The demonized Rikuo stood before him, his aura shimmering with an unstable, translucent energy. Kirinmaru had encountered many things in his long life, but the realization that this powerful Servant was a Hanyou--a half-demon--took him by surprise.
The face was unfamiliar.
But Rikuo's "resume" as a Heroic Spirit clearly indicated a warrior of immense capability. The demonic energy coiling around him didn't flow like the aura of this era; it pulsed with a strange, rhythmic intent.
'What is this...?'
Kirinmaru couldn't decipher the flow of the [Fear]. The way the boy manipulated his energy was entirely alien to the youkai of this time.
'I don't have [Nenekirimaru]... but this will have to do.'
Rikuo held the hilt of his weapon, but it wasn't the legendary demon-slaying blade. Currently, he was wielding a sword forged from pure, shimmering ice--a manifestation of his bond with Tsurara.
Since the original [Nenekirimaru] was with Totosai for repairs, Rikuo had been forced to rely on a [Matoi] (鬼缠) to manifest his power.
"Tell me, boy... are you a youkai from a future era?"
Kirinmaru's initial agitation had smoothed over into a cold, predatory curiosity. He watched the way the [Fear] clung to Rikuo's skin like a living garment.
The method of harmonizing with other youkai to manifest their strengths wasn't just simple "merging" or "consumption." It was a perfect synchronization--a technique that had likely taken centuries to refine.
"And if I am? What does it matter to you?" Rikuo asked, his lips curling into his signature, confident smirk. He didn't flinch under the gaze of a King.
"Hoh..."
"Then let me witness this future power for myself!"
With a flick of his wrist, Kirinmaru unleashed a pulse of demonic pressure. Even with only one functioning arm, the Eastern King was a force of nature.
K-ZZZT!
The ice-blade in Rikuo's hand shattered into frost under the weight of the aura. Akame, sensing the spike in energy, had already ghosted a dozen yards away to avoid the shockwave.
'Ice-bloom isn't enough to hold back a King,' Rikuo thought, noting the way his [Fear] was being physically shredded by the King's presence.
'If I don't use the [Reality Marble], my limit is about three [Matoi] bonds.'
He didn't have the luxury of opening his [Pandemonium] here--not with everyone so close. He had to find another way.
He didn't need to win. He just needed to stall.
He's almost here.
"Lend me your strength!"
"Kurotabo... Heibozu!!"
Two dark, spectral shadows erupted from Rikuo's silhouette and vanished into his chest.
"?"
Kirinmaru's eyes widened. He could feel the aura shifting again, Rikuo's energy spiking higher than before. The boy's appearance was also changing--dark, claw-like markings were appearing on his skin, and a heavy, dark-colored robe now hung loosely over his shoulders.
'The scent of poison...'
Kirinmaru narrowed his eyes as the edge of the newly manifest ice-blade began to smoke with a purple, corrosive vapor.
But it wasn't the sword that caught him off guard. A row of dark, mechanical cannons began to emerge from beneath Rikuo's robe, their muzzles aimed directly at his chest.
Kirinmaru recognized the shape--it was a human weapon, a "matchlock."
BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!!
'The bullets are cold... no, they're infused with both ice and venom.'
Kirinmaru didn't dare test his natural hide against that. He manifested a dense barrier of demonic energy to intercept the projectiles.
PAT-PAT-PAT-PAT!!
The bullets struck the barrier and shattered, but they didn't just vanish. Like raindrops on a pond, each impact sent a ripple across the shield.
"!"
Seconds later, Kirinmaru realized that his barrier was actually thinning.
'It's faint... but it's there.'
'His energy is... eroding mine.'
The [Fear] was acting like a solvent, slowly destabilizing the frequency of Kirinmaru's youkai aura. If he didn't constantly replenish the barrier with more power, the bullets would eventually punch through.
"Fascinating!"
Kirinmaru began to enjoy himself. He bypassed the logic of a long-range battle and charged straight toward Rikuo, his body a blur of speed.
PAT-PAT-PAT!!
Rikuo immediately ceased his fire. In a heartbeat, his entire body seemed to "erupt" with weapons--swords, spears, axes, and arrows--protruding from every angle of his robe like the quills of a hedgehog. There was no gap for Kirinmaru to close without being skewered.
This was the true power of Kurotabo--the [Weaponry of a Thousand Hands].
Infused with Tsurara's ice and Heibozu's poison, every single blade was a potential death sentence.
"Tch!"
Kirinmaru was forced to brake his charge and spring backward. He stared at the "hedgehog" half-demon, realizing that a standard physical approach was useless. This boy's techniques were a labyrinth of "Unknowns."
'Unknown...'
The word rang through his mind. The Shikon Jewel had said these people could kill it because they were variables it hadn't encountered.
Akame's [Cursed Venom].
Rikuo's [Fear] and [Matoi] synchronization.
Cu Chulainn's sheer, legendary force.
Even Moroha's unique youkai heritage.
If they all coordinated their "Unknowns" against the Jewel... it wouldn't be able to adapt. It would be hit by frequencies it didn't have the data to counter.
'The human who wields a demon blade.'
'The Hanyou who leads a hundred youkai.'
Kirinmaru's gaze flickered between Akame and Rikuo. If anyone held the killing blow, it was one of them. Akame was a force of destruction, but Rikuo... he was the "Unknown" itself.
'But why is the Jewel so confident?'
'If these people are such a threat... why does it stay and wait?'
'It must have a card left to play. Something that makes its evolution absolute.'
Until he found that final piece of the puzzle, he couldn't win.
"I have many questions, King of the East."
"But I think you've already noticed. Your time is up."
Kirinmaru's train of thought was shattered. He looked up, sensing a wave of absolute, freezing killing intent approaching from the distance.
Everyone--Inuyasha, Kagome, Jaken--turned their heads toward the horizon.
THWACK.
Rikuo felt a heavy object hitting his hand. He looked down and gasped.
"[Nenekirimaru]..."
The blade felt perfect. The balance, the sharpness, the resonance--it was as though it had never been broken. Totosai had worked a miracle in just two days.
"Are you ready to fall?"
"Kirinmaru."
The voice was like a glacier.
Sesshomaru hovered in the air above the camp, his new arm crossed over his chest. In his right hand, he held the [Bakusaiga], the blade's hungry, devouring aura already beginning to shred the air around it.
The True King had returned.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]