The white light dissipated.
Kidomaru's figure staggered backward.
His left shoulder was left as nothing but charred blackness, the arm bone shattered, flesh mangled, and even the bones had been scorched to ash by the spiritual power of that arrow.
If not for the fact that, at the critical moment, he had still managed to shift his position to dodge as much as possible, this arrow might have caused him to be completely annihilated, body and soul, dying once again.
"Priestess..."
In the midst of this, Kidomaru's voice was low and hoarse, laced with shock and rage.
The power of that arrow was too great; even an existence like him could not withstand it at all.
Kikyo's Sacred Arrow was indeed worthy of its reputation.
As long as it landed, even a Great Yokai would suffer.
The problem was that she had been unable to hit him before.
Kidomaru's speed was too fast; her arrows could not catch up to his shadow.
To a certain extent, an existence like Kidomaru who relied primarily on speed happened to counter Kikyo. Although Kikyo would not be defeated, it was difficult for her to effectively exorcise him, and she could only maintain a stalemate.
But now, things were different.
Kanbe Hikaru had used the power of that land to drag him down.
It slowed his speed and made him... expose a weakness.
"Good coordination."
Kidomaru panted heavily.
The old malicious ghost stared intently; despite suffering a severe injury, the anger on his face gradually faded.
In its place was wariness.
And even more, respect.
"A mere Oni Samurai and a human priestess..."
he whispered, "To think they could push me to this extent."
There was no need to speak of Kanbe Hikaru, this'small demon.' Even if he seemed to have crushed those four high-level demons, and even if his strength was enough to rival a true demon boss, Kidomaru still did not take him seriously.
Although he was not a true Great Yokai, possessing the 'Twelve Transformations' and focusing on the transformation of extreme speed, he was by no means comparable to those so-called high-level demons with at most seven transformations—in terms of speed, he was even comparable to a true Great Yokai.
Being able to defeat those high-level demon bosses did not mean one could threaten him.
As for Kikyo, although Kidomaru regarded her with importance, he did not actually take her to heart.
He had seen too many powerful human mages—far too many.
As strong as Minamoto no Yorimitsu back in the day.
As strong as Minamoto no Yoshitsune in the past.
Even as strong as Midoriko in the past.
These people, the best among humans, had slain countless demons and even many Great Yokais. However, once a fleeting opportunity was seized, they too would be severely wounded or even die.
It was just that the current situation had truly exceeded his expectations.
The priestess before him.
And... the Oni Samurai.
Kanbe Hikaru did not respond.
He just stood there, the hand holding Muramasa trembling slightly.
He looked relaxed.
But only he himself knew how much that bout had consumed.
Although this land was supporting him with an endless supply of power, his body's capacity had an upper limit.
The manipulation of those thunderbolts, poisonous mists, and necromantic corpses—each one was draining his demonic power.
He was reaching his limit.
"You are forcing yourself."
Kidomaru noticed the signs: "Your demonic power has bottomed out, hasn't it?"
Kanbe Hikaru still did not answer.
But his silence itself was the answer.
"If I attack one more time..."
Kidomaru's gaze turned cold and chilling.
"You shouldn't be able to hold on."
He raised that deep blue longsword.
Although his left arm was severed, he still had his right hand.
Although his speed had dropped due to the consumption, he was still much faster than ordinary demons.
If he just used Sword-Halberd: Immeasurable one more time—
"Do you want to try?"
Kikyo's voice came from afar.
Her bowstring was drawn full again, and a second Sacred Arrow was already condensing on the string.
Kidomaru's movements froze.
He looked at that figure in white robes and red hakama, looking at the arrow with its tip shimmering with blinding white light.
He had already tasted the power of the previous arrow.
If he took another one...
Even if he could kill Kanbe Hikaru, he would likely be severely injured himself, or perhaps even truly die here once again.
Was it worth it?
To end up both battered and exhausted for the sake of one Shikon Jewel and two guys who hadn't fully grown yet?
No, it would be him dying while the others lived.
The answer was obvious.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Kidomaru suddenly sheathed his sword.
"Consider today your lucky day."
His voice returned to that old, chilling tone: "But don't be too happy yet."
"You only injured one of my arms."
"Next time—"
His figure began to fade, as if merging into the night.
"It won't be so simple."
As his voice faded, the old figure vanished completely.
Along with the black mist permeating the surroundings, the ink-wash-like inherent Barrier named Rashomon all dissipated with his departure.
The battle was over.
Neither Kikyo nor Kanbe Hikaru pursued him.
They couldn't catch him.
And there was no rush.
Kanbe Hikaru only replied: "Next time, it might not be you coming to find me."
Since he had already provoked them.
Kyoto, Hagoromo Gitsune—he would likely go to deal with them.
He would not just wait here for them to come knocking.
He would wait until his strength was sufficient.
'Dojigiri'... it wasn't impossible for him to have it either!
...
Afterward, the moonlight spilled down again.
Then, the area that had been shrouded by Kidomaru's domain finally returned to normal.
Those frozen demon corpses began to turn into black smoke and dissipate, the solidified air began to flow again, and the grass and trees started to sway gently in the breeze once more.
Kanbe Hikaru was still standing in place.
But his body had begun to sway.
The bone armor shattered, and the blood mist dissipated.
That crimson demon mask also developed cracks, revealing the pale face beneath.
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