"Is this... the power of Tenseiga?"
Even Sesshomaru himself was astonished by the terrifying might displayed by this blade of the heavens.
After fusing with Bakusaiga's power, Tenseiga regarded everything before it as a [World], fully revealing why it stood among the three supreme blades of dominion.
High in the sky, the raging golden-green dragon of sword pressure showed no sign of weakening. The figures of Kyōra and Ryūra had already been shredded into fragments within that dreadful technique.
Yet within Sesshomaru's sense of smell, the demonic aura of the Four War Gods had not completely vanished. As he gradually retracted the surrounding sword pressure, he remained on full alert.
At that moment, a figure moving at an unimaginable speed suddenly appeared behind Sesshomaru.
"Watch out behind you!"
Below, Kaguyayo and Kanade looked startled. The appearance of that figure was far too sudden, and the surrounding space was still filled with Sesshomaru's immense sword pressure. The intruder had completely evaded their spiritual perception.
Though Sesshomaru had sensed that the Four War Gods were not entirely dead, his reaction was still a step too slow. As he turned, there was no time left to draw his blade. The enemy's strike was about to pierce straight through his chest.
At that critical moment, a protective barrier suddenly surfaced across Tenseiga's blade.
Bang—Crash—
The ambusher's supposedly fatal strike slammed into Tenseiga's barrier instead. Although the tremendous force shattered the barrier instantly, Sesshomaru seized that brief opportunity. Activating silent displacement, his figure blurred into afterimages as he swiftly distanced himself from the sudden enemy.
"This sword of yours is rather impressive."
The figure finally revealed his appearance before Sesshomaru, flexing the hand that still smoked slightly.
The creature possessed three faces belonging to the Four War Gods. Its dark green body was covered in armor resembling that of Genbu. Besides the two arms wielding the Wind and Thunder Fang Blades, two additional arms had grown from its torso.
This was the strongest state of the Four War Gods: the fusion of the four divine beasts.
"I must thank you, Sesshomaru!" After the fusion, Ryūra controlled the body as the dominant consciousness. With a delighted grin, he continued, "If you hadn't killed Kyōra first, the will controlling this body might have been someone else's."
"Have you wondered why we came to challenge you even though we knew we couldn't defeat you, Sesshomaru?"
Perhaps intoxicated by this unprecedented power, Ryūra spoke incessantly in the fused state. He pointed toward another face on the right side of his head—that of [Suzaku], Kyōra.
"That's because Kyōra was the only one among us who completed the mission of the Lunar Palace. He was the only demon who broke past his own limits. Even I feared his strength."
Hearing this, Sesshomaru understood.
The leader of the Four War Gods, the [Seiryū] Ryūra, had deliberately come here to have his own teammate killed.
"You are nothing more than a collection of worthless vermin," Sesshomaru said coldly. "And vermin gathered together are still vermin."
Sesshomaru showed no fear toward the fused War God. Though the creature's demonic power had now reached the level of a great yōkai, he still did not place it in his eyes.
"Is that so?"
The fused War God leapt into the air.
Whoosh—
With the sound of tearing wind, the War God Demon Jewel on the forehead of the [Byakko] Jūra face shone once more. In the next instant, his body accelerated midair to a speed beyond the reach of the naked eye.
Sesshomaru had just unleashed Tenseiga's ultimate technique and had even been forced to trigger its barrier. The blade of this heavenly sword now appeared dim.
Clearly, that previous strike was not something he could unleash repeatedly at will.
Fortunately, he still had Bakusaiga.
Despite the fused War God's incredible speed, Sesshomaru still swung his blade. A massive torrent of golden-green sword particles roared toward his opponent.
"You think such power can still threaten me?"
The fused War God flickered through the air repeatedly, evading Bakusaiga with astonishing speed and unpredictable movement. In the next moment, he had already closed the distance with Sesshomaru and slashed fiercely toward his shoulder.
Clang—
At the critical moment, Sesshomaru raised Bakusaiga to block the attack. But this time he clearly felt that the power behind the strike was more than twice as strong as when Ryūra had fought alone.
Previously, Sesshomaru could suppress both of Ryūra's arms with one hand. Now their strength was evenly matched.
However, the fused War God possessed four arms, giving him a tremendous advantage in close combat. While Sesshomaru was locked in a clash with Bakusaiga, another arm swung a Thunder Fang Blade across with roaring lightning.
Sesshomaru's expression darkened. Tenseiga was currently weakened and could not withstand such a domineering strike.
At the crucial moment, Sesshomaru suddenly erupted with demonic power. The violent shockwave of air stalled the fused War God for an instant. Immediately afterward, his body turned into light and retreated, narrowly evading the sweeping slash and the punch that followed.
"You think that's enough to escape?"
