"This is the place."
Kikyo stood before the familiar cave, a trace of complicated emotion flickering in her eyes. This was where everything had begun,the tangled origin of all their fates. The cave where she had once sheltered Onigumo… and where Naraku was born.
"Sister Kikyo, should we go in now?" Kaede asked, glancing at the cave before turning to her.
Standing beside Kikyo like this made her feel as though she had returned to her childhood. Without realizing it, she found herself wanting to rely on her elder sister once more.
"There's no need." Kikyo shook her head. "Muso is already inside. The cave is too narrow,if we all enter, it will only increase the danger."
As she spoke, she drew a small wooden doll from within her robes and tossed it onto the ground.
Bang!
A puff of smoke burst outward, and Kagetsu appeared instantly before them.
"Kikyo, summoning me like this… did something happen?" he asked, glancing at her.
"A fragment of Naraku,Muso,has appeared near Kaede's village," Kikyo explained calmly, her eyes still fixed on the dark cave entrance. "He should be an incarnation formed from the portion of Onigumo's consciousness Naraku discarded. I don't want to take unnecessary risks. Stay and guard me."
"...Muso, huh. I understand." he nodded, the memory of the original events surfacing immediately in his mind.
This incarnation was born from Onigumo's lingering obsession within Naraku,a pitiful existence that tried to resist, only to be devoured in the end.
The "Kagetsu" standing here wasn't his true body, but a special construct created through a fusion of Kikyo's shikigami technique and his Shadow Clone Jutsu.
After returning from the Peach Blossom Spring, he and Kikyo had experimented with creating a shikigami using his hair. However, they discovered that such constructs could only draw on spiritual power,they lacked chakra and were incapable of performing ninjutsu.
Just like a shikigami made from Inuyasha's hair couldn't use demonic power, one made from his own hair was nothing more than an empty shell.
Then came the breakthrough.
If the shell was empty… why not fill it?
By sealing a Shadow Clone directly into the shikigami body, they created something far more effective.
The result stood before them now.
Its consciousness and chakra came from the Shadow Clone, but unlike a normal clone,which would disperse after taking a single hit,this shikigami body could endure damage and continue fighting as long as its chakra held out.
It was the perfect safeguard for Kikyo in his absence.
The only drawback was the limited chakra supply,once depleted, it had to be resealed and prepared again.
"Onigumo… I know you're in there. Come out."
With Kagetsu in position, Kikyo wasted no time, her voice carrying clearly into the depths of the cave.
At her call, Inuyasha, Kagome, and the others tensed, their eyes fixed warily on the pitch-black entrance.
"Kikyo!!"
A frantic cry rang out.
In the next instant, Muso burst from the cave. The moment he saw her, his gaze locked onto Kikyo, burning with obsession and madness.
"I remember now! The one I want… is you, Kikyo!!"
Before his voice had even faded, his right arm twisted violently, transforming into a thick, writhing demonic tentacle that lashed toward her.
"Hmph."
Kagetsu snorted coldly.
A pale blue skeletal form surged into existence,Susanoo.
Its hollow eyes glowed with a cold, orange light as its ribcage snapped shut, shielding both Kagetsu and Kikyo within.
At the same time, the massive skeletal arm shot forward, catching the incoming tentacle with ease.
"Come here."
A faint smirk curled at Kagetsu's lips as the Susanoo yanked backward.
The force dragged Muso forward uncontrollably.
His expression twisted. His other arm morphed into a barbed, grotesque tentacle, stabbing toward Susanoo's chest.
"Pathetic."
Kagetsu didn't even bother to dodge.
He clenched his fist.
The Susanoo mirrored him,its massive skeletal hand tightening with a sharp crack.
Clang!
The attack struck… and failed utterly.
The tentacle shattered on impact, breaking apart into chunks of flesh and spraying foul blood in all directions.
Before Muso could react,
Boom!
Susanoo's fist smashed into him.
His body was sent flying like a broken kite, crashing violently into the cliffside near the cave. Rock shattered, and dust billowed into the air.
"You… bastard…"
A low, furious growl echoed from the rubble.
The next moment,
Boom!
The debris exploded outward.
Muso shot back into the air, his form now even more grotesque. Twisted limbs writhed across his body as a thick, suffocating aura of demonic malice surged around him.
"You damn brat… who the hell are you?" he snarled, standing atop a boulder, his gaze filled with murderous intent.
"Me?"
Kagetsu smiled.
He casually wrapped an arm around Kikyo's waist, pulling her into his embrace, his eyes gleaming with provocation.
"I'm Kikyo's man. Onigumo… got a problem with that?"
"You bastard!!"
Muso completely lost control.
His face twisted in rage, veins bulging, eyes bloodshot as they locked onto Kagetsu's arm.
"Take your filthy hands off her! Kikyo belongs to me!!"
With a roar, he lunged forward.
His arms transformed into jagged, spike-covered claws, radiating a frenzied, violent aura as they tore through the air toward Kagetsu.
Seeing his madness, Kagetsu only raised an eyebrow, his expression mocking.
Then he lifted his left hand.
The Susanoo mirrored him, its massive palm turning toward the charging Muso.
In the next instant, Kagetsu's gaze sharpened.
"Wood Release: Cutting Technique!"
At his command, dense clusters of wooden spears formed instantly within the Susanoo's palm.
Swoosh,! Swoosh,! Swoosh,!
They fired in a relentless barrage, slicing through the air like a storm.
There was nowhere to run.
Nowhere to dodge.
"GRAAAAH,!!"
A shrill scream tore through the forest.
Muso's body was instantly riddled with spears, pierced through from every angle before being hurled backward once more,this time pinned firmly against the cliffside.
But it didn't end there.
The barrage continued.
Wooden spears poured forth like a machine gun, hammering the cliff face without pause. Rock shattered, debris flew, and a thick cloud of dust swallowed everything,
Muso's figure completely engulfed within it.