PTOO! PTOO!
The explosion in that enclosed space sent Cu Chulainn slamming into the far wall. Flesh and debris erupted in every direction.
The shockwave alone was more than the interior could contain. Cracks ripped through the organic structure. The entire mountain trembled.
And in that precise moment, before the secondary blast wave could catch him, Cu Chulainn's body vanished.
"Come to my side, Lancer!"
Koga's Command Spell blazed crimson, and Cu Chulainn materialized beside him, mid-tumble.
"Ugh!"
"Are you okay?"
Kagome sprinted over and crouched beside him. Cu Chulainn had rolled three times across the ground, caked in dust and looking thoroughly wrecked.
"What a gentle lady. Don't worry about me. Just took a bit of a knock, that's all."
Her concern melted the worst of his mood. One flip and he was back on his feet, grinning despite the bruises.
"How was it? Did that bastard eat the hit?"
Koga stood with arms folded, expectant.
"If it were any normal Master, there wouldn't be a scrap left to bury."
"But that guy? I can't guarantee anything."
"Also, there was something else down there. A pitch-black orb sitting next to him. Reeked of evil. And it had the aura of a Master."
That last detail sent a ripple through the entire group.
"An orb?"
"The Shikon no Tama?"
"You don't mean..."
Kagome, Rikuo, Miroku, and Sango all arrived at the same conclusion simultaneously.
"This Ritual doesn't just select humans and yokai? The Shikon no Tama can become a Master?"
Koga's face went blank with disbelief.
"Kagome, Koga, Rin, Naraku, the Shikon no Tama..."
Shippo counted on his fingers carefully.
"That's five Masters. Who are the other two?"
'The confirmed enemies are the Shikon no Tama and Naraku. The remaining two are unknown.'
Rikuo had been tracking this question quietly. If the unknown Masters were acquaintances of Kagome's, the situation was manageable. If they were hostile, alliances would need to be forged.
Koga and Rin's groups were friendly enough. No conflict there.
What struck Rikuo as remarkable was how none of the Masters on their side seemed motivated by the Dragon Balls at all. Wishes that could reshape reality, and nobody was competing.
The Servants were a different calculation. Every one of them had answered the summons, which meant every one of them carried a wish worth fighting for. Peaceful now didn't mean peaceful later.
This was exactly what Cu Chulainn and Rikuo had planned from the beginning. Don't reveal your trump cards until absolutely necessary.
But events had a way of forcing hands.
"If the Shikon no Tama is a Master, what kind of Servant did it summon?"
Koga had seen Cu Chulainn's power firsthand and heard about Rikuo driving Naraku into retreat. He didn't underestimate Heroic Spirits.
If ordinary Masters like himself and Kagome drew warriors this formidable, the Shikon no Tama surely hadn't summoned someone weak.
"We won't know until it shows itself."
"For now, Kagura is safe. That's what matters."
"Yeah."
Kagome smiled. In this moment, that was enough.
"Without her heart under his control, Naraku has no leverage over Kagura. She'll never be his tool again."
Miroku nodded appreciatively. "In a sense, we've permanently removed an enemy from his roster. The fewer allies Naraku has, the easier the endgame becomes."
"This one counts as our win."
"Looks like things worked out."
"Kagura, now that you're free from Naraku, what are you going to do?"
Too far away to chase Naraku alone, Inuyasha turned his attention to the woman beside him.
"What else? I'll live however I want."
No hesitation. No uncertainty. Kagura's answer came as naturally as wind through an open window.
"Heh. Then do whatever you want."
Inuyasha didn't lecture her. Didn't warn her. He trusted that Kagura wouldn't do anything she'd need to be warned about.
"But before that, Sesshomaru, can I stay with your group for a while?"
"What did you just say?! Don't push your luck!!"
Jaken erupted. Rin was already plenty. That dangerous sword girl was already too much. Now Kagura wanted to tag along?
"You..."
"Inuyasha, no offense. Being with your group isn't bad, but honestly the security is too low."
"...Huh?"
"Naraku will come after me. He's that kind of twisted, petty bastard. But if I'm with Sesshomaru, he won't dare try anything."
Inuyasha opened his mouth, closed it, and found he had absolutely no rebuttal.
She was right. Naraku feared Sesshomaru's strength more than anyone else's. Kagura's safest bet was staying in his shadow.
If she went off alone, Naraku would hunt her down within hours. And while Inuyasha's group was strong, they didn't carry the same deterrent weight as Sesshomaru.
"Besides, there's something I have to do."
"Following Sesshomaru will make it easier."
Her voice dropped. Kagura looked at Sesshomaru's back and spoke without flinching.
Kanna.
Kanna was still under Naraku's control. Still trapped. Still voiceless.
Kagura would not leave her there.
That was her only remaining attachment.
And as long as Naraku drew breath, true freedom was an illusion anyway. The best strategy was clear: join forces with Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's groups and destroy Naraku together.
A magnificent rebellion against her so-called father.
"Hmph. Don't get in the way."
Sesshomaru glanced at her once, then looked away. That was his version of agreement.
"Ah..."
"Hehe, our group just got bigger!"
"..."
Jaken gaped. Rin beamed. Akame observed silently.
"Looks like my business here is done."
Inuyasha turned on his heel, shot one last look at Akame, and departed.
"What an unexpected loss."
Naraku couldn't name what he was feeling.
Anger? Helplessness? Grief?
None of those. Or perhaps all of them, crushed to powder and compressed into something more accurately described as numbness.
For himself, the damage was manageable. His freshly reformed body needed reassembly, but that was routine by now.
The Shikon no Tama was another matter entirely.
"I am very angry right now, Naraku."
"I imagine so. Dying for nothing would upset anyone."
He studied the reforming mass beside him and understood the full weight of the problem.
The confined space had been the fatal variable. Gae Bolg's bombardment had detonated directly into Naraku's face, and the Shikon no Tama, positioned right beside him, had no room to evade. The concentrated blast had consumed it entirely.
One more death. One more revival spent for nothing.
"That makes four."
"Your remaining lives are running low."
"Shikon no Tama."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]