"Ahh!"
With a surprised shout from several members of the group, mainly Kagome and Shippo, since Miroku and Sango have better body control, everyone stares at the old man Totosai.
He had come back to life "magically" after a… warm resuscitation, so now he has a black eye and is hanging upside down from a tree, benefits granted by Asahiko.
"That's right, I am the great Totosai, the one who forged the incredible sword known as Steel Fang!"
Showing clear pride in his incredible creation, Totosai tries to raise his head toward the sky, only to realize he is still upside down.
"Is that true, Myoga?"
"Yes, Master Inuyasha! He is the one who forged your sword from your father's fang and who knows all its secrets, the great swordsmith Totosai!"
Perching on Inuyasha's shoulder with a wise expression, perhaps from having taken blood earlier, Myoga describes Totosai with a mythical aura.
"So… the old man is someone incredible, Your Excellency"
"He is, Sango. We've all seen how powerful Steel Fang is, and for this old man to have forged it… incredible is an understatement"
"Of course I am! Now then… please, can you let me down?"
Looking at Asahiko with teary eyes that cause more disgust than anything else, Totosai loses the last trace of hope, although surprisingly in the end Asahiko does release him.
This causes him to fall face-first, but he doesn't care and quickly crawls behind Inuyasha, using him as a human shield despite the latter's discomfort.
"Alright, he's incredible, but what did he come here for, Myoga?"
"It's because—"
"I've come to test you, boy! To see if you are worthy of carrying my greatest creation, the mighty Steel Fang! Ah, wait, what are you doing"
"So you understand your place, stupid old man"
Stomping on Totosai who oddly ends up in the same position as before with Asahiko, the dog boy is stopped by Myoga.
"Calm down, Master Inuyasha! Totosai is the only one who knows how to unlock the powers of that sword, incredible techniques beyond your imagination!"
"Tsk, what does that matter, they'll come to me anyway"
"Myoga has told me you are searching for the jewel shards, I think that leaves you very little time to focus on yourself. Think of a demon that has two or three shards, you need power… one last move to stay ahead in any situation!"
Speaking seriously for the first time since he appeared, Totosai leaves everyone in silence, even Asahiko who has been avoiding Souga's techniques purely for visual reasons and his former moral considerations.
"He has a very good point, Inuyasha"
"You should listen to him"
"It sounds… surprisingly logical, even to me"
Pressed by the sudden support everyone gives to Totosai, who scratches his bald head, Inuyasha sighs and asks the million-dollar question.
"Alright, I'm listening… what do you want from me, Totosai?"
"Something very important, boy. Someone has been trying to kill me, I want you to protect me!"
"Oh, so in the end he will become part of your group, Inuyasha"
"He will not, Asahiko! Now tell me, old man, who is it that's trying to kill you?"
Half-growling in Asahiko's direction, who just shrugs, Inuyasha turns back to Totosai, forcing him to speak at once.
"I-it's a pure and dangerous demon, he has long silver hair down to his waist and wears a trail of white fur that looks very comfortable… Here he comes!"
Shattering the calm with his last words, Totosai lets out a high-pitched scream and then starts running behind a tree in an attempt to hide.
"That is… someone with a lot of style, I must admit"
"It's Sesshōmaru!"
"Damn it, so you were running from him, old man!"
Jumping all over the place, Inuyasha's group goes wild, while Asahiko is just… amazed by the stranger's style, and Sesshōmaru really does have a lot of "style."
He is literally standing on a two-headed dragon, with brown scales and a saddle on its back. His long silver hair is like a flag in the wind as they fly, while his perfect face and noble clothing make him look incredible.
Aside from him, who draws all the attention, a small green-skinned imp can be seen. He wears dark colors, his eyes seem to glow, and he carries a staff with two faces at the top.
"I suppose he's an enemy, right?"
"He's Inuyasha's brother, although he has attacked us multiple times… Wait, put that spear down!"
"Make up your mind, is he an enemy or not?"
Making the javelin in his hand disappear, Asahiko looks at Kagome and falls silent. Damn, he doesn't want to cause friendly fire, but the false priestess does not seem to be very clear about what's going on here.
"Asahiko, you know how brothers are. Some love each other, others hate each other and a good number simply fight among themselves for no reason"
"Oh. All your relationships are very strange, Inuyasha"
"They are not!"
"But… Kikyo is your love and she tried to kill you, this guy is your brother and wants to kill you, Miroku is your friend and—"
"Enough, shut up already!"
Trying to shut Asahiko up with a flying punch, which he dodges without hesitation, Inuyasha tries to go for more, but is stopped by the sudden pressure on his person. It wasn't just him who felt it, everyone went on guard, unconsciously looking upward.
There was Sesshōmaru, looking down with his golden slitted eyes and serpent-like pupils. The pressure was… palpable, forcing everyone to take him seriously.
"Inuyasha, could you tell me what Totosai is doing by your side?"
Demanding an explanation rather than asking for one, Sesshōmaru ignores all the extras and focuses on his brother, or rather half-brother.
"You know it's because you want to kill me!"
"And that is why you associate with this incompetent?"
"Sesshōmaru…"
Growling toward the sky despite Sesshōmaru's clear indifference, who seems to be looking at something beneath him, Inuyasha draws Steel Fang.
