Seeing Kikyo take the same stance as her, Karan tilted her head curiously toward Uchiha Kasage. Her tail swayed slowly behind her as she asked,
"Where exactly are we? And what are you planning to do?"
"This is Hōraijima Island," Kasage replied calmly. "And that in front of you is the Cauldron of Resonance. To open it, we need both a yokai and a human. That's why I called you here."
"Hōraijima… the legendary island?" Karan's eyes lit up instantly, surprise clearly written across her face. She had obviously heard of it before.
"You know it?" Kasage raised an eyebrow slightly, then waved her hand. "We'll talk later. Focus first."
Karan clicked her tongue but obediently stayed in place, suppressing her curiosity.
Nearby, Asagi and the others held their breath, watching nervously.
"Ready?" Kasage's voice grew firmer as her gaze moved between Kikyo and Karan. "On three."
"One… two… three."
"Now."
Kikyo's right hand and Karan's left hand pressed onto the patterns at the same time.
A second later—
The grooves lit up with a sacred white glow.
Both of them stiffened slightly.
Their hands were being pulled inward.
"Eh?!" Karan exclaimed, instinctively trying to pull back, but a force held her in place.
Kikyo's eyes widened for a brief moment, but she quickly regained her composure.
"There's something inside!" Karan shouted.
With a sharp metallic sound—
Clang!
She yanked her arm back, pulling out a metal handle attached to a long iron chain.
At the same time—
Kikyo pulled out an identical handle from the other side.
Boom!
The Cauldron of Resonance trembled violently.
Crimson patterns spread across its surface, glowing brighter and brighter—
Then—
The heavy doors slowly opened.
A wave of scorching heat burst outward.
Flames roared from within, instantly raising the temperature inside the temple.
"It… it really opened…" Moegi covered her mouth, her eyes filled with shock.
Karan took a cautious step forward and peered inside.
Below—
Molten crimson lava churned violently.
She immediately stepped back.
"…So what now?"
"Jump in," Kasage said flatly.
Karan froze.
"Are you insane?! That's lava!"
Kikyo frowned, concern evident in her voice.
"Kasage… is that really necessary?"
Kasage glanced at he briefly.
"It won't be me."
Wood release surged along he arm, expanding rapidly.
In seconds—
A perfect wooden clone stood beside he.
Lan's eyes widened in amazement.
"Two Kasages?!"
"It's a Wood Clone," Kikyo explained gently, patting he head.
Without hesitation—
The clone leapt forward.
It disappeared into the blazing interior of the cauldron.
Karan watched with interest.
"What exactly are you looking for?"
"The core power of the Four War Gods," Kasage replied calmly. "It's sealed inside."
Karan frowned.
"…They're still alive?"
"You've heard of them?" Kasage asked, slightly curious.
"Of course."
Karan crossed her arms.
"Back when we were fighting those dog yokai over territory, those four tried to interfere too. I heard they even clashed with Inu no Taishō."
She clicked her tongue.
"I thought they died back then. Didn't expect them to be hiding here."
Kasage's eyes flickered slightly.
So that was the connection.
Inside the Cauldron of Resonance
The Wood Clone descended rapidly.
Below—
Boiling lava.
Around—
Blazing flames.
Its Mangekyō Sharingan spun.
"Susanoo."
A pale blue skeletal Susanoo formed instantly, enveloping its body and shielding it from the heat.
As it descended, floating chunks of rock appeared, glowing red from the surrounding heat.
The clone extended Susanoo's arm, grabbing onto one of the rocks and stabilizing itself.
Landing firmly—
It looked around.
"Priestess."
Its voice echoed through the blazing space.
"Come out."
Silence.
Only the crackling of flames answered.
The clone's expression darkened slightly.
"If you don't come out…"
Its voice turned cold.
"I'll kill every hanyō child outside."
A pause.
"I'm only a clone. My real body is right next to them."
For a moment—
Nothing.
Then—
A clear, cold female voice echoed through the cauldron.
"…Who are you?"
A faint smile appeared on the clone's lips.
"Finally."
Green particles of light gathered in the air.
They slowly formed a glowing sphere.
The clone watched calmly.
It knew.
This was the soul of Kanade.
The shrine priestess of Hōraijima.
"Who are you? And how do you know I exist?" Kanade's voice carried clear caution.
"Uchiha Kasage."
The clone looked directly at the sphere.
"And you?"
"I am Kanade… the priestess who protected this island."
The light flickered gently.
The clone let out a cold laugh.
"Protected?"
Its tone carried open disdain.
"What exactly did you protect?"
"The island is in ruins. The people are gone. Only a handful of hanyō children are left."
Its gaze sharpened.
"The rest were thrown into this cauldron and burned by the Four War Gods."
It paused.
"This is your protection?"
Silence fell.
Even the light of the sphere flickered uncertainly.
After a long moment—
Kanade spoke again.
"I fought with everything I had."
He voice trembled slightly.
"I gave my life… to seal the source of their power within this cauldron."
A brief pause.
Then—
"I never imagined… they would discover they could restore their strength by burning hanyō and absorbing their yokai energy…"
Her voice was filled with sorrow.
And anger.
"Enough," the clone cut in.
"I'm not here to hear regrets."
Its tone was firm.
"Give me the sealed power."
Kanade hesitated.
"…What do you intend to do?"
"Destroy them."
The answer came instantly.
"I've already eliminated their manifested bodies. Once I destroy their core, they'll be gone for good."
"No!" Kanade refused immediately.
"If the sealed power is released, no one will be able to stop them!"
The clone let out a faint scoff.
"That's still better than feeding children into this thing."
Its eyes turned cold.
"In the end… you're just too weak, priestess."
The words struck hard.
The sphere trembled slightly.
Silence followed.
Then—
After a long pause—
Kanade's voice returned.
Steady.
Resolute.
"…Fine."
A faint glow pulsed stronger.
"I will trust you."