"Do you people always live like this?"
"Hmm? You got a problem with that?!"
"It's just... seeing someone with Sesshomaru's temperament show such indulgence is quite the rarity."
Kagura watched from the roadside as Rin and Jaken sat idly by, her wings of wind stilled for the moment.
"Heehee! That's because Lord Sesshomaru is actually a very gentle person."
"You're probably the only one in the world who would dare say that."
"Ah, Akame-san is back!"
As they were talking, Rin pointed toward Akame, who was approaching from a different direction after her scouting mission.
"Akame-san, was it another one of those 'Demons'?"
"Yes..."
Hearing Akame's brief confirmation, Sesshomaru, who was standing at the lead, sank into deep thought.
"Good grief. Yokai have become scarce lately, but the number of those bone-chilling auras has skyrocketed," Jaken remarked, scanning the horizon with a heavy sigh.
"It's likely the work of Naraku's Servant," Kagura interjected, her voice thoughtful. "He's the source of all this."
"?"
"Hey! Start talking! Tell us everything you know!" Before anyone else could react, Jaken was already badgering her for information.
"Naraku summoned a Servant who can turn both humans and yokai into 'Demons.' I believe his Class is `[Caster]`?"
"But their relationship is hardly cordial. Naraku mostly leaves him to his own devices, treating him like a stray dog."
Kagura glanced at Akame. "Among the 'Demons' this girl has been slaying... one of them was Hakudoshi."
"What?! You actually killed Hakudoshi?" Jaken stared at Akame in disbelief. To think this girl had been out there doing such heavy lifting in secret. Hakudoshi was one of Naraku's primary incarnations, and yet he had been snuffed out without a sound.
"How impressive!"
"You'd do well to be careful, though," Kagura warned, her expression becoming serious. "Byakuya was watching when it happened. Naraku likely already knows about your weapon's capabilities. Whether he's shared that information with his own Servant is another matter."
While Rin chirped in amazement, Kagura's eyes remained fixed on the Assassin.
"What does Naraku's Servant look like?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice steady.
"Ho? You're actually interested?"
"Strictly speaking, he's an opponent beneath notice."
"He's the one you met that day I first came to you. The one you crushed like a bug without a second thought."
At Kagura's answer, Sesshomaru's mind drifted back. He did have a vague recollection of a particularly fragile, pathetic creature crossing his path. It had been so weak that he hadn't even bothered to commit its face to memory.
And that was Naraku's Servant?
Comparing that wretch to the Akame that Rin had summoned... Sesshomaru felt it was quite fitting for Naraku's "pitiful" state of affairs.
"The man himself might not be powerful, but just like Naraku, he possesses an absurd level of regenerative ability."
"And the mechanism behind his power to transform other beings... it's still a complete mystery."
"He might not be a threat to you directly, but..."
Kagura's voice trailed off. In her eyes, Muzan--regardless of his evolution--could never hope to match Naraku. And if Naraku struggled to deal with Sesshomaru, Muzan's chances were practically non-existent.
'But it's strange. Naraku doesn't keep anyone around who isn't useful to him. So why has he kept that Muzan fellow alive for so long...?'
The thought made Kagura lapse into a pensive silence. Given Naraku's nature, a "valueless" pawn should have been discarded ages ago. Yet Muzan remained.
Why?
"We're moving."
Sesshomaru's eyes snapped toward a specific direction. He had caught a scent--one familiar, yet tainted with something foul and metallic.
Moryomaru.
"Heh... Heh-heh. It won't be long now. I'm almost there."
Hidden in a room where the sun's rays could never reach, Muzan stared at the wall and let out a cold, rasping laugh. Through his continuous consumption of these yokai, he could feel it.
His deep-seated, biological terror of the sun was slowly, steadily receding.
The dream he had chased for a millennium was finally within his grasp. At the thought, he could barely contain the dark exhilaration surging through his veins. Never in his long life had he felt such a sense of anticipation.
From human to Demon... from Demon to Yokai...
His existence had been a long, twisted journey of transformation.
"But the yokai in this area are starting to run thin."
"It's time to find a new hunting ground."
Everything was going so smoothly that Muzan didn't even care to look at the humans anymore. Unless he found a particularly exceptional specimen, he would focus purely on yokai. Frail human bodies simply couldn't compare to the rich, potent essence of a demonic creature.
The shadows in the dim room seemed to writhe and crowd together--the countless "Demon-Yokai" that Muzan had created and refined.
"Tonight is going to be a perfect night..."
"I can't sense a thing. Naraku and that Shikon Jewel have crawled back into whatever hole they came from."
Back at the village, Inuyasha shared his findings with the rest of the group.
"Then there's nothing we can do. If he doesn't want to be found, tracking him down will be a nightmare," Miroku remarked, leaning back by the fire. "It feels like we're right back where we started."
"Well, maybe that's for the best. According to Rikuo, Naraku wasn't exactly 'unscathed' after his last encounter," Sango said, glancing at the heavily bandaged Rikuo sitting beside them.
"If Rikuo says so after taking Cu Chulainn's strike personally, I'm inclined to believe him. Naraku will likely be keeping a low profile for a while."
"Let's just rest for now. We can figure out our next move when Kagome gets back."
"Kagome's studying again?"
"I guess we won't see her for a while, then," Shippo added with a bored huff.
"Speaking of which... Inuyasha, how is it that you're able to pass through the well?"
Rikuo, who had been listening quietly, suddenly turned his head to ask. He had tried jumping into the well himself, but for him, it was just a pile of old wood and dirt.
"Huh? You just jump in. What's so hard about that?"
Inuyasha's blunt answer left Rikuo speechless.
"I see. So even as Kagome's Servant, I can't follow her through?"
"Well, that's a relief in a way. It means no other Servants can sneak in there, either."
"But if she used a `[Command Spell]`, I suspect I could be forcibly summoned to her side."
"Whoa, really? Is that possible?"
"Probably. But it would cost at least two Spells just to go and come back. It wouldn't be worth it unless it was an absolute emergency."
"A truly fascinating ritual," Miroku said, poking at the fire with a stick. "I have to hand it to the architects of this system; they really thought of everything."
"Heh. But I suspect your Master's world isn't quite the same as mine."
"You mention that yokai use a power called `[Osore]` to fight."
"I assume that's just another word for a yokai's innate abilities?"
"Hmm... it's difficult to explain," Rikuo replied. "But maybe Inuyasha should give it a try."
"If he can actually learn how to manifest `[Osore]`, then it proves our powers share a common root."
"Tch. Sounds like a waste of time."
"Oh, stop acting tough, Inuyasha. We all know you're itching to try it," Miroku teased.
"Shut up!!"
WHAM!