Perched atop Kuro Maru's back, Kikyo lifted her chin slightly as she looked down at the silent Naraku, her eyes filled with cold disdain.
"Rats that lurk in the gutter should stay in their holes."
With that, she ignored him completely and turned Kuro Maru around, presenting her unguarded back as she began to ride away.
The contempt in Kikyo's gaze stung Naraku like a blade.
For a moment, her expression overlapped in his mind with that of the man named Kagetsu, and a twisted, ugly look flashed across his face.
His palm suddenly warped into a grotesque black claw. He stepped forward, preparing to attack again.
"Argh,!!"
A surge of searing pain suddenly erupted from his chest.
Naraku cried out and looked down in shock.
The wound Kikyo had cut across his body earlier had somehow reappeared.
A stubborn strand of sacred spiritual power clung deep within the gash, relentlessly purifying the evil aura inside his body.
Even stranger, this power felt different from any miko's spiritual energy he had encountered before.
It was unnervingly tenacious,almost alive.
No matter how much demonic power he mobilized to suppress it, he could only slowly grind away a tiny portion of it. Meanwhile, his own evil aura was being purified at an alarming rate, causing unbearable pain.
Even worse, he soon realized something horrifying.
If he stopped resisting with demonic power, that spiritual energy would actively devour his demonic aura, gradually restoring and even strengthening itself.
"This is a little meeting gift from me," Kikyo's calm voice drifted back from afar. "I hope you enjoy it."
Naraku looked up at her retreating figure, his face twisting in rage.
"Kikyo! You wretched woman!"
Behind him, Kikyo merely allowed a faint smile to touch her lips.
When she had slashed Naraku earlier, the blade had already been infused with a new power she had recently mastered,something Kagetsu referred to as Sage Art spiritual power.
Now, alongside her original miko spiritual energy, Kikyo also possessed the Sage power she had developed through training.
Over time, she and Kagetsu had discovered that while Sage power could grant humans lifespans comparable to demons,and steadily strengthen the body,it did not provide the dramatic boost that Kagetsu's Sage Mode granted him.
So Kikyo began attempting something different.
She tried to imitate the principles behind Kagetsu's Sage Mode chakra, blending natural energy with her own spiritual power to create a unique form of Sage Art.
Her early attempts all failed.
Just as she was about to abandon the idea, Kagetsu reminded her of something important.
Sage Mode chakra was the fusion of physical energy, mental energy, and natural energy.
But spiritual power came primarily from the soul.
It might simply lack the third element needed for balance.
Following his suggestion, Kikyo attempted to merge Sage power into the process as well.
Unexpectedly, she succeeded.
The result was the strange new force now known as Sage Art spiritual power.
Although it didn't enhance her body as dramatically as Sage Mode chakra, its purifying effect against demons was extraordinarily powerful.
Even more remarkable was its stability.
Once it came into contact with demonic power, it would bind to it tightly,constantly absorbing both the demon's aura and surrounding natural energy to strengthen itself while continuing to purify the corruption.
Kikyo was extremely satisfied with this new ability.
But it also had obvious flaws.
Like Sage Mode chakra, it couldn't be stored inside the body for long periods. It had to be fused on the spot, and the fusion process was extremely difficult.
The small amount she infused into her blade earlier had taken time to gather.
From the moment she sensed Naraku's presence until she fired that first arrow, she had only managed to condense just enough for a single strike.
That was why she abandoned the safer option of firing a long-range sacred arrow and instead chose a far riskier close-quarters attack.
She needed to ensure it landed.
And judging by Naraku's reaction now, the effect of her Sage Art spiritual power had far exceeded her expectations.
"Has he retreated already?"
Feeling Naraku's demonic aura disappear behind her, Kikyo glanced back briefly. A trace of seriousness flickered in her eyes.
"Naraku wouldn't appear here without a reason."
She frowned slightly.
"I need to reach Inuyasha and Kagome as soon as possible and find out what happened."
Kikyo leaned down and gently patted Kuro Maru's neck.
"Kuro Maru. Faster."
Kuro Maru let out a low growl and immediately accelerated, racing toward Kaede's village.
What Kikyo didn't know was that Kagome had already returned to the modern era through the Bone-Eater's Well.
At this moment, outside Kaede's village, a fierce battle was underway.
An uninvited guest had been intercepted at the village entrance by Inuyasha.
"Bastard! Die!"
With a furious roar, Inuyasha swung Tessaiga, the blade cutting through the air with a piercing whistle as it slashed toward the enemy before him,the Naraku incarnation who called himself Muso.
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
Muso's arm suddenly stretched and warped into a grotesque demonic tentacle, easily blocking Tessaiga's strike. With a violent push, he sent Inuyasha flying backward.
"This power… not bad."
Muso examined his transformed arm with fascination, greed flashing in his eyes.
His gaze then shifted toward Inuyasha, who was struggling to get back to his feet.
A cruel smile spread across his face.
The tentacle lashed out like a venomous serpent.
"Hiraikotsu!"
Just as Inuyasha narrowly dodged the attack, Sango seized the opening and hurled her massive boomerang with all her strength.
But Muso reacted instantly.
With a casual flick of his tentacle, he knocked the weapon aside.
"He's strong. Everyone stay alert," Miroku warned gravely, gripping his khakkhara staff tightly.
"Yeah… he's definitely one of Naraku's incarnations," Sango said, retrieving her weapon with a frustrated glance.
"It doesn't matter!" Inuyasha roared.
He leapt forward again, pouring demonic energy into Tessaiga as he raised the blade overhead. A whirlwind gathered around the sword as he brought it crashing down toward Muso.
Suddenly,
Puchi!
Muso's tentacle blurred into motion.
Inuyasha barely had time to register the movement before the appendage pierced straight through his chest and neck.
"Gah,!"
Inuyasha screamed as he was hurled backward like a broken kite, crashing violently onto the ground.
"Inuyasha!"
Sango and Miroku shouted at the same time, their faces pale with alarm.
"…Damn it…"
Spitting blood, Inuyasha forced himself to stand.
At the critical moment, he had managed to shift his body just enough to avoid a fatal blow. His powerful half-demon physique had already begun closing the wounds on his chest and neck.
Seeing him recover, Sango and Miroku let out small sighs of relief.
"Inuyasha!"
Suddenly, Kagome's voice echoed from a distance.
Inuyasha's eyes widened.
He turned to see Kagome sprinting toward them, a large backpack bouncing on her shoulders.
"Sorry! I'm late!"
She called out as she ran, still unaware of the danger ahead.
"Don't come any closer, Kagome!!"
Inuyasha and Shippō shouted at the same time, panic filling their voices.
At the same moment, Muso noticed Kagome as well.
His expression changed abruptly.
For an instant, a vague image of a priestess flashed through his mind.
He stared at Kagome in confusion.
"That woman… who was that miko just now?"
"That guy's one of Naraku's incarnations!" Inuyasha shouted urgently to Kagome. "Stay behind me!"
"…Okay!"
Realizing the situation, Kagome quickly pulled Shippō with her and moved behind Inuyasha, watching Muso warily.