Kikyo's expression was grave, with a faint crease between her brows.
"That city lord is strange," she said quietly. "I couldn't sense any life force from him at all. Everything below his neck… it felt dead."
She slowed to a stop and turned back toward the castle, now blurred beneath the deepening twilight. A cold light flickered in her eyes.
"And the entire castle is steeped in dense miasma."
Kagetsu gave a faint smile. "That's only natural. The man you're looking for is Naraku."
"Naraku?!" Kikyo's gaze snapped to him. "The city lord… was Naraku?"
"Yes. That patchwork demonic aura, stitched together from countless demons. There's no mistaking it." His tone was calm, certain.
Kikyo absorbed the shock quickly and fell back into step beside him, her voice steady once more. "He didn't appear to be in good condition. He must have suffered serious injuries."
"From Inuyasha and the others, most likely," Kagetsu replied. "But considering Naraku's strength, Inuyasha alone couldn't have pushed him that far."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"If I had to guess… Kagome's Sacred Arrow struck him. Pure spiritual power. That would explain the damage."
He already knew the answer. In the original course of events, Naraku's body had indeed been pierced by Kagome's arrow, the spiritual force tearing through him like sunlight through rot.
"That girl… Kagome," Kikyo murmured thoughtfully. "If it were spiritual power, then yes… that would make sense."
After a brief silence, Kagetsu spoke again.
"Your soul has completely recovered, hasn't it?"
Kikyo blinked at the abrupt change of subject. Then she nodded. "It has."
A faint frown touched her lips.
"But in Naraku's current state… he likely can't be used as a vessel for resurrection anymore, can he?"
"On the contrary." Kagetsu shook his head, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Kikyo, we may soon be able to discard these bodies."
Her eyes sharpened.
"With Naraku's temperament, there's no way he'll tolerate remaining weakened for long."
"You mean…" Kikyo's thoughts clicked into place. "He'll attempt to restore himself."
She recalled the rumours the ashigaru had mentioned earlier, the land corrupted by spreading miasma. Understanding dawned in her gaze.
At that very moment, the surrounding miasma stirred.
What had once hung heavy and stagnant in the air now became restless, drawn as if by an unseen hand. Thick waves of malevolent energy began converging toward a distant mountain peak.
Kikyo lifted her head abruptly.
In the fading light, the peak loomed like a slumbering volcano.
"It seems Naraku has already begun," Kagetsu said, watching the gathering darkness with faint amusement. "He's rebuilding his body."
"Using miasma… to heal himself…" Kikyo murmured.
"Let's move. If we're too late, we'll have to wait even longer to rid ourselves of these vessels."
She nodded once, resolute. "Right."
The two turned toward the mountain.
The closer they drew to the convergence point, the more desolate the land became.
Trees stood stripped and skeletal, their withered branches clawing at the sky. The ground was barren, no grass, no insects, no trace of life. Now and then, the bleached bones of animals lay scattered along the path, exuding the faint stench of decay.
Even the air felt wrong.
They found a narrow, winding trail at the mountain's base and began ascending.
The miasma was thickest within the mountain's core. With every step forward, the oppressive atmosphere intensified.
A faint white radiance began to shimmer around Kikyo.
Spiritual power.
The soft glow spread outward like a quiet tide, dispelling the encroaching miasma. Though her body was only a clay vessel animated by soul and resentment, her spirit remained pure, and she had no intention of allowing this filth to taint it.
Moreover, Kagetsu had recently replenished her chakra. Her spiritual power was abundant; she could afford the expenditure.
The white light expanded gently, enveloping Kagetsu as well.
His Edo Tensei body would not be harmed by miasma,but that did not mean it was pleasant. Wrapped within Kikyo's spiritual barrier, the suffocating heaviness lifted slightly.
It felt like stepping out of choking smoke into clear air.
Kagetsu glanced at her sidelong, saying nothing, and simply increased his pace.
After a moment, he spoke again.
"Inuyasha and the others are ahead. Kagome is with them."
Kikyo's gaze flickered.
"…I see."
"Let's proceed carefully," she added. "If Naraku orchestrated this, he wouldn't leave it unguarded."
At the mountainside cave, thick miasma poured out like smoke from a wound in the earth.
Sango stood outside the entrance, one hand pressed to her chest. Her face was pale, beads of cold sweat lining her brow.
The injuries Naraku had inflicted earlier had yet to fully heal. Now, under the constant erosion of miasma, her body was nearing its limit.
She couldn't enter.
Kagome and Shippō remained by her side.
Inuyasha and Miroku had already gone inside to investigate.
"Sango, are you alright?" Kagome asked anxiously. "The miasma's getting worse…"
"Ugh…" Sango exhaled sharply through clenched teeth. Then she looked up at Kagome in surprise. "Kagome… you're completely unaffected?"
Kagome shook her head, equally puzzled. "I don't understand it either. But I really don't feel anything."
Just then, Shippō and Kirara both unconsciously took several steps toward the cave.
Shippō froze mid-step, eyes widening.
"What's going on?!" he cried, struggling against an invisible pull. "It's like something's trying to drag me inside! What is that thing?!"
"Yow!" Kirara chirped uneasily, bristling as she fought the same force.
Kagome's heart tightened.
"Inuyasha and Miroku… they'll be okay, right?"
Since entering, not a single sound had emerged from within the cave. No clash of steel. No shout. Nothing.
Only suffocating silence.
Time dragged on.
"Why haven't they come out yet?" Kagome whispered, dread creeping into her voice.
Sango gritted her teeth and forced herself upright despite the dizziness threatening to overtake her.
"I'm going in."
Kagome quickly caught her arm. "No, Sango! You can't!"
"If you go in like that, you'll collapse instantly!" Shippō added frantically.
Kirara leapt in front of her, blocking her path.
"Sango, we should fall back first," Kagome insisted. "Staying here is only making it worse."
Before Sango could argue further,
Footsteps echoed from behind them.
Crisp. Unhurried.
Kagome spun around instinctively.
To her astonishment, the surrounding miasma was thinning,rapidly dispersing at a visible rate.
"The miasma… it's fading?" she breathed.
Sango forced herself to turn as well.
Through the dim haze, a soft white radiance advanced toward them. Wherever that light passed, the miasma recoiled as though it had encountered its natural enemy.
Within that sacred glow, two figures walked side by side.