Prophecy--
It was something the Shikon no Tama had told Kirinmaru back when the Great Dog Demon still lived.
He would be killed by an existence neither human nor youkai.
Unfortunately, Kirinmaru hadn't taken it seriously.
After all, in the parlance of the youkai realm at that time, "neither human nor youkai" referred to a hanyo--a half-demon.
A half-demon would kill him?
What kind of joke was that?
He was the Lord of the Eastern Youkai. What half-demon could possibly be strong enough to kill him?
So he'd dismissed it as idle chatter.
And he had survived perfectly fine until now--proof enough.
Yet now, having it brought up again only made Kirinmaru more irritable.
Bursting out of the dimensional space and returning to the original world, he gazed upon the plain still shrouded in lingering miasma, his expression stiff.
How could he kill the Shikon no Tama and obtain the Dragon Ball?
That fell into a blind spot in his knowledge.
Over two days, he and the Great Dog Demon had exhausted every technique at their disposal and still failed to kill that thing.
Even snatching the Dragon Ball was impossible--it had hidden the orb somewhere unknown.
'Completely at a loss, huh?'
Pondering, Kirinmaru considered whether any method existed.
That endless regeneration--if only there were a means to suppress it.
Finding something effective in the short term seemed rather difficult.
Based on the Shikon no Tama's rate of transformation, it would likely be "born" in less than half a day.
By then, it would surely become even more powerful and troublesome.
'If I'm being honest, those people outside might actually stand a chance at killing me.'
Recalling what the Shikon no Tama had mentioned earlier, Kirinmaru furrowed his brow.
It must be referring to the eliminated Masters and Servants.
Having never actually fought them, Kirinmaru genuinely didn't know what kind of powers they possessed.
But no matter what, they couldn't possibly surpass him and the Great Dog Demon.
Yet since the Shikon no Tama had said as much, it must mean these people had abilities he wasn't aware of.
Means capable of killing the Shikon no Tama.
Thus, Kirinmaru decided to seek out this group.
......
HAH!
HRAAH!
Rikuo watched the scene of blade and spear clashing ahead, observing calmly.
WHOOSH!!
Urgh!
Barely dodging the sweeping butt of the spear, Akame's body tilted dangerously.
THUD!
"It's over!"
Just as she tried to rise, Cu Chulainn had already pressed the spear tip to the bridge of her nose.
Clap clap!!
"Impressive as expected, Cu Chulainn-san."
Applauding as he approached, Rikuo watched the spar conclude.
"Heh, an assassin fighting head-on takes some guts."
"Too bad you ran into me."
Withdrawing his spear, Cu Chulainn spoke with ease.
"Mm..."
Rising to her feet, Akame studied the man, momentarily unable to retort.
Her greatest strength--speed--had been matched. And in close-quarters combat, it was difficult to overcome someone with Cu Chulainn's vast combat experience.
Presence Concealment worked once or twice, but after that, Cu Chulainn would adapt and it would lose its effectiveness.
"Well, it was just a spar--hardly counts as a real victory."
"In actual combat, with your Noble Phantasm, you'd be quite troublesome."
"One touch and it's over."
Shouldering his spear, Cu Chulainn offered praise rather than gloating.
Winning a head-on fight was only natural for him.
If a Lancer couldn't beat an Assassin in direct combat, something would be seriously wrong.
Looking at Akame and knowing this Assassin's true terror, he felt a chill run through him.
A single-hit-kill cursed blade combined with that ghostly speed and concealed presence--if caught off guard, forget killing the Master, even some powerful Servants might not be able to defend against it.
At least Cu Chulainn admitted that if he were ambushed by this girl, he would have difficulty escaping unscathed.
'Tsk tsk...'
'Good thing this war didn't have such a harsh, shadowy environment.'
'Otherwise, just thinking about this Assassin's kit--she'd probably eliminate every team she encountered.'
A single scratch meant death.
No chance to resist.
"Rikuo, want another round with me after this?"
"Forget it--let's save our strength. Fighting you would consume quite a bit of my youki."
Unlike Akame, whose abilities didn't drain much mana, Rikuo wasn't so fortunate.
Though Kagome could supply him, Rikuo still didn't want to trouble her too much.
"That's a shame. And without your sword, it wouldn't be as exciting anyway."
"Haha, true enough."
At that, Rikuo could only laugh awkwardly.
Thinking of how Sesshomaru had gone to Totosai for a scabbard, Rikuo had casually asked if there was any chance of repairing Nenekirimaru.
After all, having to restore it with youki every time was quite the hassle.
'Once you know the material and properties, it's simple.'
Recalling that old man's confident tone, Rikuo felt relieved.
As expected of the legendary "Master Swordsmith" among youkai--he could look forward to it.
"Is Archer still training?"
"This war summoned quite a few familiar faces, it seems."
"Well, with the catalyst being oneself, I suppose it's not that strange."
Turning to glance in another direction, Cu Chulainn seemed slightly unsatisfied.
If possible, he still wanted to fight Archer.
That kind of clash between heroes was what a proper war should look like.
All this entanglement with Naraku and the Shikon no Tama had really left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Hm?!"
"?"
"!"
But at that moment, everyone present sensed the aura rapidly approaching from afar.
"This scent..."
Koga and Inuyasha were the first to dash to the front of the group, looking skyward.
"Well, well--I didn't expect you still had one more Dragon Ball hidden away."
Kirinmaru looked down at the group from above, his gaze finally settling on Rin, who stood hiding beside A-Un.
If he hadn't come back this trip and discovered the oversight, he might never have known there was still one here.
Before, Kirinmaru had assumed the Shikon no Tama had already gathered four.
Now it seemed that wasn't the case.
"Sesshomaru isn't here?"
Before the approaching Great Dog Demon could speak, Kirinmaru noticed something interesting.
With Sesshomaru present, this group might have been able to resist a bit longer.
Without him, this would be too easy.
This time, aside from obtaining the Dragon Ball, he also wanted to probe this group's capabilities--so he wouldn't give them any chance to negotiate.
"By the Command Spell, I order you! Saber, take that girl's Dragon Ball for me!"
Two Command Spells activated at once. Kirinmaru didn't hesitate in the slightest.
"!"
The compulsory binding surfaced again. The Great Dog Demon could only begin working around the "loophole," but the Soun'ga in his grip was dangerously poised.
HRAAH!
CLANG!
Blades met. Inuyasha charged forward without hesitation, using Tessaiga to block the Great Dog Demon.
"Hang in there, mutt!"
"[Five Thunder Fingers]!"
Crackling lightning arced past Inuyasha toward the front. The Great Dog Demon easily retreated to evade.
"Pops!"
"The wolf youkai clan, hm?"
Watching Koga stand alongside Inuyasha, the Great Dog Demon felt a wave of nostalgia.
Facing these two plus the approaching Moroha, he needn't worry too much.
As long as he maintained slight resistance, Inuyasha, Moroha, and Koga were more than capable of stalling.
Hold out until Sesshomaru returned to defeat Kirinmaru, and the problem would resolve itself.
"Hmph. You think you can be my opponents?"
Kirinmaru landed, coldly eyeing Akame, Cu Chulainn, and Rikuo as they blocked his path.
"Hold on--let me go first."
Cu Chulainn stepped forward, clearly intent on challenging Kirinmaru one-on-one.
"Finally, an opponent who looks worthwhile..."
"Let me be a little selfish here."