"Of course!" Shūran nodded confidently, her tone filled with certainty.
Kasage frowned slightly, clearly puzzled.
"Then why go through all this trouble to find a proper burial site?"
"Wouldn't it be enough to just throw the Lord's body anywhere?"
He genuinely couldn't understand their logic.
If they were going to let the corpse turn into a Yokai anyway—
Why treat the burial so seriously?
---
"That won't do!" Shūran immediately shook her head.
She turned to him, blinking playfully, a sly smile forming on her lips.
"You're thinking… if we're so serious about the burial, why let the corpse turn into a Yokai at all, right?"
Kasage nodded without hesitation.
"Exactly."
---
Shūran laughed lightly.
"Because the Yokai born from the corpse…"
"…are natural gravekeepers."
---
Kasage paused.
Then—
Realization struck.
This place wasn't the living world.
It was the boundary between realms.
There were no guards here—
No one to watch over the dead.
Letting a Yokai born from the corpse itself protect the grave…
Was the simplest solution.
---
"…I see."
Still—
Something didn't quite add up.
"If the corpse becomes a Yokai…"
"How does it guard its own grave?"
---
Shūran waved her hand dismissively.
"The corpse is the corpse."
"The gravekeeper is the gravekeeper."
"They're not the same thing."
Seeing his confusion remain, she smirked.
"You'll understand once you see it."
---
Kasage exhaled lightly.
"…Fine."
Then suddenly—
A thought crossed his mind.
His expression turned slightly strange.
"…Then the ones we just destroyed…"
"Were they someone's gravekeepers?"
---
"More or less." Shūran nodded casually.
Her tone was completely indifferent.
"The Skeleton Yokai here—aside from a few that formed naturally—"
"Mostly come from the remains of powerful Yokai buried here."
"You can think of them as gravekeepers."
She kept walking as she spoke.
"But don't worry about it."
"New ones are always being created."
"When old ones are destroyed… more will appear."
---
Kasage gave a small thumbs-up.
"…Fair enough."
It was crude.
But undeniably effective.
Typical Yokai logic.
Given their long lifespans—
The fact that they even bothered to bury their dead properly was already something.
Expecting human sentiment from them would be unrealistic.
---
After a moment, Kasage spoke again:
"By the way…"
"Inu no Taishō—Sesshomaru's father…"
"His grave is here too, right?"
---
Shūran paused.
She tilted her head, thinking.
"…Yeah."
"It is."
"But it's very far from here."
She gestured vaguely into the mist.
"I entered from the territory of our clan near the borders of the Western Lands."
"That dog Yokai territory is far from ours…"
"So naturally, his grave is far from here too."
---
Kasage narrowed his eyes slightly.
So—
Entry points in the living world corresponded to locations here as well.
---
"I heard from Inuyasha…"
"That when he entered his father's grave…"
"There weren't any gravekeepers like you described."
"What's the reason for that?"
---
Shūran frowned slightly, thinking it over.
"Inuyasha… Sesshomaru's younger brother, right?"
She crossed her arms.
"…Strange."
"For a Daiyokai like Inu no Taishō…"
"His remaining power should've been enough to form a new Yokai."
She thought for a while—
Then shrugged.
"Who knows?"
"Maybe bad luck."
"Or maybe…"
"He sealed all his power into something before he died."
---
Kasage's eyes flickered.
*A sword…*
He immediately thought of the blade Inuyasha inherited—
The weapon hidden within his father's remains.
Tessaiga.
It made sense.
If all that power had been transferred into the sword—
Then there would be nothing left to form a gravekeeper.
---
"…That explains it."
Though—
He couldn't confirm it.
After so many years—
The truth was long buried.
---
"Ah! We're here!"
Shūran's eyes suddenly lit up.
"This is the place!"
Before Kasage could respond—
She dashed forward.
Her movements were swift and agile as she leapt onto a massive boulder.
---
Kasage followed.
Chakra gathered beneath his feet as he ran along the rock surface—
Landing beside her in a smooth motion.
---
"Well?"
Shūran pointed proudly at the clearing below.
"This is a great spot, right?"
"Our clan spent a long time choosing it!"
---
Kasage looked down.
A barren clearing.
Covered in gravel.
Scattered bones.
No different from anywhere else they had passed.
"…Looks normal."
Still—
He nodded seriously.
"…Yeah."
"Not bad."
---
Shūran suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! You didn't see anything special at all, did you?"
Kasage's expression went flat.
"…So there isn't anything special?"
---
"Of course not!"
She wiped a tear from her eye, still laughing.
"An old lady in our clan picked it!"
"She's always half-asleep anyway—she probably just pointed randomly!"
"But since none of us understand these things…"
"We just go with whatever she says!"
---
Kasage stared at her silently.
…
This was even less reliable than flipping a coin.
At least that could be called fate.
---
"…Incredible."
---
"Alright!"
Shūran suddenly straightened, her expression turning serious.
"It's time to open the passage."
"And call Big Sister."
---
She reached up—
Removing the cherry blossom ornament from her hair.
Kasage's gaze sharpened.
At its center—
Was a small, dark gem.
A Black Pearl.
---
Could it be…?
He immediately thought of the one connected to Inuyasha.
---
Before he could ask—
Shūran infused it with Demonic Power and tossed it upward.
The pearl didn't fall.
It hovered—
Then—
Space began to ripple.
A small spatial tunnel opened in midair.
---
"Big Sister!"
Shūran called out loudly.
"I've found the burial site!"
"Bring the Lord here!"
---
Kasage stood to the side, watching with interest.
This—
Was not something one saw every day.
The burial of a Daiyokai.
---
Moments later—
The tunnel began to expand.
Widening rapidly.
The air grew heavy.
Then—
Something massive began to emerge.
Slowly forcing its way through the opening.
---
A colossal—
Grotesque—
Leopard Cat corpse.
---
Even in death—
Its presence was overwhelming.