Looking at the night sky that had suddenly become as bright as day, Uchiha Retsu couldn't help clicking his tongue. He turned toward Kikyo and said,
"How much senjutsu power did you pack into that arrow? That was ridiculous."
Kikyo's cheeks flushed slightly as she turned her head away in embarrassment.
"I—I didn't expect it to be that powerful either…"
Ever since arriving here in the evening, she had spent the waiting time fusing most of her spiritual power with natural energy, forming senjutsu spiritual power.
Just now, to ensure a decisive strike, she poured all of it into that arrow.
When she released it, she already felt the power might be a bit excessive—but she hadn't imagined it would be this overwhelming.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha's group was still stunned.
Retsu had suddenly appeared, taken Kaguya away in an instant, and everything that followed happened too quickly for them to understand.
Crack!
As Kaguya's demonic power faded, the vines binding Inuyasha suddenly became brittle.
With a powerful pull, he snapped them apart, picked up Tessaiga from the ground, and rolled his wrist as he spoke.
"Looks like Uchiha Retsu and Kikyo are here too. Let's hurry and get over there!"
Just as he finished speaking, a blinding light suddenly erupted in the distant sky.
Everyone instinctively looked up—and their eyes widened in shock.
"W-What the hell is that?" Sango stammered as she stared at the blazing sphere illuminating the entire sky.
"It's… sacred purification power from a priestess. It feels a little strange, but there's no mistaking that aura," Miroku said, swallowing nervously.
"That spiritual power… it's probably Kikyo's," Inuyasha said after a moment of hesitation, staring at the glowing light.
"I'm familiar with her spiritual power. And earlier, Uchiha Retsu carried Kikyo's scent."
"Kikyo's power… that's absurd," Miroku muttered in disbelief.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Retsu formed another set of hand seals and summoned a new shadow clone.
Turning to Kikyo, he warned,
"Kaguya definitely isn't dead yet. I'm going to check things out. Stay here and be careful—Naraku is lurking nearby."
"I understand."
Kikyo nodded and tightened her grip on her bow, watching the surroundings carefully.
After thinking for a moment, Retsu activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished instantly.
In the next second, he appeared where the shadow clone had dropped the kunai earlier.
Inuyasha's group was still staring at the glowing light in the distance and didn't notice his arrival at all.
Without hesitation, he picked up the kunai—and the Heavenly Feather Robe lying beside it.
Then he activated Flying Thunder God again and disappeared in a flash.
"Hm?"
Inuyasha frowned suddenly. He thought he smelled Retsu's scent.
He turned his head, but there was nothing there. Scratching his head in confusion, he didn't realize that the Heavenly Feather Robe had already vanished.
"Where did you go?" Kikyo asked curiously when Retsu returned.
He handed her the Heavenly Feather Robe.
"This is the Heavenly Feather Robe from the legend—the one stolen from the celestial maiden. Kaguya came looking for it just now."
"The Heavenly Feather Robe?"
Kikyo accepted the pink ribbon-like cloth, as thin as cicada wings. Curiosity filled her eyes.
Holding the legendary treasure in her hands felt strangely unreal.
Retsu glanced up at the fading sphere of spiritual light in the sky and said seriously,
"Keep it safe. Don't let Kaguya get it back. It's probably the core of the celestial maiden's power, and extremely important to her."
"Don't worry."
Kikyo nodded and tucked the Heavenly Feather Robe inside her clothing, keeping it close to her body.
"I'm going to check on Kaguya in the lake."
With that, Retsu walked toward the lakeshore.
When he reached the place where Kaguya had been blasted away earlier, something glinted on the ground and caught his attention.
Looking down, he saw a golden diamond-shaped ornament embedded in the soil.
"Isn't this the hairpin that turns into her sword?"
He recalled that during the fight, Kaguya had dropped the sword when the shadow clone grabbed it before she was hit by the sacred arrow.
It seemed to have fallen here.
He bent down, picked up the hairpin, and slipped it into his ninja pouch.
Since it was likely an artifact belonging to the celestial maiden, it was probably quite valuable.
Without wasting more time, he gathered chakra beneath his feet and ran across the surface of the lake toward its center.
By the time the glowing sphere in the sky finally faded and darkness returned to the night, Retsu still hadn't found Kaguya.
He couldn't even sense her demonic aura anymore.
Turning toward the castle in the lake—now slowly sinking beneath the water—he frowned and muttered,
"Did she actually die?"
At that moment, a faint glimmer drifted down from the sky.
Under Retsu's gaze, it slowly floated onto the surface of the lake nearby.
"The Mirror of Life?"
Surprise flashed across his eyes. He hadn't expected the mirror to survive Kikyo's attack.
Walking over, he picked up the cracked mirror.
A faint purple glow flickered inside the fractures on its surface, as though it were slowly repairing itself.
"This thing can heal itself? Definitely a treasure—it won't break that easily."
He recalled that in the original story, even when the mirror was shattered by Kagome's arrow, it could still be used to travel through space.
But just as he was examining it—
A cloud of black mist suddenly burst out from the mirror.
Before he could react, it enveloped his body and rushed into his nose, mouth, and ears.
"You destroyed my body… but it doesn't matter. I am an immortal celestial maiden!"
Kaguya's voice echoed from within the mist, tinged with madness.
"Though you're a man, your power of instantaneous movement will make a suitable new body!"
Before Retsu could respond—
Splash!
The lake erupted violently.
Countless grotesque demon limbs surged up from beneath the water.
A monstrous creature, formed from the twisted bodies of numerous demons, burst out of the lake.
Its countless tentacle-like limbs wrapped around Retsu instantly, binding him tightly.
"Hahaha! Come, Uchiha Retsu! Kaguya! Become part of my body!"
Naraku's head emerged from the monster's torso.
Looking at the two trapped within the mass of demonic flesh, he laughed triumphantly, his face full of malicious satisfaction.
"Naraku! You disgusting half-demon!"
Kaguya's voice dripped with contempt as she saw the demon limbs wrapping around them, as though she had touched something filthy.
She immediately understood the situation.
If she stayed any longer, Naraku would devour her as well.
The black mist that had invaded Retsu's body began hastily withdrawing.
But because she had rushed in earlier to seize control, the mist had penetrated deeply into his body, making the extraction slow.
Meanwhile, Retsu—whose body was completely wrapped by demon limbs with only his head exposed—remained eerily calm.
He looked at Naraku's smug face, and suddenly a sly smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"Looks like the fish finally took the bait."
"W-What?!"
Naraku's laughter froze instantly.
His expression changed drastically as realization dawned on him.
Retsu had discovered him long ago.
This entire situation was a trap.
He immediately tried to retreat from Retsu—but it was already too late.
In the next moment, Retsu's low voice rang out:
"Inner Four Symbols Sealing Technique!"
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