"This demonic energy... is this truly the Shikon Jewel?"
"It's hard to believe any object could possess such an overwhelming aura."
The group, having stood their ground in anticipation, could feel the malice radiating across the valley. It wasn't just a scent; it was a physical weight that pressed against their lungs.
"Naraku held the Jewel for so long, poisoning it with his own desires," Miroku said, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "Now, it seems the Magatsuhi--the evil side of the Jewel--has consumed everything that remained."
He turned to the younger members of the group.
"Shippo, Rin... take the children and get as far away from here as you can."
"What?"
"That thing is approaching at a terrifying speed!" Sango added, her hand tightening on the [Hiraikotsu].
"Run! Go now!"
At Sango's shout, Jaken didn't need a second invitation. He grabbed Rin and the reins of A-Un, sprinting toward the tree line before Shippo could even blink.
"Lancer, how are you holding up?" Koga asked, glancing at Cu Chulainn.
"I've had better days. The [Command Seal] gave me a mana boost, but these wounds are still going to slow me down," Cu replied, his crimson spear resting loosely in his hand.
"Leave the frontline to us," Rikuo said, his fingers brushing the hilt of his [Nenekirimaru]. He began the transformation into his youkai form, his hair lengthening and his aura turning sharp and cold. "It's time to settle this debt once and for all."
"Heh... if you trip and fall, I'm stepping in," Cu smirked, though he didn't argue. He knew that against an immortal like the Jewel, he was better suited for high-speed intercept and defense.
'Inuyasha...'
Kagura's gaze flickered toward the woods, her fan half-opened. A familiar, cold sensation had touched her senses.
'Kanna... and Byakuya too?'
The scent of her "sister" was unmistakable, but there was another presence--a hollow, void-like silence that could only be Byakuya using the [Fuyo-heki] (The Wall of Nothingness).
She knew they weren't just here to watch. Naraku's final pieces were on the board, and their movements were too coordinated to be random.
'Naraku must have left them a specific directive...'
"Kagura? Where are you going?" Kagome called out as the wind sorceress began to float toward the tree line.
"Kanna is nearby. And if she's here, Byakuya is too. I'm going to flush them out!"
Kagome watched her go, a flicker of worry in her eyes. The pieces were moving, and the finale was drawing close.
"See? I told you she'd find us immediately," Byakuya said, his voice a casual drawl.
"She cares about you, Kanna."
Kanna didn't respond. She sat on her paper crane, staring at the camp with her usual, vacant expression. She held her cracked mirror close to her chest.
"Well..."
"I'll leave her to you. I have my own errands to run."
Byakuya tucked a hand into his sleeve, clutching the [Fuyo-Heki]. His task was arguably more critical than Kanna's. Her mirror could reflect power, but it was hard for her to land a killing blow on a target that was on high alert.
Byakuya, however, was a master of the unseen. With the aura-masking jewel, he could get close enough to finish the job.
"I'll find a nice, quiet spot to hide," he murmured. "Kagome will be coming this way soon enough..."
"Hmm?"
"So... instead of running, you've gathered here to face me?"
"How charmingly ignorant."
The Jewel spirit drifted through the air, looking down at the group with the detached amusement of a god. He had reached the site in seconds, his new, elegant form manifesting above the scorched earth.
"Shikon Jewel..."
"Where is Naraku?!" Inuyasha shouted, his hand on the hilt of [Tessaiga].
"Naraku?"
"Where do you think he is?"
The young man with grey hair let out a slick, predatory smile. He licked his lips.
'The Jewel is completely blackened...'
Kagome ignored the taunt, her eyes fixed on the pitch-black gem embedded in the entity's chest. There was no light left in it--only a deep, swallowing void that felt as though it could absorb all the spiritual energy in the world.
Purification was out of the question. This level of corruption required something far more absolute.
"Naraku has been consumed," the Jewel continued, his laughter echoing across the field.
"That pathetic half-demon... pursuing a dream that was never his to begin with. He lived his life doubting everyone, yet he was the only one foolish enough to believe the lies of the Jewel."
"His obsession with Kikyo... it made him blind. It made him a failure. And in the end, it made him fuel."
The Jewel's mockery was a cold, sharp blade. To Inuyasha, it was a reminder of the same mistakes he and Kikyo had made fifty years ago.
"You bastard...!"
"Don't be in such a hurry, Inuyasha."
"You're going to have a very long time to savor your regret. That despair... I'm going to make you taste every drop of it."
The Jewel's expression was uncomfortably meaningful.
"What?" Inuyasha grit his teeth.
ZZZT--!
Suddenly, a streak of emerald light tore through the air.
The Jewel didn't even flinch. He let the wave of demonic energy hit him, watching as it dissipated against his skin without leaving a mark.
"Magic is useless against me, Sesshomaru."
He turned his gaze toward the sky, where Sesshomaru was hovering.
"Your aura is impressive, but it's just food for my new form. I'm not as 'fragile' as Muzan--I can absorb the energy of two Kings and still have room for dessert."
"Hmph."
Sesshomaru didn't waste time on a rebuttal. He closed the distance in a blur, the [Bakusaiga] raised high.
"You never learn."
The Jewel spirit raised a hand, intending to catch the falling blade with his bare palm. He was confident in his [Dragon Bone Armor]--a defense woven from the strongest demons in the world's history.
SLICE--!
The Jewel's eyes widened.
The [Bakusaiga] didn't just meet resistance; it ignored it. The blade sliced through the armored palm, then through the forearm, and finally buried itself deep into the Jewel's shoulder.
"What...?"
"You've grown quite good at talking, Sesshomaru."
"You've certainly surpassed Kirinmaru and your father."
The Jewel shrugged, the wound leaking a dark, oily substance. He didn't care about a localized injury--not when his regeneration was supposed to be instantaneous.
But then, he stopped.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK--!
Small, green sparks began to arc from the edges of the cut.
Instead of knitting back together, the flesh began to disintegrate further. The destruction was spreading, eating through his shoulder and down his chest.
"This... what is this?!"
He tried to retreat, but the damage was already done. The [Bakusaiga]'s unique property--continuous, self-replicating destruction--was devouring him faster than he could heal.
"N-ngh... AAAAGH!!!"
As the group watched in shocked silence, the Shikon Jewel's beautiful new form began to crumble. The torso shattered like glass, the elegant limbs dissolving into a fine, grey powder before they even hit the ground.
In a single heartbeat, the entity that had claimed godhood was reduced to nothing.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]