Father.
The ancient memory rose from the depths of Sesshomaru's mind.
Since the day they parted, that figure had existed only in the past.
But the one standing before him now...
Scent. Appearance. Yokai power. Weapons. Every last detail was unmistakable.
This was the Great Dog Demon.
'Sesshomaru-sama, the Heroic Spirit Summoning can call back people and yokai who once existed.'
Rin's offhand comment echoed in his thoughts. He understood the situation now.
The Beast King of the East. Kirinmaru had been chosen, just as Rin had, and he had summoned Sesshomaru's father.
Fortunate? Or unfortunate?
There was only one thing Sesshomaru could be certain of.
"..."
Father and son faced each other. Neither spoke. The understanding between them needed no words.
"Kirinmaru. Leave us."
"Heh. A father-son reunion. An outsider like me has no business getting in the way."
Kirinmaru glanced at the back of Sesshomaru's hand. No Command Spell mark. Not a Master. No reason to bother.
He departed without another word.
"It's been a long time, Father."
"Yes. A full two hundred years."
The Great Dog Demon studied his son. Sesshomaru was far gentler than the cold, unyielding figure he remembered.
"It seems you've found something worth protecting."
"But..."
His gaze lingered. There was something different about his eldest son's aura. Where it had once radiated nothing but icy detachment, there was now a subtle warmth threaded through the severity. A core of compassion hidden beneath the frost.
Put simply, he'd gained a human touch.
That kind of transformation didn't happen without living through something profound.
The Great Dog Demon felt a quiet pride. His son had taken the most important step.
"How did you lose your arm?"
"..."
The severed limb was hard to miss. He asked out of genuine concern, but what he received was absolute silence.
Because admitting that he'd tried to steal Tessaiga and had his arm cut off by his younger brother Inuyasha...
There was no force in existence that could drag those words out of Sesshomaru in front of his father.
The humiliation alone would be lethal.
"Something you'd rather not say?"
"Well, that's fine. As long as you feel it was worth it."
Seeing Sesshomaru refuse to answer, the Great Dog Demon let it go.
"How is Inuyasha?"
"He can manage Tessaiga. Passably."
"Is that so? Then it sounds like he's doing well."
Even through that begrudging reply, the Great Dog Demon read everything he needed to know. If Inuyasha could wield Tessaiga successfully, he was alive and growing stronger.
He'd intended to ask whether either of his sons had found someone to love, but given Sesshomaru's personality, the question would go unanswered. Better to let it lie.
Instead, his attention settled on the long sword in Sesshomaru's grip.
"That blade. What is it?"
"Tokijin."
A single word. But it drove the Great Dog Demon into a long, contemplative silence.
'Tenseiga hasn't unlocked Meido Zangetsuha either.'
'Totosai. Myoga. What have you two been doing?'
An idea took shape. The Great Dog Demon drew his longest sword.
"!"
So'unga.
Sesshomaru's eyes widened. For the first time in longer than he could remember, something stirred inside his chest.
The summoned version of his father carried not only his full yokai power and combat prowess from life, but all three legendary blades: Tessaiga, Tenseiga, and So'unga.
"Come, Sesshomaru. Show me how far you've grown."
"But let me say this first."
"The man I am now is stronger than the man who died."
He vanished. Not disappeared. Moved at a speed that erased his presence from sight entirely.
Sesshomaru reacted on pure instinct, slamming Tokijin into a horizontal guard.
CLANG!!
Steel met steel. The force behind the blow was savage.
BOOM!!
One arm wasn't enough. His body buckled under the pressure, driven downward, and he crashed into the earth below.
CRACK!
Spiderweb fractures spread beneath him.
"Ngh!"
This kind of oppressive weight. Sesshomaru couldn't remember the last time he'd felt anything like it.
He looked up at his father pressing down against him and pushed back with everything he had.
Yokai energy erupted. Against this opponent, holding back was not an option.
"DRAGON STRIKE!!"
ROARRR!!
A colossal blue dragon surged upward. The Great Dog Demon leapt back, creating distance, then swung So'unga in reply.
"HELL DRAGON WAVE!!"
A churning sphere of dark energy condensed from corrupted winds, hurtling forward to collide with the blue dragon in midair.
"?!"
The clash held for barely an instant. Then the balance shattered. The blue dragon was consumed. The dark sphere of yokai power tore through and plummeted toward the ground.
Sesshomaru threw himself backward. The attack missed him directly.
BOOM!!
But the shockwave from the impact caught him regardless.
RUMBLE!!
The surrounding forest was flattened. A massive crater was gouged into the earth.
"So'unga... no. It's more than that. It's Father's yokai power magnifying the technique."
The destructive force far exceeded anything Tessaiga could produce, but Sesshomaru understood. That wasn't So'unga's own technique. It was raw power, channeled and shaped by the Great Dog Demon's will.
His Dragon Strike had been crushed without effort.
And he could sense it. In that exchange, his father hadn't even been serious.
"Don't underestimate yourself."
"The version of me standing before you is special. Losing to me on this land is nothing to feel ashamed of, Sesshomaru."
The Great Dog Demon held So'unga at his side and offered the explanation openly.
Manifested as a Heroic Spirit in the highest-performance class, Saber. Backed by Kirinmaru, a Great Demon of the same era, as his Master. Bolstered by the fame of his legend and the spiritual advantage of fighting on Western Country soil.
The Great Dog Demon had truly surpassed his living self.
"Consider this a father's belated lesson."
"Sesshomaru. You still haven't let go of your obsession."
The words carried a weight that went beyond combat. Sesshomaru's brow furrowed.
"As long as you cling to that, you will never surpass me."
"The path you should walk isn't one spent staring at my shadow."
WHOOSH!
"!"
Faster than before. By the time Sesshomaru swung his blade in response, the Great Dog Demon was already there.
CRACK!!
He stared. Tokijin had been cleaved in two with a single stroke.
The Great Dog Demon sheathed So'unga. He turned to face his son, who stood motionless, gripping the broken hilt.
That gentle father who so rarely showed anger now revealed the harshness of a parent who refused to let his child stay lost.
"The sword you should hold is not Tessaiga. Not this Tokijin."
"And not the So'unga in my hand."
"Sesshomaru. Go and find your own true sword."
"That is the only proof that you have surpassed me!!"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]