"My Shikigami!"
Tsubaki, who was being carried through the air by demons, had fully expected to see Kagome die under her White Snake Shikigami's fangs.
Instead, she watched in disbelief as the snake was reduced to ashes by a single strike.
Her anger surged violently, but she didn't dare linger.
Without hesitation, she urged the demons carrying her to accelerate their escape.
Weng,Suddenly, the clear vibration of a bowstring echoed through the night.
A sharp whistle followed as something tore through the air.
Tsubaki turned back in horror.
Far away in the distance stood Kikyo, her longbow drawn steadily.
She was aiming directly at her.
An arrow infused with immense spiritual power glowed with dazzling white light in the darkness.
Trailing a long comet-like tail, it shot toward Tsubaki like a falling star.
"Block it!"
Tsubaki's face turned pale as she sensed the terrifying power contained in the arrow.
In panic, she forced every surrounding demon to form a barrier in front of her.
But the Demon-Slaying Arrow did not slow down.
It flashed forward like lightning.
In a single instant it pierced through all the demons in its path,
Then passed cleanly through Tsubaki's chest.
The arrow continued flying into the distant sky, disappearing like a tiny spark of light.
"T-this…"
Tsubaki trembled as she pressed her hand against her chest.
There was no wound.
It was as if the arrow had never touched her.
Just as she was about to sneer,
Her body suddenly shuddered.
The demonic power inside her began draining rapidly.
"No! My demonic power! My demon!"
At the same moment, every demon surrounding her lost its life force instantly.
They dropped from the sky.
Their bodies disintegrated into ash before even touching the ground.
Bang!
Tsubaki crashed heavily onto the earth.
The shard of the Shikon Jewel hidden in her hand rolled out, tumbling across the ground before coming to a stop nearby.
"It's not over yet…"
Though weak, Tsubaki's eyes suddenly locked onto the jewel shard.
Hope flickered within them.
She struggled to crawl forward.
"I still have the Shikon Jewel… as long as I gain its power…"
Buzz,Buzz,
Before she could reach it, a swarm of Mōryōmaru,demonic creatures resembling poisonous wasps,burst from the darkness.
They snatched the jewel shard from the ground and shot into the sky.
"My… my shard of the Shikon Jewel!"
Tsubaki staggered after them for several steps.
But her body had already lost the support of the demon within her.
She collapsed helplessly.
Watching the creatures vanish into the night sky, realization dawned on her.
Naraku had deceived her.
Rage ignited in her eyes.
"Naraku! You lied to me!"
"How dare you trick me! I will never forgive you!"
She glared hatefully at the sky where the jewel shard had disappeared.
Using what little strength remained, she staggered away from the direction of Inuyasha and the others.
Only now did she understand something.
Although Kikyo's arrow had pierced through her body,
It had not harmed her at all.
Instead, it had destroyed the demon inside her.
Without that demonic power sustaining her youth, her body began to age rapidly.
After only a few steps, exhaustion forced her to collapse again.
"Damn it… damn it all…"
Wrinkles rapidly spread across her hands.
"My youth… my beautiful face…"
Rustle… rustle…
Footsteps approached through the grass.
With difficulty, Tsubaki turned her head.
The first thing she saw was a pair of white tabi socks and red-strapped sandals.
The unmistakable attire of a shrine maiden.
A bitter smile appeared on her lips.
Using the last of her strength, she rolled onto her back and looked upward.
As expected,
Kikyo stood beside her, dressed in her red-and-white miko robes, gazing down calmly.
"Kikyo… you won."
"Kill me."
Tsubaki turned her eyes away and stared blankly at the starry sky.
A faint memory flickered in her gaze.
"I just don't understand… what exactly did I do wrong."
"Your obsession," Kikyo replied coldly.
"The moment you became obsessed with the power of the Shikon Jewel… you had already lost."
"Obsessed with the Shikon Jewel?"
Tsubaki suddenly laughed weakly.
"No."
"I only wanted to prove to my master that he was wrong."
"I wanted to prove that I was the strongest shrine maiden!"
Her voice rose as if fueled by renewed strength.
"I won't accept this!"
"Why was the Shikon Jewel entrusted to you and not me?!"
"Why couldn't it be me?!"
"What do you have that I don't?!"
"…The strongest shrine maiden?"
Kikyo seemed slightly surprised.
She had never understood why Tsubaki, whom she had met only a few times fifty years ago, suddenly turned into a Black Miko and attacked her.
She never imagined this was the reason.
"…I wish I hadn't been chosen back then."
A trace of sadness flickered in Kikyo's eyes.
The Shikon Jewel had taken her life.
And it had also dragged Tsubaki down a dark path.
She shook her head gently.
There was no point dwelling on the past.
With a flick of her hand, Kikyo tossed a serpentine demon toward Tsubaki.
"…You're not killing me?"
Tsubaki stared at the creature lying beside her in shock.
Kikyo said nothing.
Although confused, Tsubaki had no desire to die if she could live.
Her right eye suddenly glowed with eerie purple light.
The serpent demon was absorbed into her body.
As the demonic power merged with her again, strength slowly returned.
The wrinkles on her face faded rapidly.
Within moments, she regained her youthful, beautiful appearance.
Tsubaki lifted her hands, admiring the smooth skin.
She gently touched her cheek, smiling in satisfaction.
"Stand up."
Kikyo's calm voice interrupted her.
Although confused, Tsubaki slowly rose to her feet.
She carefully brushed the dirt from her clothes and smoothed the wrinkles in her robes before turning to face Kikyo.
"Kikyo."
"If you're not going to kill me…"
"What exactly do you want?"
Suspicion filled her eyes.
She didn't believe for a moment that Kikyo had spared her out of kindness.
"Kikyo!"
At that moment, Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, and Sango finally arrived after defeating the demons blocking their path.
Inuyasha immediately noticed Tsubaki standing beside Kikyo.
His heart jumped.
He raised Tessaiga defensively.
"That Black Miko is still alive!"
"Kikyo, be careful!"
Tsubaki glanced at Inuyasha's wary expression.
A provocative smile slowly appeared on her lips.
Then she raised her voice deliberately.
"Kikyo didn't kill me."
"You know."