"What… is that thing?"
Miroku stared at the skeletal Susanoo as it slowly dissipated, his eyes filled with shock.
"I've seen Kasage use it once before," Kagome said, following his gaze, her voice tinged with amazement.
"He used it to block Hiten's attack back then… but I didn't expect it could not only defend, but attack as well."
"You… have managed to anger me."
A cold voice erupted from within the cloud of dust.
Sesshomaru suddenly lifted his head. The calm indifference that once defined his face had twisted into something ferocious. His eyes had turned into eerie blood-red pupils, and the yokai energy surrounding him surged violently to its peak.
The rock wall behind him shattered instantly.
Amid flying debris, his figure blurred as he shot forward toward Uchiha Kasage at terrifying speed.
At the same time, his fingers snapped together—
A whip formed instantly, condensed from poisonous yokai energy.
With a sharp hiss, it lashed forward like a venomous serpent—
—and sliced Kasage cleanly in half at the waist.
"Kasage!" Kagome's expression changed drastically as she cried out, about to rush forward—
—but Inuyasha stopped her.
"Don't worry. That's not the real Kasage."
His gaze remained locked on the battlefield, voice firm.
Kagome froze, then followed his line of sight.
Sesshomaru didn't even glance at the "corpse" on the ground. A cold smile curved on his lips.
"A cheap trick."
Before his words fully faded, he turned sharply—
The poisonous whip struck the ground behind him like a striking snake.
"BOOM!"
The earth exploded apart.
Kasage's figure burst out from underground, while the bisected body on the ground turned into a shattered log with a puff.
"That dog nose of yours is really sharp," Kasage said with a faint sigh after dodging the attack.
"It seems the Substitution Technique has its limits against a Great Yokai."
He reached behind him and drew his katana.
Wind-natured chakra surged instantly along the blade, forming a sharp, swirling aura of cutting energy.
In the next instant—
his figure blurred.
He charged straight at Sesshomaru.
"CLANG—!"
The chakra-coated blade collided violently with Tessaiga, sending a storm of sparks exploding into the night.
With the Mangekyo Sharingan guiding him, Kasage launched a relentless assault.
The Uchiha sword style wasn't refined or elegant—but it was brutally efficient. Every strike was lethal, forged through countless battles.
Under the predictive vision of the Sharingan, Kasage's movements split into afterimages, blades flashing from multiple angles as he sealed off every escape route.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Steel clashed continuously, sparks bursting like fireworks across the battlefield.
From afar, Kagome and Miroku could only see flashes of light—they couldn't follow the movements at all.
Only Inuyasha, relying on his keen hanyō senses, could barely track the two figures.
Sesshomaru, who usually crushed opponents with overwhelming yokai power, was now being pushed back.
He relied on speed to defend, but every move Kasage made seemed to anticipate his actions.
He couldn't counterattack—
and from time to time, Kasage's blade left shallow cuts across his body.
Though his powerful yokai regeneration healed them quickly, the frustration in Sesshomaru's eyes grew colder and darker.
This was the first time—
he had been pushed this far by a human.
And that human was using nothing more than a mortal blade.
"How is it, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked anxiously, gripping his sleeve tightly.
"Kasage has the upper hand for now… but…" Inuyasha frowned deeply.
"That sword won't last long against Tessaiga."
As if proving his words—
CRACK!
Kasage's blade sliced across Sesshomaru's armor—
—and shattered into two pieces under the strain.
Kasage didn't react with surprise.
He had already expected it.
Leaping back, he created distance and casually tossed the broken blade aside.
A mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"Dog yokai… your swordsmanship is truly pathetic."
He paused, his tone turning colder.
"Well then… now that the weapon is gone, this warm-up ends here."
Sesshomaru didn't reply.
Seeing Kasage unarmed, a cold light flashed in his eyes.
He swung Tessaiga again—
A massive wave of yokai energy tore across the battlefield, far more powerful than before.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Kasage's hands flashed through seals before slamming onto the ground.
"BOOM—!"
A massive stone wall erupted upward, blocking the attack.
But only for a moment.
The blade of energy shattered it instantly, reducing it to rubble and carving a deep trench through the earth.
However—
Kasage was already gone.
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as he scanned the surroundings, relying on his senses.
"What are you looking for?"
A cold voice echoed from behind him.
Sesshomaru's pupils shrank.
Before he could react—
THUD!
A powerful kick slammed into his back.
"Pfft—!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body was sent flying forward.
In the next instant—
Kasage appeared beside him like a shadow.
His chakra erupted violently.
A punch slammed directly into Sesshomaru's face.
"Konoha Hurricane!"
Spinning mid-air, Kasage delivered a crushing kick to Sesshomaru's abdomen.
The impact launched him high into the sky.
Dazed, disoriented—
Sesshomaru barely regained focus—
only to see that Kasage had changed.
Orange markings had appeared around his eyes.
His aura had multiplied several times over.
Sage Mode.
Killing intent flashed in Sesshomaru's eyes.
With a roar, he swung Tessaiga again.
"Mere human—die!"
The massive energy wave struck Kasage directly—
—but in the next instant—
*Poof!*
The figure dispersed into smoke.
A Shadow Clone.
The attack slammed into the ground, carving another massive trench as dust filled the air.
"Always calling others 'mere humans'…"
Kasage's voice came from above.
"You trash yokai… where exactly do you think your strength lies?"
Sesshomaru's heart tightened.
He immediately gathered his yokai energy around his body—
But it was too late.
From above—
Kasage descended.
"Sage Art: Heaven Spear Kick!"
A massive concentration of senjutsu chakra exploded beneath his foot—
—and came crashing down.
"UGH—!"
Sesshomaru coughed up blood as his body plummeted like a meteor.
"BOOM—!!!"
The ground shook violently.
A massive crater formed instantly upon impact, cracks spreading outward as dust shot into the sky.
Silence followed.
"So… so strong…" Shippo stammered, eyes wide in shock.
"Completely overwhelmed… He didn't even have a chance to fight back…" Miroku murmured, disbelief written all over his face.
Kagome and Inuyasha exchanged a glance.
Both saw the same thing in each other's eyes—
shock… and a creeping sense of numbness.
They had always known Uchiha Kasage was powerful.
But not—
to this extent.