Kidomaru vanished.
It wasn't invisibility or an illusion.
It was pure—speed.
Kikyo's spiritual perception lost its target in an instant; that aged, cold Demonic Qi seemed to have never existed, completely evaporating from her sensory range.
"Where—"
Before she could finish her sentence.
A gust of wind attacked from the right.
Kikyo instinctively leaned to the side to dodge, simultaneously drawing her bow and firing.
The Sacred Arrow turned into a streak of white light, heading straight for the source of the wind.
Boom!
The arrow hit something, erupting in a blinding white radiance.
But that radiance only lasted a moment before being sliced in half by a pitch-black sword light.
"Nice reaction."
Kidomaru's voice came from the left.
Kikyo turned again, her bowstring pulled taut.
But there was nothing there.
"A pity—"
The voice rang out from behind her again.
"Too slow."
Kikyo spun around sharply, the arrow's tip pointing at the source of the sound.
Still nothing.
Only that aged laughter, seeming to come from all directions at once.
"Your arrows are indeed strong."
Kidomaru's figure finally appeared, standing about ten meters away from Kikyo. There was a scorch mark on his kimono, left by the arrow just now.
"If it hit, I'm afraid even I would suffer a bit, and most likely be heavily wounded or purified directly."
He raised his hand and pointed at the scorch mark.
"But the problem is—"
He vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already to Kikyo's left: "You can't aim accurately."
Kikyo's pupils shrunk.
She could see Kidomaru's movements and sense his Demonic Qi.
But her arrows couldn't keep up with his speed.
This was the terrifying aspect of speed variation.
It wasn't just simple physical movement becoming faster, but rather creating a difference between the flow of one's own time and the surroundings.
In Kidomaru's subjective experience, Kikyo's movements were like a slow-motion replay.
While in Kikyo's perception, Kidomaru's movement was like teleportation.
This kind of gap was not something skill could bridge.
"Humans, how fragile."
"The best among you can contend with Great Yokais, but it only takes one injury to possibly take your life."
Kidomaru spoke as if lamenting.
Yet he also pressed forward even more.
"Barrier."
Kikyo whispered the word, unshaken by Kidomaru's words, even though what he said was the truth.
In the next second,
White light erupted from around her, forming a spherical shield with a radius of ten meters.
This was her strongest defensive Barrier, capable of blocking an instantaneous attack from most demons, even those at the Great Yokai level.
In the next instant.
Clang!
The sword collided with the Barrier, producing the sound of clashing metal.
Kidomaru's sword tip stopped on the surface of the Barrier, glowing with an eerie blue light.
"A Barrier?"
He didn't retreat, only slightly tilting his head: "Interesting."
He sheathed his sword.
And then—
He struck.
In Kikyo's perception, it was merely the motion of raising a hand, but twenty slash marks had already appeared on the Barrier.
Crack.
Cracks began to spread.
"Your Barrier is very strong."
Kidomaru sheathed his blade once more: "But its strength is fixed, while my attacks can be stacked infinitely."
He drew his sword again and unleashed a technique.
This was an explosion of Demonic Qi, and even more, a manifestation of transformation.
This time, Kikyo couldn't even count the strikes.
She saw only a blurred afterimage.
Then—
Boom!
The Barrier shattered.
White light scattered like broken glass.
"Retreat!"
Kikyo's toes tapped the ground as her figure rapidly retreated.
Simultaneously, her right hand drew the bow in rapid succession, firing several arrows at once to block Kidomaru's pursuit path.
Continuous streaks of white light pierced the night sky, aimed directly at Kidomaru's head, chest, abdomen, and other vital points.
But that elderly figure merely swayed gently.
All three arrows missed their mark.
"Futile."
Kidomaru's voice rang in Kikyo's ear.
He had somehow circled behind her.
The blade was already pressed against her neck—
But it was a matter of an instant; before even Kidomaru could react, Kikyo's figure had already faded.
Like melting snow, like dissipating mist.
Space Teleportation.
This was one of the secret techniques she mastered as the strongest priestess.
Slowly fading from her original spot to move to a distant location—for ordinary demons, this move was almost impossible to counter.
Offense, defense, speed.
From this point on, Kikyo had truly achieved near-perfect versatility.
