The final wooden spear slammed into the cliff—
And the continuous roar came to an abrupt stop.
Silence fell instantly over the battlefield.
Only the faint sound of loose stones rolling down the shattered cliff echoed in the stillness.
The towering Susanoo slowly faded away, revealing Uchiha Kasage and Kikyo within.
"…Is he dead?" Kagome asked softly, her eyes fixed on the smoke-covered cliff.
"…He should be, right?" Kaede frowned, uncertainty in her voice.
"No."
Kasage's calm voice cut through the silence.
"He's still alive."
His gaze remained locked on the smoke as his hand formed a seal.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."
He inhaled deeply—
Then exhaled.
WHOOSH—!
A violent gust surged forward, sweeping away dust, debris, and scattered weeds.
The smoke dispersed instantly—
Revealing the devastation beneath.
The cliff was no longer intact. Deep craters scarred its surface, and countless wooden spikes jutted out from the rock, forming something like a savage forest.
At the center—
A grotesque mass of flesh writhed violently.
It pulsed.
Twisted.
Reformed.
The wooden spears had pierced and pinned it—
But they had not killed it.
"Hahaha…!"
A manic laugh echoed.
"It's useless! You can't kill me!"
Musou's upper body reformed first, followed by the rapid regeneration of his lower half. His voice was filled with wild triumph.
"…Can't be killed, huh."
Kasage nodded slightly.
Then—
A dangerous smile appeared on his lips.
"Perfect."
Before anyone could react—
He lowered his head and gently kissed Kikyo's cheek.
Then looked back at Musou with a cold, mocking gaze.
"Onigumo… dying like trash would be too boring."
His voice carried sharp contempt.
"But now—"
"You get to stand there like garbage… and watch."
"…Unable to do anything."
For a brief moment—
Kikyo's eyes flickered.
She didn't pull away.
But there was a faint, helpless sigh hidden in her expression.
Musou froze—
Then his eyes exploded with rage.
Kasage continued, his tone turning even colder:
"You sold your soul and fused with a pile of worthless yokai… became Naraku… and spent decades trapped."
"And now?"
"You've been discarded."
"Even Naraku sees you as trash."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And yet… you still dare to exist?"
His voice sharpened.
"A worthless bandit as a human."
"A rejected failure as a yokai."
"You've been nothing but trash from beginning to end."
"YOU BASTARD—!!"
Musou completely lost control.
Veins bulged across his face, his eyes bloodshot with madness. Ignoring the wooden spikes piercing his body, he thrashed violently, trying to tear himself free.
"I'LL KILL YOU!! I'LL DEFINITELY KILL YOU!!"
His body swelled grotesquely—
More twisted limbs burst from his flesh, writhing wildly as his yokai aura thickened, almost solidifying in the air.
But—
He was still pinned.
Still trapped.
"…He's completely lost it," Sango muttered quietly.
"Anyone would," Miroku replied, stroking his chin. "Watching another man hold the woman you're obsessed with… while being called worthless."
"…That really was too much," Kagome whispered, nodding slightly.
Meanwhile—
Kikyo glanced at Kasage from the corner of her eye.
"…Your ability to provoke people is exceptional."
Her tone was calm—
But there was a faint trace of dry amusement.
Kasage smirked slightly.
Then turned to her.
"Kikyo… he's too noisy."
His voice softened just a little.
"Let's end it."
He leaned closer, speaking low enough that only she could hear:
"The Demon-Slaying Arrow."
"His heart… where the spider mark is."
"…That's the core."
Kikyo paused.
Then sighed quietly, pressing her fingers lightly to her forehead.
"…I almost feel sorry for him."
Kasage's expression didn't change.
"Who told him to harm you back then?"
There was a faint edge in his voice now.
"Besides…"
"I don't like him."
A brief pause.
"…I'm jealous."
Kikyo blinked—
Then smiled faintly.
"…Alright."
She stepped forward.
In one smooth motion, she drew her bow.
Her posture became perfectly still—
Focused.
Unwavering.
"Kikyo!!"
Musou's voice cracked as he saw her aim at him.
His eyes filled with desperation, rage—
And something deeper.
Pain.
But Kikyo did not hesitate.
Her fingers released.
SHING—!
The arrow shot forward like a streak of light.
At that exact moment—
A wind blade descended from above, slicing toward the arrow.
Kagura.
She had made her move.
"…Kamui."
Kasage's Mangekyō Sharingan spun.
A black vortex appeared instantly—
Swallowing the wind blade whole.
Not even a ripple remained.
And the arrow—
Continued forward, unstoppable.
THUD.
It pierced straight through Musou's heart—
Right as he was about to break free.
"Why—!!!"
His final scream echoed across the mountains.
He stared at Kikyo—
Eyes filled with despair.
With hatred.
With longing.
Then—
Light erupted.
A pure, blinding radiance spread from the arrow, engulfing his entire body.
The purifying power swept through him completely—
Reducing him to ash.
Bit by bit—
He disappeared.
Scattered into the wind.
"…Damn it."
Kagura stood atop the cliff, her expression dark as she watched Musou vanish.
Her eyes shifted briefly to Kasage—
A flash of irritation…
And something else.
Satisfaction.
"Tch."
With a flick of her fan, she rose into the air atop her feather and vanished into the horizon.
"…He was… kind of pitiful," Inuyasha muttered after a moment, his tone conflicted.
"…Yeah," Kagome agreed softly. "Humiliated like that… and then killed by the person he loved…"
"Inuyasha, you should be careful too," Shippo suddenly added. "You like Kikyo too, after all—"
*BONK!*
"Ow!!"
Before he could finish, Inuyasha punched him on the head.
"Kagome!!" Shippo cried, teary-eyed.
Kagome looked at him calmly.
"…Inuyasha."
"…Don't kill him."
"AH—!!"
Shippo bolted instantly, terrified.
Kasage ignored the commotion.
His senses spread outward—
Confirming it.
Musou's yokai aura…
Was completely gone.
He turned to Kikyo.
"When do you want to leave?"
"This clone still has enough chakra. I can send you back with Flying Thunder God."
"…Now?"
Kikyo thought for a moment.
"I'll say goodbye to Kaede first."
"…Wait for me."
Kasage nodded.
"…Alright."
As she walked away, his gaze shifted toward where Musou had vanished.
A faint thought crossed his mind—
*This changes things.*
In the original course of events, Musou would have returned to Naraku—
Been reabsorbed.
But now—
He was gone.
Completely erased.
And that meant—
Naraku had just lost something far more important than a mere incarnation.
Onigumo's obsession—
His core.
"…This will hit him harder than he expects."
Kasage's eyes narrowed slightly.
After all—
Naraku himself had once said he still needed Onigumo to stabilize his existence.
Without that core…
The foundation begins to crack.
And Kasage—
Had no intention of letting Naraku recover easily.
Only by pushing him further—
Closer to desperation—
Would he be forced to rely more on the power of the Shikon Jewel.
And that—
Was exactly what Kasage wanted.