"Hahaha, Totosai… it seems you want to die soon"
"No, wait, let's make another deal! You must know I only forge weapons for the worthy, so if you defeat him… ahem, both of them, I swear I'll do it!"
"Both of them? I thought you only surrounded yourself with trash in your little group, Inuyasha"
Shifting from the enraged Inuyasha to Asahiko, who gives him a polite greeting, Sesshōmaru narrows his eyes as he senses the latter's nature.
"A pleasure, Mr. Sesshōmaru. What? If he speaks to me with respect, I return it, basic communication. Aside from that, you can ignore Totosai, I think this is… something between you two?"
"Kagome, he's betraying us!"
"Don't say that, Shippo. That's how any normal person should act, words first and then the sword… not like a certain someone"
Shaking her head as she sees Inuyasha already gripping Steel Fang, Kagome sighs and accepts that times are different here… Wait! Then why is Asahiko so normal?
Doubting the newly joined member of the team, Kagome returns to reality when she is moved away from the area by Sango and Miroku.
"You heard him, Inuyasha. You'll have to die for my new sword to be forged!"
"If you have what it takes, come at me!"
Provoking Sesshōmaru, the half-dog boy quickly dodges as his brother descends toward him, letting the latter strike the ground with his only available hand.
That single blow shatters the nearby ground as if it were paper, but the worst comes after in the form of a toxic cloud that covers the surroundings and melts the edges of the newly created crater.
Noticing the danger from the toxic cloud, Inuyasha creates a slash of compressed air by quickly unsheathing his sword, dispersing the cloud completely and moving to attack.
"Take this!"
Delivering a first downward slash that creates a deep trench due to being dodged, Inuyasha does not stop and makes several more cuts while Sesshōmaru retreats. The thing is, despite that, Sesshōmaru does not lose the rhythm of the battle, but instead seems to be measuring Inuyasha and his movements.
Finally understanding this, which was not very difficult given the primitive way Inuyasha swings his sword, Sesshōmaru brings together his index and ring fingers. These two fingers are surrounded by a green aura, like poison, but instead of becoming a toxic cloud it transforms into a long semi-solid whip that he uses to strike.
"Don't you think it's sad, Totosai? A sword like Steel Fang only shows its true abilities in the hands of a competent owner, yet Inuyasha swings it as if it were a log!"
"¡Agh!"
Striking Inuyasha right in the chest with his whip and sending him flying, Sesshōmaru looks toward Totosai in the distance, making him tremble, and then lashes several more times.
*Boom* *Boom* *Boom*
Chunks of earth fly, cracks open in the ground, and trees fall under Sesshōmaru's relentless assault, cornering Inuyasha more and more as he fully falls into his rhythm.
What was that rhythm? Simple, maintaining mid-range, striking continuously to destabilize the opponent and prevent them from fixing their stance, all facilitated by his supernatural abilities.
"Damn it!"
Stopping his retreat, Inuyasha makes a diagonal slash with Steel Fang and manages to destroy the semi-solid whip, then leaps toward Sesshōmaru. The latter, with astonishing combat sense, dodges by moving slightly and then kicks Inuyasha, sending him toward the nearby trees.
"Inuyasha!"
"Calm down, Kagome, he won't lose that easily"
"Sango is right, Inuyasha is not so weak as to lose like this"
Offering moral support to Kagome, who seems the most worried about Inuyasha, both the demon slayer and the monk move her further from the center of the fight.
Clearly it was a precaution, although that does not stop cowardly Totosai's senses from flaring and him beginning to ramble.
"We're doomed, finished, all dead!"
"Shut up, Inuyasha always ends up winning in every fight!"
"Are you sure that wasn't in your dreams? Ah, put that down!"
Hiding behind Asahiko, who just raises an eyebrow at what's in front of him, Kagome somehow holding Totosai's hammer and trying to hit him, the old man begins to puff his cheeks discreetly.
That could have continued if he weren't doing it next to Asahiko, a pure demon who, despite all his issues, is very bad at spiritual energy, he can clearly feel it.
"What are you trying to do, old man?"
"Glup, glup"
"Good, I've been wanting to throw something at him since I saw him coming"
Grabbing poor Totosai by the throat despite his squirming and everyone's surprise, Asahiko narrows his eyes before throwing him toward Sesshōmaru.
The old man flips completely in the air, fixes his posture with incomprehensible movements, then opens his mouth, releasing a burst of flames onto his hammer which appeared in his hand at some point.
That strike, incredibly simple and direct, is easily dodged by Sesshōmaru, who narrows his eyes dangerously, but surprise… Fire!
Dozens, perhaps even hundreds of columns of fire erupt from the ground in an instant, turning the entire area into a sea of blazing magma and providing cover for the others' escape.
…Off scene…
"God, even deeper than when Kagome buried you earlier"
Switching from a bird to his normal form, Asahiko looks at Inuyasha and just shakes his head.
"Stop talking and get me out of here! I have to go fight Sesshōmaru!"
"Yes… but no. Unfortunately we're retreating, which is the most sensible thing… Did you even see that man's style?"
"What does that have to do with anything, Asahiko!"
Seeing Inuyasha hyperventilating from pure fury, Asahiko, being a good samaritan, gives his dog friend an explanation.
"Simple, if his real power were only 1% of his style… we were screwed"
"And for that stupidity you left me back there alone!"
"Yeah~"