Looking at the young girl standing before her, Tsubaki suppressed the killing intent in her eyes.
Her right eye suddenly lit up.
A dense demonic aura spread outward from it.
Immediately afterward, an ink-black vortex of demonic power poured from her eye and struck the ground, rapidly condensing into form.
A fox demon with grayish-white fur and three fluffy tails appeared abruptly before Kagome.
"Alright," Tsubaki said coldly. "The demon inside me has been released."
Her eyes glinted as she stared at Kagome standing opposite the demon.
She very much wanted to use it to kill Kagome.
But seeing Inuyasha watching her closely,and Kikyo's calm, indifferent expression nearby,she suppressed that thought.
Instead, she commanded the demon to attack.
Even if she couldn't kill Kagome… seriously injuring her would still be satisfying.
The fox demon opened its bloody maw and lunged forward, sharp fangs flashing.
Kagome quickly raised her longbow.
Her fingertips trembled slightly as she forced down the tension in her chest and aimed at the charging demon.
The archery lessons Kikyo had taught her flashed through her mind.
She held her breath and concentrated, waiting for the perfect moment.
Just as the demon leapt into the air,
Kagome released the bowstring.
Whoosh!
The arrow, wrapped in spiritual power, shot forward like a streak of light.
"Clap!"
The Three-Tailed Fox Demon reacted instantly in midair, swiping the arrow aside with its front paw.
Although the spiritual power sent its body flying backward and shattered the paw on impact,
After landing, the wound quickly regenerated under the nourishment of its demonic power.
"Kagome," Kikyo said calmly from behind.
"Do not hesitate."
"Focus your mind and strengthen your conviction."
"You are a priestess with powerful spiritual power. When facing demons, you must possess the conviction to kill."
Her tone was gentle but firm.
In truth, Kikyo could have killed Tsubaki long ago.
But she had already noticed something strange about Kagome's spiritual power.
Despite the enormous power hidden inside her body,
Kagome's output was extremely unstable.
Sometimes it was incredibly strong,strong enough to destroy barriers and purify large numbers of demons.
Other times it was weak, barely injuring even a single demon.
Just like moments ago.
If Kagome had fully released her power, that fox demon would have been reduced to ashes instantly instead of merely losing a paw.
Combined with what Kaede had told her,that the Shikon Jewel had once emerged from Kagome's body,
And the fact that Kagome could sense the jewel even more sharply than Kikyo herself,
A suspicion formed in Kikyo's mind.
After Kikyo died, Kagome had been reborn carrying the Shikon Jewel within her.
It was possible that during that process, the jewel had sealed part of Kagome's spiritual power.
After all, the jewel had once resided inside her body.
If it feared her strength, suppressing it would not be impossible.
However,Kagome's power was far too great to be sealed completely.
That was why Kikyo allowed this battle.
She wanted to pressure Kagome with Tsubaki's demon,
To force her spiritual power to break through the seal.
"Focus… conviction…"
Kagome repeated Kikyo's words in her mind.
Her eyes remained fixed on the Three-Tailed Fox in the distance.
Every time the demon rushed toward her, she fired an arrow to drive it back.
Gradually,
Her movements became steadier.
The spiritual power wrapped around her arrows grew stronger.
The demon's injuries became more severe.
Its demonic aura weakened noticeably.
Kikyo watched quietly and sighed.
Although Kagome was improving quickly, she still hadn't reached the level Kikyo expected.
If Kagome had used the same power she used earlier to destroy the barrier,
This demon would already be gone.
By now, Kikyo had grown accustomed to her peaceful life.
Living quietly with Kagetsu.
Helping villagers remove demons.
Treating illnesses.
Practicing together when they had spare time.
She no longer wished to involve herself with the Shikon Jewel, Naraku, and the endless conflicts surrounding them.
Yet as the priestess who once guarded the jewel,
She couldn't ignore it completely.
She couldn't leave Inuyasha and Kagome to face everything alone.
In Kagome,the one most deeply connected to the jewel,
Kikyo saw the hope of ending the Shikon Jewel forever.
Especially since the jewel seemed to be suppressing Kagome's power.
That only proved one thing.
The jewel feared her.
That was why Kikyo had agreed to teach Kagome archery.
And why she arranged this real battle.
She wanted Kagome to master her power as quickly as possible,
And finally end the Shikon Jewel that had brought countless tragedies into the world.
Meanwhile, Kagome had become far calmer during the fight.
Her breathing steadied.
Her expression grew focused.
The arm holding the bow stopped trembling.
Whoosh!
Another arrow shot forward.
The fox demon, already weakened from continuous damage, failed to dodge.
The arrow struck it directly in the head.
"ROOOAR!"
The fox demon let out a shrill howl.
Sensing death approaching, it erupted with all its remaining demonic power, forming a barrier to resist the attack.
But in the next moment,
The spiritual power surrounding the arrow suddenly exploded with dazzling light.
The demonic barrier shattered instantly.
The purifying power pierced through the demon's skull like a beam of light.
Boom!
The fox demon's head exploded into a cloud of blood.
Its headless body collapsed heavily to the ground.
"I won…!"
Kagome exhaled deeply.
Her legs gave out and she sat down on the ground.
A powerful sense of accomplishment filled her chest.
"I won!"
She turned happily toward Inuyasha, wanting to share the moment.
"Watch out, Kagome!"
Suddenly Inuyasha's anxious shout rang out.
He rushed toward her at full speed.
"Kagome, look out!"
Sango also cried out while throwing Hiraikotsu toward Kagome's direction.
Kagome's heart skipped a beat.
She turned quickly.
Rustle,
The sound of grass brushing together reached her ears.
The White Snake Shikigami that had been coiled beside Tsubaki had somehow slithered close to her unnoticed.
It lunged like lightning.
Its head rose suddenly, fangs flashing as it struck toward Kagome's neck.
"Kagome!"
Inuyasha gripped Tessaiga, but he dared not swing.
The attack was too close to Kagome.
"HAHA! Die, Kagome!"
Tsubaki laughed wildly as her sneak attack succeeded.
At the same time, countless demons poured from her eye.
Some rushed forward to block Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku.
Others surrounded Tsubaki and carried her into the sky as she fled.
"Kikyo!"
Tsubaki shouted mockingly while retreating.
"You seem to care about that girl a lot!"
"I'll kill her first,then I'll kill you!"
"I'm afraid that won't happen," Kikyo said calmly.
Unlike the others, she showed no panic.
Instead, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
Her gaze fixed on Kagome with burning intensity.
At that moment,
Facing the lunging White Snake Shikigami,
Kagome felt surprisingly calm.
She reached for her quiver.
Empty.
"No arrows…?"
Her eyes widened in realization.
The snake's fangs were already inches from her throat.
Suddenly Kikyo's words echoed in her mind.
Focus.
Conviction.
Kagome tightened her grip on the bow.
"Focus…!"
"Just die!"
A massive surge of spiritual power burst from the longbow.
Seeing the snake head rushing toward her,
Kagome acted on instinct.
She swung the bow with all her strength.
CRACK!
The bow smashed directly into the snake's head.
A sharp hiss filled the air.
The White Snake Shikigami instantly disintegrated into ash under the overwhelming Purification Power.
In the blink of an eye,
It vanished completely.