IW: Chapter 249 - Kikyo? She was just a woman longing for love!
"Is this the power of the Heian Period's foremost Onmyoji? Even the residual power has made me so much stronger. How powerful must Inuyasha Bai Ye be, who defeated him?!"
Inside Heian-kyō.
Naraku, now empowered by Seimei's strength, marveled at its might.
He had originally thought, how much power could remain from someone who had been dead for so long?
It would only make him a little stronger; if he had to exert himself, it probably wouldn't be possible.
Naraku's first thought was even to profit from it, trying to preserve his own life.
It wasn't him who was at odds with Bai Ye now.
Why should he be the one to stick his neck out?
Onigumo wanted Kikyo, but he, Naraku, was different. He wanted to become a demon, a demon who could control everything, so he shouldn't have any superfluous thoughts, trying to change everything here.
As long as he was alive, there was always a chance.
"However..."
Naraku murmured softly, but before he could finish, a massive gate abruptly rose from the ground in front of him. Witnessing this, Naraku's face turned grim, and a sense of unease surged in his heart.
He had been used!
Naraku immediately realized that Seimei had likely used him to open the Gate of Hell here.
That's right.
Seimei wouldn't do something that only offered benefits without any cost; even though he had just met him, Naraku knew very well that Seimei wasn't a fool.
He had been too naive before, so who would emerge from behind this gate now?
Seimei, returned from hell?
"I didn't expect to return in such a way."
Seimei!!?
Naraku heard the familiar voice, raised his head, and looked at the person emerging from the Gate of the Underworld.
His face was somewhat delicate, but the intense black aura emanating from him was so evil that even Naraku couldn't help but tremble with fear.
Killing him would probably be effortless for him, wouldn't it?
It seemed he had to change his strategy!
Naraku had originally intended to play both sides, hoping to gain more in the end.
But now, trying to escape was clearly impossible.
Seimei's gaze had fallen on him; he definitely couldn't get away.
"Still a bit too weak."
Seimei was silent for a long time, observing for a while, and finally spoke indirectly about Naraku's strength.
But if he had followed his original thoughts, he would have just said that Naraku was weak.
However, he had now lost contact with the shikon jewel, which seemed to mean that the shikon jewel had been taken by Bai Ye.
What a pity...
He should have appeared earlier.
At that time, he was worried that if he appeared too early, Bai Ye would discover him, and the shikon jewel wouldn't have gathered enough power yet, so he might not be able to defeat Bai Ye.
So he needed to accumulate strength and negotiate with those guys at the same time.
"Tell me what you know."
Seimei didn't bother with other matters and looked at Naraku, asking.
Now he needed to know what exactly had happened.
"What I know?"
In fact, Naraku didn't know much. After telling Seimei some of the things he knew, Naraku stopped speaking.
This wasn't an issue between him and Bai Ye, so he wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he had already begun to scheme in his heart about what to do next.
To be honest...
Hiding behind the scenes was the best way to profit.
"It seems the shikon jewel has been taken by Inuyasha Bai Ye, so we can only proceed with the original plan."
Let's turn Heian-kyō into a ghost town first.
"The first thing he says is to turn this place into a ghost town? Truly worthy of being the Heian Period's foremost Onmyoji!"
The people here revered Seimei as a god.
He didn't expect that the first thing Seimei would do upon returning from hell was to turn this place into hell.
"Someone with such evil demonic power as you doesn't seem to have the right to say that."
Seimei showed no displeasure. He wouldn't let a few words affect his state of mind.
Moreover, even though this guy tried his best to hide it, his evil demonic power couldn't escape Seimei's eyes.
He had seen too many people like this.
"Speaking of which, Lord Seimei, what do you plan to do now?"
Naraku didn't say much. When one is weak, one lies low and lowers one's posture; this was Naraku's way of survival.
Now, attaching himself to Seimei was the most profitable option.
Besides, he was very curious about what Seimei would do next.
"Follow me?"
Seimei had originally thought Naraku would choose to leave.
"I have ambition."
Naraku didn't hide his thoughts at all, directly telling Seimei that he had ambition.
Perhaps he also realized that his ambition couldn't be hidden from people like Seimei.
Instead of fabricating countless excuses only to be exposed and looked down upon by Seimei.
It was better to directly tell Seimei about his ambition; that way, it was more straightforward.
"Sometimes, having ambition isn't a bad thing."
Seimei admired Naraku. He preferred ambitious people; those without ambition would eventually be eliminated.
However, having ambition also required corresponding ability.
"Then you can follow me first!"
After a moment's thought, Seimei decided to let Naraku follow him.
The Gate of the Underworld opened wide, and along with Seimei, countless demons and evil beings from the underworld appeared.
While in the underworld, Seimei had already subdued these evil spirits, waiting for his return from hell so they could rule this world with him.
Heian-kyō.
The once clear sky was suddenly completely covered by dark clouds.
It was noon, yet it was as gloomy and dark as night.
Everyone in Heian-kyō looked at the sky, bewildered and at a loss.