Having seized the initiative, the fused War God opened his jaws wide. The demonic energy blast of [Genbu] Gōra fired instantly.
Boom...
Boom...
Boom...
Although Sesshomaru dodged the first two blasts in midair, the third struck him directly.
Under that impact, Sesshomaru was forced out of his sphere-of-light state. He barely stabilized himself upon the surface of the central lake of Hōraijima. Cracks had appeared across the armor of his robes.
"Is this all the power you have, Sesshomaru?" The fused War God sneered. "You're weak."
Sesshomaru did not reply.
Though his expression remained calm, a chilling killing intent coiled around him, growing ever stronger.
Sesshomaru was a proud and powerful demon. What he could never tolerate was weakness—or the provocation of the weak.
They were merely four insignificant pests. Did they really believe that merging together granted them the right to be arrogant before him?
Demonic power surged around Sesshomaru. His originally handsome face suddenly twisted into something ferocious. His mouth protruded forward, and his pale skin began to change.
This was the sign that Sesshomaru was releasing his demonic power to its limit—about to transform into his demon dog form.
When a supreme yōkai unleashed its power without restraint, the destructive energy was enough to devastate heaven and earth. The lake beneath his feet sank under the pressure. In the sky above, the demon clouds that had gathered due to the Four War Gods' presence roared violently.
Another vast demonic force surged skyward. The two powers clashed within the clouds, producing a terrifying phenomenon.
Within the six eye sockets of the fused War God, crimson pupils spun rapidly. Suddenly, a black magatama pattern appeared on the forehead of the [Byakko] Jūra face.
In the next instant, the fused War God appeared before Sesshomaru as if crossing space itself.
Taking advantage of the moment Sesshomaru was releasing his power to transform, the fused War God thrust forward the enhanced White Tiger claw of his right arm—piercing straight toward Sesshomaru's flank.
Sesshomaru, in the midst of unleashing his power, had not expected his opponent to combine Kyōra's black magatama ability with Jūra's speed.
That sudden shift placed him in a lethal crisis.
This strike was unavoidable. A triumphant smile spread across the fused War God's face.
"Did you think that after fusion, the black magatama could only enhance Kyōra's abilities? Fool!"
Ryūra sneered inwardly. The thrill of killing a great demon filled his chest. He had already planned what to do next—after killing Sesshomaru, he would kill that celestial maiden, the shrine maiden protecting Hōraijima, and seize the power of the entire Cauldron of Resonance.
However—
The fused War God's smile quickly froze.
Midair, his body suddenly stopped in an unnatural pose. Then the scenery before him abruptly changed, transforming into a raging sea of molten lava.
Only then did the fused War God realize that a strange and powerful force had bound his entire body.
Before he could react, he heard a woman's cold, slightly mocking voice echo from behind him.
"I've traveled through several worlds now. Honestly, I'm beginning to wonder if there are any gods weaker than you."
"Who's there?!"
Before he even had time to turn around, a dull, heavy thud rang out. The fused War God's body was kicked away by some invisible force, sent flying straight into the surrounding lava.
However, protected by Genbu's armor, the fused War God quickly leapt back out of the magma. The scorching air caused the scenery to distort and ripple, but he could still clearly see the two figures who had appeared before him.
They were two human women—one dressed in black, the other in white.
Normally, as a great demon, the fused War God would not even bother glancing at humans. But the incomprehensible events that had just unfolded before his eyes wiped away the composure from his face, replacing it with irritation and fury.
"Damn it. What trick did you—"
He stopped midway through his sentence.
For some reason, he noticed that the gazes of the two women before him contained none of the fear or caution one would expect when facing a great demon. Instead, their eyes were filled with undisguised indifference... and a sense of looking down from above.
An intense discomfort and unease suddenly filled the fused War God's heart.
After staring at him for a moment, Kaguya spoke as if no one else were present.
"So forcibly swapping the existence positions of two targets... that's the ability of Amenotejikara?"
"Yes. Against opponents who possess spatial abilities, it's an extremely lethal technique."
Though her tone sounded casual, Satsuki still gave Kaguya a reminder.
"So if you encounter someone with a similar ability in the future, don't expose your true body so easily."
...
During their conversation, they completely ignored the fused War God standing right before them, as if this great demon—who could dominate entire regions outside—simply did not exist.
Although... in truth, that was exactly the case.
But the fused War God had never been treated with such disregard before. Even though he feared the power they had just displayed, a ferocious expression still appeared on his face.
"Die!"
Whoosh—
The fused War God lunged straight toward Satsuki, the black-robed woman.
With his full strength unleashed and further enhanced by the black magatama, his speed during the charge was simply astonishing. Even the shockwave from his movement stirred the surrounding air into violent turbulence. If not for the unique environment inside the Cauldron of Resonance, a sonic boom would likely have erupted.
