"What?" Sango's eyes widened as she stared at the man dressed like a priest, clearly startled.
"I've heard rumors of demons attempting to forge imitation Shikon Jewels," the man said calmly, as if speaking of something trivial.
At that moment, Kagetsu suddenly reached back and pulled an arrow from Kikyo's quiver, placing it in her hand as he spoke in a low voice.
"Kikyo, when I give the signal, shoot at the one hiding nearby. Don't use your purification power yet,I need to retrieve something first."
"Understood."
Though she didn't know what he was planning, Kikyo didn't hesitate. She knocked the arrow smoothly and gave a slight nod.
The instant he finished speaking, Kagetsu's figure blurred,then vanished.
In the next heartbeat, he appeared in front of a large tree some distance away.
His fist tightened, chakra surging violently through his arm before he drove it forward with terrifying force.
Boom!
The tree trunk exploded into splinters.
A figure hidden behind it was blasted into the air and slammed hard onto the ground.
"Damn it!"
Python Taro lay sprawled across the dirt, clutching his chest in agony, his heart pounding with fear.
He had hidden himself perfectly,how had he been found?
But after feeling the sheer force behind that punch, he didn't dare linger. He scrambled to his feet and fled without hesitation.
Whoosh!
An arrow cut through the air, heading straight for his chest.
Python Taro glanced at it,and, sensing no trace of spiritual power, sneered in disdain.
"A human's arrow?"
As expected, the arrow struck with a dull clang, failing to pierce his body.
But in the instant he dismissed it,Kagetsu appeared in front of him.
With one hand, he caught the rebounding arrow midair.
With the other, lightning crackled violently around his arm.
Chidori.
His hand shot forward,
Squelch!
It pierced straight through the demon's chest.
A heartbeat later, Kagetsu withdrew his arm and vanished again, reappearing beside Kikyo.
"Finish him. I've got what I need."
He opened his hand.
Resting in his palm was a translucent imitation of the Shikon Jewel.
Kikyo glanced at it, curiosity flickering in her eyes,but she didn't hesitate.
She drew her bow to full extension, her spiritual power flooding into the arrow.
Whoosh!
"My Shikon Jewel!"
Sensing the loss within his body, Python Taro let out a furious roar. Scales burst across his skin as his body began to elongate, attempting to transform into a giant serpent.
But Kikyo's sacred arrow was faster.
It pierced straight through him.
In the next instant, his body disintegrated into ash.
Kagetsu calmly returned the arrow to Kikyo's quiver, then handed her the imitation jewel.
"Hold onto this for me."
Only after she took it did he slowly turn around.
His gaze turned cold as it settled on the "priest" they had just rescued.
At that moment, the man had just accepted a bottle of water from Kagome, even going so far as to compliment its craftsmanship with feigned admiration.
Yet in mere seconds, his companion had been killed.
A flicker of unease passed through his expression.
When his eyes met Kagetsu's icy stare, cold sweat instantly formed on his forehead. His movements froze.
Kagome, Inuyasha, and the others immediately sensed the shift in atmosphere.
They didn't understand what was happening,but they trusted Kagetsu far more than a stranger.
Inuyasha pulled Kagome behind him, gripping Tessaiga as he fixed a wary glare on the man.
"What's going on?"
Sango and Miroku subtly spread out, surrounding the man from different angles, while Kirara let out a low growl, ready to pounce at any moment.
Seeing this, the man's expression darkened completely.
He stared at Kagetsu, voice laced with resentment.
"How did you figure it out?"
Kagetsu let out a cold laugh.
"Your disguise wouldn't fool even a halfway competent shinobi."
The man's act was riddled with flaws. His arrogance,something ingrained in demons,couldn't be hidden. Even as a half-demon, the disdain in his eyes when looking at humans betrayed him.
Or perhaps…
He simply hadn't cared enough to hide it.
Without giving him time to respond, Kagetsu formed a series of hand seals.
"Wood Release: Piercing Branch Technique."
The ground beneath the man erupted.
Countless barbed wooden vines shot upward, coiling tightly around him and binding him in an instant.
Kagetsu took the imitation Shikon Jewel back from Kikyo, tossing it lightly in his hand as he spoke.
"Let's make this simple. Your name. And where did this come from?"
He paused, his voice turning cold.
"Half-demon. If you lie… I'll kill you."
"Half-demon?"
Inuyasha, Kagome, and the others froze, staring at the bound man in shock. None of them had expected him to be like Inuyasha.
"How did you know?"
The man, who had been struggling, went still and looked up in disbelief.
Kagetsu's expression didn't change.
"I ask the questions."
A suffocating killing intent filled the air.
"Answer,or die."
The threat worked.
After a brief silence, the man spoke.
"My name… is Izumo."
Kagetsu sighed.
"Still lying."
His crimson Sharingan spun to life.
In an instant, the man was dragged into a genjutsu.
Though Inuyasha and the others didn't understand how Kagetsu could tell he was lying from just a name, they remained silent, watching.
The man's eyes turned dull, his expression blank,like a puppet with its strings cut.
"What is your real name?" Kagetsu asked.
"…Gyūō. The name my mother gave me is Gyūō. Izumo is my father's name."
"What are these imitation Shikon Jewels?"
"They are failed attempts… at recreating the true Shikon Jewel. The real one was formed by fusing the pure soul of the priestess Suiko with the tainted souls of demons. These imitations… contain the souls of ordinary humans and demons."
Kikyo's brows knit tightly.
"You mean these are made from human souls as well?"
"…Yes. The four souls,courage, friendship, wisdom, and love,form the Shikon. By gathering and sealing them within the Naohi, Magatsuhi, and chaos… a Shikon Jewel can be created."
"That's horrible!"
Kagome's face flushed with anger as she clenched her fists, glaring at the bound half-demon.
"To do something like that…"
"You deliberately approached us," Kagetsu continued coldly. "Why?"
"To use your souls… to create a true Shikon Jewel. With the shards you carry… and by fusing your souls… a complete Shikon Jewel could be formed."
Kagome stared at him in disbelief.
"You'd use our souls… just to make one? Why would you do that?!"
Kagetsu gave her a flat look.
"Is that even a question?"
"Either he wants its power… or he wants to make a wish."
His tone turned colder.
"For someone who casually harvests human and demon souls… sanity isn't exactly a requirement."
As his words fell, he raised his hand slightly.
The wooden vines tightened.
They surged upward, completely encasing Gyūō,forming a coffin of living wood.
The structure slowly sank into the earth.
From within, the faint, muffled sound of bones being crushed echoed out,
Then silence.
The madman who sought to forge a Shikon Jewel was buried without a trace.