"Goraishi!"
Koga roared in fury as brilliant lightning erupted from his arm, crashing violently into the tentacles lunging toward his head.
The thunderous impact exploded outward, instantly shattering them.
But in the very next moment—
A sharp, searing pain tore through his legs.
"Ahhh—!"
Koga screamed as another tentacle pierced straight through him. Blood splashed into the air, and along with it, the shard of the Shikon Jewel embedded in his leg was ripped free.
It spun briefly in the air—
only to be caught effortlessly by another writhing tentacle, landing neatly in Naraku's Corruption's hand.
"My shard…!" Koga's eyes widened with rage and helplessness.
"So weak. What a waste of time."
Naraku's Corruption toyed with the shard between his fingers, his lips curling into a mocking smile as he looked at Koga, who was still suspended mid-air.
"Ugh!"
The tentacle piercing Koga's chest suddenly withdrew.
His body dropped heavily to the ground, kicking up dust as he hit with a painful thud.
The miasma injected into his body spread rapidly, corroding him from within. His strength drained away, leaving him barely able to move.
Whoosh—
Another tentacle cut through the air, its tip gleaming coldly as it shot straight toward him.
"Damn it…!"
Koga struggled to rise, but his body wouldn't respond. All he could do was lift his arm weakly, watching in despair as death closed in.
Then—
A silver-white figure appeared behind Naraku's Corruption in an instant.
Sesshomaru.
His hand formed a claw, emerald demonic energy condensing into razor-sharp blades as he struck toward the creature's neck without hesitation.
Naraku's Corruption didn't even flinch.
He raised his clawed arm calmly—
Clang!
Sesshomaru's strike landed, slicing cleanly through the arm.
The limb fell away, severed instantly.
At the same time, the tentacle aimed at Koga lost its trajectory, grazing his cheek before slamming into the ground beside him.
Koga instinctively recoiled, narrowly escaping death.
Using the moment, Naraku's Corruption retreated swiftly, creating distance between himself and Sesshomaru.
His eyes burned with killing intent as he fixed his gaze on him, completely ignoring Koga now.
"Thanks… Sesshomaru," Koga muttered, forcing himself upright despite the pain.
"…Naraku's spawn."
Sesshomaru didn't even glance at him. His cold, golden eyes remained locked on the enemy ahead.
Rin arrived beside Koga atop Ah-Un, her small face filled with worry.
"Are you alright?"
"I won't die yet…" Koga gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand.
"Foolish wolf," Jaken shouted proudly, puffing his chest. "It was Lord Sesshomaru who saved you!"
Naraku's Corruption slowly looked Sesshomaru up and down, his gaze dripping with disdain.
"Oh? Another foolish dog has arrived."
"W-What did you say?!" Jaken exploded immediately. "How dare you insult Lord Sesshomaru—!"
The moment the words left his mouth, he froze.
A suffocating killing intent locked onto him.
"Jaken… you just called Lord Sesshomaru a foolish dog?" Rin asked innocently, tilting her head.
"W-Wait! That wasn't me! It was him!" Jaken panicked, pointing frantically at Naraku's Corruption.
The creature ignored the exchange, his focus entirely on Sesshomaru.
"I was planning to leave after taking the shard," he said coldly. "But now… I've decided to kill you."
Whoosh—
His severed arm regenerated instantly.
A tentacle shot forward, slicing through the air toward Sesshomaru.
"Hmph."
Sesshomaru moved in a blur, his claws flashing as he severed it effortlessly.
Naraku's Corruption's gaze shifted to the sword at Sesshomaru's waist—Tenseiga.
A sneer spread across his face.
"You truly are weak."
A sharp glint flashed in Sesshomaru's eyes.
His demonic aura surged, turning cold and razor-edged.
Jaken's jaw dropped. "H-How dare he say such a thing…!"
Naraku's Corruption smirked.
He knew.
As a manifestation of the Shikon Jewel's corruption, he understood Sesshomaru's current state.
A sword that could not kill.
No other weapon.
And a pride that would not allow retreat.
"You're weak," he repeated, his voice laced with contempt.
Boom!
Sesshomaru's aura exploded outward.
He vanished.
In the next instant, he was already in front of Naraku's Corruption, power gathering at his fingertips.
The creature's smile deepened.
Multiple tentacles burst outward, forming a deadly web around Sesshomaru, sealing off every escape.
But Sesshomaru's speed surpassed expectation.
His body flickered like an afterimage, slipping through the narrow gaps—
and striking.
Pfft!
His hand pierced straight through Naraku's Corruption's chest.
"He got him! Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken cheered triumphantly.
"You dared look down on him—now die!"
"Sesshomaru, be careful!" Koga shouted hoarsely. "His body is filled with poisonous miasma!"
Naraku's Corruption didn't react to the wound at all.
Instead, he smiled coldly.
"How does it feel… to be powerless?"
Sesshomaru's expression tightened slightly.
Something was wrong.
His hand, buried in the creature's body, felt unnatural—like sinking into something alive yet hollow.
A strange suction dragged his arm deeper inside.
At the same time, a sharp, burning pain spread through it.
The miasma.
It was eating away at him.
Crack—
Suddenly, dozens of blade-like claws erupted from Naraku's Corruption's back, stabbing toward Sesshomaru at point-blank range.
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed.
He abandoned the attack instantly.
Demonic energy surged through his arm as he tore himself free and leapt back, barely avoiding the deadly strike.
The claws sliced through the air, grazing his clothes.
"…Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin cried out.
His right arm was already darkening, corrupted by the miasma. Purple-black marks spread across his skin.
"That's impossible…!" Jaken stammered. "It's even more potent than Lord Sesshomaru's own poison!"
Naraku's Corruption chuckled.
"I told you… you're weak."
Then he attacked.
Tentacles and claws surged forward in a relentless, overwhelming assault.
Sesshomaru moved like a flash of silver, dodging again and again—but he couldn't counter.
Without a proper weapon, his attacks couldn't truly harm the enemy.
Worse, every contact risked further corruption.
If his arm failed, he would be left with nothing.
But retreat?
That was something Sesshomaru would never accept.
"…Lord Sesshomaru…" Rin whispered, her voice filled with worry.
Jaken clenched his teeth, unable to do anything.
Then—
"Wind Scar!"
A fierce roar cut through the battlefield.
A brilliant golden slash tore across the sky, crashing toward Naraku's Corruption.
Startled, the creature twisted aside.
The attack grazed him, severing multiple tentacles in an instant and forcing him back.