With Shippo's reminder, Kagome finally reacted.
If she could attack together with that woman, it might not be impossible to cut down that evil sword spirit.
"Alright, Kirara… please take me over there!" she said.
"Meow…" Kirara answered with a soft cry, then carried Kagome toward the battlefield.
By now, the two dog brothers were still locked in a brutal struggle with Sō'unga's sword spirit. Both seemed intent on proving they were stronger than the other, yet in truth, neither had much strength left. One had been rebounded by Tessusaiga, the other had been possessed by the hell‑blade. What they were doing now was little more than stubborn struggling.
At that moment, Jean stooped to pick up the Tenseiga that had fallen to the ground. With a flick of her wrist, she stored it in her bracelet.
It was a storage bracelet made by Granny Ping; everyone in the group had one. It existed for the sake of safely collecting valuable items.
A few minutes later, accompanied by a gust of wind, Kagome rode in on Kirara and finally reached the edge of the battlefield.
"Phew… I finally found you," she called out. "Miss, don't misunderstand, I'm here to help. My name is Kagome, I'm a shrine maiden. I have spiritual power that can purify demons… it's very effective against that monster. I think if we work together, we can completely defeat it!"
"You?" Jean glanced over, then quickly shook her head. "Your power isn't enough. It can't really affect that thing."
From where she stood, the purifying force in Kagome's body was pitifully small, far from enough to sway the fight. If Kagome had even one‑third of Su Han's exorcising strength, the battle's outcome would already be different.
Being dismissed like that made Kagome bristle. "I really can do it. Please believe me… and with one more helper, you can kill that thing faster, can't you?"
Jean hesitated, then nodded slightly. "Mm… you have a point. Fine. I'll infuse your arrow with holy power. In a bit, use that to attack. Remember, you only get one shot. The Gate of Hell is getting bigger. If you miss, you have to retreat."
She could look after herself.
Kagome could not.
Hearing the concern in Jean's tone, Kagome felt a faint warmth in her chest. She nodded. "Alright."
She took out an arrow and handed it to Jean.
Jean caught it and whispered, "Holy Light's Blessing…"
Sacred power wrapped around the arrowhead, and along with it, a faint trace of wind.
Seeing the enchantment take, Jean handed the arrow back. "Done. I need to move, or those two are going to lose. Remember—don't attack rashly."
"Got it," Kagome replied with a firm nod.
Down below, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were already at their limit. It was exactly the right time for someone else to act.
Jean gripped Aquila Favonia and took a deep breath. "Falcon of the West Wind, let's end this battle."
A clear cry answered her.
The storm‑falcon appeared once more in the sky, fixing the enemy with a predator's gaze.
Jean unleashed all her strength and lunged forward at full speed.
No one was more familiar with the power of wind than she was. Compared to simple cutting power, she knew that shredding and grinding were the wind's true essence.
Around Aquila Favonia, the force of a thousand winds twined together, spiraling into a compact mass like a Rasengan from another world. The densely compressed wind turned the blade a deep emerald.
Even so, Jean wasn't satisfied yet. She kept compressing, forcing the gathered power tighter and tighter onto the sword.
Everyone had their own way of fighting. This was hers—her personal ultimate technique.
At that moment, Sō'unga sent Inuyasha flying with a single swing, then drove Sesshomaru back to the edge of the cliff.
"Damn it, even Backlash Wave can't beat it…" Inuyasha spat, angered and frustrated.
"Ridiculous. To be tied down by something like you…" Sesshomaru growled.
Dōga's power simply could not suppress Sō'unga. If he could use Tessusaiga freely, he was sure he could win—but reality didn't bend to ifs.
While the brothers were being knocked aside, Jean's figure flashed between them.
She passed by like a bolt of lightning, and the instant her boots touched the ground again, the storm‑falcon launched itself forward, diving straight at Sō'unga.
"That annoying move again? You think I'll fall for it a second time? Dragon Twister of Hell!"
This time Sō'unga didn't bother attacking the storm‑falcon.
Instead, it stepped aside from the bird's charge and hurled the Dragon Twister directly at Jean.
Summoned constructs could be destroyed over and over with no meaning. There was no need to waste time on them. All it needed to do was strike the caster.
Without warning, the crimson Dragon Twister erupted. The surrounding terrain was swallowed by its radiance, turning into a darkened zone where all life force was stolen away.
Both dog brothers went pale, retreating as fast as they could from the spreading storm.
Far off, Kagome watched, her fingers beginning to tremble on the bowstring.
Could Jean really win?
At that moment, the storm‑falcon let out a sharp cry, folded its wings, and suddenly turned back. It crashed toward Sō'unga from behind, sealing off its route of retreat.
In front, just as the Dragon Twister was about to swallow Jean, an emerald glow flared at last.
"Secret Art—Dandelion Like the Tide."
Boom.
Green light exploded from Aquila Favonia, far brighter than before.
All that compressed wind force tore through Sō'unga's ultimate technique as if shredding cloth. The Dragon Twister unraveled the instant it met Jean's attack.
