Under the unchanging sky of the Underworld, Sesshōmaru flew through the air while Jaken, wrapped in a cloud, carried Hōsengki alongside him.
"Wheeze... wheeze... I really must admit I'm getting old."
Hōsengki, who had lost part of his core, panted heavily before addressing Jaken:
"Hey, Small Yokai, put me down. In my current state, going to the human world would only hasten my death."
"Eh? Is that so?" Jaken looked at Hōsengki in astonishment, his expression troubled. "Lord Hōsengki, are you sure you don't need treatment?"
"No need." Hōsengki shook his head. "I only rushed here to wake you up and warn you to leave quickly. Since that's no longer necessary, my task is done."
Cough, cough.
Hōsengki coughed up murky demon blood, then turned to Sesshōmaru, whose abdominal wound had only just stopped bleeding, and eyed the sword in his hand.
"Plans truly can't keep up with surprises. Who would've thought that Tōga's blade would end up in your hands, Sesshōmaru?"
"Hōsengki." Sesshōmaru gazed solemnly at the Great Yokai before him—Hōsengki, once a close friend of Tōga.
"Before you set me down, there are things I must tell you."
Hōsengki coughed several times before continuing:
"Sesshōmaru, Tessaiga is a burden to you, not an aid. That is Tōga's sword, not yours. As a perfect Dog Demon born from Demon Power, what you must pursue is your own blade—not the shadow of Tōga."
"Ahem, furthermore, the more perfect a yokai is, the more they are controlled by their demonic nature. Tōga left you Tenseiga because he wanted you to learn human compassion, to suppress your demonic instincts and truly master your Demon Power. This is the prerequisite to reaching the realm Tōga himself pursued."
"Tōga died too suddenly. Some things I only learned here in the Underworld. Now, I relay them to you."
Hōsengki spoke with unusual gravity as he looked at Sesshōmaru:
"Sesshōmaru, only when you truly possess humanity and human compassion can you surpass Tōga and become the perfect yokai."
Sesshōmaru's pupils contracted sharply at these words. Suddenly, Hōsengki broke free from the cloud and plummeted downward, crashing into the ground with a loud boom that sent dust flying.
"Ah!! He jumped! Even with such severe injuries!" Jaken stared in shock as the dust cleared, revealing Hōsengki waving at them from below. He clicked his tongue: "That silver-haired woman struck so viciously."
"Jaken."
"Yes!"
"Let's return to the human world."
"But Lord Sesshōmaru, about your mother..." Jaken hesitated, his expression uneasy.
"Mother is under control. At this moment, we don't have time to fight them. Moreover, I've only just obtained Tessaiga and haven't mastered it yet. The priority now is to gain control of Tessaiga, then settle accounts with that human."
Sesshōmaru spoke calmly, his right hand gripping Tessaiga as it emitted a translucent emerald glow.
Seeing this Demon Power radiance, Jaken's eyes widened:
"The impurity in your Demon Power has diminished greatly! Lord Sesshōmaru, your power is..."
At this moment, Sesshōmaru's expression turned solemn as Luo Shu's face flashed through his mind:
"While resisting the power that man imposed upon me, though most of my Demon Power dissipated, a small portion... began transforming of its own accord."
As he spoke, Sesshōmaru tightened his grip on Tessaiga. Though this blade rejected yokai, through his transformed Demon Power, he could still wield it—even resonate with its hidden strength.
'Perfect Demon Power?' The thought crossed Sesshōmaru's mind.
"What? Is such a thing possible?" This was the first Jaken had heard of it. Delighted, he exclaimed: "Does this mean you'll soon advance further, becoming—no, surpassing even Lord Tōga?"
Sesshōmaru didn't respond. Tōga's might had been imprinted in his mind since childhood. Even with perfect Demon Power, he didn't consider himself Tōga's superior.
Perhaps Hōsengki was right. To surpass Tōga, Sesshōmaru needed human compassion.
"Let's go. The exit is near."
Sesshōmaru spotted the wavering black portal amidst the distant grasslands.
"First return to the human world, recover our strength, then seek that human for a rematch."
With that, Sesshōmaru leapt from the sky into the portal.
Seeing this, Jaken hastily jumped off the cloud in pursuit: "Lord Sesshōmaru, wait for me!!"
Jaken leapt into the passageway. His vision darkened, then brightened again as he immediately spotted Sesshōmaru's towering figure at the entrance.
Seeing this, Jaken's face lit up with joy: "Lord Sesshōmaru, were you waiting for me?"
Yet at that moment, Sesshōmaru's expression turned ashen as he said:
"Jaken, stay back."
"Eh? Stay back? Haven't we returned to Lady Rin Getsu's Cloudtop Castle..." Jaken instinctively surveyed his surroundings, and his face immediately froze.
Jaken stared at the five-metre-tall silver beast, then at the man standing atop it, flanked by silver and black Gundams. His entire demonic countenance stiffened.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu, standing atop Senhime Rin Getsu's head, smiled:
"Well, well. Fancy meeting you again, Sesshōmaru."
Sesshōmaru remained silent, merely glancing back at the now-closed passageway before turning to Luo Shu:
"When did you cast the illusion? I was certain I hadn't fallen for it, yet you've deceived me twice. How exactly did you accomplish this?"
Just moments ago, Sesshōmaru had been the first to decide to leave, yet Luo Shu had somehow arrived before him. This was something Sesshōmaru couldn't comprehend at all.
He understood that the mist-like, flame-like ability could create illusions. He also understood that Luo Shu had crafted an illusory double to make him think Luo Shu remained in place.
What Sesshōmaru couldn't grasp was why he couldn't even sense when he'd fallen under an illusion. How exactly had this illusion been activated?
As Sesshōmaru questioned this, Luo Shu spoke with profound meaning:
"Sesshōmaru, being deceived is also a form of misfortune!"