"Master!"
Momiji and Botan cried out at the same time, staring at the familiar figure with shock written all over their faces.
Almost instinctively, they ran toward him.
But after only two steps,
Tsubaki grabbed both of them by the back of their collars and pulled them back.
She had already recovered from her shock.
Holding the two restless girls firmly, she turned toward Kikyo with wary eyes.
"Kikyo… what exactly is going on?"
Her gaze flicked toward the white-haired priest.
"Who… is he?"
Kagetsu walked to Kikyo's side and answered calmly.
"This is called the Impure World Reincarnation Technique."
"I used the demon as a sacrifice and summoned your master's soul from the underworld."
"It isn't a true resurrection," he added.
"But it's enough for him to return and handle certain matters."
Tsubaki felt a cold chill run down her spine.
Cold sweat instantly soaked her back.
Summoning the souls of the dead so easily…
That ability terrified her.
A disturbing thought crossed her mind.
What if Kagetsu killed her one day,
Then summoned her soul and controlled it the same way?
Even death wouldn't free her from his grasp.
Seeing her pale expression, Kagetsu spoke casually.
"If you don't believe me, ask your master yourself."
Tsubaki snapped out of her daze.
Suppressing the panic in her chest, she slowly approached.
Momiji and Botan followed closely behind.
"Master…"
She stared at the familiar yet strange face.
"Is it really you?"
The elderly priest slowly raised his head.
His eyes opened.
Immediately, Tsubaki noticed something terrifying.
His body was wrapped in the dense aura of death.His skin was grayish white,Thin cracks covered his body,The whites of his eyes had turned dark gray.His pupils were dull and lifeless
They were not the eyes of a living person.
The old priest examined his gray palm.
Then he sighed softly.
"I remember dying…"
"It seems I've been pulled back to the world of the living in the form of the deceased."
His gaze moved to Tsubaki.
A gentle smile appeared.
"Tsubaki… it's you."
"You finally came back."
"Before I died, I regretted that I couldn't see you one last time."
"I never expected we'd meet again like this."
His eyes shifted toward Momiji and Botan.
Both girls were holding back tears.
Their master's expression softened with guilt.
"Momiji… Botan…"
"I'm sorry."
"Master couldn't hold on long enough to see you grow up."
"I don't know how much time has passed…"
"But it must have been very hard for you."
"Master,!!"
That was the final straw.
Momiji and Botan burst into tears.
Even though his current appearance was frightening,
They could still feel that familiar gentle presence.
This really was their master.
The two girls threw themselves into his arms and cried loudly.
In their hearts,Their master had always been their only family.
After his death, they had been forced to live alone in the quiet mountain temple.
Training every day.
Enduring loneliness.
Hoping one day they could become strong shrine maidens.
The old priest gently stroked their heads, comforting them softly.
Then he looked back at Tsubaki.
His expression became serious.
"Tsubaki… after you left, I later learned that you had become a Black Priestess."
"I went out searching for you, hoping to bring you back."
"But I never found any trace of you."
He sighed heavily.
Then he noticed her youthful appearance.
"You still look young…"
"That must be because you fused a demon into your body."
"I never thought you would take such a step…"
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"My current situation…"
"Was it also your doing?"
Tsubaki didn't bother hiding it.
Her tone carried reckless honesty.
"Back then I was attacked by my own shikigami during battle."
"I had no choice."
"I fused with a demon to survive."
"But in return, I gained its power."
"And eternal youth."
Her master sighed deeply.
"Your soul is now entangled with that demon."
"One day…"
"It will devour you."
"Hmph."
Tsubaki snorted stubbornly.
"But I also gained power and eternal youth."
"That's enough."
Her master closed his eyes sadly.
"Until the day I died…"
"My greatest regret was not stopping you when you left."
"You walked further and further down the wrong path."
Then suddenly,His eyes snapped open.
They became sharp and determined.
His hands instantly formed a spiritual hand seal.
The spiritual power around him surged violently.
At that moment,Hundreds of glowing spiritual particles burst out from the temple below the mountain.
They shot through the air like meteors.
Straight toward Tsubaki.
Before she could react,
They slammed into her body.
The particles quickly condensed.
Forming translucent white beads around,her neck ,her wrists and her ankles
The beads glowed faintly with spiritual power.They bound her firmly.
Tsubaki stared down at the beads.
Her expression turned ugly immediately.
She recognized them instantly.
She grabbed the beads on her wrist and tried to rip them off.
But every time they left her skin,
A burst of spiritual power forced them back into place.
They were impossible to remove.
Watching from the side, Kagetsu glanced at Kikyo with interest.
These beads reminded him of something.
They were extremely similar to the Kotodama Beads worn by Inuyasha.
He had asked Kikyo about them before.
He even asked her to make a set for him out of curiosity.
But she refused immediately.
Seeing his expression now, Kikyo leaned close and whispered.
"You guessed correctly."
"Although the effect may differ slightly…"
"They work the same way as Inuyasha's Kotodama Beads."
"They're meant to bind her movements."
"You old man!"
Tsubaki glared at the beads and then at her master.
"You actually placed Binding Beads on me?!"
Her voice trembled with anger and disbelief.
Her master looked at the beads calmly.
A relieved smile appeared.
"After learning you had become a Black Priestess and were harming people…"
"I once thought about killing you myself."
"But you were the disciple I raised since childhood."
"How could I bring myself to do that?"
"So instead…"
"I spent my entire life creating these beads."
"They were meant to bind you here in the temple."
"So you could never leave to harm anyone again."
His voice softened with regret.
"Unfortunately… I never found you before I died."
"I never had the chance to place them on you."
"But I never expected…"
"That even after death…"
"I would still be given a chance to fulfill that wish."
Then he paused.
His gaze shifted to Tsubaki again.
"The spiritual power in your body…"
"It has been sealed."
"No wonder you didn't resist when the beads attached themselves."
He thought for a moment.
Then turned toward Kagetsu and Kikyo.
Realization dawned in his eyes.
"The ones who sealed your spiritual power…"
"Were the two of them, weren't they?"
"And they are also the ones who summoned me back from the underworld."