Had it been any other demon, even one on the same level as Kidomaru, as long as they didn't specialize in speed or evasion, they might have already been purified by her.
"Oh?"
Kidomaru's blade slashed through empty air. He turned his head, looking at the white figure reforming thirty meters away.
"Space Teleportation... interesting."
Kikyo did not respond.
Her longbow was drawn to its limit, a blinding white light gathering at the arrow's tip.
It was still the Sacred Arrow.
Still the finishing move that could pulverize most demons with a single shot.
But this time, Kidomaru didn't dodge, nor did he attack again.
He just suddenly laughed.
"I see."
"You aren't running away; you're leading me away."
He turned around, looking toward the shrine's Barrier.
There, dots of lamplight marked the location of Kaede Village.
At this moment, they had clearly left the original combat zone and were gradually moving away from Kaede Village.
However, Kidomaru suddenly stopped there.
He realized something.
"In that village... how many people are there?"
Kidomaru's elderly voice immediately became playful: "A hundred? Two hundred?"
Kikyo's expression tightened slightly.
"You—"
"Your arrows can't hit me, and I can't harm you—the title of the strongest priestess is indeed well-deserved. Even the younger generation of the Tsuchimikado and Keikain families who take turns presiding over the Kyoto Onmyo Bureau are not as good as you."
Kidomaru interrupted her: "But, Priestess, those villagers you protect... don't have your agility or your powerful spiritual power."
He raised his sword, the tip pointing toward the shrine's Barrier, toward the interior of the village.
"And how many strikes from my blade can that Barrier you set up in advance withstand?"
Kikyo's pupils constricted.
She wanted to rush forward to stop him, but she knew her speed wasn't enough.
Kidomaru was faster than her.
If she rushed up, he could easily dodge and then attack the Barrier directly.
If she didn't rush up, he could still attack the Barrier directly.
It was a stalemate.
"Hand over the Shikon Jewel."
Kidomaru's voice was very calm: "Or—"
"Watch as your village is destroyed."
Kikyo's expression was cold.
This old demon was actually using such a tactic—
"Make your choice."
Kidomaru said: "I will give you three breaths of time."
"One..."
Kikyo's hand pressed against the Shikon Jewel in her robes.
"Two..."
She closed her eyes.
"Three—"
After three seconds, Kikyo immediately opened her eyes,
And released her hand from the Shikon Jewel.
Kidomaru gave a cold smile and was about to move, only to suddenly discover—a glow reflecting beneath his feet.
"Evil-Sealing Array."
An instant-cast spell.
Kikyo lowered her longbow; she didn't need to make a choice at all, every action had been a feint: "It's not a strong seal, but trapping you for an instant is enough."
What can be done in an instant?
Kidomaru's gaze narrowed as he heard it at the same time.
Rumble—!
Thunder suddenly fell from the heavens.
That purple lightning came without warning, striking directly at the top of Kidomaru's head.
"What—"
Kidomaru's figure retreated rapidly, the Evil-Sealing Array beneath his feet shattering in an instant.
In this critical moment, his speed was still very fast, but he was ultimately delayed for a split second.
And that thunder came with great ferocity.
In that delayed instant, the purple lightning grazed his shoulder, searing a charred mark.
"Who is it!"
Kidomaru barked.
He looked up at the sky; under the moonlight, a figure was sweeping in from the distance.
Grey robes flapped in the wind, and pale long hair was exceptionally striking in the night.
And that crimson hannya mask looked like an Asura walking out of hell under the moonlight.
In his left hand, he held a purple single horn.
Thunder was still surging.
Although the Demonic Qi wasn't strong, in battles between demons, 'Qi' was only one part; transformation and the strength of the physical body occupied a more significant proportion.
And the newcomer, judging by Demonic Qi, was just a minor demon.
However, his inherent strength and the aura he carried were clearly not below that of an ordinary high-level demon or a demon leader!
"Kikyo."
The figure landed in front of the priestess, his voice calm.
"I'm back."
Kikyo looked at that back.
The pale long hair obscured her vision, but she knew that beneath that hannya mask, he was likely as indifferent as ever.
The priestess's white robes swayed, and she revealed a very beautiful smile.
"Yes."
She nodded and said:
"Welcome back."
Kanbe Hikaru turned to face Kidomaru.
"I'm here."
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