"Momiji, Botan—this land soaked in demon blood must be purified afterward," Kikyo said calmly. "If you leave it like this, new evil spirits will easily be born."
The two young shrine maidens, now released from Kikyo's immobilization spell, were huddled tightly behind her, their faces pale. The bloody, mangled scene before them had clearly terrified them.
Hearing Kikyo's instructions, they nodded vigorously and answered in unison,
"Yes, Lady Kikyo!"
"Alright. This thing clearly has no strength left to resist," Retsu's shadow clone said, glancing at the motionless demon on the ground. "Next, it's time for the next step."
"Mm." Kikyo nodded and turned to him. "Did you get it?"
"I've got it," the clone replied.
While Xia Lan was fighting the demon, he had quietly followed the location Kikyo had given him and slipped into Tsubaki's master's grave, retrieving the remains needed as a medium for the Impure World Reincarnation technique.
Naturally, this was not something he could let Tsubaki, Momiji, or Botan know. Digging up their master's grave would never have been approved.
Kikyo's plan was simple: have Retsu use Impure World Reincarnation to summon Tsubaki's master back from the underworld, and let him personally deal with his wayward disciple.
As for whether the technique would even work in this world, Retsu had already tested it out of curiosity before freeing himself from his own reincarnated body.
The answer was: it worked.
However, he had also discovered key differences between worlds.
In the ninja world, aside from the Sage of Six Paths' descendants whose chakra reincarnated, most souls remained in the Pure Land after death. As long as a body existed, they could be summoned back.
But in the Inuyasha world, things were different.
If someone had been dead for too long, their soul would reincarnate. Once that happened, Impure World Reincarnation would fail.
Kikyo was the best example.
She had only been dead for fifty years—no problem at all in the ninja world. But her soul was no longer in the underworld, so she couldn't be summoned.
Tsubaki's master, however, had died only about a year ago. His soul should still be in the realm of the dead.
As for how Retsu knew Kikyo's soul wasn't there anymore—
It was simple.
He had already tried using her blood.
When he first explained the technique to Kikyo, she had curiously asked whether her soul was still in the underworld.
His instinctive answer had been no—because her soul had reincarnated as Higurashi Kagome. Of course it wouldn't be there.
But then he remembered something important.
Kagome wasn't from this era. She came from five hundred years in the future.
That meant there was a five-hundred-year gap between Kikyo's death and her reincarnation.
By logic, her soul should still have been in the underworld at this point.
Even the revived Kikyo's soul actually originated from Kagome's future soul.
With that doubt in mind, they tested it.
And unexpectedly, the technique failed.
Retsu concluded that either Kikyo's soul had already reincarnated, or summoning her would require her original body from fifty years ago.
But Kikyo and the Shikon Jewel had been cremated together, leaving no usable medium behind.
Later, he tested it on others and found that anyone who had been dead for more than ten years could not be summoned.
That confirmed it—Kikyo's soul had indeed already reincarnated.
On the other side, Xia Lan looked at the completely motionless demon and waved her paw with lingering reluctance.
Pale-blue Susanoo light still flowed around her claws. Her crimson eyes sparkled with excitement, and her tail swept the ground unconsciously.
"Stop playing around. I'm canceling Susanoo. Turn back too," Retsu's voice came from the diamond-shaped core above her forehead.
As soon as he finished speaking, the pale-blue armor rapidly dispersed, revealing her red fur patterned with black leopard spots.
Xia Lan looked at the vanished armor, pouted slightly, and sighed in regret before withdrawing her demonic power.
Her massive body shrank at a visible speed.
Soon, she returned to her human form—a girl in a white top and black pants, with a fluffy cat tail trailing behind her.
"So, did you have fun?" Retsu asked with a smile, looking at her still-flushed face.
"Super fun!" Xia Lan nodded vigorously, her tail swinging wildly. "Retsu, next time there's something like this, you have to call me!"
She glanced at the dying demon, clearly unsatisfied.
"I'm heading back!"
"Wait, I haven't given you the sea fish yet!" Retsu hurriedly called out.
"I'll eat it next time!" Xia Lan waved. "I'm going to brag to Big Sis!"
Before he could say anything else, her body turned into a puff of white smoke and vanished, returning to her clan's territory.
"That girl…"
Retsu sighed helplessly, watching the smoke fade. He had wanted to ask about their leader's revival plan.
"Retsu, you've got the materials. We can begin," Kikyo said calmly as she approached with Tsubaki, Momiji, and Botan.
The shadow clone handed the scroll to Retsu and dispersed into smoke.
"I'm starting. Stay back," Retsu said solemnly, walking to the demon's massive body.
"Kikyo… what exactly are you planning to do?" Tsubaki whispered nervously from behind.
She was genuinely frightened now.
She had thought releasing the demon was suicide. Instead, it had been crushed effortlessly.
Remembering her earlier arrogance, her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
"I admit… I talked a little too big back then," she wanted to say.
"Didn't I tell you already?" Kikyo replied with a faint smile. "We're finding someone who can convince you."
She gestured toward Retsu.
"I think that's not necessary anymore!" Tsubaki forced a stiff smile. "Kikyo, you've convinced me! I'll inherit the temple and teach Momiji and Botan properly!"
She had already made up her mind.
With Kikyo and Retsu around, she would hide here for decades.
With her extended lifespan, she could easily wait until they grew old and died before leaving.
"Too late."
Kikyo tilted her chin slightly. "Look."
"That person is about to appear."
Tsubaki's heart clenched. She looked up instinctively.
Retsu was rapidly forming hand seals.
Then he slammed his palm into the ground.
Black curse markings spread instantly, forming a complex array beneath the demon.
As chakra poured in, the formation erupted with blinding white light.
"Aaaargh—!!"
The demon screamed in agony as its broken body struggled violently.
Gray ash surged forward like a tide, wrapping around it layer by layer.
Its screams grew weaker and weaker, until they vanished completely.
Tsubaki stared at the writhing mass of gray dust.
She could clearly sense the growing aura of death within it. A guess had already formed in her mind.
The next moment, the dust slowly dispersed.
An elderly man in priestly robes appeared before them, his hair completely white, his face lined with age.
Though he no longer resembled the man in her memories, Tsubaki recognized him instantly.
Her pupils shrank.
Her voice trembled uncontrollably.
"M-Master…?"
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