The storm did not stop there.
It spun, it ripped, it focused.
Wind rampaged around Sō'unga's manifested spirit, grinding away at it from all sides.
"Aaargh… this power—what is this power! I can't move!" the sword spirit howled.
The crushing pressure locked its body in place.
Behind it, the storm‑falcon unfurled into a wall of wind, pinning it where it stood.
The earth beneath Sō'unga's feet began to rot away. The spiraling storm gnawed at its body without pause. An arm was shredded first, then a leg. Chunks of flesh were ripped free and scattered, only to be torn to mist by the gale.
No matter how strong Sō'unga's regenerative power might have been, it could not keep up with the destruction.
"No… I am the king of Hell, the strongest existence! How can I lose to the likes of you?!" it screamed.
It tried to resist, but once the flesh shell had been ground away, all that remained was the sword itself.
The storm‑field still raged around it, compressing the very space it filled. In such an environment, the idea of escape was nothing but fantasy.
Jean turned her head and glanced back over her shoulder.
Receiving that look, Kagome understood immediately.
"Right. It's my turn now… this is the best time to attack!"
She drew the bowstring back.
Purple light gathered along the arrow shaft, flaring brighter as she aimed.
At the same time, she clearly felt the holy power imbued in the arrowhead.
"So that's why she insisted on this arrow…" Kagome breathed. "Go—Purification!"
The bowstring thrummed.
The purple radiance streaked across the sky in a single, unbroken line and struck Sō'unga dead on.
Holy Light and purifying power fused together, crushing the sword's final resistance.
Then the storm crashed down once more.
With a sharp crack, a thin fracture appeared on the hard hilt of Sō'unga. That crack spread rapidly, climbing along the blade like a web of frost.
At last, Sō'unga shattered completely.
The Gate of Hell collapsed with a roar.
The undead that had crossed over with it fragmented in turn.
Because it had not been destroyed by the combined power of Tenseiga and Tessusaiga, the soul of the Great Dog Demon did not appear.
Jean watched the enemy crumble and finally let out a quiet breath. There had been some small twists along the way, but she had still won.
At that moment, the system's notification sounded in her ears.
[ Ding… congratulations on completing the special multiverse mission. Reward: 200,000 points. ]
[ Notice: You may return immediately, or remain for a short time. ]
[ Note: Your remaining stay time is 15 minutes. ]
"Only fifteen minutes, huh? Looks like I won't be able to grab Tessusaiga," Jean muttered.
She looked at the dog brothers in the distance and could only choose to leave.
After such a fierce battle, her stamina was almost gone. Rather than risk overextending for loot, it was better to return safely.
Kagome had wanted to thank her properly, but before she could get close, Jean's figure began to fade. A moment later, she vanished completely.
"She… left?" Kagome whispered.
The warped scenery around them had already returned to normal, but there was no trace of the foreign woman anywhere.
Inuyasha hurried over as soon as he saw Kagome. "Kagome, you okay?"
"I'm fine… but that person is gone…" she answered softly.
"Sigh. Gone is gone," Inuyasha said, sheathing Tessusaiga with a sigh of his own. "It's a pity we couldn't solve the problem Father left behind with our own hands."
Even so, he was relieved in his heart. Without that woman, today's battle would have been almost impossible.
Elsewhere, Sesshomaru stared at the spot where Tenseiga had disappeared, a strange look flickering in his eyes.
He clearly remembered that the sword had fallen nearby.
So why was it gone now?
Had it been blown somewhere else by the force of the battle?
…
In Mondstadt City, Jean stepped back into her office.
Seeing her return, Lisa walked over with a teasing smile. "I didn't expect it. You've really become that strong already. That ultimate move of yours was an eye‑opener. Who would've thought wind could be that lethal?"
Everyone knew the power of Anemo and Hydro were considered among the weaker elements.
Yet Jean had used a different method to turn them into something incredibly destructive. That was no simple feat.
"Don't exaggerate," Jean said, waving a hand. "I only just learned that move. It's all thanks to Su Han's guidance and reminders that I managed to develop it at all. I'm still a bit clumsy with it. If the compressed wind had been denser, maybe I wouldn't have needed that girl to finish the job…"
She knew exactly how much she was worth. She was nowhere near as perfect as Lisa made her sound.
In truth, no matter whether it was wind or water, both became stronger when compressed.
Compression boosted explosive force.
Gentle wind and gentle water were perfect for that kind of technique. By contrast, violent lightning and furious flames couldn't be compressed the same way. Those two elements were too active—touch them and they exploded.
Lisa smiled. "Either way, you showed everyone in the group today that Mondstadt isn't to be underestimated. That's more than enough."
"Mm. That was the idea," Jean replied with a small, confident smile. "Even without adepti, Mondstadt isn't weaker than any other nation."
In the Jade Chamber's domain, having watched Jean's power firsthand, the Shirasagi Himegimi from Inazuma was filled with envy.
When, she wondered, would she become that strong?
Even with Lady Yae's training, she had grown a lot, but compared to Grand Master Jean, there was still a very long road ahead.
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