Watching the blizzard-tornado surge forward and blot out the sky, Kagetsu exaggeratedly widened his eyes.
"Whoa. That's impressive."
Even as he spoke, his hands were already flashing through hand seals. He drew in a deep breath, his chest swelling.
Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!
Chakra erupted from his mouth. A spark ignited in the air before him,then, in the blink of an eye, a sea of blazing orange-red flames roared outward, devouring the canyon in a single breath.
The inferno crashed forward like a tidal wave.
The oncoming tornado was swallowed whole. Ice and snow caught in the gale were vaporized instantly, dissolving into steam before they could even melt. Instead of extinguishing the flames, the frigid wind only fueled them. The fire, once contained within the valley walls, surged skyward, painting the heavens crimson.
On the opposite side, Akiarashi felt the searing heat wash over him. The tips of his fur began to singe, and the sharp scent of burning hair made him stumble back in alarm.
"Big Sister!"
"Big Sister!!"
Natsume and Shunran sensed the danger as well and shouted in unison.
Natsume suddenly spun toward Kagetsu.
"Kagetsu, hurry and save,"
She froze mid-sentence.
Fuyuarashi was already sitting on the ground nearby, pale-faced, her arm firmly gripped by Kagetsu.
"Eh?"
Relief flooded Natsume's face. She quickly dragged Shunran over as they rushed to Fuyuarashi's side.
Fuyuarashi herself looked shaken, her mind still struggling to process what had just happened.
The moment she released her tornado, an overwhelming sea of fire had surged forward. It devoured her technique effortlessly and rushed toward her like an unstoppable calamity.
The scorching heat, the suffocating blaze,
For a split second, despair filled her eyes. She had been just about to revert to her true Leopard Cat form to endure the inferno,
And then,
A kunai pierced through the flames.
In the next instant, that human appeared beside her as if stepping out of the fire itself. One hand held the kunai. The other seized her arm.
Before she could even react, the world shifted.
She was already outside the inferno.
"It seems I've won."
Kagetsu's calm voice broke through her daze.
She turned slowly. He was retrieving the tachi he had planted in the ground earlier , sheathing it casually as if nothing extraordinary had occurred.
"…"
She opened her mouth to speak, but Shunran and Natsume had already reached her, their anxious faces drawing her attention away.
Akiarashi soon arrived as well, looking her over with visible concern.
Kagetsu glanced at the trio crowding around her.
"Alright. My job here is done," he said lightly. "Natsume, summon me if you need anything."
"Oh, okay! Bye!" Natsume replied cheerfully, not even trying to stop him. After all, she could call him anytime.
"You're… Kagetsu, right?"
Fuyuarashi had regained her composure and stood up, her expression complicated.
"Yeah. Something you need?" Kagetsu replied with an easy smile.
"…Thank you."
She looked away when she said it, the words clearly forced out.
He chuckled softly.
"It was just a match. No need to take it so seriously."
With that, he released the Summoning Technique.
Poof!
A cloud of smoke burst outward, and his figure vanished.
Fuyuarashi stared at the empty space where he had stood.
"Natsume!"
"Ah,Big Sister Leader!" Natsume jumped nervously. Remembering her earlier attempt to claim leadership, she quickly waved her hands. "You're still the leader! I won't try to compete anymore!"
"…Your imagination is truly something."
Fuyuarashi gave her a speechless look before turning and walking toward the valley's exit.
"About reviving the Lord… I'll think it over."
Natsume, who had been bracing for a scolding, blinked in surprise.
She looked up to see Fuyuarashi standing in the distance.
"What are you standing around for? Let's go."
"Ah! Yes, Big Sister Leader!"
Natsume, Shunran , and Akiarashi exchanged quick glances before hurrying after her.
"Hmm?"
Kagetsu, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes.
Beside him, Kikyo quietly emerged from her own stillness.
"What is it?" she asked softly.
"Strange," Kagetsu muttered, frowning slightly. "The natural energy around us just shifted. It felt like something disturbed it… but I couldn't detect anything specific."
Recently, he had been teaching Kikyo how to perceive natural energy.
It began when she curiously asked what he was doing during one of his Sage Mode training sessions. After he explained natural energy and Sage Mode, she became unexpectedly interested.
Since he had time to spare, he decided to test a theory.
Could someone with a naturally powerful soul,like a miko,sense natural energy?
Kagome's soul had been exceptionally strong. In the original events, Naraku's incarnation, Kanna, had attempted to draw Kagome's soul into her mirror. While ordinary souls were taken instantly, Kagome's had resisted being fully extracted.
That alone proved its strength.
If Kikyo could perceive natural energy, Kagetsu wondered,could it merge with her spiritual power, even without chakra?
Of course, that question would have to wait until she succeeded in sensing it at all.
He didn't have the special toad oil used by Mount Myōboku to aid in perception, but the natural energy in this era was dense and active. Compared to his world, it was far easier to sense.
To increase her chances, they had left the village and traveled deep into a mountain forest rich with natural energy. Using Wood Release, Kagetsu had constructed a simple hut for their training.
Whenever Kikyo attempted to sense natural energy, Kagetsu would enter Sage Mode beside her, actively gathering and concentrating the ambient energy to make it easier for her to perceive.
And just now,
He had clearly felt something.
A subtle disturbance in the flow.
With Sage Mode's sensory abilities, neither human nor yōkai should have been able to approach unnoticed.
"…Maybe I imagined it."
After a moment's thought, he let the concern go and turned to Kikyo.
"How is it? Have you made any progress sensing natural energy?"