Kagetsu came to an abrupt halt.
His hand snapped to the hilt at his waist, crimson Sharingan silently blooming in his eyes as he swept a cold gaze across the dense forest on both sides.
Sensing the shift, Kikyo immediately took her longbow from her back, her expression sharpening as she scanned their surroundings.
The next moment,
Rustling footsteps broke the silence.
From the undergrowth, several armored ashigaru emerged.
At first glance, they resembled ordinary soldiers,but something was deeply wrong. Their skin bore a pale, earthen sheen, like poorly fired clay. Their forms were stiff and unnatural, like crudely crafted statues.
And yet, the naginatas in their hands gleamed coldly as they moved with the fluidity of living men.
"…Terra-cotta soldiers."
Kikyo's pupils tightened slightly as recognition dawned.
"They are corpses animated by oni magic,Ritō's Ghost Arts. Bodies shaped from grave soil and bone, brought back to life."
"So, similar to your old body?" Kagetsu asked, eyeing them with interest. "Made from bones and dirt?"
His gaze lingered critically over the approaching figures.
"…Though these are pretty rough by comparison. Not even close to your level."
"Hmph."
Kikyo lifted her chin, a faint smile flickering in her eyes.
"These crude soldiers can hardly be compared to me."
"Of course," Kagetsu replied with a light chuckle. "Our great Priestess Kikyo is in a class of her own."
His expression shifted, gaze sharpening as the dozen or so soldiers closed in.
"I'll take care of these."
Shing!
The clear ring of steel echoed through the air.
In the next instant, his figure blurred,vanishing into motion like a phantom weaving through the enemy ranks.
Crack,crack,crack!
A series of brittle shattering sounds followed.
Blade marks flashed across the bodies of the terra-cotta soldiers,clean, horizontal cuts that appeared almost simultaneously.
Then,
They broke apart.
Their bodies collapsed into fragments, pottery shards scattering across the ground in dull clatters.
Kagetsu flicked the residual wind-nature chakra from his blade and slid it back into its sheath, his expression calm as he glanced at the faint clusters of light drifting from the shattered remains.
Kikyo lowered her bow and stepped forward. Kneeling beside the broken fragments, she gently touched them, examining their composition.
"Find anything?" Kagetsu asked, crouching beside her.
Inside the hollow shells, there was nothing resembling living structure,no organs, no meridians.
Only scattered bone fragments remained, mixed with the clay.
A faint herbal scent lingered in the air, while the drifting lights marked the remnants of the souls that had just departed.
"It's the same technique," Kikyo said, her brows furrowing. "Ritō's method of reviving the dead… just like the one used on me."
A trace of doubt crept into her voice.
"But I destroyed him after I was revived. These soldiers shouldn't exist anymore."
"Then someone else inherited the technique."
Kagetsu straightened, a faint, intrigued smile forming as he looked deeper into the forest.
"If these things are here, their creator can't be far."
Kikyo rose as well, giving a small nod.
As they continued forward, more waves of terra-cotta soldiers appeared.
Each time, Kagetsu cut them down with ease.
But gradually, a pattern became clear.
"These things…" Kikyo murmured, watching another group collapse into shards. "They aren't attacking at random."
"They're searching," Kagetsu finished.
He suddenly stopped, his gaze shifting toward a nearby river.
"…And I think I know what for."
Kikyo followed his line of sight.
There, drifting slowly along the surface of the water, was a figure clad in a plain red kimono.
A young girl.
Her body floated unnaturally, neither sinking nor struggling,carried gently by the current.
Kagetsu could clearly sense the dense aura of the dead surrounding her.
Just like Kikyo once had been,
A revived corpse.
"Stay here," he said.
Channeling chakra to his feet, he stepped onto the water and dashed forward. Reaching her, he lifted her carefully by the waist and carried her back to shore, laying her down gently.
Now, her features were clearly visible.
Short, wine-red hair clung damply to her cheeks. Her kimono, simple and unadorned, clung lightly to her frame.
Her face was delicate,young, almost fragile.
"She's unconscious," Kagetsu noted, then glanced at Kikyo with curiosity. "When you had a clay body… did you need to breathe? Could she have drowned like that?"
Kikyo shot him a brief, exasperated look, but still answered.
"Breathing is only a lingering habit from life. Even without it, nothing happens."
Her gaze softened slightly as she looked at the girl.
"She's unconscious because the soul sustaining her is too weak."
As if in response,
Soft fluttering sounds filled the air.
Several glowing white soul collectors drifted in, each carrying a faint cluster of pale light.
They circled Kikyo briefly, then moved toward the girl, gently guiding the souls into her body.
Kagetsu raised a brow.
"You still have these little things?"
"I kept them," Kikyo said softly, lifting a hand as one perched lightly on her fingertip.
Her expression turned unexpectedly gentle.
"It wasn't easy to gather them. Even if I no longer rely on them for survival, they're still useful."
Watching them, Kagetsu couldn't help but reach out, curiosity getting the better of him.
But the moment his hand moved closer,
The soul collectors scattered, avoiding him completely.
"…Seriously?"
Kikyo couldn't hold back a quiet laugh.
"They don't seem to like you."
"Hmph."
Kagetsu snorted, clearly displeased. Without hesitation, he reached out and pinched Kikyo's cheek, gently rubbing it.
"If I can't touch them, I'll just settle for their master."
"Stop that!"
Kikyo laughed, swatting his hand away, her cheeks flushing faintly.
She quickly caught his wrist before he could try again, shooting him a meaningful glance.
"She's waking up."
Kagetsu turned.
The girl's eyes had slowly opened.
Her wine-red pupils,matching her hair,stared blankly at the sky, filled with confusion.