"Lady Kikyo… this barrier…"
Miroku still couldn't accept what he had just witnessed. The barrier he couldn't break even with all his effort had opened effortlessly for Kikyo. His voice carried clear disbelief.
"This is a protective barrier commonly used by shrine maidens," Kikyo replied calmly, noticing his confusion. "It's not difficult for me to pass through it."
"…I see."
Those words only made Miroku feel more defeated. He was a monk who had trained diligently—was the gap between them truly that vast?
If Sango had known what he was thinking, she might have snapped him out of it immediately.
But unaware, she simply noticed his expression and said firmly:
"Alright, Miroku. Right now, saving Kagome and dealing with the black witch is what matters most."
"…You're right."
Miroku exhaled and steadied himself.
Kikyo paid them no further attention. Her focus was already ahead.
She walked straight toward the source of the strongest evil aura.
Before long, they arrived at the center of the barrier.
A wooden house stood alone in a forest clearing.
From within it—
a thick, suffocating aura of malice seeped out.
Kikyo suddenly stopped.
In one smooth motion, she raised her longbow, drew an arrow, and pulled the string taut—her aim locking precisely onto the house.
"Lady Kikyo… are they inside?" Sango asked, instantly on guard. She lifted the massive Hiraikotsu from her back, her gaze sharp.
"It's only one of Naraku's incarnations," Kikyo replied calmly.
But her fingers remained firm on the bowstring.
"Naraku…"
At that name, Sango's expression hardened. Without hesitation, she rushed forward, gripping Hiraikotsu tightly.
"Sango—wait!" Miroku called, hurrying after her.
"Naraku!"
Kikyo's voice rang out sharply behind them—clear, cold, and deliberate.
At the same moment—
an arrow wrapped in brilliant spiritual power tore through the night.
**Whoosh!**
It shot past Sango and Miroku like a streak of white light.
**BOOM!**
The arrow pierced straight through the wooden wall and into the house.
—
Inside, a woman stood holding a cursed fragment of the Shikon Jewel.
Her beauty was striking—yet unsettling.
Long gray-white hair draped over her shoulders. Her skin was pale, almost unnaturally so. Blue-green eyes were framed with faint violet shadow, and a seashell-shaped jewel rested on her forehead.
A faint, sinister smile curved her crimson lips.
This woman—
was Tsubaki, the black witch.
"That half-yokai… Inuyasha," she said with a mocking tone, glancing at Naraku's incarnation behind her. "It seems he truly wishes to die by a woman's hand."
Her smile deepened.
"Even you have gone too far, Naraku… forcing Kikyo to kill the man she once loved again."
"Naraku!"
Kikyo's voice suddenly echoed from outside.
Tsubaki's expression shifted instantly.
Naraku's incarnation felt a chill and moved to retreat—
—but it was too late.
**BOOM!**
The arrow burst through the wall and pierced straight through his skull.
A surge of purifying energy erupted.
In the next instant—
his upper body exploded into fragments.
Limbs scattered across the floor.
The arrow embedded itself into the opposite wall, its shaft trembling faintly.
Silence fell.
Tsubaki stared at the remains.
Then her expression darkened.
"…Kikyo."
"HIRAIKOTSU!"
Sango's voice followed immediately.
**CRASH!**
The already-damaged wall shattered completely as the massive bone weapon tore through it, continuing straight toward Tsubaki.
Her expression changed drastically.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the Shikon fragment. The snake spirit beside her coiled instantly around her body, pulling her away.
She narrowly avoided the attack.
**BOOM!**
Hiraikotsu smashed into the wall behind her, splintering wood into fragments before spinning back into Sango's hands.
Though both walls had been destroyed—
the structure still stood.
Moonlight poured through the broken gaps, illuminating everything inside.
Tsubaki summoned her shikigami and stepped forward, pushing aside the broken door as she exited.
She didn't even glance at Sango or Miroku.
Her gaze locked onto Kikyo.
Seeing Kikyo standing there—unchanged from fifty years ago—her brows furrowed.
"Kikyo… how is this possible?" she asked, confusion mixing with suspicion. "That girl, Kagome… isn't she supposed to be your reincarnation?"
Kikyo didn't answer.
Her eyes were fixed on the Shikon fragment in Tsubaki's hand.
Her voice turned cold.
"So it was you, Tsubaki. You're the one who cursed Kagome."
Before Tsubaki could reply, Kikyo added calmly—
"With your power… you think such a curse would succeed? It's meaningless."
A flicker of disdain crossed Tsubaki's eyes.
"Don't underestimate me!" she snapped, anger rising instantly. "I'm not the same as I was back then!"
"You don't need to tell me."
Kikyo's gaze swept over her youthful appearance—the faint demonic aura surrounding her.
"From the looks of it… you sold your soul to a yokai to preserve your youth."
"For youth and beauty—anything is worth it," Tsubaki said proudly, her lips curling into a fervent smile. "I fused with a yokai. Eternal youth… and power beyond what I once had."
"…Foolish."
Kikyo's reply was quiet, but unwavering.
Tsubaki's expression darkened.
"And you?" she shot back coldly. "What gives you the right to judge me?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"You look exactly the same as you did fifty years ago. Weren't you supposed to be dead?"
Kikyo paused briefly.
"…Certain things happened."
Her voice remained calm.
Then, after a moment:
"But your guess… isn't entirely wrong."
Tsubaki smirked.
"Oh? Then why are you here?" she asked mockingly. "To lecture me? To act righteous?"
Her tone grew sharper with each word.
Though neither of them moved—
the air between them grew heavier.
Tense.
Oppressive.
Sango and Miroku, who had rushed here ready to fight, now stood completely still.
Neither dared to interrupt.
Kirara remained in Sango's arms, unusually quiet.
Even breathing felt too loud.
Then—
Tsubaki suddenly smiled.
A cruel, knowing smile.
"Kikyo… that half-yokai you loved…"
Her voice turned soft, almost teasing.
"…he's with another woman now."
She stepped slightly closer.
Her smile widened, filled with malice.
"…Did he abandon you?"
A brief pause.
Then, like a blade hidden in silk—
"Or have you simply become… an old memory to him?"