"Huh? Kikyo is dead?"
"That's one less target Naraku set up."
"Only Kagome remains as an option... the risk just increased considerably."
Byakuya looked at the intel delivered by Mosou, sighing softly.
He slid the blade planted in the ground back into the sheath on his back, his expression somewhat helpless.
"What do we do now?"
"I've acquired this dangerous weapon, but it can only be used once."
Looking at Kanna beside him, Byakuya asked.
"To... Inuyasha..."
A cold, sluggish voice emerged. Byakuya then saw a certain blade appear in Kanna's cracked mirror.
"I see--so we use that blade to cut Inuyasha and cripple him?"
"Naraku really had twisted tastes. Even in death, he wants to torment Inuyasha."
Hands tucked into his sleeves, Byakuya pondered for a moment and understood Kanna's meaning.
He would go after Kagome; Kanna would disable Inuyasha.
The arrangement and plan were now crystal clear.
"The miasma grows thicker..."
"What a disagreeable day."
......
"Ugh..."
"Awake?"
The Great Dog Demon sat on the ground nearby, watching as Kirinmaru slowly regained consciousness.
After his distant exchange with the Shikon no Tama, he had apparently passed out.
"What a thorough defeat..."
Without rising, Kirinmaru's emotions were deeply conflicted.
He had lost again...
Let his daughter down again...
He had promised her he would become the strongest youkai...
Yet after all these years, he still hadn't fulfilled that vow.
And today, he had been defeated once more.
"The wish you sought from the Dragon Ball--was it to revive your daughter, Rion?"
Seeing Kirinmaru's state, the Great Dog Demon spoke.
"..."
No answer came, but the Great Dog Demon knew how much it mattered to him.
He talked of settling their score, yet wasn't that also to prove something to his departed daughter?
Kirinmaru had once believed his own "incompetence" had cost his daughter's life.
If only he had been stronger, perhaps Rion wouldn't have died.
For Kirinmaru, Lord of the Eastern Youkai, his daughter's death was the greatest blow of his life.
The timing had been awkward, too--
Back then, his relationship with the Great Dog Demon was strained, so he never sought help from Tenseiga. Instead, he sealed his daughter's soul away at Mount Musubi on his own.
By the time their relationship improved and they could even join forces against Yōreisei, it was too late.
These past centuries, Kirinmaru had suffered greatly.
His daughter's death crushed him; he steeled himself and trained to grow stronger.
Yet just as he felt he'd honed his skills, word came from the west: "The Great Dog Demon is dead."
And just like that... Kirinmaru, who had hoped to challenge him again after his training, fell into despair.
His daughter was gone. He had resolved to move forward, making the Great Dog Demon his goal--defeat him, prove himself the strongest, and honor his daughter's spirit.
But the Great Dog Demon's sudden death left Kirinmaru completely stunned.
What had all those centuries of persistence been for?
Disheartened, Kirinmaru simply went into slumber.
If not for this "Dragon Ball War" ritual, he wouldn't have awakened so soon.
"In the end, I gained nothing."
"Failed as the ruler of the East. Failed as a father."
The words dripped with sorrow. Kirinmaru felt utterly powerless.
It was always like this--
Whenever he thought he might succeed, his "hope" was crushed.
He saw it clearly now: this war was over for him.
Whether against the Shikon no Tama or Sesshomaru's side, he could do nothing.
"Failure?"
"I don't see it that way."
Yet the Great Dog Demon's words startled him.
"It's not over yet. Who knows what may happen?"
"Your daughter will be saved someday."
"Though I'd say sealing her soul away for so long was its own kind of selfishness."
Rising to his feet, the Great Dog Demon understood his feelings.
Truth be told, he and Kirinmaru weren't so different.
One locked his daughter in a mountain for centuries; the other entrusted a newborn to his wife and died.
"For irresponsible fathers like us, it's only natural our children would resent us."
"So we want to make amends--yet we don't know how."
"And your wish upon the Dragon Ball was probably an initial attempt at that."
Hearing the Great Dog Demon's words, Kirinmaru turned to look at him.
Both great youkai, yet when it came to their children, they were remarkably similar.
"Heh, you're right."
"My wish really is that simple."
"Unlike the Shikon no Tama, this ritual is completely unheard of."
"Having missed so much time, sometimes I just want to take a gamble."
Sitting up, his injuries from before hadn't fully healed, but to Kirinmaru, it no longer mattered.
"Great Dog..."
"Just this once--if possible, will you help me?"
Abandoning his earlier tone, Kirinmaru spoke more softly.
"You still want to participate?"
Hearing this, the Great Dog Demon was somewhat surprised by his persistence.
"No--this time is different."
"At the very least, help Sesshomaru and the others win."
"If the Shikon no Tama wins, I'll truly have no hope of reviving Rion."
Standing, dusting off his clothes, Kirinmaru had let go.
"In exchange for what Kirinmaru can do, I ask for that little girl's wish..."
"You've changed..."
Knowing Kirinmaru's intent, the Great Dog Demon's lips curved upward.
Though he didn't know the human girl beside Sesshomaru's wish, Kirinmaru placed his hope in "something he himself could fulfill."
This was his final "struggle."
A decision made as a father.
WHOOOOSH!!
At that moment, both sensed a presence from afar and furrowed their brows.
A terrifying miasma spread in all directions, as if announcing something.
"I didn't expect to be out that long..."
"This timing couldn't be more perfect."
"It seems it couldn't wait a moment longer."
......
"Perfect!"
"Both soul and body are in harmony!"
"I can completely surpass those great youkai!"
Emerging from the dimensional space, the Shikon no Tama appeared in the form of a handsome young man.
Gray hair fell to his waist. Black sclera paired with pale skin created an eerie appearance.
At the center of his chest, an utterly black "jewel" was inscribed.
He laughed wildly, feeling the boundless youki flowing within.
"HAHAHAHA!!!"
"Now then--time to finish this!"