Tsubaki.
This name, Kanbe Hikaru actually had some recollection of it.
This was a character that appeared in the original story.
She was a miko, but not an ordinary one.
In the eyes of outsiders, she was a genius miko who held the same status and reputation as Kikyo. In her youth, she traveled widely, exorcising demons. She once met Kikyo in a village, worked together to defeat a demon, and viewed Kikyo as her rival.
When the Demon Slayer clan entrusted the Shikon Jewel to Kikyo for protection and purification, Tsubaki felt resentful. She attempted to ambush Kikyo using a shikigami, but the latter reflected the attack back, disfiguring Tsubaki's face.
From then on, she swore revenge. Fifty years later, at the start of the original story's plot, she willingly fell into depravity, becoming a dark miko, primarily using dark arts to curse others to death.
However, looking at the present, although this person before him seemed extremely arrogant, she was still quite young and didn't yet seem to have walked the path of jealousy and revenge as in the original story.
She also seemed,
just like in the original story, to have come here to 'compete' for the Shikon Jewel!
Tsubaki stood there, her chin raised high, like a proud peacock.
The white robes clung to her figure, and due to her posture, the fabric across her chest was pulled taut, revealing a full curve.
The red hakama swayed like a long skirt, also fluttering in the wind.
Spiritual power stirred.
Powerful spiritual energy fluctuations emanated from around her. Though much weaker than Kikyo's, among ordinary priests, she was absolutely first-rate.
'Watchdog?'
Kanbe Hikaru raised an eyebrow. He wasn't angry, just found the metaphor somewhat novel.
He'd been called a demon, a monster, a beast before.
But 'watchdog' was a first.
'I prefer the title 'companion'.'
He planted Hiraikotsu on the ground with a *thud* that made several nearby Demon Slayers take two steps back. 'As for who's the dog—'
He gave Tsubaki a once-over.
'That's not necessarily certain.'
Tsubaki's expression changed.
On that beautiful face, the arrogance at the corners of her eyes instantly froze into frost.
Standard villain template!
'You demon...'
'Tsubaki.'
Kikyo spoke up. Her voice wasn't loud, but it clearly interrupted the other's impending curse. 'Did you come here for the Shikon Jewel?'
The question was very direct.
Tsubaki sneered.
'What else?'
She took two steps forward. The hem of her red hakama dragged a red trace on the ground.
'That old man giving the jewel to you—I'm not convinced.'
'Why should it be you?'
'I believe, in terms of spiritual power, I'm not inferior to you. In terms of cultivation, I've traveled the world, exorcising countless demons.'
'In terms of seniority—'
She paused, the displeasure in her eyes becoming even more evident.
'My lineage is nobler than yours, and I started training in miko arts earlier than you.'
Kikyo did not refute.
She simply stood there quietly, her black hair gently floating in the wind. That composed, serene demeanor formed a stark contrast to Tsubaki's aggressive manner.
'So?'
Kikyo asked.
'What do you intend to do?'
'A contest.'
Tsubaki raised her hand, pointing in Kikyo's direction. 'Three days from now, right here in the Demon Slayer Village, you and I will have a duel using miko methods.'
'Whoever wins earns the right to protect the Shikon Jewel.'
The surrounding Demon Slayers began to stir.
'This...'
'The two miko-sama are going to duel?'
'Can our village withstand it...'
Kanbe Hikaru stood to the side, quietly observing everything.
He noticed the expression on Tsubaki's face as she spoke.
Beneath the arrogance lay anxiety.
And in those eyes, an undisguised—jealousy?
This woman had seen Kikyo as a rival from the very beginning.
But Kikyo never seemed to have considered her an opponent. This unequal relationship was probably what grated on Tsubaki the most.
Unrequited love is the most painful.
Cough, no, unrequited competitive spirit.
'A duel?'
Kikyo's voice interrupted Kanbe Hikaru's inexplicably wandering thoughts. 'It's meaningless.'
Tsubaki's expression froze.
'What did you say?'
'The Shikon Jewel isn't something just anyone strong can protect.'
Kikyo spoke very calmly. 'It requires a pure heart.'
'Your heart is too chaotic.'
To say this to a miko, for whom mental state is of utmost importance, was very blunt, blunt to the point of being hurtful.
Tsubaki's face instantly flushed red.
In a fit of rage, and extremely suddenly, she raised her hand and shot a burst of spiritual power from her fingertips straight at Kikyo's face.
Fast.
Extremely fast.
But—
*Clang.*
A metallic clang.
Kanbe Hikaru had, at some point, positioned himself in front of Kikyo. Muramasa was held horizontally before his chest, blocking that spiritual power.
The blade hummed. The spiritual power was split in two by the blade's edge, flying past on either side, striking the ground behind and exploding into two small craters.
'A sneak attack?'
Kanbe Hikaru's voice was very calm.
'Is this the conduct of a miko who wants to protect the Shikon Jewel? Feels even worse than a demon like me.'
Tsubaki's face grew even redder.
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