Chapter 82: Kikyo's Peril, Hikaru's Return
Kidomaru vanished.
It wasn't the stealth of invisibility, nor the trickery of an illusion.
It was pure, unadulterated speed.
In a heartbeat, Kikyo's spiritual perception lost its target. The ancient, chilling demonic aura that had saturated the air seemed to have never existed, evaporating completely from her senses.
"Where—"
The word had barely left her lips.
A violent rush of air assaulted her from the right.
Kikyo's body moved on pure instinct, leaning sharply to the side as she simultaneously drew her bow and loosed an arrow in a single, fluid motion. The Sacred Arrow blazed through the night, a streak of white light homing in on the source of the disturbance.
The arrow found its mark, erupting in a blinding radiance of pure spiritual energy.
But the light lasted only for a moment before a blade of pitch-black energy sliced it cleanly in two.
"A fine reaction," Kidomaru's voice echoed, now from her left.
Kikyo pivoted, her bowstring already pulled taut once more.
But there was nothing there.
"A pity—"
The voice now rang out from directly behind her.
"—it's far too slow."
She spun around, the glowing tip of her arrow aimed precisely at the source of the sound.
Still, there was nothing. Only the old demon's mocking laughter, which now seemed to emanate from every direction at once, a phantom chorus in the dark woods.
"Your arrows are indeed potent," Kidomaru's figure finally solidified, standing a mere ten meters from Kikyo. A fresh scorch mark marred the fabric of his kimono, a proof of her last shot. "If one were to land, I imagine even I would suffer for it. Heavily wounded, perhaps, or even purified on the spot."
He raised a hand, gesturing casually at the blackened cloth.
"But the problem is—"
He vanished again.
When he reappeared, he was already at Kikyo's left, his voice a low whisper. "You can't aim accurately."
Kikyo's pupils contracted. She could see his movements, a flicker in the corner of her eye. She could sense his demonic aura, a spike of cold that appeared and disappeared in an instant.
But her arrows simply couldn't keep up with his speed.
This was the terrifying reality of a foe who could manipulate their own flow of time. It wasn't just a matter of moving faster; it was creating a fundamental rift between his existence and the world around him.
In Kidomaru's subjective experience, Kikyo's actions were unfolding like a slow-motion replay.
In Kikyo's perception, Kidomaru was teleporting.
This was a chasm that skill alone could not bridge.
"Humans… so fragile," Kidomaru mused, his tone a strange mix of lament and condescension. "The very best among you can contend with the great demons, yet it takes but a single injury to snuff out your lives."
His words were a cold truth, but he pressed his advantage all the same.
"Barrier."
Kikyo whispered the single word, her expression serene, unshaken by his psychological warfare.
In the next second, a brilliant white light erupted from her, expanding into a perfect, spherical shield with a ten-meter radius. This was her strongest defensive incantation, a bastion of spiritual power capable of repelling the instantaneous attack of almost any demon, even one of the great ones.
The very next instant, a high-pitched screech of tortured metal and energy filled the air. Kidomaru's blade had collided with the barrier, its tip grinding against the luminous surface, glowing with an eerie blue light.
"A barrier?" He didn't retreat, only tilted his head with a flicker of curiosity. "Interesting."
He sheathed his sword.
And then—he struck.
To Kikyo's eyes, it was merely the motion of him raising a hand, but in that same fraction of a second, twenty distinct slash marks had already scarred the surface of her barrier. Crystalline cracks began to spiderweb across the holy light.
"Your barrier is strong," Kidomaru stated, sheathing his blade once more. "But its strength is a fixed value. My attacks, however, can be stacked infinitely."
He drew his sword again, unleashing a technique that was less a series of strikes and more an explosion of demonic aura, a manifestation of his unnatural celerity.
This time, Kikyo couldn't even begin to count the blows. All she saw was a blurred afterimage, a storm of phantom limbs and dark energy.
The barrier shattered.
Sacred white light scattered like broken glass, dissipating into the night.
"Retreat!"
The thought was a command. Kikyo's toes tapped the ground, her figure shooting backward into the darkness. Simultaneously, her right hand became a blur, drawing and firing several arrows in rapid succession, attempting to block Kidomaru's path of pursuit.
Continuous streaks of white light tore through the night sky, aimed at his head, chest, abdomen, and other vital points.
But the elderly figure merely swayed, a gentle, almost lazy motion.
All three arrows sliced through empty air.
"Futile."
Kidomaru's voice whispered directly into Kikyo's ear. He had somehow circled completely behind her.
The cold edge of his blade was already pressed against her neck—
But in that same instant, before even Kidomaru could register the contact, Kikyo's form began to fade. She dissolved like snow in the sun, like mist in the morning light, her body becoming translucent.
Spiritual displacement. It was one of the secret arts she had mastered as the strongest priestess of her era. To slowly fade from one's original position and reappear in a distant location—for an ordinary demon, the move was almost impossible to counter.
