"You,you…"
Inuyasha's face flushed bright red with frustration. He opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. A bead of cold sweat rolled down his temple.
"Cough… cough…"
Lying on the ground, Jakotsu ignored the tension around him. His gaze was unfocused as he murmured weakly,
"Do it, Inuyasha… If I die by your hand… I can rest in peace."
The moment those words fell, everyone's gaze toward Inuyasha grew even stranger.
Feeling their stares, Inuyasha grew even more uncomfortable. He reached toward the shard of the Shikon Jewel embedded in Jakotsu's body,but just before touching it, he hesitated.
His hand trembled slightly… then slowly withdrew.
"…Forget it. If he shows up again, I'll kill him then."
In the end, he turned away, choosing to let him go.
No one was surprised.
The earlier teasing about abandoning Kagome for Jakotsu was just a joke,but sparing him? That was undeniably Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha… you really are naive…"
Jakotsu smiled faintly, a strange sense of relief in his expression. Then, a glint of determination flashed in his eyes.
"But… how can the Band of Seven exist… without me, Jakotsu?"
Before anyone could react,
He suddenly raised his hand and plunged it into his own throat, gripping the shard of the Shikon Jewel embedded within.
The shard's power temporarily suppressed his injuries, allowing him to speak one last time.
"You're… looking for Naraku, right?"
His gaze locked onto Inuyasha.
"He's at Mount Hakurei… but the exact location… only Big Brother Bankotsu knows…"
With that, he ripped the shard from his body.
Without its power sustaining him, his form rapidly crumbled,flesh turning to dust, bones scattering across the ground.
Silence followed.
"It really was Naraku's doing…" Miroku said solemnly, staring at the remains.
"The shards alone prove the connection," Sango added quietly, holding Kirara.
"By the way… what were their names again?" Shippō peeked out from Kagome's arms, staring curiously at the bones.
"The leader was Bankotsu. This one was Jakotsu," Kagome replied, bending down to pick up the shard. "The others… I'm not sure."
"Huh… I really forgot to ask."
Kagetsu rubbed his chin, looking mildly amused.
Unlike the original course of events,where the Band of Seven dragged things out,this time, they had been wiped out too quickly. Aside from Bankotsu and Jakotsu, none of the others even got the chance to introduce themselves.
He casually handed over the four shards in his possession to Kikyo, smiling faintly.
"Naraku is quite considerate… sending us a welcome gift."
Kikyo shot him a speechless look,then smiled despite herself.
"Kagome, keep these safe."
She passed all the fragments to Kagome.
"There's still one more,the one Kagetsu blasted away. We need to retrieve it before Naraku does."
"Got it!"
Kagome carefully placed the shards into her bottle and turned to Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha, let's go get the last one!"
"Yeah."
Without hesitation, Inuyasha hoisted her onto his back and leapt toward the distant cliff where Ginkotsu had fallen.
"Kagetsu… that weapon,Bankotsu's, right?" Kikyo asked, glancing at the massive blade still in his hand. "Are you planning to keep it?"
"Yes."
Kagetsu gave the weapon a casual swing, the heavy blade cutting through the air with a sharp whistle.
"This is Savage Dragon. Not bad at all,perfect for cutting down demons."
Then, his tone shifted slightly.
"And… it's about to become a demonic blade. Throwing it away would be a waste."
Kikyo stepped forward and placed her hand on the hilt.
Instantly, she felt it,the dense resentment, thick as blood.
Her brows furrowed.
"This blade feeds on slaughter. Once it becomes a demonic sword, it will turn into an evil weapon. It would be better to destroy it."
"Relax."
Kagetsu smiled lightly, tossing the blade into the Kamui Dimension.
"It's just a weapon born from killing,not enough to affect me."
He glanced at her with a teasing look.
"And besides… with you here, are you worried about something going wrong?"
Kikyo paused, then nodded.
"…Fine. But if anything feels off, you tell me immediately."
"No problem."
Seeing her lingering concern, he added,
"And don't forget,our destination is Mount Hakurei. If anything, we can just purify it there."
That finally eased her expression.
In truth, Kagetsu kept Savage Dragon simply because he liked it.
The blade had already killed 990 demons,only ten short of becoming a true demonic sword.
Still, the resentment clinging to it felt… unpleasant.
Like grime on a masterpiece.
Fortunately, Mount Hakurei's sacred barrier could cleanse even the deepest impurities.
Even someone like Sesshomaru had been suppressed there.
And Inuyasha,once inside,had his demonic power completely purified.
If that barrier could do that…
Then purifying a single blade would be trivial.
Meanwhile, at Kikyo Shrine
Kagetsu's Wood Clone fastened a wristband engraved with a summoning seal.
He poured chakra into it.
"Bang!"
A burst of smoke.
Savage Dragon appeared in his grasp.
He swung it once, twice,testing its balance,then nodded in satisfaction before dismissing it again.
"Good. Works perfectly."
Stepping outside, he found Yuzuki in the courtyard, practicing archery.
Her stance was steady, bow drawn tight, sweat beading on her forehead as she focused on the target ahead.
"Yuzuki."
She turned slightly.
"You've practiced enough. Today, we're doing real combat."
"Ah,?"
Her eyes widened in panic.
"C-can I really do that? I don't even know how to use spiritual power yet! I can't exorcise demons…"
"Don't worry."
The Wood Clone cut her off calmly.
"I'll be there."
Without giving her time to refuse, he turned and began walking toward the forest.
"…Come on."
After a brief hesitation, Yuzuki gripped her bow tightly and followed,nervous, uncertain, but unable to back down.
Ahead of them, the mountains waited.
And within them,
Demons.