"Cough, cough..."
Spitting out a mouthful of black blood, Miroku's shallow breathing finally improved.
"Ohhh, the black spots on his arm are fading!"
Shippo watched the marks on his arm gradually vanish and cried out in delight.
"Thank goodness..."
Equally emotional, Sango held Miroku's other hand, unable to accept him dying like this.
Fortunately, there was room to turn things around.
Having Kagome and Moroha here was truly a blessing.
"Phew..."
Withdrawing her hand, Kagome wiped the sweat from her forehead, glancing back at the vanishing Midoriko with immense gratitude.
Without Midoriko's help, she and Moroha couldn't have saved Miroku.
"Mom, who was that person?"
Moroha slumped onto the ground, disregarding her image, and looked up at Kagome.
"That was the Priestess Midoriko."
"A miko who fought countless youkai. Her soul still exists inside the jewel to this day."
"What are you talking about?"
The group looked at Kagome and Moroha in confusion, not understanding.
"I'll explain later. Right now, we need to prepare for the Shikon no Tama immediately."
Standing up, Kagome had no time to waste.
Midoriko appeared as a soul just now and gave all her spiritual power to her and Moroha.
'This is the Shikon no Tama's final life.'
'Make the correct wish.'
Midoriko's message aligned with Kagome's thoughts. As long as the correct wish was made, the function of the "Jewel" would operate.
And if successful, the current Shikon no Tama would definitely be massively weakened.
Right now, because the Shikon no Tama itself possessed overwhelming consciousness and miasma, the "Jewel" and "Midoriko" were suppressed.
If not for her and Moroha's spiritual power, Midoriko might not have even awakened.
'Final life... meaning we just need to destroy it one more time to end this!'
The only thing that surprised Kagome was that Midoriko knew the Shikon no Tama's details.
BOOM!!
A violent explosion erupted ahead. Cu Chulainn, Akame, and Sesshomaru's figures appeared.
Feet skidding across the ground, the three retreated to this side one by one.
The Shikon no Tama's unharmed body appeared before them.
Its momentum showed no sign of waning.
Compared to their gradually battered side, it held a distinct advantage.
"Hm?"
Noticing Miroku's condition, the Shikon no Tama was momentarily stunned.
Impossible.
Kagome and Archer's power shouldn't have been enough to save that monk.
The miasma was purified so thoroughly...
What happened during the time it was being combo-attacked by those three?
'I can't drag this out.'
Another surprise. The Shikon no Tama no longer felt relaxed.
These repeated unforeseen events were truly annoying.
Its detached eyeballs were still chasing Kirinmaru and the Great Dog Demon. As long as those two great youkai were pinned down, Sesshomaru was the only one in this group difficult to deal with.
But if he couldn't kill it, he was no threat.
Conversely, if it landed just one hit on any of them, it would cause incurable wounds.
Thud.
But at that moment, a crisp landing sound came from nearby.
It looked behind Kagome's group and saw a "person" landing, wrapped in black-red youki.
"!"
"?"
Hearing the sound, everyone else turned to look.
"Rikuo?"
Seeing the change in appearance, Shippo exclaimed.
His black-and-white kimono had turned black-and-red. Demon markings appeared on his face. A partial dog-demon tail wrapped around his neck and draped over his shoulder. Combined with his white hair nearing the ground, he looked much more "wickedly wild."
More notable was the blade in his hand.
Not slender like Nenekirimaru, nor massive like Tessaiga.
But a long tachi with fur wrapped around the hilt.
Matoi: Dog Demon Lord!
'Can't sense his youki or presence at all?'
Sesshomaru frowned, observing Rikuo, puzzled by his appearance.
If not for the landing sound just now, he wouldn't have noticed when Rikuo approached.
"Did it work?"
Not seeing Inuyasha, and noting the obvious change in aura and appearance, Moroha asked.
"Yeah. Took a little time, but we succeeded."
Gripping the long tachi, Rikuo walked forward and spoke slowly.
"So, can I ask you all to create an opening for me?"
"Just once..."
"Make it reveal a flaw."
Speaking thus, Rikuo's composed attitude was unmistakable.
"Hoh, big talk. Looks like you're confident in killing that guy."
Cu Chulainn caught the implication and grew interested.
"Understood."
Akame gripped Murasame and looked ahead, asking no details about Rikuo's plan.
All she needed to do was trust him.
"Hmph."
Sesshomaru said nothing, merely turning his gaze back to the Shikon no Tama.
But seeing him hold his sword ready, he clearly intended to help.
"Moroha, you heard what Midoriko said earlier, right?"
"I heard, but what is the correct wish?"
Kagome patted Moroha's shoulder to remind her, but Moroha asked back.
'The Shikon no Tama won't grant a true wish.'
'The only correct wish... is...'
Though not 100% certain, Kagome believed it so.
The Shikon no Tama's existence had brought only endless despair and conflict to the world.
So it should...
"!"
'What's going on?'
The Shikon no Tama looked at Rikuo but sensed something wrong.
Clearly standing there, yet it felt no youki...
If not seeing him with its "eyes," it wouldn't have detected him.
Kyoka Suigetsu.
It judged he was using that technique, but...
Even when meeting Rikuo before, there was youki radiating around him, not this "tranquility."
Something was wrong.
Some unimaginable change had occurred in him.
And under its gaze, Rikuo's figure vanished from the spot, as if he never existed.
"I don't know what you've become..."
"But..."
"I just need to force you to reveal yourself!"
The detached eyeballs showed no sign of returning. The Shikon no Tama decided to strike first.