Offense, defense, speed, and now evasion. Kikyo had truly achieved a near-perfect, versatile combat style. Had she been facing any other demon, even one on par with Kidomaru, they might have already been purified so long as they didn't specialize in his impossible speed.
Kidomaru's blade slashed through nothing but empty air. He turned his head, his gaze falling upon the white-robed figure reforming thirty meters away.
"Spatial displacement… Interesting."
Kikyo offered no reply. Her longbow was drawn to its absolute limit, a blinding white light gathering at the arrow's tip, pulsing with immense spiritual power.
It was still the Sacred Arrow. Still the finishing move that could pulverize most demons with a single, decisive shot.
But this time, Kidomaru didn't dodge. He didn't attack.
He simply laughed, a dry, rasping sound.
"I see," he said, a sudden, dawning comprehension in his voice. "You aren't running away. You're leading me away."
He turned, his gaze sweeping back toward the distant shrine barrier. There, tiny dots of lamplight marked the location of Kaede Village. In the heat of their chase, they had moved a considerable distance from their original battleground.
But then Kidomaru stopped, a cruel realization dawning on his ancient features.
"In that village… how many people are there?" His voice turned playful, laced with a chilling menace. "A hundred? Two hundred?"
Kikyo's expression tightened almost imperceptibly.
"Your arrows can't hit me, and for the moment, I can't seem to harm you—the title of the strongest priestess is indeed well-deserved. Not even the current generation of the Tsuchimikado and Keikain clans who preside over the Onmyo Bureau in Kyoto can compare to you." Kidomaru cut her off before she could speak. "But, Priestess, those villagers you so desperately protect… they don't have your agility. They don't have your powerful spiritual energy."
He raised his sword, the tip aimed directly at the distant, shimmering barrier of the shrine, and by extension, the village nestled within.
"And how many strikes from my blade do you think that barrier you set up in advance can withstand?"
Kikyo's pupils constricted. She wanted to rush forward, to stop him, but she knew her speed was no match for his. If she charged, he would simply dodge and attack the barrier. If she stayed put, he would attack the barrier.
It was a perfect stalemate, one that left her utterly powerless.
"Hand over the Shikon Jewel," Kidomaru's voice was calm, the demand flat and absolute. "Or—"
"Watch as your village is destroyed."
Kikyo's expression was a mask of ice. To think this ancient demon would resort to such a tactic—
"Make your choice," Kidomaru said. "I will give you three breaths."
"One…"
Kikyo's hand instinctively pressed against the Shikon Jewel hidden within her robes.
"Two…"
She closed her eyes, her mind racing.
"Three—"
After three seconds had passed, Kikyo's eyes snapped open, and she released her hand from the Jewel.
A cold smile touched Kidomaru's lips. He was about to move, only to discover a faint, complex glow reflecting on the ground beneath his feet.
"Evil-Sealing Array."
It was an instant-cast spell.
Kikyo lowered her longbow. She never needed to make a choice at all; every action had been a feint. "It is not a powerful seal, but trapping you for a single instant is enough."
What could be done in an instant?
Kidomaru's gaze narrowed as he heard it.
Rumble—
A bolt of thunder fell from the clear heavens.
A spear of violet lightning materialized without warning, striking directly at the crown of Kidomaru's head.
His figure blurred, retreating with explosive speed as the Evil-Sealing Array beneath his feet shattered instantly. Even in this critical moment, his speed was phenomenal, but the array had delayed him for a fatal split second.
The thunder descended with savage ferocity. In that delayed instant, the purple lightning grazed his shoulder, searing a deep, charred mark into his flesh.
"Who is it!" Kidomaru barked, his composure finally broken.
He looked up at the sky. Under the moonlight, a figure was sweeping in from the distance.
Grey robes flapped in the wind, and a shock of pale, long hair was exceptionally striking in the night. The crimson hannya mask he wore seemed to belong to an Asura walking straight out of hell, its demonic features illuminated by the moon.
In his left hand, he held a single, purple horn.
Thunder still crackled around it.
The newcomer's demonic aura wasn't overwhelmingly strong; he was, by that measure, just a minor demon. But in battles between their kind, aura was only one part of the equation. The nature of one's power and the strength of one's physical body were far more significant. And this man, despite his modest aura, carried an inherent power and presence that was clearly on par with a high-level demon lord.
"Kikyo."
The figure landed softly in front of the priestess, his voice calm and even.
"I'm back."
Kikyo stared at the broad back before her. The pale, long hair obscured her view, but she knew that beneath the demonic mask, his expression was likely as indifferent and steady as ever.
The priestess's white robes swayed in the gentle breeze. A truly beautiful, radiant smile blossomed on her face.
She nodded.
"Welcome back."
Hikaru turned, his masked gaze falling upon Kidomaru.
"I'm here."
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