"Good, then I'm relieved!" Hearing Kikyo's affirmative reply, Retsu completely set aside his concerns and began to channel Chakra into her body with all his might.
His body of Edo Tensei had an almost infinite supply of Chakra to support him, so his Chakra would not run dry.
As long as his spirit held out, he could give without reservation. The majestic Chakra was like a stream merging into a vast sea, flowing continuously into Kikyo's body through their joined palms.
With the continuous injection of Chakra, Kikyo's condition improved visibly to the naked eye.
Her originally pale face gradually regained color, and the evil aura surrounding her faded away, replaced by a gentle surge of energy.
Not only that, the dead souls in her body that had been collected by the Soul Reapers began to drift out one after another, turning into points of glowing white light that flew into the sky and dissipated in the woods.
"Is this situation okay?" Seeing this, Retsu subconsciously stopped the transfer and hurriedly inquired.
"It is fine," Kikyo's voice softened considerably. "This body no longer needs dead souls for support. They are simply returning to where they belong."
"That's good then." Retsu breathed a sigh of relief, activated his Chakra again, and continued the transfer.
More and more dead souls emerged from Kikyo's body and flew into the distance.
It wasn't until the last wisp of light drifted away that Retsu could clearly see the state of her body through his Sharingan.
The shell that was originally filled with dead soul energy was now completely filled with his Chakra. In the very center, a faint white ball of light was gently enveloped by the Chakra; that should be Kikyo's remaining soul.
After transferring for a while longer, Kikyo's body suddenly emitted a faint white light. The light grew brighter and brighter, carrying a holy and pure aura.
Retsu recognized it at a glance; that was the Spiritual Power unique to a Priestess.
"Alright, that is enough," Kikyo's voice came at the right time, carrying a hint of irrepressible joy.
Retsu immediately stopped the Chakra transfer, let go of her hand, and asked, "How do you feel?"
"Very good." Kikyo slowly opened her eyes, a bright and gentle smile appearing on her face.
It was a pure joy, without a trace of sadness, which caused Retsu to daze for a moment.
This was the first time he had seen Kikyo show such a smile.
Unlike the gentle compassion she showed toward children, her smile at this moment was like melting ice and snow, so dazzling that one could not look away.
"The feeling of weakness in my body has completely vanished, my Spiritual Power has mostly recovered, and more importantly, I can feel my soul slowly mending."
Kikyo lightly raised her hand, feeling the power flowing within her, her eyes containing a flicker of anticipation.
"That's good. It seems Chakra is indeed useful to you." Retsu snapped back to his senses and observed her body through his Sharingan again.
The resentment attached to Kikyo's soul had mostly dissipated, and the remaining resentment was slowly fading away under the influence of her Spiritual Power.
The soul enveloped by Chakra was bit by bit absorbing the Chakra, becoming increasingly stronger.
What surprised him even more was that his Chakra was actually locked tight by this Clay Body, without any sign of leaking out.
But thinking about it, it wasn't strange. This body could even trap a soul, so it was quite normal for it to lock in Chakra.
"However, there is a problem," Retsu's tone shifted. "The Chakra in your body won't last too long. If you encounter a battle, the consumption will be even faster."
He paused, a flash of confidence in his eyes. "But as long as Chakra is useful to you, this problem is easy to solve."
Saying that, Retsu raised both hands in a French military salute gesture and said to Kikyo, "Raise your hands and do the same movement as me."
Though Kikyo was puzzled, she still obediently raised her hands.
At this moment, she had not only broken her dependence on dead souls but also saw the hope of resurrection; she was very trusting of Retsu's words.
"Very good, stand still and don't move."
Seeing this aloof, iceberg-like Priestess making such a slightly ridiculous gesture, Retsu almost burst out laughing.
But he didn't dare to actually laugh, for fear of provoking Kikyo into a fit of embarrassment and anger that would result in him getting a beating.
He quickly focused his mind, his expression turning solemn, and his hands began to rapidly form seals: "Snake, Boar, Ram, Rabbit, Dog, Rat, Bird, Horse, Snake!"
The nine hand seals were completed in one breath. The moment Retsu clapped his hands together, the massive Chakra within him suddenly erupted!
Pale blue Chakra boiled and tumbled around him, clearly visible. The powerful airflow formed a gale, blowing Kikyo's long hair behind her, letting it flutter wildly in the air.
Kikyo felt the majestic aura coming from him but did not speak to interrupt. She maintained her hand-raised posture, watching him with calm eyes.
When the Chakra on Retsu's body reached its peak activity, streaks of golden-glowing sealing formulas lit up around him.
"Four Symbols Seal!"
Before his voice had even faded, he slammed a palm onto Kikyo's abdomen. The golden sealing formulas spread out from his palm, pulling the Chakra from his body and pouring it continuously into Kikyo's body.
A few seconds later, the seal was complete. Retsu let go, plopped down on the ground, and gasped for breath.
The Four Symbols Seal was already a high-level Sealing Technique that consumed a lot of Chakra and mental energy. Furthermore, he was sealing his own Chakra, making the drain far greater than a normal seal.
Even though the Edo Tensei formula was rapidly absorbing the surrounding Natural Energy to replenish his Chakra, he still felt a wave of intense fatigue.
"Are you alright?" Seeing his exhausted appearance, Kikyo hurriedly asked with concern.
"I'm fine, it's just that the consumption was too great, I'm a bit tired." Retsu looked up and saw Kikyo still holding her hands high. He couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, you can put your hands down now, you don't have to keep holding them up."
"Oh." Kikyo's cheeks flushed slightly as she quickly withdrew her hands.
Maintaining that posture just now had indeed made her feel a bit ashamed.
"Try an attack with your Spiritual Power to see if the consumed Chakra can be replenished through the seal," Retsu reminded her.
Kikyo nodded, walked to the bedside to pick up her bow and arrows, came to the entrance of the treehouse, and casually aimed at the ground below.
The Spiritual Power in her body surged rapidly, coating the arrow. She released the bowstring, and the arrow turned into a streak of white light. With a "bang," it struck the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
She didn't pay attention to the arrow but instead closed her eyes, focusing on feeling the changes within her body.
A Priestess's Spiritual Power originated from the soul and consumed soul power. In the past, she could only replenish it by collecting dead souls after consumption.
But now, she could clearly feel that the moment her Spiritual Power was consumed, the Chakra in her body was rapidly used by her soul and eventually converted into Spiritual Power.
At the same time, more Chakra surged out from the seal on her abdomen, replenishing the consumed Chakra in her body and forming a perfect cycle.
"It works." Kikyo opened her eyes, which were full of joy, and said to Retsu, who was resting on the ground, "The consumed Chakra is quickly replenished by the seal."
"That's good. It seems my Sealing Technique didn't have any problems."
Retsu breathed a sigh of relief and explained,
"I've sealed enough Chakra in your body that it should last until your soul is completely recovered. When you are ready, we will start working on the resurrection."
Kikyo put down her bow and arrows and sat down beside him. She had returned to her usual aloofness, yet there was a bit more softness to her.
She looked at Retsu earnestly and said word by word, "Thank you very much."
Retsu looked at the Kikyo before him. Although she still had that aloof appearance, the previous sorrow and dead silence were long gone, replaced by a sense of calm and expectation in her eyes.
The Priestess with a tragic fate in the original story finally had the possibility of rewriting her destiny under his intervention.
"You're welcome." Retsu smiled. "It won't be too late to thank me after we have resurrected you."
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