[Inorin's Note:
Hey everyone, so sorry for the lack of updates these past few days! Four days ago, I randomly got the idea to build my own novel website, and I immediately hyperfocused on it. I got so caught up in the process that I completely forgot to queue up the scheduled chapters on Webnovel and only just realized it now. The good news is, my 78-hour coding binge wasn't for nothing—the website is already 50-75% done!]
Chapter 53: The Rival Priestess
Tsubaki.
The name stirred a faint memory in Hikaru's mind. He recognized it as a character from the original story.
She was a miko, but far from an ordinary one. To the outside world, she was a prodigy who stood on equal footing with Kikyo in both status and reputation. In her youth, she had traveled the land exorcising demons, and it was during this time that she met Kikyo in a village. They had worked together to defeat a powerful demon, and from that day forward, Tsubaki had viewed Kikyo as her one true rival.
Later, when the Demon Slayer clan entrusted the Shikon Jewel to Kikyo for purification and protection, Tsubaki's rivalry curdled into resentment. She launched a surprise attack on Kikyo with a shikigami, only for the curse to be reflected, leaving Tsubaki's face permanently disfigured. This event cemented her path of vengeance. Fifty years later, at the start of the main story, she would willingly fall from grace, becoming a dark priestess who specialized in cursing her victims to death.
Looking at her now, however, Hikaru saw only a young woman brimming with arrogance. She had not yet walked the path of jealousy and revenge that would define her future.
And yet, just as in the original tale, it seemed she had come here to 'compete' for the Shikon Jewel.
Tsubaki stood with her chin held high, projecting the air of a proud peacock. The white robes of her miko attire clung to her frame, and her posture pulled the fabric taut across her chest, accentuating a full curve. Her red hakama swayed in the wind like a long skirt, fluttering around her ankles.
A potent spiritual power stirred the air, emanating from her in evident waves. Though it was considerably weaker than Kikyo's, she was unquestionably a first-rate priestess among her peers.
'Watchdog?' Hikaru raised an eyebrow. He wasn't angry; he just found the metaphor novel. He'd been called a demon, a monster, and a beast before, but "watchdog" was a first.
"I prefer the title 'companion'," he said, his voice level. He planted Hiraikotsu on the ground, the heavy thud of the massive boomerang causing several nearby Demon Slayers to flinch and take two steps back. "As for who the dog is…"
His gaze swept over Tsubaki from head to toe.
"That remains to be seen."
Tsubaki's expression shifted instantly. The haughty confidence at the corners of her eyes froze into a layer of sharp frost. A classic villainous scowl.
"You demon—"
"Tsubaki," Kikyo interjected. Her voice wasn't loud, but it cut cleanly through the air, halting the other priestess's impending curse. "Did you come for the Shikon Jewel?"
The question was blunt and direct.
Tsubaki sneered. "What else?" She took two steps forward, the hem of her red hakama dragging a crimson trace across the dusty ground. "I am not convinced by that old man's decision to give the jewel to you."
"Why should it be you?" she demanded. "In terms of spiritual power, I am not your inferior. In terms of experience, I have traveled the world and exorcised countless demons. In terms of seniority—" She paused, the displeasure in her eyes deepening. "My lineage is nobler than yours, and I began my training in the miko arts long before you did."
Kikyo offered no rebuttal. She simply stood there quietly, her long black hair floating gently in the breeze. Her composed, serene demeanor was a stark contrast to Tsubaki's aggressive posturing.
"So?" Kikyo asked. "What do you intend to do?"
"A contest," Tsubaki declared, raising a hand and pointing a sharp finger at Kikyo. "Three days from now, right here in the Demon Slayer Village, you and I will duel using the methods of a miko."
"Whoever wins will earn the right to protect the Shikon Jewel."
A murmur rippled through the surrounding Demon Slayers.
"This is..."
"The two miko-sama are going to duel?"
"Can our village even withstand such a thing…?"
Hikaru stood off to the side, a silent observer to the unfolding drama. He watched Tsubaki's face as she spoke, noticing the flicker of anxiety that lay beneath her arrogant facade. And in her eyes, there was an undisguised, burning jealousy.
This woman had seen Kikyo as a rival from their very first meeting, but Kikyo had never once considered her an opponent. This one-sided dynamic was likely the source of Tsubaki's deepest frustrations.
'Unrequited love is the most painful,'Hikaru thought wryly.'Ahem, no, unrequited competitive spirit.'
"A duel?" Kikyo's voice pulled Hikaru from his wandering thoughts. "It would be meaningless."
Tsubaki's expression froze. "What did you say?"
"The Shikon Jewel is not something that can be protected by strength alone," Kikyo stated calmly. "It requires a pure heart. Your heart is too chaotic."
To say such a thing to a miko, for whom one's state of mind was paramount, was incredibly blunt—almost cruel.