It flew low to the ground, charging straight at Kagome.
"Incoming!"
Assuming stances, everyone prepared to intercept.
"Ngh..."
Moroha raised her long bow, channeling youki, and focused.
She and Mom had a clear goal.
No need to do anything else excessive.
"Then, as Rider's Master wishes..."
"Let's give it our all."
Mana surged. Cu Chulainn leaped backward into mid-air, spear ready.
"HAAH!"
SWISH!
Sesshomaru and Akame charged straight forward. Koga stood in front of Kagome and Moroha, ready for emergencies.
SPLAT!
Akame flashed past at extreme speed, Murasame tearing through the Shikon no Tama's torso along with its head.
The torn wound healed in less than a second. Ignoring Akame, the Shikon no Tama pressed on.
Its goal was singular...
Kill Kagome. Then neither Inuyasha nor Rider could remain indifferent.
SIZZLE!!
Bakusaiga slashed from the side, silky smooth as it bisected the body--yet it couldn't impact its forward momentum.
It intended to ignore Sesshomaru's attack and keep going.
"[Bursting Lance Blast]!!"
"[Gokuryuuha]!!"
But the next moment, from a distance, the Shikon no Tama heard the incoming attacks.
Densely packed purple lights bombarded its path. The wind pressure and explosive shockwaves of Gokuryuuha forced it to veer off course.
"Tch!"
Impeded for a moment, the Shikon no Tama glanced at Kirinmaru and the Great Dog Demon, who had found time to attack, annoyed.
Every time, troublesome guys interfered.
Clearly it had assigned its eyes to track those two, but there were limits.
During this pause, Akame and Sesshomaru were upon it again.
"I told you--no matter how many times you cut, it's the same!"
Blades pierced into hard flesh, posing no threat.
"What?"
But this time, no response. Instead, its body was dragged.
It realized Akame and Sesshomaru had twisted their blades inside its body, using the leverage to forcibly drag it away.
"You!!"
"HAAH!!"
SWISH!
A massive fist swung, attempting to smash their heads, but they withdrew their blades and retreated.
Its body stopped being dragged and crashed to the ground.
Rising, it saw two gleaming lights ahead.
Kagome and Moroha nocked arrows, aiming at it.
Sacred Arrows?
It didn't care. With its immense miasma and youki, those two had no chance of purifying it.
"[Gae Bolg] (Soaring Spear that Strikes with Death)!"
But the red flash and roar from mid-air caught its attention.
Like a red meteor crashing toward the ground.
BOOM!!
Explosion ripped its body apart.
But the Shikon no Tama had experienced this familiar attack once before. Let alone killing it again, it couldn't even keep its body shattered.
The wounds healed as soon as they appeared.
Useless effort.
Just as the Shikon no Tama thought this...
SWISH!
SWISH!!
Two sounds of arrows piercing dust reached it, and then the Shikon no Tama witnessed it.
CRACK!
"What?!"
The pitch-black jewel exposed to the air was crisscrossed by two arrows.
FWOOSH!
'This spiritual power... how?!'
Dazzling pink light erupted, making the Shikon no Tama feel uneasy.
Looking through the dispersing dust, it finally noticed a fading afterimage behind Kagome and Moroha.
Midoriko...
'If the Shikon no Tama assimilates countless youkai inside by fusing with Servants, then Midoriko, who fought it eternally, was suppressed by that broken balance.'
Until Kagome and Moroha arrived, allowing Midoriko's soul to awaken.
Not only did she bestow all her spiritual power upon them, she even unlocked the spiritual power the Shikon no Tama had sealed within Kagome.
This attack wasn't just to hit the Shikon no Tama.
But to--
"OHHHHH!!!"
The blackened jewel was purged by surging purification power. The "Jewel" that had lost its color regained its former radiance.
"Now!"
Though the purified state wouldn't last long, Kagome knew this moment was enough.
"Shikon no Tama!"
"I wish!!"
With Kagome and Moroha's unison shout, the pink jewel emitted a massive ripple.
'Bad!!'
Hearing their words, the Shikon no Tama's expression changed. It even recalled the eyes chasing the Great Dog Demon and Kirinmaru outside.
It could heal quickly from damage, but that didn't mean the "Jewel" itself could be quickly repolluted after sustained massive purification.
And during this interval, a fatal flaw existed!
It didn't expect Kagome to seize this opening!
Beams prepared to fire from its eyes, but Rikuo's figure appeared beside it.
That stance wielding the long tachi made the Shikon no Tama unable to ignore him.
Ordinary slash?
Or an attack with special properties?
Unknown.
And because of that, the Shikon no Tama dared not gamble.
It couldn't predict or understand the damage composition of Rikuo in this state, so it couldn't blindly trust its regeneration.
If it was a one-hit kill power, it was finished!
Compared to what Kagome and Moroha might do next, Rikuo was the one it needed to focus on most.
The beams aimed at Kagome and Moroha shifted to Rikuo, piercing his body.
"!"
But the faint smile on his face made the Shikon no Tama realize.
Tricked!
Kyoka Suigetsu!!
Kyoka Suigetsu AGAIN!!!
The pierced Rikuo vanished like mist, as if he never existed.
"Too late!"
Even trying to shift the beams back to Kagome and Moroha was impossible now.
"Shikon no Tama... Disappear!!"
"FOREVER!!"
With Kagome and Moroha's scream, the Shikon no Tama heard the "wish" it wanted to face least.
Crack...
Cracks began to form on the pure jewel in its chest.
"STOP!!!"