With seven or eight hundred demons besieging the village, even with Kikyo's Barrier holding them back, if he were to charge down from the mountain peak with such bravado, it wouldn't be called bravery; it would be called a death wish.
Even if he had to hand over the shikon jewel, it couldn't be done like this.
Besides, he didn't plan on giving it up immediately; at the very least, he had to unlock her favorability first.
But he couldn't just wait here either.
The shikon jewel in his arms needed to be close to Kikyo to trigger the unlock verification—this was the prerequisite set by the system.
And right now, Kikyo was in the shrine at the center of the village.
He was on the mountain peak.
Between them stood seven or eight hundred demons.
"...This is a bit tricky."
Kobe Hikaru crouched behind a boulder, looking down at the chaotic battlefield below.
The demon horde's attention was entirely focused on the village's Barrier; not a single demon looked toward the mountain peak.
That was the good news.
The bad news was that the shikon jewel was still glowing.
Although he had wrapped it in several layers of cloth, the pale purple light and that unique aura continued to leak out.
If he approached from the front, those demons would definitely notice.
But if... Kobe Hikaru's gaze swept across the battlefield.
From what he could see, the demon horde's formation was not tight—to be precise, there was no formation to speak of at all.
Seven or eight hundred demons were huddled together in a mess, each fighting for themselves.
Some were attacking the Barrier, some were fighting their own kind for a better position, and some were even in corners devouring the corpses of their recently deceased companions.
Chaos.
Extreme chaos.
And within this chaos, Demonic Qi was everywhere.
A thick, murky, and overwhelming Demonic Qi.
That Demonic Qi was so dense it had almost condensed into a physical substance, like a thick layer of grey-green mist covering the entire outskirts of the village.
A normal person standing in it would probably be overcome by the stench and faint on the spot.
But for Kobe Hikaru, this was the perfect cover.
Because he was also a demon.
He also carried Demonic Qi, and in no small amount, with a quality that was incomparably pure.
In this ocean of extremely dense Demonic Qi, his own aura was like a drop of water merging into the sea.
It wouldn't attract any attention at all.
As for the aura of the shikon jewel...
Kobe Hikaru looked down at the bead in his arms.
The pale purple light was still faintly visible through the layers of cloth.
"Can you be a bit quieter?"
He whispered to the bead.
The shikon jewel did not respond.
It simply glowed quietly, showing no reaction to his request.
"...Never mind."
Kobe Hikaru sighed.
Fortunately, although the aura emitted by the shikon jewel was unique, it would be significantly diluted and masked within this ocean of intense Demonic Qi.
Those low-level demons had limited perception; as long as he didn't pull the bead out and use it like a flashlight, he shouldn't be discovered.
"Let's go."
He whispered to the muramasa at his waist.
[demon blade muramasa: Mood 'Confused', it expresses that it doesn't understand why you don't just charge in and go on a killing spree.]
"Because I don't want to die, my lady,"
Kobe Hikaru replied succinctly, lowering his body and moving down along the shadows of the hillside.
He didn't use Ghost Step; that would cause a fluctuation in demonic power, which would be easily detected at this distance.
He chose the most primitive method—walking.
Walking there on foot.
Quietly.
Like a snake.
Kobe Hikaru hugged the ground, his body almost level with the grass.
His tattered Crimson Gusoku Demon Armor was covered in mud and grass stains, which instead became the best camouflage in the twilight.
He moved along the outskirts of the demon horde, specifically choosing areas where the Demonic Qi was thickest.
The dense Demonic Qi acted like a natural Barrier, completely masking his presence.
Occasionally, a few Blue-skinned Oni ran past him, their eyes fixed intently on the Barrier ahead, not noticing the figure in the grass at their feet at all.
A One-eyed Demon even stepped on his hand.
It hurt.
But Kobe Hikaru didn't make a sound.
He just silently withdrew his hand and waited for the One-eyed Demon to run far away before continuing forward.
[demon blade muramasa: Mood 'Angry', it strongly suggests you chop off that One-eyed Demon's foot.]
"Quiet."
Kobe Hikaru said in his mind.
He continued to crawl forward.
Fifty zhang, forty zhang.
Thirty zhang.
The density of the demon horde was increasing, and he had to be even more careful.
A few times he was nearly discovered, but by relying on Resonance with Blood to sense the movements of surrounding demons in advance, he was able to adjust his route in time.
Having killed so many demons along the way, although most of the demon blood on him had been absorbed by muramasa, quite a bit still remained in the cracks of his armor.
That residual blood served as his early warning system.
Any living creature that came within three zhang of him would be detected.
Twenty zhang.
Fifteen zhang.
Kobe Hikaru could already clearly see the light of the Barrier.
A pale white glow flowed before his eyes, emitting a warm and holy aura.
That aura made his skin feel slightly hot—the natural suppression of spiritual power against demons was already starting to take effect at this distance.
But he endured it.
Ten zhang.
He lay behind a pile of demon corpses—those killed by Kikyo's Sacred Arrow, their bodies still retaining some warmth—and looked up through the gaps between the corpses toward the shrine.
Kikyo was right there.
Dressed in a white robe and red hakama, she stood atop the stone steps.
She was shooting arrows.
The bowstring was drawn, white light gathered, and an arrow was released.
A Centipede Spirit trying to climb the Barrier from the side was pierced through the head; its corpse fell, crashing into the demon horde below and triggering a wave of screams.
Kikyo's face was devoid of expression.
Those cool eyes were as calm as a deep pool.
It wasn't coldness, but a kind of almost transcendental composure.
It was as if the siege of seven or eight hundred demons was, in her eyes, just a daily chore that needed to be handled—and in fact, it truly was.
Kobe Hikaru looked at her, and a thought surfaced in his mind—
Really strong.
And also, really—
Beautiful.
No, now is not the time to think about this... damn 'turbid qi', is it affecting me again?
Kobe Hikaru took another breath of the murky Demonic Qi on the battlefield, barely managing to calm down, and withdrew his gaze.
Regardless, now was certainly not the time for appreciation.
He looked down at his chest.
The light of the shikon jewel was changing.
The pale purple glow was no longer scattering evenly but was starting to concentrate toward the front—exactly where Kikyo was located.
The bead was sensing her.
Or rather, the bead was resonating with her.
The system panel was also flashing constantly.
[Detected 'Suppressor' approaching...]
[favorability unlock condition verifying...]
[Distance has met the minimum requirement.]
[favorability unlock verification complete.]
[shikon jewel favorability can now be unlocked; please operate in a safe environment.]
That's enough.
Looking at the prompt on the panel, a glint of light flashed in Kobe Hikaru's eyes.
It worked!
Getting close to Kikyo really was useful!
He didn't even need to meet her, didn't need to fight, and didn't need to be shot full of arrows—
As long as the distance was close enough, the shikon jewel could automatically sense the existence of the Suppressor and complete the unlock verification.
"Great."
He said in his mind.
Then the system panel refreshed.
Kobe Hikaru lay behind the pile of corpses, staring at the new content appearing on the panel.
[shikon jewel]
[Quality: Divine Artifact]
[Current Status: Awakening]
[favorability: Unlocked]
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