Three days later, everyone gathered in the center of the courtyard, their eyes fixed on the tall kiln.
By now, the smoke rising from the chimney had thinned to almost nothing. The heat inside had clearly subsided—
It was time.
"The kiln can be opened now," Enju said, standing up after guarding it for days. Her voice carried a rare seriousness.
At her words, everyone immediately moved closer.
"Is it ready?" Inuyasha asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
"Yes," Enju nodded.
She stepped forward and began removing the clay seals from the kiln door.
Slowly—
The door opened.
A wave of heat mixed with the faint scent of herbs flowed out.
Unlike ordinary kilns, this specially crafted **Ghost Kiln** had been infused with Enju's spells. It didn't require complete cooling before opening.
Uchiha Kasage stood beside it and looked inside.
Faint embers still glowed among the charcoal.
At the very center—
A humanoid clay figure lay quietly.
It had been formed using Midoriko's remains and grave soil. Its shape was rough, lacking detailed features—only the outline of a human body.
Across its surface were intricate **ghost scripts**, drawn with ink made from yokai blood and spiritual herbs. They emitted a faint crimson glow—
The core of the resurrection ritual.
Only after witnessing the process firsthand did Kasage truly understand the difference.
Clay bodies like Kikyo and Enju—lifelike, almost indistinguishable from real humans—
Were completely different from the crude clay soldiers created by lesser methods.
The former required rare materials, careful crafting, and complex rituals.
The latter were merely hollow shells—mass-produced, lacking intelligence, resembling lifeless statues.
---
"Let's go inside and take a closer look—"
Kasage and Inuyasha were about to follow Enju in—
But Kikyo suddenly stepped forward.
"No."
Her voice was calm, but firm.
"Men cannot enter."
"…Huh?" Inuyasha blinked. "Why?"
"No questions. Step back."
Without waiting, Kikyo pushed both Inuyasha and Kasage away, her expression leaving no room for argument.
After forcing Kasage, Inuyasha, and Miroku a fair distance from the kiln, she turned back to him.
"Kasage. The bundle I gave you this morning."
He didn't question it.
"…Here."
Kasage retrieved a storage scroll, released the seal, and handed her the bundle.
Kikyo took it.
Before entering, her gaze swept across the three men.
"You are not allowed to peek."
Her tone carried quiet warning.
"…Yeah, yeah," Inuyasha muttered.
Kasage simply nodded.
Miroku smiled faintly.
Satisfied, Kikyo stepped inside.
A barrier formed instantly at the entrance—completely blocking their view.
---
"…What's the big deal?" Inuyasha grumbled, scratching his head. "Why can't we go in?"
He watched as Kagome and Sango followed Kikyo inside, still confused.
Miroku sighed softly.
"Lady Midoriko is a woman. There are likely… preparations not suitable for men to witness."
"…Oh."
Inuyasha still didn't quite get it.
Kasage, however, understood immediately.
When Kikyo had first been revived—
She had no clothing.
This was clearly the same situation.
His gaze briefly shifted toward Inuyasha, remembering how casually this idiot had once watched Kagome bathe without a second thought.
…Some things never changed.
---
"It's hot in there anyway," Shippō muttered, sitting on the ground.
He was playing with a handheld console Kagome had brought from her world.
"…Huh? It stopped working!"
Miroku leaned over curiously.
"Miss Kagome mentioned it needs something called 'batteries.' Without them, it won't function."
Kasage glanced over—
And paused.
It was a Nintendo GBA.
For a moment, he frowned slightly. By timeline standards, it shouldn't exist yet—
But he dismissed the thought.
Kagome's world wasn't exactly the same as his memories.
Differences were inevitable.
"Shippō," he called calmly, "give it to me."
"…You can fix it?" Shippō's eyes lit up as he ran over and handed it to him.
Kasage opened the battery compartment with practiced ease and removed the drained batteries.
A faint current of lightning chakra gathered in his palm.
A small spark flickered.
He reinserted the batteries and handed it back.
"Try it."
Shippō pressed the switch—
The screen lit up instantly.
"Wah! It works!!"
Kasage allowed himself a small smile.
"It's only temporary. You'll still need new batteries."
He had simply forced a charge into them with Lightning Release.
A crude method—
But effective.
For a brief moment, a trace of nostalgia crossed his eyes.
---
Before Inuyasha or Miroku could ask further—
The barrier vanished.
Everyone turned.
Kikyo, Kagome, Sango, and Enju stepped out of the kiln.
And—
There was someone else.
A woman.
Silence fell instantly.
All eyes were drawn to her.
She wore red and white miko robes, her long black hair falling over her shoulders. Her skin was pale, almost luminous under the sunlight.
A distinct cross-shaped mark rested on her forehead.
Her eyes were slightly hollow—
Yet filled with an unyielding strength.
A presence like a battlefield itself.
She was—
The strongest priestess of the Heian era.
The creator of the Shikon Jewel.
The origin of all that followed.
Midoriko.
---
Standing beside Kikyo—
The two shared the same attire.
The same beauty.
Yet their presence was entirely different.
Midoriko was like blazing fire—
A war maiden who had fought in blood.
Kikyo was like the quiet moon—
A serene and compassionate guardian.
One created the Shikon Jewel.
The other protected it.
One belonged to the Heian era.
The other to the Sengoku era.
Across time—
They now stood together.
---
Kasage's gaze shifted slightly.
To Kagome.
The girl from the modern world, dressed in her school uniform—
Now standing beside them.
Three priestesses.
Three lives bound by the Shikon Jewel.
At this moment—
Their fates had finally converged.