Inuyasha, holding Tessaiga, still couldn't quite believe it:
"Sesshōmaru was captured?"
"Mhm." Chisato Nishikigi nodded across from him.
Inuyasha seemed sceptical and asked again:
"And Sesshōmaru's mother - my father Tōga's wife - was captured too?"
"Well..." Chisato rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Being hypnotised counts as being captured, right?"
"But speaking of which, didn't we just follow Senhime Rin Getsu's guidance to find the passage and reach this castle? Why are you asking about this now?"
Hearing this, Inuyasha looked somewhat embarrassed:
"I just find it hard to believe, that's all."
At that moment, the flea yokai Myōga, perched on Inuyasha's shoulder, sighed:
"Indeed. Who would have thought both the madam and young master Sesshōmaru would be defeated like this."
The Western Country's Dog Tribe currently only had two Great Yokai.
Yet now, with Senhime Rin Getsu controlled and Sesshōmaru captured, the Dog Tribe might truly be getting new rulers.
At least young master Inuyasha surrendered quickly and avoided suffering.
Most importantly, they'd obtained Tessaiga.
Myōga felt like he was forgetting something, but it didn't matter - they had Tessaiga now.
"Young master Inuyasha, regardless of everything else, at least we've obtained Tessaiga."
"That may be so..." Inuyasha looked at the rusty, battered sword in his hands with a complicated expression. "But how do I use this thing?"
"When Sesshōmaru grabbed it, didn't it transform into a giant Fang Blade? Why won't it work for me?"
Grumbling, Inuyasha swung Tessaiga while shouting:
"Transform!!"
Yet Tessaiga remained completely unchanged.
Seeing this, Chisato casually remarked:
"Small is fine."
Myōga fawned with an ingratiating smile. Seeming emboldened by Chisato's good temper, he ventured:
"Um, Miss Nishikigi, what do you plan to do with the madam and Sesshōmaru?"
Chisato shrugged indifferently:
"We'll try recruiting them, of course. If that doesn't work... well, that would be regrettable."
"I still need to collect the Dog Tribe's books. Anyway, you can keep the sword."
As Chisato waved and left, Myōga sighed. Watching Inuyasha still swinging the sword in existential crisis, he lamented:
"Young master Inuyasha, that's not how you use Tessaiga!"
Inuyasha looked frustrated:
"Then how do I use it? And why could Sesshōmaru make it transform, but I can't? Wasn't this sword left for me?"
Myōga explained: "For Tessaiga to transform, young master, you need to channel your Demon Power into it."
"Channel Demon Power?" Inuyasha looked blank, then suspiciously at Tessaiga. Gripping the hilt tightly, he gradually turned red-faced from exertion.
Myōga facepalmed: "Young master, that's constipation, not channelling Demon Power!"
"Easy for you to say! How exactly do I channel this Demon Power?!"
Seeing Inuyasha couldn't even manipulate Demon Power, Myōga gave a bitter laugh:
"It seems the young master must start with basic training."
...
As Myōga began instructing Inuyasha...
At Cloudtop Castle's highest point.
Within a palace.
Luo Shu was sitting face-to-face with the humanised Senhime Rin Getsu.
However, compared to Luo Shu's relaxed expression, Senhime Rin Getsu's face was dark and grim.
"Don't look so upset, my lady."
With a smile playing on his lips and an expression full of delight, Luo Shu addressed Senhime Rin Getsu:
"Though there were some misunderstandings between us before, that doesn't mean we can't have a proper conversation now, does it?"
"You're holding quite a filthy thing there, human."
Though it was an Abyss Artefact of Hero Rank, the Demon Heart couldn't completely control someone of equal standing like Senhime Rin Getsu. At most, it could manipulate her for a short period before the effect wore off.
Moreover, during the control process, Luo Shu couldn't use the Demon Heart to issue commands that would provoke strong resistance from Rin Getsu, or the hypnosis would immediately fail...
But for Luo Shu, temporary control was more than enough.
"This round goes to me, wouldn't you agree, madam?"
Hearing this, Rin Getsu arched an eyebrow but offered no rebuttal.
For yokai, defeat was defeat—there was no room for excuses. Someone of her stature wouldn't stoop to petty denials.
"What do you want from me?" Rin Getsu's gaze gradually steadied.
Though she despised Luo Shu's underhanded methods, she couldn't deny that the man's techniques were both bizarre and terrifyingly potent.
Throughout the entire ordeal, neither Sesshōmaru, Shirayuki Hotogi, nor Kuesu Jingūji had noticed they'd fallen prey to Luo Shu's illusions.
"What do I want?"
Luo Shu chuckled at Rin Getsu's question, slowly raising his hand, palm open, before deliberately clenching it into a fist. His tone was laden with implication:
"Everything."
"You, Sesshōmaru, and the entirety of the Dog Tribe—I want it all."
Rin Getsu responded with a cold laugh:
"Everything?"
"Do you truly believe defeating me once would make me—or that child Sesshōmaru—submit to you? Don't be absurd!"
Unfazed, Luo Shu leisurely picked up a teacup from the table, took a sip, and said:
"Won't you at least hear my terms?"
Rin Getsu narrowed her eyes, her voice dripping with frost:
"The bones of the Dog Tribe are too hard to bend."
Luo Shu smirked at her defiance, teasing:
"Madam, whether the Dog Tribe kneels or not... isn't that ultimately your decision?"
He paused briefly before adding:
"Besides, I imagine you wouldn't want Sesshōmaru to learn he isn't your biological son, would you?"