Yet Satsuki, the chosen target, did not even raise her eyebrows. Her golden Tenseigan merely glanced at him once.
Boom... boom... boom...
In an instant, a series of dull impacts erupted from the fused War God's body. Visible shockwaves burst outward from him, sweeping across the surrounding lava of the Cauldron of Resonance.
The entire outer region of the cauldron trembled under the tremendous force. The violent shaking even spread outward to Hōraijima itself, causing a powerful quake across the island.
"What...?"
"What's happening? Is it an earthquake?"
The residents of Hōraijima, who had been protected by Kanade, had already witnessed an unprecedented battle. Now, the sudden chain of strange phenomena threw them into panic.
Many among them had originally opposed the complete sealing of Hōraijima. But now, they only wished for Kanade to restore the barrier as quickly as possible and isolate the island from the world forever.
Meanwhile, upon the surface of the lake stood Kaguyayo, who had recalled the Mirror of Life, and Sesshomaru, who had halted his transformation after losing his target. Both stared toward the source of the tremors with solemn expressions.
"The Cauldron of Resonance? How did the Four War Gods get there?"
The sudden shift in events had completely exceeded everyone's expectations.
Kanade, who had been protecting the villagers, flew over on a shikigami and said anxiously, "Lady Satsuki and Lady Kaguya are still inside the Cauldron of Resonance. Could something have happened to them?"
Hearing this, Sesshomaru silently sheathed his sword. Without responding to Kanade or Kaguyayo, he turned into a streak of light and departed without looking back.
Kanade was somewhat surprised by Sesshomaru's sudden departure. But Kaguyayo, who had previously glimpsed a fraction of Satsuki and Kaguya's power, knew that once those two decided to intervene...
The matter was already over.
...
Boom... boom... boom...
Inside the blazing lava chamber of the Cauldron of Resonance, the fused War God—who had just been displaying overwhelming power outside—now looked like nothing more than a ball.
An invisible force kept smashing him back and forth through the air. Whatever he collided with shattered instantly. Whatever he brushed against was destroyed.
It looked as though something was constantly stirring him around.
Although Genbu's shell protected him from any fatal damage, the astonishment on his face was impossible to conceal.
"Damn it... what is going on? Why can't I control my demonic power or even my body?"
Boom—
Ever since being dragged into this strange space, the fused War God felt as though the War God Demon Jewel inside his body was being wrapped by some force that was trying to extract it.
Even his soul felt unstable, as if it might be torn out of his body at any moment.
What exactly is that woman trying to do?!
What was she trying to do?
Naturally—create the Shikon Jewel. And conduct a few experiments along the way.
That had been Satsuki's original purpose in coming here.
The Shikon Jewel required powerful shrine maidens and powerful demons—their souls and strength. The demon side of the equation had originally been provided by fused demons.
And at this moment, what target could possibly be more suitable than the fused Four War Gods?
It was true that the Four War Gods had been arranged by Satsuki as a test for Sesshomaru. But once they fused together, they also became one of the raw materials needed to reconstruct the Shikon Jewel.
Satsuki had never been the type to set up a plan that achieved only a single goal.
As for the fused War God being tossed around without any dignity—he had simply become Satsuki's experimental subject once again.
Amenotejikara could swap the positions of two objects.
But did air itself count as an object?
Could the War God Demon Jewel embedded inside someone's body be swapped out directly?
If that were possible, then in the future she could simply swap out an opponent's internal organs and kill them instantly.
What was the maximum frequency at which Amenotejikara could perform swaps?
And many other similar questions...
These were precisely the questions Satsuki intended to answer. She was not someone who failed to think things through. After acquiring a brand-new ability, her intellect immediately produced numerous extrapolations and possibilities.
Unfortunately, the fused War God serving as the test subject had it far worse.
At the moment he looked like a ball being kicked around. At the same time, he could feel a foreign force interfering with his body from the outside.
In reality, Satsuki was repeatedly using Amenotejikara to swap his position with the surrounding space.
The displacement distance was extremely small, but the frequency was incredibly high. That was why it appeared as though he were being hammered around violently.
As for the muffled sounds coming from his body—those were actually the noises of his internal organs being twisted by Amenotejikara. Because the displacement distance was so short, and because Satsuki needed him alive for the experiment, no fatal abnormalities had occurred yet.
However, as Satsuki continued her tests, the fused War God was finally unable to endure it any longer.
After the forty-eighth time he had been swapped upside down and slammed onto a nearby lava rock—
Pfft—
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
Not because he had suffered severe injuries.
But because of sheer humiliation.
Since the Four War Gods began roaming the demon world, they had never imagined that one day they would be toyed with like this.