"Lord Sesshomaru!"
Jaken scrambled toward the smoke-choked crater, peering anxiously through the swirling dust to catch sight of his master.
"ROOOAR,!"
The crater erupted.
A violent gale burst outward, scattering debris in every direction. Jaken was blown clean off his feet, rolling helplessly across the ground before finally crashing to a stop.
As the dust settled, an enormous white dog rose slowly from within the shattered earth. Its blood-red eyes locked onto Kagetsu with chilling intensity. A savage aura rolled off its massive body in waves, thick with unrestrained fury.
"So when you can't win, you turn into a dog?" Kagetsu's mocking voice carried across the battlefield. "What is it,you enjoy biting people that much?"
The taunt ignited Sesshomaru's rage completely.
Throwing back his head, the great dog released a deafening howl. Then he lunged, jaws wide, fangs gleaming as he snapped toward Kagetsu.
In the world of demons, true form did not always mean greater combat strength.
While a daiyōkai's original body possessed overwhelming physical power, its immense size came at a cost,speed and agility diminished sharply. In battle, most powerful demons were deadlier in humanoid form, where their movements were precise and efficient.
The fight at Inu no Taishō's grave had proven this clearly. In his usual form, Sesshomaru's speed had left Inuyasha struggling to keep up. But once he transformed into his giant dog body, even Kagome had managed to evade his attacks. In the end, Inuyasha severed his arm with a single decisive strike.
Rational demons rarely revealed their true forms in serious combat. Doing so usually meant they had been driven to the brink.
To Kagetsu, Sesshomaru's transformation was nothing short of desperation.
Facing the charging beast, pale blue chakra surged around him once more. The skeletal frame of Susanoo manifested instantly, followed by layers of muscle and armor plating. Crow tengu armor sealed over its form as a towering half-bodied warrior more than ten meters tall materialized on the battlefield.
"Awooo,!"
Sesshomaru leapt high, jaws snapping toward Susanoo's neck.
The attack looked ferocious.
It meant nothing.
"Have I beaten you senseless already?" Kagetsu sneered. "You might've lasted a little longer if you stayed in humanoid form. Turning into a giant dog? That's just begging to die."
Before his words had fully faded, Susanoo's colossal fist crashed down onto Sesshomaru's skull.
"Awoo,!"
A piercing cry split the night. The enormous body staggered sideways under the overwhelming force.
Before Sesshomaru could even hit the ground, Susanoo's hand seized him by the throat and slammed him into the earth with crushing momentum.
The ground shattered.
Chakra condensed in Susanoo's right hand, forming a massive blade. With a ruthless backhand thrust, it drove straight through Sesshomaru's body, pinning him to the ground.
"Well? When you were bullying that half-demon and those humans, did you feel impressive ?" Kagetsu mocked coldly.
Another punch.
"Did you think you were invincible?"
Another blow slammed into the giant dog's head, each impact erupting with a violent shockwave.
"All you know how to do is look down on humans and torment your own brother."
Punch.
"Trash like you,what gives you the right to sneer at anyone?"
Blood spilled from the corner of Sesshomaru's mouth.
"You despise Inuyasha for being half-demon, yet you let another half-demon manipulate you like a fool. Chasing after your own brother, trying to kill him over and over,what, is that half-demon your father?"
Another brutal strike.
"When did the great Sesshomaru decide to acknowledge a half-demon as his sire? Does your proud mother know?"
Blow after blow rained down, each one heavier than the last.
"If you're not satisfied, call that half-demon over for revenge. Though I doubt he's as stupid as you."
With every cutting word, Susanoo's fist smashed down again.
Gradually, Sesshomaru's struggles weakened. The immense body trembled, then stilled. His form began to shrink, bones and fur receding until he returned to his humanoid shape.
Kagetsu withdrew the chakra blade from his abdomen and lowered its tip to Sesshomaru's throat, poised to finish him.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Inuyasha and Kagome racing toward them.
A faint smile curved his lips.
He deliberately slowed his movement.
Right on cue,
Inuyasha snatched up the fallen Tessaiga and dashed forward in a blur. With a single bound, he planted himself in front of Sesshomaru, raising the blade defensively.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken seized the opportunity to scramble to his master's side, shaking as he inspected the wounds.
Though the injuries looked severe, Kagetsu had held back. None were fatal.
Sesshomaru lay on the ground, the earlier ferocity gone. His golden eyes were calm,eerily so,as they fixed on Inuyasha's back.
Kagome arrived a heartbeat later, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Inuyasha, shielding Sesshomaru from Kagetsu.
"Inuyasha. Kagome." Kagetsu tilted his head, feigning puzzlement. "Why are you stopping me? A fool who lets himself be used so easily,wouldn't it be better to cut him down now?"
"Let him go," Inuyasha said stiffly. "One day… I'll beat him myself."
"Think carefully." Kagetsu's tone sharpened. "If I hadn't shown up today, you'd be dead,or crippled. And Kagome might not be standing here."
Inuyasha's grip tightened on Tessaiga. He glanced at Kagome, then at Sesshomaru.
"He's… my brother," he said through clenched teeth. "I can't just watch him die."
"Brother?" Kagetsu let out a cold laugh, glancing at the silent Sesshomaru. "Did he treat you like one?"
"No matter what," Kagome said firmly, her eyes unwavering, "they're still brothers. I believe someday… things will change between them."
Kagetsu studied Sesshomaru for a moment, then gave a careless shrug.
"Suit yourselves."
The towering Susanoo dissolved into motes of pale light. Kagetsu folded his arms and stepped aside.
Inuyasha visibly relaxed.
He knew the truth,if Kagetsu truly wanted Sesshomaru dead, he wouldn't have been able to stop him.
Sheathing Tessaiga, Inuyasha turned.
Supported by Jaken and leaning lightly on Tenseiga, Sesshomaru forced himself upright.
Inuyasha opened his mouth.
In the end, he only said three words.
"You should go."
Sesshomaru regarded him silently. His gaze was unreadable,resentment, humiliation, perhaps even the faintest tremor of something unspoken.
Without a word, he turned and walked into the depths of the forest.
His back remained straight.
Proud.
But the oppressive arrogance had dulled.
"Lord Sesshomaru, wait for me!" Jaken hurried after him.
Kagome watched them disappear through the trees and huffed softly. "He could at least say thank you."
Inuyasha gave a crooked smile. "That's just how he is."
Off to the side, Kagetsu observed Sesshomaru's departing figure, a thoughtful smile tugging at his lips.
At this point in time, Sesshomaru was still ruthless,contemptuous of humans, dismissive of life, and even more scornful of Inuyasha's half-demon blood.
Yet today, he had been utterly crushed by a "human."
And saved by the very brother he despised.
Humiliation like that cut deeper than any blade.
Kagetsu knew how this story unfolded.
Sesshomaru's obsession with Tessaiga had always been misguided.
For a dog demon, the weapon that truly protected one's life was never their father's fang,
,but their own.
Tessaiga had been forged from Inu no Taishō's fang. It was the father's strength. It had been entrusted to Inuyasha because, as a half-demon, he lacked the power to protect himself in his youth.
But in the end, no one could rely forever on another's power.
Just as Tessaiga had once shattered and been reforged with Inuyasha's own fang,because he had finally grown strong enough to stand on his own.
Sesshomaru, too, would one day understand.
Tenseiga. Tōkijin. Even those were not truly his.
Only when he awakened Bakusaiga from within himself,his own fang,would he become a daiyōkai who stood unshaken.
Kagetsu's gaze lingered on the dark forest.
Perhaps today's crushing defeat will help him realize that truth a little sooner.