Such a strange phenomenon had never occurred before.
Before, they had Seimei's protection; even though Seimei had been killed by a demon, his protection seemed to have always existed.
Heian-kyō was a place no demon dared to approach, but now it was eerily terrifying.
"W-what is that?!"
A nobleman pointed tremblingly at something that had abruptly appeared in the dark clouds above.
"A demon?!"
"How is that possible! Heian-kyō is the safest place!!"
"How can it be a demon? Don't we have Lord Seimei's protection?"
"Run!"
The entire Heian-kyō was now like a living hell.
After the evil spirits emerged from the underworld and saw living people, they were already impatient under Seimei's instruction.
The evil spirits continuously tore at the living beings within Heian-kyō.
In just a moment, the entire Heian-kyō became like a dead city.
"And just like that, it's gone."
This most prosperous city was thus destroyed by Seimei.
Naraku said with some emotion that Heian-kyō rose because of Seimei and fell because of Seimei.
"Everything that is born has its purpose. Heian-kyō became great because of me, so this is what they must pay."
Seimei had protected this place for so long; did he protect it for nothing?
His plan had always been to sacrifice Heian-kyō to the demons.
When he returned from the underworld, Heian-kyō had been protected by him for so many years, countless people wanted to gather here, and they had lived peacefully for so many years.
It was time for their purpose to be realized.
"Indeed..."
Naraku didn't refute. A strong person killing some insects probably didn't need too many reasons.
But then again, what did he plan to do next?
"Now that Heian-kyō has been destroyed by evil spirits, is it time to deal with Inuyasha Bai Ye?"
After Naraku spoke, he realized that he seemed a bit too eager.
It seemed this matter was up to Seimei to decide whether to do it.
Why was he so anxious?
It was as if he was saying that he wanted them to clash quickly.
"No, it's not time yet. I still need to prepare. As for Heian-kyō... no one will notice anything unusual here."
Seimei shook his head, not in a hurry to act.
After the last failure, Seimei was even more cautious this time.
Besides, he had already cooperated with those guys.
He couldn't rely on himself to do everything, could he?
"No action?"
Naraku muttered to himself, his face showing little expression.
Anyway, he didn't care, as long as he wasn't at the very front.
He would always find opportunities to gain benefits later.
"Return to normal!"
Seimei's voice, though soft, echoed throughout Heian-kyō.
And the originally overcast Heian-kyō immediately returned to a clear, sunny state as soon as he finished speaking.
And those who had been eaten now strangely stood up from the ground.
Their injuries also began to continuously heal.
Seeing this, Naraku's eyes couldn't help but flash with a hint of shock.
This is!?
"Are those demons wearing human skin?!"
Naraku murmured, seeing these evil spirits put on the human skin of the people they had eaten.
Even Naraku, who considered himself evil, felt that his wickedness was somewhat insignificant compared to Seimei's, and that he still needed to learn more.
"That way, they won't be recognized. Let's make use of waste."
Seimei said indifferently.
At this moment, Heian-kyō had apparently returned to its previous state.
Next, it was time to negotiate with those guys.
"So, where are we going next?"
After the three formed a demon-slaying squad, Kikyo gradually became more familiar with them over the past few days.
At the same time, she also learned a lot from Bai Ye about Takama-ga-hara and the past grievances between Bai Ye and Seimei.
This also changed many of Kikyo's previous views and strengthened her resolve to protect the Tree of Ages with Bai Ye.
Once the gods returned, this world would truly become a purgatory.
"We're going to find a demon named Kaguya."
To understand the matters of the heavens, Kaguya was a demon that had to be found.
Kaguya was originally a demon, but after devouring a celestial maiden, she took the maiden's power and appearance for herself.
And Bai Ye was still very curious about one of her abilities.
That was the ability of immortality.
Speaking of which, after devouring the celestial maiden, Kaguya gained the ability of immortality. Even Naraku later dared not directly fight Kaguya and could only use schemes to make Inuyasha and his group confront Kaguya head-on.
He, on the other hand, would seize the opportunity to snatch Kaguya's body.
And back then, Inuyasha and his group were beaten so badly by Kaguya that they lost their bearings.
If it weren't for plot requirements, Kaguya's robe would have been invincible; even Naraku feared it.
This also showed how powerful Kaguya became after devouring the celestial maiden.
But this also raised a question.
What level were celestial maidens in Takama-ga-hara?
They certainly weren't very strong.
Otherwise, they couldn't have been devoured by Kaguya at all.
But...
If the celestial maiden wasn't strong, then after Kaguya devoured her, how could Kaguya become so powerful directly?
There were many things that needed to be clarified only after he personally met Kaguya.
And the ability of immortality...
Is it an ability that all gods in Takama-ga-hara possess, or only the celestial maiden?
If all the gods in Takama-ga-hara possessed it, then dealing with these guys would only be more difficult, because the effects of an ability vary completely when used by users of different strengths.
So Bai Ye still needed to put a question mark here.
