Watching Sesshōmaru stride boldly into the skeletal interior after the barrier was set up, Noriyuki Izuna was dumbfounded:
"Seriously? Just charging in head-on? What is this Dog Demon thinking?"
Hearing this, Yomi Isayama and Shirayuki Hotogi both glanced at Noriyuki before exchanging looks and silently communicating.
'Has this man never trained? Doesn't he understand a warrior's spirit?'
'He's self-taught. Ignore him.'
Both Shirayuki Hotogi and Yomi Isayama came from families where martial arts took precedence over sorcery, so they were well-versed in the unwritten rules of warriors. The moment the two saw Sesshōmaru's actions, they understood he intended to face Luo Shu in an open and honourable duel.
Yet in Noriyuki Izuna's eyes, since they had the advantage of a barrier and the cover of darkness, the first step should be an ambush to eliminate an enemy while they had the chance.
His idea wasn't without merit, but clearly, no one present cared for his tactics.
As Sesshōmaru entered the fray and even made his move, Shirayuki Hotogi immediately declared:
"I'll intercept Miss Nishikigi."
No sooner had the words left her lips than she vanished from sight, employing some mysterious footwork to silently infiltrate the skeletal remains.
At this moment, Senhime Rin Getsu showed no intention of waiting either, stating plainly:
"Jaken, stay here and guard the barrier. Await the outcome. Regardless of who wins or loses, let anyone who emerges pass through."
Evidently, though Senhime Rin Getsu had set up the barrier, she had no intention of resorting to underhanded methods. With a surge of Demon Power, she leapt into the skeletal remains.
"Understood, my lady."
Tears streamed down Jaken's face as he emotionally noted that his mistress had finally remembered his name. Wiping his eyes, he took position beside the barrier's core gem, gripping his staff of heads defensively, ready to strike down any intruder.
Noticing this, Yomi Isayama shot Noriyuki Izuna a glance and said:
"Let's go. Don't keep our employer waiting."
With that, Yomi Isayama sprang forward towards the skeletal remains.
Noriyuki Izuna watched this unfold, a flicker of unease crossing his face as he eyed the skeletal battlefield. But under Jaken's watchful glare, he gritted his teeth and entered the fray.
Once everyone had vanished into Tōga's skeletal remains, Jaken finally relaxed, preparing to survey his surroundings and assess the situation.
Yet when he looked around, he spotted a silver-haired woman in a black dress, with a crescent moon mark between her brows, standing not far from him.
"My lady? No... who are you?"
"Sleep now, little yokai."
The cold female voice rang out. Jaken struggled to keep his eyes open but ultimately succumbed, leaning on his staff as he fell asleep standing up.
After Jaken had drifted off, Kuesu Jingūji gazed calmly at the skeletal remains before her, her lips curling into a slow smile.
...
"Dokkasō!"
Sesshōmaru openly attacked Luo Shu with claws dripping with venom and miasma.
Luo Shu reacted swiftly, sidestepping the poisonous strike while quipping:
"You call me a despicable human, yet what does that make someone who attacks with poisoned claws?"
"A despicable yokai?"
Missing his strike, Sesshōmaru frowned slightly, pausing to study Luo Shu's openings as he replied:
"You could wield poisoned weapons, too. Isn't that how humans typically deal with yokai?"
Using toxins in direct combat was perfectly normal to Sesshōmaru—most yokai fought this way, differing only in potency. After all, the vast majority of yokai naturally produced venom.
Humans, incapable of generating their own toxins, often resorted to hunting yokai and poisoning them through food or internal sabotage—a far more underhanded approach in his view.
"As for 'despicable humans'—didn't the three of you gang up on me earlier and kill me once?"
Faced with Sesshōmaru's straightforwardness, Luo Shu felt a twinge of guilt.
After all, he had indeed exploited Sesshōmaru's unfamiliarity with their abilities to pull off an ambush.
"So, do you want revenge?"
As he spoke, Luo Shu glanced towards Chisato Nishikigi's direction.
Chisato hesitated slightly at this moment, not immediately activating the Skill Demon Gods. After all, Sesshōmaru had suffered once before and remained vigilant against them during combat, clearly unwilling to repeat his mistake.
Just then, a clear female voice rang out.
"Be warned."
"Hotogi Heavenly Arts - Flame Gate!"
Hearing this, Chisato instantly leapt sideways as a silver blade flashed past, diving straight into the spatial portal opened by Silver. After her disappearance, the crimson flames arrived belatedly, striking the already closing rift.
Shirayuki Hotogi landed on the ground, stepping on white bones as she assumed an iaido stance.
Meanwhile, five metres behind Luo Shu, space was cleaved open by Silver, and Chisato emerged from it:
"Hey, hey, that was an ambush, right? That definitely counts as an ambush?"
"And come to think of it, why is the Onmyou Agency attacking us?"
Clearly, Chisato was bewildered by Shirayuki's sudden and blatant announcement.
"Idiot, it's obvious the Onmyou Agency has allied with the Dog Tribe now."
Takina Inoue, who remained in place, frowned as she observed the massive wolf demon standing at the exit. For combat convenience, Senhime Rin Getsu had reduced her height to merely five metres, maintaining complete demonic transformation while significantly compressing her size.
Narrowing her eyes at Takina's direction with a contemplative gaze, she remarked:
"The main body is much weaker than that metal construct? It seems you humans yourselves are the metal warriors' weakness."
Takina remained silent, quietly summoning Black Iron. This time, however, Black Iron didn't appear behind her but instead completely enveloped her body.
Observing the five-metre-tall armoured metal Gundam, Senhime's eyes filled with intrigue:
"So there's an armour-attachment usage method too? As expected, nothing is simple about this."
Seeing both Takina and Chisato being occupied, Luo Shu turned towards Inuyasha, only to find the half-demon blocked by Tessaiga's barrier. More crucially, Yomi Isayama had already charged in, boldly approaching Inuyasha as her chosen opponent.
In comparison, the sneaky Noriyuki Izuna lurking behind didn't concern Luo Shu much.
"Looks like we'll have to fight after all."
"Even if we took Tessaiga, we'd just give it to Inuyasha for use. Why must you be so stubborn?"
Luo Shu turned back to face the sharp-eyed Sesshōmaru, sighing as he flexed his wrist and drew Tenseiga from his waist:
"Don't blame me if you die, Dog Demon!"
Meeting this provocation, Sesshōmaru's gaze turned icy. The sight of Luo Shu wielding Tenseiga against him stirred quiet fury:
"If you can, then try me!"
With these words, Sesshōmaru's body began to transform abruptly. The next instant, a gigantic silver wolf with crimson demonic eyes swung its massive poison-clad paw at Luo Shu.
A fierce gale laced with viridian demonic poison surged forth amidst tremendous roaring, hurtling towards Luo Shu.