"My Lord!!"
"Our companions to the south have been attacked yet again."
Receiving another report of fallen underlings, Moryomaru's brow furrowed in a dark scowl. For the past few days, as they followed Lord Muzan's orders to move and harvest more yokai, they had been consistently harassed and picked off.
"Is it Sesshomaru... and that little girl's Servant again?"
A cold light flickered in Moryomaru's eyes, where the characters for 'One' and '`[Upper Moon]`' were now etched. He knew exactly who was responsible for these setbacks.
"Hmpf."
Initially, he had reported these incidents to Muzan, but the man had been uncharacteristically hesitant to engage.
'(Those useless wretches are disposable.)'
'(For now, we stay clear of that yokai called Sesshomaru.)'
Perhaps still shaken by the sheer weight of the sword-pressure he had experienced that day, Muzan refused to let Moryomaru deploy. Even as he gradually evolved into a "Half-Yokai," Muzan remained pathologically cautious.
"The scent of those chasing me is drawing closer with every step."
"At this rate, we'll lose this territory as well."
Harvesting yokai for Muzan was his primary directive, but Sesshomaru's proximity had forced them to abandon several locations already. Every time they moved, the group would find them again within hours. There was no shaking them.
Given the situation, Moryomaru decided he might have to defy Muzan's orders and meet the threat head-on.
'(According to the reports from the lower demons, Sesshomaru is no longer carrying that cursed blade, `[Tokijin]`.)'
He didn't know the reason for the change, but for Moryomaru, it was a golden opportunity. A Sesshomaru without his sword was not a threat to be feared!
He, Moryomaru... would be the one to emerge victorious!
Whoosh...
"Hmm?"
The trees of the forest swayed violently as a sharp, demonic wind began to howl, carrying a clear and unmistakable challenge.
"An invitation?" Kagura remarked, sensing the obvious taunt in the air.
"Akame-san, can you feel a Servant's aura?" Rin, sensing Sesshomaru's attention shift, turned to ask her own Servant.
"No..."
Akame's response was brief as she shook her head slowly.
"Come to think of it, those creatures don't seem like they can come out during the day. They seem to have a mortal fear of the sun."
"Hmm? Truly like 'Demons', then."
"What a bizarre species."
The group began to move toward the source of the wind, their footsteps steady on the forest floor. Sesshomaru showed no intention of striking out on his own. If it were Naraku's Servant, he might have felt a flicker of interest, but if it was just Moryomaru, he had little desire to exert himself.
He could smell it--the twisted, metallic scent of those creatures called "Demons." Moryomaru had become tainted with that same foul stench.
"That heavy demonic energy...?"
Kagura looked ahead, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"He's certainly not making any effort to hide it."
"Hmpf."
Sesshomaru came to a halt, seemingly understanding the situation.
"Huh? What's wrong, Lord Jaken?" Rin noticed Jaken's confused expression and asked with a small smile.
"Idiot! Even I can tell something is very wrong here. Rin, stay close to me!"
"Okay!"
As they waited, the sun gradually dipped below the horizon, and the last of the light bled out of the world.
Whoosh!
"Ugh, I suddenly feel a chill right in my gut," Jaken muttered, clutching his hat as a cold wind swept past them.
!
In an instant, both Akame and Kagura tensed, their hands going to their weapons. From the pitch-black sky above, something--someone--descended.
"Heh. It's been a while, Sesshomaru."
"Wait... you're...?!" Kagura's voice was full of shock as she stared at the figure hovering above them.
The creature had massive, leathery wings and was encased in thick, dark-green armor. Horns protruded from its skull, giving it a truly monstrous silhouette. Despite the physical changes, Kagura recognized the aura immediately.
There was no doubt. It was Moryomaru!
"Hmpf. So you've run away from Naraku, have you, Kagura?"
"I see you've found yourself quite the impressive new patron," Moryomaru sneered, looking down at his former "colleague" with a cold, mocking gaze.
"So, is this your ideal form? Neither human nor yokai, but some twisted hybrid?"
Even before Kagura could respond, Sesshomaru's voice rang out, cold and dismissive.
"Heh. Sesshomaru, even you can't hope to defeat me now."
"Without `[Tokijin]` in your hand, you won't even be able to scratch my shell, let alone kill me."
Moryomaru hadn't come here out of a suicidal impulse. He was confident. A Sesshomaru without his primary weapon was, in his mind, significantly weakened. Against his new, enhanced power, raw demonic energy alone wouldn't be enough.
"You're welcome to try," Sesshomaru replied, his voice a low, dangerous warning as he raised his hand.
"Oh, I will! I'm going to devour every ounce of your flesh and blood, Sesshomaru!"
Moryomaru unleashed a volley of sharp, needle-like protrusions from above, forcing everyone below to scatter.
"Ah!"
Akame grabbed both Rin and Jaken, moving with a blur of speed to pull them clear of the impact zone. Within a split second, she had deposited them a safe distance away.
"Akame-san, don't worry about me."
"Do what you need to do."
"He's clearly a powerful yokai. I'm sure fighting him will be good for you."
"Lord Sesshomaru won't mind if you're the one to take him down," Rin said, remembering their earlier conversation. 'Akame-san really seems to have a passion for fighting 'bad' yokai.'
Underneath her cold, silent exterior, Akame burned with a singular focus whenever a true threat appeared. And Rin knew the reason why.
'The more lives `[Murasame]` takes, the more I gain...'
That was what Akame had eventually revealed to her.
"Understood."
With a brief nod, Akame turned and began to close the distance once more. She had no intention of letting such a significant target slip through her fingers. She didn't know how this war would end, but strengthening herself was the most logical course of action.
Every enemy she cut down added to the "accumulated power" she carried. And when the time came to unleash her true trump card, that power would be her greatest asset. This was why she went out of her way to hunt the yokai and demons that terrorized the land.
Moryomaru was exactly the kind of prey she had been looking for.
A high-level "Demon-Yokai" worthy of being "sent to his final rest." Just like Hakudoshi, the stronger the target, the more potent the result.
"Lord Sesshomaru..."
"...please, let me handle this."
She stepped behind Sesshomaru and made the request with a quiet, respectful tone.
"..."
Without a word, Sesshomaru merely glanced back at her before turning his back and walking toward Rin.
!
Kagura watched in disbelief as Sesshomaru stepped aside so casually. She glanced at Rin, realizing more than ever just how much weight the young girl carried in the Great Demon's heart.
"Where are you going, Sesshomaru?!" Moryomaru roared, diving from the sky in an attempt to intercept.
Akame, however, had already leaped into the air. She unsheathed `[Murasame]` in a single, fluid motion and lunged straight for Moryomaru's eye.
CLANG!
!
Under the shock of everyone watching, a layer of hard, jagged scales--identical to the armor covering his body--suddenly manifested over Moryomaru's eye. The tip of the blade unable to penetrate, only managed to draw a shower of sparks before being deflected.