The sky within the Reality Marble was set ablaze by a brilliant, crimson radiance. Even as he stood at the center of his own domain, Rikuo could feel the overwhelming, localized pressure of the incoming strike.
An Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm?
No... this was something on a completely different scale.
An Anti-Army Noble Phantasm!
It carried the power to annihilate an entire legion in a single breath. There was no doubt--if such an attack was allowed to fall, his Pride, his Hundred Demons, would be wiped from existence.
"..."
Rikuo watched as his yokai stepped forward, one after another, forming a living wall to shield their Lord. But he would not allow it. He was the man who would unite the Night, the one who would become the Lord of All Pandemonium. He would not--he could not--allow his followers to be used as "sacrifices."
"What are you doing?!"
Cu Chulainn's brow furrowed as he watched Rikuo push past his own army, stepping to the very front of the formation to face the descending spear alone.
"As the Commander of the Hundred Demons, hiding behind my own men when danger strikes... that's not my way."
"Besides, I can't stand the thought of watching them die."
"Even if they are only shadows of my memories."
Cu Chulainn couldn't help but admire the kid's sheer audacity and conviction as he watched him stand his ground, blade raised high.
"Even if you know it'll kill you?"
"I won't die. And neither will they!! No one is dying today!!"
"Is that so? Then let's see if those are more than just big words!!"
Cu Chulainn's gaze sharpened. Rikuo's unwavering spirit in the face of an Anti-Army NP--a weapon designed to wipe out entire formations--demanded respect. For that alone, Cu Chulainn was willing to give the boy credit for having "true heart."
"HAA!!"
Rikuo leaped into the air, his reconstructed `[Nenekirimaru]` glowing with a fierce, unstable light as he aimed the point of his blade directly at the descending crimson spear.
S-S-S-SSZZZT!!
The impact was cataclysmic. A violent, unrelenting force slammed into Rikuo, the momentum threatening to drive him straight back into the earth.
'This power...'
He gritted his teeth, pouring every ounce of his current `[Matoi]` into the struggle, yet the spear didn't budge an inch. Even with the internal reinforcement of his Reality Marble, he couldn't find the leverage to hold back the tide.
"Like I said, you've run out of options."
Cu Chulainn watched from the air, his expression calm. He wasn't surprised. His spear was a weapon of absolute slaughter; against a "group" like Rikuo's Hundred Demons, its "Anti-Army" nature was at its most potent. Once that spear struck the ground, the resulting explosion of energy would scour the Reality Marble clean.
The atmosphere was a chaotic swirl of black and red energy, but the crimson tide was slowly but surely drowning out the darkness.
"Heh. I'm sorry about that lovely lady of yours, Master, but this victory..."
"...is mine!"
Cu Chulainn drifted toward the ground, his eyes fixed on the spear as it neared the earth. He had even taken the liberty of reinforcing his throw with `[Rune Magic]`--this strike was far more lethal than the one he'd used against Naraku.
"Wait... he's still not giving up?"
"Talk about stubborn!"
Even now, faced with certain destruction, Rikuo showed no sign of yielding.
'It's not enough...'
'Not nearly enough...'
'A single fusion... is not enough to stop this!'
This was the greatest crisis Rikuo had ever faced--a total annihilation of his "Hundred Demons" that rivaled his fated encounter with the resurrected Seimei. He needed more. He needed a defense that could withstand the impossible.
His Night Parade... would not end here!
He would protect his yokai. He would protect his humans. He had sworn to defeat the greatest enemy of the last thousand years; he could not afford to fall in a match like this.
Becoming the Lord of Pandemonium... that was his dream!
"If one person isn't enough..."
"...then two! Three!!"
"Until I've reached the very limit of what I can endure!!"
"Come to me, my Hundred Demons!!"
"Lend me every ounce of your Fear!!"
Behind him, the shadows of the Night Parade transformed into streaks of pure, stygian energy, flowing into Rikuo's back without the slightest hesitation.
"HRAAAH!!"
"HAAAAA!!!!"
Rikuo's very frame seemed to expand as a kaleidoscope of intricate tattoos and markings etched themselves onto his skin. His aura didn't just grow; it shattered the surrounding atmosphere.
"What?!"
Cu Chulainn stared, dumbfounded. He had never seen anything like it!
BOOM!!!!
At that exact moment, the demonic spear detonated.
KABOOM!!!!
A massive explosion tore through the Reality Marble, the sound deafening and the shockwaves threatening to tear the world apart.
"What happened?!"
"Is it over?!"
Inuyasha and the others were nearly knocked off their feet as the two combatants suddenly reappeared in the clearing.
"Rikuo's domain... it's gone."
"Who won?!"
A thick shroud of dust hung over the area, obscuring the result. As the air finally cleared, the scene before them was one of grim devastation.
Rikuo stood there, his body covered in blood and his clothes shredded, leaning heavily on a shattered blade. Opposite him stood Cu Chulainn, looking largely unscathed except for a few minor abrasions.
"I blocked it... no one... no one died..."
Despite his horrific wounds, Rikuo's lips curled into a weak, triumphant smile.
"Heh. You really did, didn't you?"
"You're a well-loved man, kid..."
"To be able to manifest that kind of power at the critical moment... I've clearly underestimated you."
Cu Chulainn looked at the boy standing defiantly before him and spoke with surprising sincerity.
'Those yokai protect him... and he, in turn, protects them...'
'It's a cycle of trust, a resonant echo of shared will.'
'To think he actually endured that final strike...'
Cu Chulainn understood exactly what had happened. He couldn't help but be impressed by the unity and friendship displayed by these creatures. That desire to protect their Commander, and Rikuo's response to it, was the "miracle" that had saved them.
"`[Matoi]`... `[Hyakki Yako]`..."
"Nura Rikuo!"
"Your name... I, Cu Chulainn, shall remember it well!"
召回了（Recalling） his crimson spear, Cu Chulainn rested it casually across his shoulders, his expression one of complete satisfaction.
"..."
Sensing that the battle was truly over, Rikuo finally allowed himself to relax. He sank to one knee, the adrenaline fading as his mind replayed the "danger" of that final moment, trying to burn the sensation into his memory.
That total fusion... the `[Hyakki Tenshin]`.
He had never tried anything like it before. His `[Matoi]` had always been a one-on-one connection; he had never attempted to fuse with multiple yokai simultaneously. Using the Reality Marble as a catalyst to attempt "The Fusion of a Hundred Demons" was a reckless, suicidal gamble. If he had failed, he would have been torn apart long before the spear ever reached him.
'But... becoming a Servant... it seems there are some interesting discoveries to be made after all...'
Reminiscing on the warmth he felt in that moment, Rikuo reverted to his human form and let out a long, weary breath. In that instant, he had felt the `[Osore]` of his father and his grandfather. Despite being in a different time and place, through the `[Reality Marble: Hyakki Yako]`, he had managed to touch a piece of his heritage.
'I need to explore this power further...'
For Rikuo, this was more than just a fight; it was a profound realization.
"Cu Chulainn..."
"I'll remember you as well. A truly valiant warrior."