However, the demon did not give up on her disguise. She continued to act weak and helpless, lifting her head to look at Uchiha Retsu with grievance in her voice.
"My lord… I am someone who cannot leave this place. At least…"
Halfway through her sentence, her expression suddenly changed. Shyness appeared on her face, her large eyes filled with tender affection as she gazed at him.
"At least for tonight… please stay with me."
"..."
Retsu's mouth twitched. He honestly had no idea how to respond.
This demon was wearing the flawless face of a princess, yet her behavior was like that of a lust-driven temptress. It made his skin crawl.
The demon, unaware of his true thoughts, mistook his silence for being captivated.
She raised her head slightly, her dark eyes locking onto his. Her voice became as soft as feathers.
"My lord, please… look into my eyes."
Retsu met her gaze, forcing himself not to activate his Sharingan and crush her with an illusion on the spot. He lowered his head slightly, pretending to cooperate.
At that moment, a cold surge of demonic power suddenly poured out from her eyes, attempting to invade his body and control him with illusion.
Seeing Retsu "freeze in place," a trace of triumph flashed through her eyes.
She slowly stood up and leaned closer to him. Lifting her pale face, she gently pursed her lips and moved toward his, intending to kiss him and steal his life force.
Just as their lips were about to touch—
Retsu's eyes flashed with killing intent. His right hand shot forward and clamped tightly around her throat!
"Urgh!"
The demon's expression changed instantly. The tenderness in her eyes vanished, replaced by pure terror.
A massive wave of demonic energy erupted from her body. Her black hair rapidly turned snow-white, and yellow fur burst through her skin. She was tearing off her disguise and reverting to her true form.
But before she could complete her transformation, Retsu tightened his grip and swung his arm violently.
"Bang!"
With a dull crash, her half-transformed body was slammed into the distant floor.
When she struggled back to her feet, her human disguise was completely gone.
A ferocious yellow canine face replaced her beauty, filled with sharp fangs. Her hands and feet had become hooked claws, and her body turned into a massive upright beast, still wearing torn human clothes.
Her blood-red eyes fixed on Retsu as she growled.
"Damn you! Then you'll become part of my power!"
With that, she lunged at him, jaws wide open.
"Kikyo, if you keep watching, I'm killing her right now!" Retsu dodged her attack and shouted toward Kikyo, clearly annoyed.
"A beauty throwing herself at you, and you seemed to be enjoying it. I didn't want to interrupt," Kikyo replied with a laugh, her voice full of teasing.
"A woman's voice? Where?!"
Hearing her voice, the demon froze. Her crimson eyes frantically scanned the surroundings, extremely sensitive to any female presence.
At that moment, Kikyo's figure slowly revealed itself from the corner of the room.
"A woman! Die!"
The demon instantly went berserk. She turned and slashed at Kikyo with her claws, sharp winds tearing through the air.
"Rise."
Kikyo's spiritual power surged as she spoke softly.
In the next instant, a pure white formation lit up beneath the demon's feet, brilliant light engulfing her entire body.
"Ahhh—!"
Sacred flames burst forth, burning her violently. She screamed in agony.
She tried to escape, only to realize in horror that her body was completely locked in place by the formation, frozen mid-swipe.
"Shrine maiden… damn you! When did you—?!"
Unable to move, she could only turn her eyes toward Kikyo and rasp hoarsely.
Kikyo ignored her. She gathered a stream of pure spiritual energy and gently flicked it onto the demon.
"Come out."
The moment the energy struck, a translucent female figure was torn from the demon's body and drifted down to the ground.
It was the princess she had been imitating.
"No! Give her back to me!!"
Seeing the spirit, the demon went completely mad, struggling desperately to pull it back into herself. But Kikyo's formation held her firmly in place. She couldn't even move a finger.
Retsu walked over, bent down, and gently picked up the fallen spirit, placing her beside Kikyo.
"So all that trouble with hiding yourself was just to save her?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes." Kikyo nodded.
"This demon stole the princess's remains and soul, then used them to impersonate her and deceive men who entered the mountains."
She turned to Retsu calmly.
"Alright. Kill her.
The men she lured here aren't dead yet. She only drained their vitality to strengthen herself. Once she dies, that energy will return to them."
"Good."
Retsu had been holding back for a while now. Hearing this, he immediately formed hand seals.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
A blade-like wind slash formed instantly and flashed across the demon's neck.
Her ferocious expression froze. A thin red line appeared on her throat.
The next second, her massive head slid off, blood spraying outward.
Before it could even hit the ground, both head and blood were incinerated by the holy flames.
As the demon turned to ash, the surrounding mansion began to collapse and fade away. The white mist over the forest gradually dispersed.
With his sharp eyesight, Retsu could clearly see a group of unconscious men lying in an open area nearby—the missing villagers.
He turned to Kikyo.
She was kneeling on the ground, gently holding the princess's spirit, whispering softly.
Retsu did not disturb her.
He knew the princess had long since died. What remained was only her lingering soul. Kikyo was performing a purification ritual, helping her let go of her attachments and move on.
Before long, wrapped in Kikyo's spiritual light, the princess's transparent form gradually faded.
In the end, she became a gentle sphere of soul light and slowly ascended into the sky, disappearing.
"She died alone, filled with loneliness and regret, unable to pass on," Kikyo explained as she stood beside Retsu.
"Later, that demon seized her body and soul, using her to lure young men and steal their life force."
She then looked at Retsu with teasing eyes and smiled faintly.
"Looks like this time, not only did you fail to get your beast-eared girl, but even that beautiful princess was long gone."
Retsu smiled and stared straight at her.
"It's fine. Having a beautiful shrine maiden by my side is enough."
"..."
Kikyo's smile stiffened instantly. A faint blush crept up to her ears.
She hurriedly looked away, pretending to search for something.
"I-I'll go find the princess's remains and bury them properly. You check on the men."
"Alright, leave it to me."
Watching her flustered retreat, Retsu's smile widened.
So that's all you've got? Trying to tease me?
He turned and walked toward the unconscious villagers. When he reached them, he formed seals.
"Water Release: Water Wave!"
A cool stream of water burst forth, drenching the men and waking them up.
Meanwhile, Kikyo quickly found the princess's remains and carefully wrapped them in cloth.
After regrouping, the two of them led the revived villagers and headed back toward the mountain village together.
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