Sango threw herself to the ground in a panic.
A deafening crack echoed through the forest as Hiraikotsu slammed into the tree behind her, snapping the trunk clean in half and lodging itself firmly in the broken wood.
"Th-thank you, Monk," Sango said breathlessly, still sprawled on the ground as she stared at the massive weapon embedded in the tree.
If that blow had struck her, even with the toughness of a demon slayer, she would have been severely injured.
"You monk… you really are annoying."
Kaguya's expression darkened as she looked at the rescued Sango. She turned coldly toward Miroku.
With a sharp flick of her sleeve, several crimson thorn-like vines shot out like venomous snakes, racing toward him.
"Damn!"
Seeing the thorns coming straight for him, Miroku's heart jumped. He dove to the side immediately, but the vines were far too fast.
There was no time to dodge completely. He instinctively raised his arm to block.
"Kaguya!"
At that critical moment, Kagome's shout rang out.
Whoosh—!
A sacred arrow glowing with soft white light tore through the darkness, radiating pure spiritual energy as it flew directly toward the arm Kaguya had used to launch the thorns.
"Hmph. Foolish."
Seeing the arrow racing toward her, Kaguya showed nothing but contempt.
She casually lifted her sleeve and swept it toward the arrow, intending to knock it aside.
But in the next instant, the arrow—charged with pure priestess power—tore through her sleeve as easily as paper.
In Kaguya's shocked gaze, it continued straight toward her arm without slowing down.
Kaguya frowned slightly and lifted her arm just in time to avoid the strike.
Because of that movement, the crimson thorns missed Miroku entirely, grazing his shoulder before stabbing into the ground behind him.
"A sacred arrow?"
Kaguya glanced at her torn sleeve and stopped paying attention to Miroku altogether.
Instead, her gaze shifted toward Kagome.
A smile slowly curved on her lips.
"How interesting… I rather like the spiritual power you carry."
With that, she began walking toward Kagome.
Her steps were slow, yet every movement carried an invisible pressure.
"Let Inuyasha go!"
Kagome raised her bow and aimed it at her. Her voice trembled slightly, but her determination was unmistakable.
"Idiot! Get out of the way!"
Inuyasha, still bound to the tree by vines, shouted desperately when he saw Kagome standing in front of him.
But Kagome ignored him.
She kept her bow raised, staring straight at Kaguya as she approached.
"Hmph. Go ahead and shoot."
Kaguya sneered and continued walking, drawing closer and closer.
"Th-then don't blame me!"
Kagome clenched her teeth.
At this distance, she would only get one shot. If she failed to drive Kaguya back, everyone would be in danger.
Just as she was about to release the arrow—
Kaguya suddenly stopped.
Her gaze fell on the ground beside her.
A piece of pink, translucent fabric had slipped out from the fallen bundle nearby.
"Oh? So this is it—the genuine Heavenly Feather Robe."
Her attention shifted immediately, ignoring Kagome for the moment.
The robe had fallen out when Hojo Akito was blasted away earlier by the explosion.
"I'll be taking the Heavenly Feather Robe now."
Kaguya smiled coldly at Kagome and Inuyasha.
As soon as she finished speaking, the robe began to float slowly out of the bundle, drifting toward her body as if it had a will of its own.
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, a sharp sound tore through the air.
A kunai streaked out of the darkness, flying straight toward Kaguya's head.
"Pathetic insect."
Kaguya smirked and immediately raised her golden sword to block.
Clang!
The kunai struck the blade with a harsh metallic ring, sparks bursting out before the weapon bounced back.
But the moment Kaguya lowered her sword—
A figure appeared right in front of her.
Scarlet Sharingan eyes glowed eerily in the darkness.
Before Kaguya could react, the man caught the rebounding kunai.
At the same time, a sharp, thunder-like chirping sound erupted as lightning gathered around his hand.
In the blink of an eye, his lightning-wrapped palm pierced straight through Kaguya's heart.
Despite her heart being pierced, Kaguya showed almost no reaction.
She raised the golden sword and swung it down at the man's head.
Clang!
The blade collided with the kunai again.
The attack was firmly blocked.
"Who are you?"
Kaguya frowned slightly, feeling the numbness spreading through her chest from the lightning. She stared coldly at the man who had appeared out of nowhere.
"Just a man who bares his heart to you the moment we meet. Touching, isn't it?"
The shadow clone grinned and joked lightly.
Looking at Kaguya's breathtaking beauty up close, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
No wonder she had once been called a celestial maiden. The title was well deserved.
"Retsu… when did you get here?"
Kagome finally snapped out of her shock, staring at the figure with disbelief.
"Oh? Your name is Retsu?"
Greed flashed in Kaguya's eyes as she suddenly smiled brightly.
"How interesting. You moved here instantly just now, didn't you?"
Before the clone could answer, her smile turned eerie.
"Since I've caught you, once I devour you, your power will belong to me."
The moment she finished speaking, a powerful devouring force surged out from her chest, trying to pull the shadow clone into her body.
But the clone resisted with senjutsu chakra while revealing a strange smile.
"No. I'm the one who caught you."
As he spoke, he released the kunai and let it fall.
In the next instant, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, and both he and Kaguya vanished from the spot.
With Kaguya gone, the Heavenly Feather Robe slowly drifted down and landed on the kunai stuck in the ground.
On the shore of Lake Motosu.
Uchiha Retsu sensed the movement of his shadow clone.
The moment the kunai marked with the Flying Thunder God seal fell, he immediately spoke to Kikyo beside him.
"Kikyo—now!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the shadow clone and Kaguya appeared beside the kunai embedded in the tree trunk on the lakeshore.
Kikyo had already been prepared.
She instantly drew her bow.
Ever since arriving here at dusk, she had been quietly gathering senjutsu spiritual power, and now she poured all of it into the arrow.
The entire arrow glowed with brilliant milky-white light, like a beam of condensed radiance.
"Kaguya!"
With a clear shout, Kikyo released the bowstring.
The sacred arrow filled with overwhelming senjutsu power shot through the night like a meteor.
"Get away from me!"
Sensing the terrifying spiritual power within the arrow, Kaguya's expression changed dramatically as she tried to break free.
But the shadow clone held tightly onto her sword.
The hand piercing her heart suddenly transformed into wood, and countless wooden spikes exploded from his palm, piercing through Kaguya's chest and locking the two of them together.
"You lunatic! Do you want to die too?!"
Kaguya screamed in terror.
She immediately abandoned the sword and raised the Mirror of Life.
With both fingers raised in front of her chest, she began chanting rapidly. The mirror burst into dazzling light.
But Kikyo had already been waiting.
Kaguya didn't have enough time to complete the spell.
The sacred arrow arrived first.
It struck the shadow clone head-on.
Kaguya had thought the clone might block the attack for a moment.
Instead—
The clone exploded into a puff of smoke and vanished.
With nothing left in its way, the sacred arrow slammed straight into Kaguya.
The brilliant purification power erupted instantly, engulfing her entire body.
Her demonic energy and physical form were rapidly erased as the arrow blasted her backward across the lake.
Trees and rocks along the path were reduced to dust by the surging spiritual power.
Finally, the arrow drove Kaguya into the lake, sending a massive wave skyward.
Then it surged upward again, carrying her more than ten meters above the water before exploding violently.
A blazing sphere of light burst open like a miniature sun.
The entire night sky turned bright as day, and the surface of the lake shimmered under a holy white glow.
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