Looking at the mirror-like barrier hanging in the sky, the panting Inuyasha turned increasingly grim. Moments ago, the two of them had unleashed a barrage of relentless attacks, yet not a single strike had made any real impact.
A dull ache throbbed through his palm as Inuyasha subconsciously glanced toward Sesshomaru.
"Can you still keep going?" he asked through clenched teeth.
"Just one last strike… don't hold back." Sesshomaru, now empowered by the jewel, felt a splitting pain surge through his mind. Though the long blade in his grasp radiated immense power and consumed far less demonic energy than ordinary weapons, it still exacted a heavy toll.
After multiple exchanges with the enemy, even Sesshomaru's iron will began to waver as his consciousness blurred. Realizing he had reached his limit, a cold determination flashed in his eyes. The demonic energy within him surged violently, and the long blade in his hand, once glowing faintly purple, suddenly ignited into a deep crimson. A violent energy storm erupted outward.
Even Inuyasha, standing at a distance, nearly lost his footing under the sheer force of it.
Leaves scattered across the ground were swept into the air, spinning at high speed until they resembled countless razor-sharp blades, each infused with deadly energy. Trees splintered. Boulders shattered. Anything touched by that storm was instantly crushed.
Inuyasha no longer held anything back. He drew out every last trace of spiritual and demonic power within him, merging the two forces as he gripped the Tessaiga tightly. The blade, once dim, slowly began to glow crimson in his hands.
Their eyes met for a brief moment, and no words were needed. Then, in perfect unison, they charged toward Kaguya.
"Still refusing to give up?" As the two rushed forward, a purple star materialized before her, its eerie glow pulsing with unnatural power.
Their attacks closed in rapidly, but the moment Kaguya activated the star-shaped formation, a gray light spread outward. Everything it touched… stopped. Time itself came to a complete halt.
Pebbles and dust are frozen midair. Leaves suspended in motion. Even the violent sword energy unleashed by Inuyasha and Sesshomaru was locked in place. Before they could even react, both of them were frozen where they stood.
Wherever the gray light passed, the world descended into absolute stillness. A suffocating silence.
Trapped within that suspended moment, both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru felt a chilling dread rise in their hearts. They couldn't move. Couldn't think clearly. Time itself had abandoned them.
The fearsome ability of Kaguya to control time plunged them into utter despair.
In their worst expectations, they had believed they could at least put up a desperate fight against Kamakuya. But reality was far crueler; their combined attack hadn't even touched her… before it was completely frozen.
"It's over… It's really over…" Jaken hid behind a massive rock, peeking out at the small valley that had already been reduced to something resembling a purgatory. Seeing both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru frozen in place, he couldn't help but sigh in despair.
This was the first time he had witnessed such an overwhelming existence. A being capable of controlling time itself. In a sense… that meant invincibility.
Jaken's mind raced, yet he couldn't come up with a single method to defeat the woman standing in the distance. In his mind, even if Sebastian arrived, the outcome might not change. Between the ability to reflect attacks and the power to freeze time, all forms of offense seemed utterly meaningless.
Sebastian was undoubtedly powerful; of that, Jaken had no doubt. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't imagine any method Sebastian could use to counter her. She was, for all intents and purposes… invincible.
"This is bad… really bad… How do you even fight something like that?"
"What trouble are you talking about?" Just as Jaken broke out in a cold sweat, a clear, gentle voice sounded from behind him.
Startled, he turned around, only to find that at some unknown moment, Yura had appeared silently behind him.
She was one of Sebastian's subordinates. However, what puzzled Jaken was that after she pledged her allegiance, she had disappeared for quite some time. No one knew where she had gone.
Now that she had suddenly reappeared, Jaken couldn't help but feel uncertain. Friend… or foe? Instinctively, he tightened his grip on his staff, his gaze filled with caution.
"You don't need to be so nervous." Yura let out a soft laugh as she noticed his guarded posture.
Ever since being tasked by Sebastian to track the movements of the jewel, she had been following its trail relentlessly. Whenever the jewel surfaced, she would relay the information back to Sebastian.
Her orders had been clear: observe and track, but do not interfere.
Along the way, she had watched as the jewel passed through the Demon Slayer Village and eventually fell into Sesshomaru's hands. Even then, she did nothing.
At first, she couldn't understand why Sebastian forbade her from competing for the jewel. But now… she finally understood. The forces drawn to it were beyond imagination. Countless powerful demons and formidable humans had gathered around it.
Even now, Sesshomaru, one of the strongest beings of the land, and the half-demon Inuyasha had both fallen into defeat because of it. So someone like her, not even among the strongest, would be crushed instantly if she got involved.
However, from Sebastian's complete lack of interest in personally competing for the jewel, a bold thought slowly formed in Kyōra's mind. Could it be… That even the jewel… wasn't truly significant in his eyes?