Tsubaki's face flushed a furious shade of red. In a sudden, explosive fit of rage, she thrust her hand forward, a bolt of pure spiritual power shooting from her fingertips straight at Kikyo's face.
It was fast. Blindingly fast.
But—
Clang!
A sharp, metallic ring echoed through the tense air. At some point, Hikaru had moved to stand directly in front of Kikyo. Muramasa was held horizontally before his chest, its gleaming edge intercepting the spiritual blast.
The blade hummed, splitting the energy into two streams that shot past on either side of him. They struck the ground behind, exploding into a pair of small, smoking craters.
"A sneak attack?" Hikaru's voice was dangerously calm. "Is this the conduct of a miko who wishes to protect the Shikon Jewel? It feels even viler than the actions of a demon like me."
Tsubaki's face grew even redder, not from shame, but from pure, unadulterated fury.
"You demon, get out of my way!" she shrieked. She raised both hands as more spiritual power began to gather, condensing into swirling strands of white light around her. "Since you wish to be her watchdog, then I will deal with you first!"
Hikaru didn't move. He simply stood his ground, the tip of his katana pointed diagonally at the earth. Behind him, Kikyo was just as still, but her hand now rested on the string of her bow.
The air grew heavy, and the surrounding Demon Slayers scrambled to retreat further. Just as the confrontation was about to erupt into violence—
"Enough."
An elderly voice cut through the crowd. Everyone turned to see an old woman leaning on a cane, draped in a grey robe and long skirt. Her hair was white and her face was a roadmap of deep wrinkles, but her eyes held a sharpness that could rival any youth's.
"To start a fight on the grounds of our Demon Slayer Village—" Her gaze swept over Tsubaki, then landed on Hikaru. "Lady Tsubaki, do you truly intend to show this old woman no face at all?"
Tsubaki's aggressive posture froze. Hikaru, in turn, sheathed his blade. One could tell this woman's status at a glance—an elder of the Demon Slayer Village, likely the one in charge while the chief was away.
"If you wish to compete, you may," the old woman said, walking between the two parties and planting her cane firmly on the ground. "But not now."
She fixed her gaze on Tsubaki. "Lady Tsubaki, you are a world-renowned priestess. Word of you launching a sneak attack in public would not reflect well upon you."
Tsubaki's face cycled from pale to flushed, then back to pale again. "I…"
"Three days from now," the elder interrupted her. "There is an open space behind the village. If you wish to compete, do it there. When the time comes, everyone in our Demon Slayer Village will bear witness. Whoever wins or loses, justice will be served."
Having said her piece, the old woman turned to Kikyo. "Lady Kikyo, what do you think?"
Kikyo was silent for a moment before giving a slight nod. "That is acceptable."
Tsubaki's expression shifted, the anger melting away into a flash of… smugness? Her scheme had succeeded.
"Fine," she sneered. "Three days from now, I would like to see just how strong this so-called 'Strongest Priestess'—the one outsiders praise so highly—truly is."
With a final, venomous glare, she turned and stalked away, her figure in white and red disappearing into the crowd.
The tense atmosphere finally eased. Hikaru sheathed Muramasa and turned to Kikyo. "You agreed to her terms?"
"Yes," Kikyo replied, her expression as placid as ever. "It seems she will not let this rest. It is better to resolve it once and for all than to let her continue pestering me."
Hikaru considered her logic and found it sound. Still, something felt off.
"That moment just now—" he said, gesturing toward the spot where he had blocked the spiritual blast. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Kikyo didn't speak. She only glanced at him, a look that seemed to say, You're only just realizing?
"In front of outsiders," Kikyo's voice was very soft, audible only to him, "your identity is that of my shikigami."
"..."
Hikaru fell silent. Shikigami? He, an Oni Samurai, was being passed off as a familiar?
"From now on, that is your identity," Kikyo continued. "It is a more convenient explanation, and others will not ask too many questions."
Hikaru opened his mouth, then closed it, swallowing whatever protest he had been about to make. Fine. A shikigami it was. With a title like that, it would indeed be easier to move through human settlements.
"Then—" Looking at Kikyo's serious expression, a flash of 'inspiration' struck Hikaru. He asked, "Does this shikigami of yours get a salary?"
Kikyo glanced at him again. This time, her look was a mixture of helplessness, speechlessness, and a faint hint of amusement.
"Do offerings count?"
"...Yes."
[Shikon Jewel: Naohi: Favorability +1]
[Current Favorability: 50 (Trust)]
[Congratulations, Favorability has broken through 50, unlocking the second talent.]
[Second Talent: Inspiration]
[Effect: You can not only see spiritual energy but also more clearly perceive its flow, direction, and intensity. In your eyes, spiritual energy is light, and it is also the wind that cannot be grasped.]
Hikaru stared at the prompt on his internal panel. Fifty. He had finally broken through the second threshold.
Next—
He looked toward the direction where Tsubaki had disappeared. The duel in three days.
It was going to be very interesting.
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