Chapter 5: The Shikon Jewel's Unlocking Condition, Finding the Suppressor Kikyo
Hikaru had known for a long time that this world was not a simple one. He had discovered the existence of demons on the very first day of his transmigration.
Their hideous faces, twisted bodies, and the raw, instinctive bloodlust radiating from them matched nothing he had ever seen in any movie or show. He had once believed he'd been thrown into some original fantasy world, a chaotic era ruled solely by the whims of ravenous demons.
In his first week, he witnessed the spiritual power of a demon slayer. That day, a purifying arrow had flown from a great distance and nearly skewered him, searing into his mind the ironclad rule that spiritual power was the absolute bane of Yao Qi.
In his first month, he had pieced together the general background of this era from the idle chatter of passing demons.
The Sengoku period of Japan. Warlords carved up the land, feudal lords clashed in endless battles, and human life was as cheap as grass. Demons ran rampant, hundreds of ghosts roamed the night, and villages lived under constant threat of annihilation.
A fragile stalemate held between the human forces—demon slayers, onmyoji, and shrine maidens—and the demonic hordes, with neither side able to fully consume the other. But for all he had learned, he could never pinpoint which world this was. Was it some original story set against the backdrop of the Warring States? Or was it a work he had seen before?
Until now.
The Shikon Jewel. Kikyo. The demon slayer clan—the ancestors of Sango and Kohaku. With these keywords finally assembled, the answer was blindingly obvious. It was an anime he had watched countless times before his transmigration.
Its name was Inuyasha.
Hikaru's gaze fell to the Shikon Jewel resting in his palm. This single bead could be considered the core plot device of the entire Inuyasha series. Legend said it was born from the Battle of the Four Souls, formed when a powerful priestess perished along with hundreds of formidable demons.
The jewel sealed four types of souls—the Aramitama, Nigimitama, Kushimitama, and Sakimitama—which represented the four human virtues of courage, friendship, wisdom, and love. But at the same time, the bitter resentment of all the demons slain in that battle was also sealed within.
The forces of good and evil were locked in an eternal confrontation inside the bead; whichever side the wielder's heart favored, the jewel would amplify. If held by someone with good intentions, it would exert a purifying power. If held by a demon with a wicked heart, it would cause their power to skyrocket.
This was likely why that pack of demons from earlier had been so desperate to hunt down the old man. As long as one obtained the Shikon Jewel, they could ascend in a single step and become a high-level demon. Perhaps even a Great Demon.
And it wasn't just a threat in the present. In the original story Hikaru knew so well, countless factions fought tooth and nail for this very bead. The half-demon protagonist, Inuyasha, wanted to use it to become a full demon. The main villain, Naraku—an amalgamation of countless demons—also coveted it to become the strongest existence in the world.
Even Hikaru himself had once fantasized while watching the show, 'If only I could get my hands on the Shikon Jewel.'
And now? It was lying in the palm of his hand.
"You've got to be kidding me," Hikaru muttered, unsure what expression he should even be wearing. Surprise? Absolutely. But more than that, it was a deep sense of absurdity.
Still, if this truly was the world of Inuyasha, then the point in time he currently occupied had to be... the era when Kikyo was still alive.
The old man had said that Kikyo was the only one who could suppress the Shikon Jewel. In the original plot, Kikyo was indeed the shrine maiden tasked with guarding it. This meant the current moment was at least fifty years before the main timeline of Inuyasha began.
Fifty years. That was enough time for him to do many things. For example...
He looked at the system panel again.
[Shikon Jewel]
[Quality: Artifact]
[Current Status: Dormant]
[Affinity: Cannot be unlocked]
[Unlocking Condition: Find the 'Suppressor']
The Suppressor. The name the old man had mentioned before he died. Kikyo.
"So I have to find Kikyo first to unlock the Shikon Jewel's affinity?" Hikaru frowned. This condition was more than a little troublesome.
Kikyo was the shrine maiden who guarded the Shikon Jewel. Her spiritual power was immense, her archery was god-like, and her entire purpose was to deal with demons. In the original story, she had slain countless demons with a single arrow and was renowned as the "strongest priestess of the Warring States period."
