"Lord Sesshomaru!"
Jaken rushed toward the dust-filled crater, panic written all over his face as he tried to check on Sesshomaru's condition.
"ROAR—!"
Suddenly, the smoke inside the pit exploded outward.
A violent gust swept across the battlefield, blasting Jaken away and sending him rolling across the ground.
As the dust cleared, a massive white demonic hound slowly stood up.
Its enormous crimson eyes locked onto Uchiha Retsu.
Savage killing intent poured from its body—it was completely enraged.
"Heh. Can't win, so you turn into a dog?" Retsu's mocking voice echoed across the battlefield. "You like biting people that much?"
That single sentence ignited Sesshomaru's fury.
He threw back his head and let out an earth-shaking roar, then lunged forward with jaws wide open, fangs gleaming as he charged straight at Retsu.
In this world, demons were strangely built.
Their strongest form was usually their humanoid state.
When they returned to their true forms, their raw strength increased—but their massive size crippled their speed. In actual combat, they often became weaker.
Sesshomaru's fight with Inuyasha in their father's tomb was proof enough.
Before transforming, Inuyasha could barely follow his movements.
After becoming a giant dog, even Kagome could dodge his attacks—and he ended up losing an arm.
That was why rational demons rarely revealed their true forms in battle.
Doing so usually meant they had reached the end of their rope.
In Retsu's eyes, Sesshomaru's transformation was nothing but suicide.
Facing the charging beast, pale-blue chakra surged from Retsu's body.
The skeletal frame of Susanoo formed instantly.
Muscle, armor, and skin layered over it.
In moments, a towering armored warrior more than ten meters tall stood on the battlefield.
"AWOO—!"
Sesshomaru leaped up and bit toward Susanoo's neck.
But the attack, ferocious as it looked, was meaningless against the giant construct.
"Ha. Got beaten so hard you lost your brain?" Retsu scoffed. "You could've lasted longer in human form. Turning into a giant dog just means you're asking to die."
Before he finished speaking—
Boom!
Susanoo's massive fist slammed down onto Sesshomaru's head.
"AWOO—!"
A miserable howl tore through the night.
Under the overwhelming force, Sesshomaru lost balance and crashed sideways.
Before he could even hit the ground, Susanoo's giant hand grabbed his neck and smashed him into the earth.
Then—
A long blade of pure chakra condensed in Susanoo's other hand.
Slash!
It plunged straight through Sesshomaru's body, pinning him to the ground.
"How does it feel?" Retsu sneered. "Bullying half-demons and humans—felt pretty heroic, didn't it?"
Bang!
Another punch slammed into Sesshomaru's head.
"Thought you were invincible?"
Bang!
"Only brave enough to bully defenseless women and your own brother."
Bang!
"A piece of trash like you thinks you're above humans?"
Blood spilled from Sesshomaru's mouth.
Retsu didn't stop.
"Looking down on your brother for being a half-demon, yet you get played by another half-demon like a fool."
Bang!
"Running around trying to kill your own brother—did that half-demon become your dad or something?"
Bang!
"When are you going to recognize your 'half-demon father'? Would your proud mother approve?"
Each sentence was accompanied by a merciless punch.
The shockwaves tore through the air.
After several blows, Sesshomaru's struggles weakened.
His massive body slowly shrank, reverting to human form.
Retsu pulled out the chakra blade embedded in his abdomen and aimed it at his throat.
Just as he was about to strike—
He caught sight of Inuyasha and Kagome rushing over.
A playful smile appeared on his lips.
He deliberately slowed his movements.
As expected—
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted.
Inuyasha grabbed Tessaiga from the ground and rushed forward, blocking Sesshomaru with his body.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken scrambled over, trembling as he checked his master's wounds.
Retsu had held back.
The injuries looked terrifying, but none were fatal.
Sesshomaru lay there silently.
The rage and madness were gone.
Only calm eyes remained as he stared at Inuyasha's back, unreadable.
Kagome ran up and stood beside Inuyasha, shielding Sesshomaru with him.
"Why are you stopping me?" Retsu asked mockingly. "This idiot who gets used like a disposable weapon deserves to die."
"Let him go," Inuyasha said stiffly. "One day… I'll defeat him myself."
"You've thought this through?" Retsu stared at him seriously.
"If I hadn't arrived, you'd be either dead or crippled. And Kagome might've been killed."
"I…" Inuyasha glanced at Kagome, then at Sesshomaru.
He clenched his teeth.
"He's my brother. I can't just watch him die."
"Brother?" Retsu snorted, glancing at Sesshomaru. "Did he treat you like one when he tried to kill you?"
"Even so," Kagome said firmly, "brothers are still brothers. I believe someday, they'll get along."
"Tch. Do whatever you want."
Retsu waved dismissively and dispersed Susanoo, stepping aside with his arms crossed.
Inuyasha finally relaxed.
He knew that if Retsu truly wanted Sesshomaru dead, he couldn't have stopped him.
Sheathing Tessaiga, Inuyasha turned toward Sesshomaru, who was barely standing with Tenseiga's support.
After hesitating, he said softly,
"Go."
Sesshomaru looked at him.
His gaze was complicated—resentment, humiliation, and something else, buried deep.
He said nothing.
Turning around, he walked into the forest.
His back was still proud—
But far less arrogant than before.
"Lord Sesshomaru, be careful!" Jaken hurried after him.
"Tch. He could at least say thanks," Kagome muttered.
"That's just how he is," Inuyasha shrugged.
Retsu watched Sesshomaru disappear, a thoughtful smile on his face.
At this stage, Sesshomaru was still a true villain—cold, ruthless, disdainful of humans, and contemptuous of half-demons.
Today, though—
He had been crushed by a "human."
And saved by the brother he despised.
That humiliation would surely leave a deep mark.
Retsu understood the story well.
Sesshomaru's obsession with Tessaiga had always been a dead end.
He never realized that a true demon's greatest weapon was never his father's fang—
But his own.
Tessaiga was forged from the Great Dog Demon's tooth.
It was his father's power.
It was given to Inuyasha only because, as a half-demon, he lacked the strength to protect himself while growing.
But in the end, everyone had to rely on their own power.
Even Tessaiga, made from his father's fang, eventually broke—
And was reforged from Inuyasha's own.
That was proof he had truly matured.
Sesshomaru, despite gaining Tenseiga and Bakusaiga later, had struggled for a long time—
Because they weren't born from himself.
Only when he forged his own fang, Bakusaiga, did he truly become a great demon in his own right.
"Hopefully," Retsu murmured,
"Today's crushing defeat helps him understand that a little sooner."
To Read advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146