Inside the shrine, Kagetsu sat cross-legged, hands cupped together around a crystal-clear bead that glowed faintly with a purplish-pink light.
It was one of the pseudo–Shikon Jewel fragments he and Kikyo had collected.
His eyes were closed, his consciousness fully immersed within the jewel.
Kikyo sat quietly nearby, watching him intently.
A moment later, Kagetsu's eyes snapped open.
The ripple-patterned Rinnegan flared with power.
He raised his right hand,
And from the jewel in his left palm, a strand of pure white light was forcibly drawn out.
Kikyo's expression sharpened instantly.
The moment that human soul was extracted, the jewel darkened. Black, malignant energy spread rapidly across its surface.
Kagetsu didn't hesitate. He tossed it aside.
"Crack,!"
Before it could even hit the ground, the pseudo jewel shattered.
A surge of dense, corrupted energy burst forth, followed by a twisted demon soul,its form warped beyond recognition.
But Kikyo was ready.
She raised her hand, and a wave of pure spiritual power surged forward, instantly purifying both the miasma and the distorted soul into scattered motes of light.
Silence returned.
"I'm getting better at this," Kagetsu said casually, watching the extracted soul drift upward and vanish toward the afterlife. "But extracting Midoriko's soul from the real Shikon Jewel won't be nearly this easy."
"These pseudo jewels are simple," he continued. "Just two souls,one human, one demon. The real jewel is… far more complex."
Since awakening the Rinnegan, he had been using the Human Path's ability to experiment on the pseudo jewels.
At first, his lack of understanding caused repeated failures,most of them ending with explosions.
But now, after countless attempts, he could reliably isolate and extract the human soul.
"That's already remarkable," Kikyo said softly, her tone filled with quiet optimism.
"At least now we know it's possible. If we dismantle the Shikon Jewel at its source… we may finally be able to destroy it completely."
Ever since seeing him succeed, her confidence had grown.
But her expression soon turned serious again.
"There's still a problem," she said, frowning slightly.
"When the human soul,the 'pure' side,is removed, the balance collapses. The remaining demon soul becomes corrupted and turns into something far more dangerous."
She glanced at the dissipating remnants of the earlier spirit.
"The real Shikon Jewel contains countless demon souls. If they're released all at once…"
Her voice lowered.
"It could become a disaster."
Kagetsu waved it off lightly.
"If they escape, we deal with them later. Compared to the Shikon Jewel itself, they're a lesser threat."
Kikyo shook her head firmly.
"No. I'll find a way to handle them completely."
Kagetsu smiled.
"Then I'll help you. We'll wipe them out together."
He studied her thoughtful expression and raised a brow.
"You're not planning to do this alone, are you?"
Kikyo shot him an annoyed look.
"Of course not."
She paused, then added,
"Tsubaki is a powerful shrine maiden. I can ask for her help. With Kagome, you, and me… it should be enough."
Kagetsu nodded.
"That's a solid plan."
He also recalled another shrine maiden he had encountered,someone who might prove useful when the time came.
Just then,
A blazing streak descended from the sky.
Entei landed in the courtyard, flames dancing around its hooves, Tendō Midoriko seated calmly on its back.
"So this is Entei?" Kikyo's eyes lit up with curiosity as she stepped forward.
"Neigh,!"
The moment she approached, Entei's expression turned hostile. Its blood-red eyes locked onto her, forcing her to stop.
Thud!
Midoriko struck its head sharply with the shaft of her naginata.
"If you don't want to die, behave," she said coldly.
Entei stiffened immediately, its aggression vanishing.
A faint smile touched Kikyo's lips.
She stepped closer, gently stroking the horse's crimson mane.
"If you value your life," she said softly, "then be obedient."
A trace of spiritual power flickered at her fingertips.
To any ordinary observer, it seemed faint,
But to Entei, it was overwhelming.
Terror flooded its eyes.
It didn't dare move.
From atop the horse, Midoriko watched with mild amusement.
Kagetsu could clearly tell,
Kikyo's mastery of spiritual power far surpassed what Midoriko's remnant soul could provide.
More importantly, Kikyo's control was refined and precise.
By contrast, Midoriko's puppet relied on brute force,wielding spiritual power as if it were chakra.
To Entei, Kikyo's gentle touch was far more frightening than Midoriko's overwhelming strikes.
Midoriko dismounted and approached Kagetsu.
From within her robes, she produced a sealing scroll and handed it over.
Inside, Rengokuki's corpse.
After Kagetsu took it, she stepped aside, standing motionless like a statue.
He stored the scroll, then formed a series of hand seals.
The ground beneath Midoriko suddenly erupted with wooden tendrils, weaving together into a coffin-like structure that encased her body and weapon entirely.
As it sealed shut, Kagetsu deactivated the Rinnegan.
His Mangekyō Sharingan resurfaced.
A swirling vortex opened,
And the coffin vanished into the Kamui dimension.
With that done, Kagetsu turned his gaze toward Entei.
The demon horse stood perfectly still beside Kikyo,
Utterly obedient.