But for the miko Tsubaki, Kanbe Hikaru actually didn't really want to save her.
Who was Tsubaki? The black miko from the original story, a villain who fell due to jealousy of Kikyo.
Letting her die here might even be a good thing.
One less future trouble.
However, he didn't want to save her, but Kikyo absolutely would not stand by and watch.
Plus...
[The shikon no tama: naohi expresses its disgust for this scent and hopes you can deal with it]
That was enough to get Kanbe Hikaru moving.
...
The Sacred Arrow shot from the top of the watchtower.
That white light tore through the night sky, brighter than moonlight, traversing hundreds of meters to directly pierce the monster's chest.
Flesh and blood exploded.
Its upper body was torn apart.
Tsubaki was splattered with warm liquid, but couldn't spare a thought for the disgust, merely staring blankly at the distant figure in white robes and red hakama.
Kikyo.
She had come.
Finally... Tsubaki's legs went weak, almost making her kneel on the spot.
But her relief lasted only a moment.
Perhaps considering Tsubaki was too close, Kikyo didn't want to affect her and deliberately held back—or perhaps for some other reason, the monster actually didn't die.
"Hehehe..."
Laughter came from the mangled remains.
The torn chest was healing at a visible rate, flesh writhing, bones regenerating, skin covering over.
In less than three breaths.
The monster had returned to its original state.
Even more ferocious than before.
Tsubaki was horrified once more.
Kikyo in the distance also paused slightly—somewhat surprised.
"Spiritual arrows... hurt... but they're useless against me... I'm not a lowly creature like a youkai..."
It licked its lips, its crimson pupils fixed on the distant Kikyo.
"That woman's blood must be even more delicious..."
"But before that, I'll eat you first!"
"!?"
The Sacred Arrow, while instantly crushing it, seemed unable to suppress its near-immortal regeneration.
Clearly, it wasn't all that powerful...
This thing... isn't suppressed by the Sacred Arrow, it's not a youkai!
And obviously, relying solely on pure physical damage, Kikyo, with just one strike, couldn't eliminate it.
As the words fell,
it pounced towards Tsubaki again.
Faster than before.
Tsubaki's pupils contracted sharply.
This time, she couldn't even move.
That fear had completely suppressed her will.
In the distance, Kikyo drew her bow and nocked another arrow, her speed so fast she switched arrows in less than a tenth of a second, yet it seemed she wouldn't make it in time—
Because it was too far.
And also because, it wasn't needed.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing rang out.
A gray figure appeared before Tsubaki, Muramasa held horizontally, blocking the monster's sharp claws.
It was Kanbe Hikaru.
His speed was slower than Kikyo's arrow, but not by much; crossing several hundred meters in ten seconds was no difficult feat for him.
He had already rushed to the scene, his blade clashing with the monster's claws, sending sparks flying everywhere.
"Get out of the way—!"
The monster roared, its other claw swiping toward Kanbe Hikaru's neck.
Kanbe Hikaru didn't dodge.
Nor did he need to.
Because the moment those sharp claws touched his skin—
Crack, crack, crack!
A white bone spur burst from the hand holding his blade, stabbing directly into the monster's palm.
"Aaargh—!"
The monster shrieked and retreated, its palm pierced through by the bone spur as black blood gushed out.
Tsubaki was stunned.
She saw the figure in grey undergoing a transformation.
Something was surging beneath his skin, like countless tiny snakes writhing.
It was the growth of pale bone.
From his arms, his shoulders, and his back.
One after another.
White and sharp, they shimmered with a cold light under the moon.
These bone spurs were still changing.
Bending, branching, and intertwining.
Forming intricate patterns.
Like designs, or rather—like flowers in full bloom.
"This is..."
Tsubaki's voice trembled.
She had never seen such a scene; the bone spurs continued to grow, erupting from all over Kanbe Hikaru's body to form a massive thicket of bone.
The white bones stood like a grim forest.
Completely walling the monster out.
*Twang!*
At the same time.
Another arrow.
Kikyo's second Sacred Arrow flew, passing through the gaps in the bone spurs and striking the monster's chest once more.
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