"That massive yokai power clash just now..."
"One of them was definitely Sesshomaru!"
"Then the other one is..."
"Yes! That was the Master's yokai power!"
Inuyasha and Myoga were tearing through the forest, racing toward the epicenter of the explosion. Even from a vast distance, the sheer magnitude of the confrontation had rattled the air.
"Tch. Who pulled it off? Who the hell managed to summon the Old Man?"
Given what he'd learned about Moroha, even Inuyasha could connect the dots. Someone had dragged his father out through that so-called ritual.
"Wait, Inuyasha-sama! You know what's going on?"
Myoga stared at his young master, who didn't seem confused at all, and gaped in astonishment.
He'd spent the past while chatting with Totosai, completely out of touch. If he hadn't sensed the Great Dog Demon's presence, he might not have come at all.
"Tch. Too much to explain. Just know that somebody can summon people and yokai who once existed through a weird ritual."
"WHAT?! Such sorcery exists?! Who would be capable of such a thing?!"
"Shut it! I want to know just as badly!"
"Master, a powerful yokai clash came from the east."
"I know. Naraku already told me who's involved. A Great Demon. Something we can't possibly contend with right now."
Muzan drove his arm through the chest of the human kneeling before him and answered the Demonified Hakudoshi without looking back.
"But that's not our concern. Naraku will find a way."
Before, the mere mention of a powerful enemy would have sent him straight into hiding.
But now, something had shifted. A faint spark of courage.
Hiding forever wasn't going to make him stronger.
He needed to walk the world with his own feet. Only then would he discover what he'd been missing.
Like the human cowering before him.
"In the old days, swordsmiths forged blades for the Demon Slayer Corps. From today, you forge for Demons."
"Yes, my lord!!"
The man crouching on the ground, once known as Toshu, had already been transformed.
"Start with a sword for Upper Moon One. Use this Dragon Man's corpse. A body like that should yield an exceptional weapon."
"Without question!"
Muzan surveyed the dismembered remains and issued his commands.
'Not enough. I need more. Stronger Demons.'
This world's resources were leagues beyond what his own world had offered. Humans and yokai alike, if he could convert them, the power gains were enormous.
The sunlight weakness would persist, yes. But Muzan was certain that hurdle could be overcome.
The Blue Spider Lily.
He wondered if such a thing existed in this world.
"Kohaku. How long do you think Kikyo can keep protecting you?"
Having devoured Moryomaru, Naraku spoke with the ease of someone who'd just finished a meal.
"What?"
"That shard in your body holds spiritual power she personally infused. No doubt it was prepared as a weapon to kill me."
"But that kind of trap isn't absolute."
Moroha listened to his words, watching the man who radiated pure malice, and narrowed her eyes.
'She was wounded by a yokai called Naraku. Some of the miasma and corruption still hasn't fully cleared.'
"You! You're Naraku, aren't you?!"
"DEMONIC DRAGON WAVE!!"
Remembering Kikyo's warning, Moroha didn't hesitate for a single heartbeat. She swung her blade and sent a roaring pink dragon tearing through the air.
BZZZT!!
Naraku shifted laterally and let the attack pass. His gaze turned toward the small figure.
"Kikyo's Servant?"
"Now that really is a joke."
"I imagine Inuyasha and the others will have the most entertaining reactions when they find out."
One glance was all he needed to see through her nature. A thin, amused smirk crossed his face.
"But now isn't the time to deal with you."
"Kohaku. I'll let Kikyo hold onto your life for a while longer."
A swirling vortex of darkness engulfed him. Naraku vanished.
"That arrogant jerk! He just left!"
"No. Naraku didn't look relaxed."
"Huh?"
"Something happened. Something more pressing. Naraku would never walk away this easily otherwise."
Kohaku knew the man's nature intimately. Passing up an opportunity like this, without even attempting to steal the shard, had nothing to do with the spiritual trap inside it.
Whatever had drawn Naraku's attention was something he considered far more important.
"The Great Dog Demon and Kirinmaru."
"What a troublesome pair."
"But if I can tie down Kirinmaru first, the Great Dog Demon won't actively participate. Not when his sons are on the field."
Facing the combination hailed as invincible under heaven, Naraku showed no anxiety.
The moment the two of them had set foot on Western Country soil, his ally had sent word.
Learning the identity of the Saber pair had caught him off guard initially.
But a countermeasure existed. And really, when he thought about it...
"Inuyasha. Sesshomaru. I should be thanking you both."
"You're the main force that will keep the Great Dog Demon in check."
His smirk turned cold. He forced Moryomaru's body out from within his own flesh and dispatched a swarm of Saimyosho to carry the remains in another direction.
"Don't disappoint me, Muzan. I've poured a fortune in resources into you. If you come up empty, there's no reason for you to exist."
Two things required his personal attention now.
First: seize the Sacred Jewel fragments and Dragon Ball from Kagome. Second: deal with Koga.
"Three more fragments, and the Jewel will be nearly complete."
If Kohaku's shard weren't so troublesome, Naraku would have already acted. But he couldn't waste any more time on that particular problem.
"Hm?"
Kirinmaru eyed the figure that had appeared before him. An elderly-looking man. His tone hardened instantly.
"You intend to stop me?"
"The Shikon no Tama!"
There was no mistaking it. An entity inhabiting a yokai's body. Kirinmaru recognized it immediately.
"Heheh. Kirinmaru. It's been too long. Fancy meeting like this."
The mocking, playful tone grated on him. But then he noticed something.
"You..."
The mark on the yokai's hand. Unmistakably a Command Spell.
Kirinmaru's expression shifted. This was more complicated than he'd assumed.
The Shikon no Tama, unless fully assembled, shouldn't possess the power to actively influence the world. And from what he could see, this one was still missing pieces.
"Don't misunderstand."
"I'm not possessing anyone."
"I merged with the Summoned Servant. The Berserker class is inherently unstable, and I simply took advantage of that instability to claim the body."
"Master and Servant, united as one!"
"And I have to say, this yokai body is absolutely perfect. The yokai power, the abilities... it's like it was made to fight you and the Great Dog Demon!!"
The words spilled out in a flood of manic glee. One finger jabbed at his own misshapen skull, the whole posture radiating the unhinged energy of something that had lost all restraint.
SLASH!!
"Is that so?"
Kirinmaru moved. Cold. Precise. Unimpressed.
In the space of a single breath, the old man's body was torn to pieces.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
[TN: The Shikon no Tama itself is the seventh Master. By fusing with its Berserker-class Servant, it has achieved a "Master-Servant Unity," bypassing the normal limitations of an incomplete Jewel. The author notes this chapter marks a major turning point for the volume.]