"Nngh..."
Moroha's eyes darted between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, her small frame vibrating with a tension she couldn't resolve.
To see her legendary grandfather standing before them not as a savior, but as a forced executioner, was a nightmare she hadn't prepared for. When combined with the overwhelming presence of Kirinmaru, the two Great Demon Lords formed a wall of absolute power that no human or youkai present could hope to scale.
She knew it. They all did.
Kirinmaru wasn't bluffing. If this continued, her father and her uncle would both die on this mountain.
"Sesshomaru... if I give the [Tessaiga] back to you... can we win?"
Inuyasha's voice was low and raspy, a far cry from his usual impulsive shouting. He was looking at his brother with a desperate, heavy sincerity.
"?"
Sesshomaru glanced at him, his brow twitching in a rare display of genuine surprise.
For the "insolent whelp" to voluntarily lower his head and offer up the blade he had fought so long to protect... it was something Sesshomaru had deemed impossible in any reality.
"I know... I know it's asking a lot," Inuyasha continued, his breath hitching as he fought through the pain in his back. "But let's be real. Between the old man and that bastard Kirinmaru, I'm just dead weight in this fight."
"If you can actually do something with the [Tessaiga]... then take it. Just win."
He was looking at the situation with a cold, brutal clarity. He could barely stand, let alone block a single strike from the controlled Toga while Kirinmaru hovered in the wings.
Naraku had set this trap with meticulous cruelty. He had used one of their own allies as bait, knowing that Muzan's resilience would bleed them white before the final hammer fell.
And now, at their lowest point, they were facing the two strongest warriors in the world.
There was only one person left among them who even had a ghost of a chance at a miracle. And that person was the "brother" Inuyasha usually couldn't stand.
"Brotherly devotion?"
"A truly moving gesture."
"But ultimately... a futile one."
Kirinmaru glanced at the Great Dog Demon beside him, sensing the immense internal struggle.
'Ah... he found a loophole.'
Even Kirinmaru had to admire his rival's tenacity. A [Command Seal] carried absolute authority, but it wasn't omniscient. It could force a Servant to act, but it couldn't dictate the timing of that action unless the Master was specific.
By simply ordering Saber to "kill them all," the master had left a gap. Toga was maintaining his killing intent--feeding the Seal's requirement--but he was choosing to wait for the perfect moment to strike. It was a classic delay tactic, using his own spiritual density to stall the inevitable.
For now, he was content to let his aura and demonic pressure do the talking, holding them in place through terror alone.
"..."
Sesshomaru didn't answer his brother.
He didn't need to. He knew the reality of their situation better than anyone. Even with a blade that burnt his flesh, he was at his limit. Facing Toga and Kirinmaru at full strength while he was running on fumes... it wasn't a battle. It was an execution.
"Wait!!"
Kagome's voice cut through the heavy silence, drawing every eye on the field.
"If it's the Dragon Ball you want... then take it!"
"But as a Great Demon, you have to keep your word! You have to let us leave!"
She reached into her robes and pulled out the crystal sphere Kikyo had entrusted to her, holding it aloft for Kirinmaru to see.
"Hmph. By my name as the King of the Eastern Lands... I, Kirinmaru, do not go back on my oaths."
"Hand over the sphere, and you have my word: you shall leave this mountain unmolested."
He wasn't lying. A warrior of his level had no interest in petty deceits once a price had been agreed upon. Honor was the only thing that separated a King from a monster like Naraku.
At the sound of Kirinmaru's vow, Toga felt the tension in his own frame ease. He looked at the girl--Kagome--and felt a swell of silent gratitude.
She had made the right choice. A Dragon Ball was a treasure of the world, yes, but it was not worth the lives of his family.
SWOOSH!
Kagome threw the two-star ball with all the strength she had left.
CLACK.
Kirinmaru caught it effortlessly. He scanned the rest of the group, his senses confirming that no other shards remained among them.
"So the rest are with the Shikon Jewel..."
"Finding them... will be but a moment's work."
He had three fragments now. With a wave of his hand, Kirinmaru signaled that the ultimatum had been fulfilled. He turned and ascended into the sky, leaving the blood-stained summit behind.
"Sesshomaru... Inuyasha... take them and go."
Toga glanced at his sons, realizing their role in this stage of the war had come to an end. They were "out."
Kirinmaru had everything he needed to complete his plan, and trying to wrestle the Dragon Balls from him now was a suicide mission. For better or worse, the King of the East was likely to be the one to claim the prize.
"..."
Sesshomaru sheathed his [Tenseiga]. He knew Kirinmaru hadn't sensed the fragment Rin was holding.
A Master's connection to a Star was a specific thing, and Rin had done a remarkable job of keeping her treasure suppressed.
"Next time... I will be the one who humbles him."
Sesshomaru looked his father in the eye, his voice as sharp as a jagged shard of ice.
"If it is you... I have no doubt," Toga replied, a warm, genuine smile breaking through his stern mask.
"After all... you have finally discarded your obsession with the [Tessaiga]. The day you surpass my living self is no longer a dream--it is merely a matter of time."
The weight of the Command Seal was fading as his Master moved further away. Toga withdrew his killing intent, his aura softening into the paternal warmth they had almost forgotten.
"And Inuyasha... to see you willing to surrender your pride to protect others... you are no longer the reckless whelp that priestess described."
"You've grown into a man..."
"It will be a hard road ahead, but you must keep them safe."
He looked at his wounded son with a pride that didn't need words. Both of them were magnificent.
He had no more regrets.
"Moroha... live well. Grow strong."
He gave his granddaughter one last, lingering look of affection, then turned and took to the air, trailing Kirinmaru like a silent guardian.
"Dad..."
"Grandpa!"
Inuyasha and Moroha watched him vanish into the dark clouds, their hearts heavy with a mixture of loss and relief.
"Sesshomaru?"
Kagome blinked as Sesshomaru walked over to the unconscious Akame. He used a whip of demonic energy to lift the girl, suspending her in the air like a piece of precious cargo.
"The war is not over," Sesshomaru said, his voice flat.
He didn't wait for a response. He turned and walked away, taking his own path down the mountain. If he had been uninterested before, he was beyond serious now. He wanted to surpass his father, and then he was going to dismantle Kirinmaru piece by piece.
"Well... at least he's consistent," Inuyasha muttered, leaning on his blade.
"He's right though. We may have lost the Balls... but we can get them back. And besides, Rikuo's team might still have one hidden away."
Rikuo limped over, looking toward the horizon. "Even if we're at a disadvantage... we're still here."
The oily clouds began to break, the first hints of a pale, grey dawn peeking through. The army of youkai-demons that had infested the mountain were dissolving into ash as their source of power vanished.
Kagome looked at her wounded companions and let out a long, shaky breath.
"It doesn't matter who has the Stars right now."
"For today... we lived."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]