He must clearly understand the opponent he was about to face.
Moreover, Seimei had already openly traded with those people, and it was unknown what exactly they traded.
A true master always maintains the heart of an apprentice.
Although when he saw Seimei again, Bai Ye directly stated that Seimei was his defeated foe and was afraid of failing in his hands again.
But Bai Ye also knew that these words were just for show; he still regarded Seimei as his formidable opponent.
"Kaguya?"
Unfamiliar.
She had never heard that name before.
It wasn't until Bai Ye briefly explained Kaguya's origins to the two of them that they were somewhat shocked, not expecting it to involve people from the heavens.
"Didn't you say that people from Takama-ga-hara can't come down?"
Because of the Tree of Ages, Takama-ga-hara was sealed off.
Didn't Bai Ye and Seimei say that before?
But if the celestial maiden came down here, did that mean Takama-ga-hara still had other ways to get here?!
"It's also possible there are restrictions. Didn't those guys from Takama-ga-hara once save Seimei?"
Perhaps it was the reason Tsukuyomi mentioned.
Or it could be that the stronger one is, the greater the restrictions, and the more powerful the person, the greater the restrictions of the Tree of Ages.
There were only these two possibilities.
"So we still have to find that Kaguya you mentioned."
After listening to Bai Ye's analysis, it seemed he was indeed unclear.
Since that demon had already devoured everything from that celestial maiden, she would definitely know.
"Oh, right, did you take care of a bandit named Onigumo?"
Bai Ye suddenly realized a problem: had Naraku already appeared?
"Onigumo? If you're talking about that bandit Onigumo, he was burned to a crisp by a mysterious fire some time ago, but there was a very strong evil aura at the place where he died."
Kikyo looked at Bai Ye with some surprise. Although she didn't know why Bai Ye would be interested in Onigumo, since Bai Ye asked, she directly told him about Onigumo.
Was there anything special about him!?
Kikyo also recalled in her mind, feeling that besides having an extremely evil heart, there didn't seem to be anything too special about that guy, right?
"He should have become a Hanyo."
"Huh?"
Kikyo looked at Bai Ye with some confusion. He seemed to know a lot, and he was concerned about a newly appeared Hanyo.
"It's nothing, just a reminder. I sensed a demonic aura when I passed by that Village, so I just asked you about it."
Bai Ye hesitated for a moment, then simply used a lie to cover it up.
After all, his sudden question was somewhat strange.
Although Bai Ye's excuse sounded full of holes, and if one thought about it carefully, one could definitely find loopholes, the two still chose to accept Bai Ye's excuse.
Otherwise, there was no way to explain why Bai Ye would be concerned about a Hanyo.
"Seimei has been seeking self-salvation within the shikon jewel. These years, when I tried to find him, he would sense danger, and the jewel has always been hiding from me. When he encountered these things, he would definitely seek outside help. That Hanyo is the shikon jewel's masterpiece."
In the anime, Kikyo wanted to take the shikon jewel away, but it directly reincarnated with Kikyo.
And after that, it kept trying to find a way back to Sengoku.
Especially in the current situation, with Seimei as the evil spirit, he would certainly not sit idly by.
"So if I keep the shikon jewel, I'll also die an unnatural death, right?"
Kikyo also understood the shikon jewel's intention.
No wonder everyone who obtained the shikon jewel in the past died an unnatural death.
So that was the reason.
"Yes, the shikon jewel can grant wishes. Once you make a wish to the shikon jewel, everything about you will belong to the shikon jewel. As you continue to make wishes, you will become more and more inseparable from the shikon jewel."
"What if I don't make a wish?"
Kikyo would never make a wish to the shikon jewel.
"It will keep tempting you to make a wish. Even with the firmest heart, you will still have a wish you desire."
"A desired wish?"
Kikyo shook her head. She didn't agree with Bai Ye's statement that she would also have desires.
She had no wish she wanted to fulfill.
Because ever since she became a miko, she had always upheld her duties as a miko and never given up.
"I don't."
Kikyo said, but after seeing Bai Ye's gaze, she felt a hint of uncertainty in her heart.
"You are merely an ordinary woman. As long as you are an ordinary woman, you will always long for someone to treat you as a woman, not a miko. Love is something neither men nor women can escape."
In the anime, Inuyasha's appearance might have been the shikon jewel's doing.
The shikon jewel simply didn't want to be purified by Kikyo, but at that time, Kikyo had no weaknesses. Her own strength was formidable, and demons were no match for her. Mikos and demon slayers of the same period couldn't compare to Kikyo.
It could be said that after the demon slayers handed the shikon jewel to Kikyo, the shikon jewel used various methods, and all the demons approaching the Village were resolved by Kikyo.
And love might have been the shikon jewel's final choice.
Especially the love between a Hanyo and a miko. Compared to humans, demons have longer lifespans. So, after death, would Kikyo make a wish to the shikon jewel?
Once Kikyo had that thought, the shikon jewel's scheme would succeed.
However, when he said this, the two people present looked at him with strange expressions.