Inside the shrine, Uchiha Kasage clasped her hands together, her palms tightly holding a crystal-clear bead that shimmered with a faint purple-pink glow.
The bead in her hand was the fake Shikon Jewel she and Kikyo had gathered earlier.
At this moment, her eyes were closed, and her consciousness was immersed within the jewel.
Kikyo sat quietly nearby, her gaze fixed intently on Kasage's movements.
A moment later, Kasage slowly opened her eyes. A surge of power burst forth from her Rinnegan.
She gently raised her right hand, and a pure white wisp of light was forcibly extracted from the fake Shikon Jewel in her left palm.
Kikyo's expression sharpened instantly as she focused.
The moment that fragment of a human soul was removed, the pinkish-purple fake jewel in Kasage's hand was quickly tainted by pitch-black evil energy.
She had anticipated this.
Without hesitation, she tossed it aside.
"Crack—"
Before it even hit the ground, the fake Shikon Jewel shattered.
Dense evil energy surged outward from the fragments, and a twisted Yokai soul, warped beyond recognition, burst free.
Kikyo reacted immediately.
She raised her hand, and a surge of miko spiritual power flowed out, filled with purifying energy. It instantly erased the evil aura and the distorted soul, reducing them to faint particles of light that vanished into the air.
"They've become much more skilled at extracting human souls from these fake Shikon Jewels," Kasage said calmly, lowering her hand as the wisp of human soul drifted upward, returning to the afterlife. "But extracting Suiko's soul from the real Shikon Jewel won't be so simple."
These fake jewels were weak, made from only a single human soul and a single Yokai soul.
The real Shikon Jewel was far more complex.
Ever since awakening the Rinnegan, Kasage had been practicing using the Human Path to extract souls from the fake Shikon Jewels they had collected.
At first, due to her lack of familiarity, many attempts ended in failure, often shattering the jewels.
But now, after repeated trials, she could precisely locate and extract the human soul.
"That's already incredible," Kikyo said softly, her eyes bright with hope.
"At the very least, it proves that the souls forming the Shikon Jewel can be separated at their root. That means there's a real chance to destroy it completely."
Since witnessing Kasage successfully extract a soul, Kikyo had gained renewed confidence in resolving the Shikon Jewel once and for all.
"However…" Kikyo frowned slightly. "We don't know what will happen to the real Shikon Jewel after Midoriko's soul is removed."
Her thoughts returned to the twisted spirit that had just emerged from the shattered fake jewel.
"Once these fake jewels lose their human soul—the part that maintains balance—the remaining Yokai souls are quickly corrupted and become evil spirits."
The true Shikon Jewel contained countless Yokai souls.
If Midoriko's soul were removed, and those corrupted spirits were not completely purified, they might escape and wreak havoc.
The Shikon Jewel had existed for centuries.
The accumulated evil within it would be immense.
Kasage waved her hand dismissively.
"Let them come. Compared to the Shikon Jewel itself, those spirits are nothing. We can deal with them later."
She paused briefly, then added coldly, "This world already has countless Yokai. A few more won't change much."
"No." Kikyo shook her head firmly, her voice resolute. "I will find a way to eliminate them completely."
Kasage looked at her for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"Don't worry. I'll help you."
Her tone softened slightly.
"I promise we'll destroy them all."
Kikyo fell into thought, her brows slightly furrowed.
Kasage raised an eyebrow. "You're not planning to purify all of them by yourself, are you?"
Kikyo shot her an annoyed glance.
"I'm not that foolish. I know I can't do it alone."
She crossed her arms lightly.
"I'll ask Tsubaki for help. She's a powerful shrine maiden. With me, Kagome, and you… it should be enough."
Kasage nodded.
"That's a good plan. Asking other miko will make things easier."
She briefly recalled another shrine maiden she had met before, whose spiritual power was also impressive.
At that moment—
Blazing Hoof descended from the sky, flames blazing beneath its hooves. It landed steadily in the shrine courtyard, carrying Midoriko on its back.
"So this is Blazing Hoof?" Kikyo's eyes lit up with curiosity as she stepped closer.
"Hiss!"
As Kikyo approached, Blazing Hoof let out a sharp, hostile cry. Its blood-red eyes locked onto her, filled with aggression.
Kikyo stopped.
"Bang!"
Midoriko struck it hard on the head with the handle of her naginata.
"Behave," she said coldly. "Unless you want to die."
The Yokai horse stiffened instantly, its hostility fading.
Kikyo smiled faintly and stepped closer. She gently placed her hand on its crimson mane.
"If you don't want to die," she said softly, "then be obedient."
Her tone was gentle—but carried an unmistakable threat.
As her fingers brushed its mane, a trace of pure miko spiritual power flowed into it.
Blazing Hoof froze.
Its entire body stiffened as fear flooded its eyes.
It could clearly feel it—
The power within Kikyo was far greater than Midoriko's.
That energy could purify it completely in an instant.
Midoriko watched the scene with a faint, amused smile.
Now that Kikyo had fully regained her strength, her spiritual power had returned to its peak.
Compared to her, the power Midoriko wielded—borrowed from Midoriko's residual soul—was far less pure.
More importantly, Kikyo's mastery over spiritual power was refined and precise, while Midoriko's usage was still rough, more forceful than controlled.
To Blazing Hoof, the faint energy at Kikyo's fingertips was far more terrifying than Midoriko's overwhelming but crude power.
Midoriko dismounted and walked toward Kasage.
From within her robes, she took out a sealing scroll containing the corpse of Purgatory Ghost and handed it over.
Kasage accepted it calmly.
Midoriko then stood silently beside her, holding the naginata, motionless like a statue.
Kasage placed the scroll into her ninja pouch and began forming hand seals.
In an instant, countless wooden branches burst from the ground beneath Midoriko's feet. They intertwined rapidly, forming a wooden coffin that enclosed both her body and the naginata.
As the coffin sealed shut, Kasage deactivated her Rinnegan, her Mangekyō Sharingan reappearing.
The next moment—
A spiraling distortion of space opened in the air.
The coffin was pulled into the Kamui dimension, disappearing completely.
After finishing, Kasage turned her gaze toward Blazing Hoof—
Which stood completely still beside Kikyo, not daring to move at all.