And what was he now? An Oni Samurai. A demon. He was Kikyo's prey. He even suspected now that the purifying arrow that had nearly vaporized him a month ago had originated from her bow.
'If I just walk up and hand it to her, won't I just get turned into a pincushion?' The thought gave Hikaru a headache. He could vividly imagine the scene—it would be an incredibly unjust way to die.
But he soon considered another possibility. The system only said to "find" the Suppressor; it didn't specify that he had to make direct contact. Perhaps as long as he brought the Shikon Jewel into Kikyo's vicinity and triggered some condition, it would unlock automatically.
"It's worth a try," Hikaru decided, carefully tucking the Shikon Jewel into the folds of his robes, close to his chest.
Besides, the old man's dying wish was for him to deliver this item to Kikyo. It was on the way. Whether to fulfill that promise or to unlock the favorability of the Shikon Jewel, his next destination was clear. He had to find Kikyo.
Although he could probably use the jewel directly, he recalled from the original work that neither humans nor demons who did so ever met a good end. They would inevitably become dependent on its power, their souls corrupted. Hikaru felt it was far safer to go through his system's favorability mechanic.
He stood up, walked to the mouth of the cave, and peered into the night. The churning Yao Qi in the distance had dissipated. The pack of demons that had been pursuing the old man seemed to have given up the chase. Perhaps they had lost their target's trail. Or perhaps they sensed that the Shikon Jewel was no longer where they thought it was.
Regardless of the reason, he could not stay here for long. That group of demons would come sniffing around sooner or later.
"A village a few mountains away..."
Hikaru recalled the old man's words. That had to be where Kikyo was.
He glanced down at his system panel.
[Demon Blade [Muramasa]: Current Favorability 27]
After fighting his way here, the blade's favorability had increased by a decent amount. But it was still three points short of the next threshold. It wasn't as if killing one demon guaranteed a full point.
"No rush."
Hikaru sheathed Muramasa, the click of the blade settling into its scabbard echoing softly in the cave.
"On the way to find Kikyo, I should encounter plenty more demons."
After all, he was now carrying the Shikon Jewel. To any demon in the vicinity, he was probably as tempting as a walking piece of prime, fatty meat.
"It's the perfect opportunity to grind monsters and level up while traveling."
He stepped out of the cave and melted into the shadows of the night. But before he left completely, he paused and looked back at the old man's corpse.
"Rest assured," he said quietly. "I will let your grandchildren know about your death." He paused, his pragmatic nature surfacing. "If I get the chance."
With that, he turned and walked away. Moonlight spilled across the cave entrance, stretching his shadow long behind him.
He walked a few steps, then stopped again, his head tilted up towards the moon hanging in the inky sky.
"Kikyo..." he murmured.
To be honest, he didn't mind this mission. One could even say... he was looking forward to it.
Kikyo.
In the story he had watched before he transmigrated, Kikyo was one of his favorite characters. That shrine maiden, always dressed in white robes and red hakama, her hair like a silken waterfall, her expression cool and aloof, yet betraying a deep softness and vulnerability in rare moments.
She was powerful, yet she had been cruelly toyed with by fate, ultimately dying filled with regret. Even after being resurrected as a walking corpse of clay and bone, she had retained her unshakeable nobility and pride.
Hikaru still remembered the feeling that washed over him when he saw the scene of Kikyo's final, true death, her soul dissipating into light.
A lingering regret. A deep, aching sense of loss for what could have been.
Of course, even setting all that aside, based purely on his current experiences and knowledge, it was hard for Hikaru not to be interested in Kikyo. After all, she was a sufficiently powerful and beautiful young woman. And though he had been reborn as a demon, Hikaru still possessed his human consciousness and perceptions.
And with them, the desires and impulses of a man.
'What if I could save her?'
The thought flashed through his mind, but unlike other fleeting ideas, this one took root. It lingered, refusing to be dismissed.
As for Inuyasha and the rest... they could go cool off somewhere else.
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