WHOOSH--!
CLANG--!
"Hmph."
"A barrier, then?"
Byakuya found himself pushed back by a sudden, shimmering dome of spiritual energy. He landed neatly on his paper crane, his eyes flickering with a new sense of curiosity.
The Shikon Jewel had told him that Kagome's true spiritual power was still under a seal. If this was the kind of strength she could manifest while "restricted," what would happen if the seal actually broke?
A priestess who transcended the legendary Kikyo.
The mere thought was enough to make any youkai's skin crawl. If Kikyo was the "Great Dog Demon" of priestesses, then a fully realized Kagome would be a disaster for the demon world.
It was no wonder the Shikon Jewel had taken precautions at the moment of her birth, sealing her growth and restricting her potential as much as possible.
'It seems that beyond Naraku's personal obsession, the Jewel itself has lived in fear of this girl,' Byakuya thought. 'No wonder it's so desperate to see her dead before the finale.'
The [Murasame] in Byakuya's hand was a phantom, but its weight was real. He had "extracted" the Essence of Death from the corpses Akame had left behind.
This was Byakuya's unique talent. His sword was a cipher; it had no blade of its own until he found a target's residue, an aura, or a technique to "duplicate." He could even mimic high-level spatial techniques like the [Meido Zangetsuha] if he had a sample.
Naraku had originally wanted him to steal the [Gae Bolg], but the legendary spear's properties were too tied to the hero's own soul to be replicated. So, Byakuya had settled for the Assassin's cursed blade.
And it was enough. For a human like Kagome, a single scratch meant the end. The margin for error was absolute zero.
"Naraku is gone," Kagome stated, her voice steady as she held her bow, her gaze fixed on the illusionist. "Why are you still following his orders? You should be free now."
"Hmm?"
"I'm here to kill you, Kagome. Why are you offering me mercy?"
Byakuya couldn't understand the sentiment. He felt no "malice" from the girl, even as she aimed an arrow at his heart. It was a purely human emotion--one he found utterly alien.
"What makes you so loyal to a dead man?" Kagome asked. She couldn't sense a single drop of demonic energy from him.
The [Fuyo-Heki].
It was the only explanation. It meant she had to keep her eyes on him every second. If she blinked, he would vanish, and the next thing she felt would be the bite of the cursed blade.
"Loyalty?"
"Who knows."
"Maybe I just want to finish what I was entrusted with."
His casual, dismissive tone made Kagome flinch. Behind the mask of the jester, she could hear a hollow "lie." This creation of Naraku wasn't as malicious as the others, but his fatalism was just as dangerous.
'From the moment we were born, we were intended to be fuel for the pyre,' Byakuya thought, his fingers tightening on the hilt. 'My sister Kagura was the only one who got to see the sky. The rest of us... we're just loose ends waiting to be tied.'
"Freedom."
"Why did it have to be like this?"
"Tch! Kagura! Do something to stop her, or I'm going to have to cut her down!"
Kagura watched her "sister" Kanna. The silent girl stood with her mirror held high, and behind her, a colossal, spectral [Mirror Demon] loomed like a titan.
Inuyasha was circling the clearing, his movements frustrated and rushed. He had been blasted into this separate pocket of woods by the Jewel, only to find Kanna waiting in ambush.
"Kagura... is not a target."
Kanna's voice was a slow, mechanical drone. She ignored her sister entirely, her void-like eyes fixed on Inuyasha.
CLANG--GA!!
The [Mirror Demon] swung its arm, which had morphed into a jagged copy of the [Nenekirimaru]. Inuyasha caught the strike with his [Tessaiga], his feet skidding through the dirt.
He couldn't afford to be hit. If that "stolen" demon-slaying property touched him, he would lose his youkai form instantly.
"Stop it! Naraku is dead! You don't have to listen to his echoes!" Kagura shouted, flying close to Kanna on her feathers.
Kanna didn't even look at her. She was a doll with a single program.
PAT--!
Inuyasha tried to vault over the demon and escape back to the camp, but he hit an invisible wall of force.
(You're not leaving, Inuyasha.)
"!"
The voice of the Shikon Jewel echoed inside his skull, cold and oily.
(Kagome, the Servants, the fathers... you can save none of them.)
(You will be crippled here, alone in the dark. A failure once more.)
"You bastard!!"
Inuyasha swung the [Tessaiga], the red blade flashing as he tried to shatter the barrier.
K-ZZT!
The strike was reflected back with doubled force, nearly knocking him off his feet.
(Hahaha... How pathetic. Your sword, which couldn't even break Naraku's standard shields, thinks it can pierce a barrier woven from the Jewel's core?)
"[Adamant Barrage]!!"
The diamond shards flew thick and fast, but they simply dissolved into the spatial wall without a sound.
"Dammit!"
Inuyasha's anxiety was reaching a boiling point. If he was trapped here, what was happening to Kagome?
(You want to leave?)
(I can tell you how.)
"Shut up! I'm not listening to a word you say!" Inuyasha roared, parrying another strike from the [Mirror Demon].
(The core of this barrier... it's Kanna's own heart.)
"What!?"
Inuyasha froze for a split second, long enough for the [Mirror Demon] to almost graze his shoulder.
(That's right. The solution is simple.)
(Kill the girl. Kill Kanna, and the barrier drops.)
(How about it? A fair trade, isn't it? One life for your freedom?)
"I'm not doing your dirty work for you!" Inuyasha shouted, pushing the demon back with a surge of strength.
(Hehe... You don't have a choice.)
(I should mention--Kagome is currently being hunted by Byakuya. And he's holding a copy of that Assassin's cursed blade. [Murasame]. One scratch, and she's a memory.)
(I wonder... how fast can she run?)
"!"
Inuyasha felt a cold spike of terror. The separation hadn't been an accident. The Jewel had isolated the two of them to put him in this exact position.
(So, what will it be, Inuyasha?)
(Will you kill Kanna while Kagura watches? Or will you stay here and waste time while your priestess dies?)
(Either way... I think I'm going to enjoy the ending.)
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]