not inferior to Kikyō.
Tsubaki opened her eyes. The moonlight was still bright.
The three shikigami still stood guard.
But her heart was no longer calm. Or rather, it had never been calm.
"The Shikon Jewel…" she murmured.
That treasure capable of amplifying any power. The object coveted by every demon in the land. Tsubaki had heard of it long ago from her master.
And before this, she had already seen it.
The year she met Kikyō, when they were both fifteen, during the demon attack on that village, the old demon slayer village chief (now fallen) had also been present.
They had all known one another.
Back then, the old chief had mentioned he was growing old and needed to choose the next guardian for the Shikon Jewel.
Tsubaki had considered herself the obvious choice.
The Tahōtō itself was closely linked to the Shikon Jewel.
Even after Kikyō appeared, she still believed this.
But now.
That Shikon Jewel.
Had fallen into Kikyō's hands.
That old man had given the jewel to Kikyō, not her.
She, Tsubaki, had traveled the land for years, slaying countless demons, her fame spreading far and wide.
And Kikyō?
She spent most of her time guarding a small village and rarely left.
Yet in the end, it was not her who received the Shikon Jewel!
Her resentment grew. Her refusal to accept it deepened.
Yes.
Tsubaki didn't care who possessed the Shikon Jewel. She simply could not accept being inferior to Kikyō.
"Tomorrow's duel…" Tsubaki's lips curled into a cold smile. "I'll show everyone who the true strongest shrine maiden is."
She stood up, preparing to return to her lodgings.
But the next second, her steps halted.
A thick scent hit her nostrils.
The smell of blood.
Heavy.
Close.
Tsubaki's expression froze.
She turned, looking into the darkness beyond her barrier.
Something was approaching.
"Shikigami," she called softly.
The three paper shikigami pivoted in unison toward that direction. Spiritual power surged around them as they entered combat stance.
The barrier patterns began to glow, forming a semi-transparent shield.
Tsubaki gripped the talismans in her hand tightly.
She was a shrine maiden. Though she had some martial training, she was not skilled in close combat.
But her barrier and shikigami were enough to handle most demon threats.
At least
That was what she thought.
But a second later.
The barrier was torn apart.
Like paper.
The three shikigami didn't even have time to react before a black shadow shredded them to pieces.
"What—!" Tsubaki's pupils contracted sharply.
Her barrier could block most demons. It had extremely strong exorcising properties.
Her shikigami each possessed power comparable to ordinary demons.
Yet that black shadow had destroyed them with a single strike.
"Hee hee hee…" An eerie laugh echoed from the darkness.
A figure emerged.
Humanoid.
But not human.
Skin deathly pale as paper. Sunken eye sockets. Pupils an eerie crimson. The corners of its mouth stretched to its ears, revealing two rows of sharp fangs.
This thing had no demonic aura.
No ghostly energy either.
Just a thick, nauseating smell of blood.
And killing intent.
Pure, unadulterated killing intent, without a shred of reason.
"A woman… and a shrine maiden?" The thing spoke, its voice hoarse and forced from deep within its throat. "Your blood… smells… sweet…"
Tsubaki stepped back.
Her hand trembled.
Not from fear.
From instinct.
Her instinct as a shrine maiden told her this thing before her
Was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
"What are you!" she shouted sharply, simultaneously throwing the talismans in her hand.
The talismans ignited in mid-air, transforming into a streak of white light aimed straight at the monster's face.
Her strongest offensive talismans.
They could kill an ordinary lesser demon in one hit.
But
The monster simply reached out and casually waved.
The white light was dispersed.
As easily as swatting a fly.
"So weak…" The monster's laugh grew even more piercing.
"But it's okay… weak women… their blood is still sweet…"
It lunged at Tsubaki.
Incredibly fast.
Tsubaki tried to dodge, but found her body frozen.
That killing intent was too intense. It suffocated her.
It's over.
That thought flashed through her mind.
Then
"Twang!"
A streak of white light descended from the sky.
More dazzling than the moonlight.
That was a purifying arrow!
The white light struck the monster's chest, tearing its entire upper body apart.
Flesh and blood flew everywhere.
Tsubaki was splattered.
But she didn't care. She stared blankly into the distance, at the other side of the back mountain. Below, on top of a tall watchtower within the demon slayer village, in the area illuminated by the moon.
There stood a figure in white and red.
Longbow in hand, black hair flowing.
It was Kikyō.
And beside Kikyō, another figure was approaching at astonishing speed.
Grey robes, pale hair, and that
Crimson demon mask.
Blade-light like a rainbow.
Rising from the flat ground, carrying overwhelming killing intent.
It was Shinji.
He had come.