Standing upon the redwood-inlaid platform before an enormous bronze mirror.
Kaguya looked down upon the assembly from her elevated position, her captivating eyeshadow-adorned eyes narrowing into crescent moons that seemed to mock the foolishness of those below.
No—one should remove "seemed". She was absolutely mocking their stupidity.
Naturally, the root of this mockery stemmed from Naraku's interference.
Had Naraku not suddenly appeared, Luo Shu's group—who held numerical superiority—would have negotiated with Kaguya at the main castle gates rather than here.
It was precisely because of Naraku's intervention that Kaguya could exploit both parties' ulterior motives to relocate discussions to this hall saturated with her Yin-Yang Arts.
This was like an ordinary product suddenly gaining two competing buyers one day.
Though the product remained unchanged, the increased interest drove up its value, even granting it the upper hand.
Come to think of it, Kaguya ought to thank Naraku's faction.
Without his interference, she might not have so easily lured Luo Shu's group here.
"Well then, uninvited guests, state your purpose for coming here!"
Kaguya spoke down to them, yet her gaze remained fixed on Naraku's face.
Letting Naraku voice his intentions first was Kaguya's meagre show of gratitude.
And after this gratitude... she would naturally make this impudent half-yokai who dared expose her as a false Celestial Maiden taste the bitterness of hell.
Within the grand hall below the platform.
Seeing Kaguya's gaze settle on him first, Naraku showed brief surprise.
Fortunately, Naraku had come prepared.
Reaching into his wide sleeve, he produced a slender, silky pink ribbon.
The ribbon emitted such an abnormal and immense Spiritual Power that Naraku's hand holding it began to burn violently, sparks flying.
The moment the pink ribbon appeared, Kaguya's eyes froze.
"This is?!!"
Her eyes widened before she ground her teeth in fury:
"That's my lost Celestial Maiden's Feathered Robe! Why do you have it?"
"Naturally, I took it."
Naraku's lips curled into a faint smile at this.
Kaguya scoffed in disbelief:
"Took it?"
"Don't jest."
"After the celestial change, this robe lay hidden within the bloodline of lakeside villagers. Without special methods, extraction would be impossible."
"And that special method disappeared from this world long ago, along with the death of the villager who stole my feathered robe."
Just as Kaguya was about to sneer, she heard Naraku say meaningfully:
"Indeed, the method to extract the feathered robe disappeared from this world. So why not bring it back from another world?"
Hearing this, Kaguya's gaze darkened as she stared solemnly at Naraku:
"A mere half-yokai like you actually has the ability to bridge the human world and the Underworld?"
Naraku didn't answer, but Luo Shu and the others nearby had already guessed the reason.
'Is it So'unga's ability to open the Underworld's gates? Through this, he found and captured the ancestor's soul in the Underworld to steal the information?'
'Why does it feel like anyone in this world can casually open the Underworld?'
Luo Shu complained inwardly.
Meanwhile, the standoff between Naraku and Kaguya continued.
"The Celestial Maiden's feathered robe possesses boundless magical power, capable of restoring the maiden to her former state, approaching the gods."
Naraku held the fluttering ribbon meaningfully, completely disregarding his already charred palm:
"According to the memories of that villager who stole your robe, donning it would grant you limitless magical power. Am I correct in understanding this?"
Kaguya's face instantly twisted with rage, as if beholding something utterly repulsive:
"You... you devoured that villain's soul!!"
Though furious, Kaguya's mind remained eerily calm.
This anger didn't originate from her true self, but from the Celestial Maiden who had long since merged with her.
It was precisely because the villager had stolen her robe centuries ago that the Celestial Maiden had exposed a weakness, allowing the lurking Kaguya to devour her and set off a chain of events.
Ultimately, through their mutual struggle, Kaguya was forced to seal herself at the bottom of the lake, leaving the robe to circulate among the villager's descendants.
The entire tragedy stemmed from that villager's greedy theft.
Thus, upon discovering Naraku had consumed that villager's soul, the Celestial Maiden - now nearly one with Kaguya - erupted in such fury.
"In a sense, I've avenged you," Naraku said with a smile.
"Moreover, you're not truly as angry as you appear, are you?"
Seeing his words, Kaguya's enraged expression instantly smoothed back into its former alluring coldness:
"What do you want?"
"The Celestial Maiden's soul!" Naraku stated his goal without hesitation. "Give me her soul, and I'll naturally part with this robe."
"You want the Celestial Maiden's soul..."
Kaguya murmured, then slowly closed her eyes. When they reopened, her gaze had become as calm as a still lake.
Standing atop the high platform, she looked down imperiously:
"I want the robe."
"But I won't give the Celestial Maiden's soul."
"So negotiations have broken down then!"
Naraku frowned at this, his expression gradually cooling.
Gripping the robe icily, he narrowed his eyes:
"It seems I'll have to take the Celestial Maiden's soul myself."
"Try if you dare."Kaguya suddenly raised her hand, the ancient bronze mirror now cradled in her palm.
The mirror glowed, its violet hue dispelling the surrounding darkness.
At the same moment, over a dozen violet light-whips lashed out from the mirror, streaking through the air with explosive cracks from all directions towards Naraku.
"Too slow!"
Naraku snorted coldly, seemingly disregarding Luo Shu and the others still present, as he lunged forward with explosive force.
In an instant, Naraku's lower body transformed into a massive serpentine form, coiling and springing through the air towards Kaguya.
Violet light streaked across the sky, weaving a dense, electrified net.
Yet Naraku displayed unparalleled agility, twisting, folding, and springing with his serpentine body to evade each whip of violet light, closing the distance to Kaguya in an instant:
"Die!"
Naraku raised his grotesquely swollen arm, now transformed into a massive tiger's claw, and slashed directly at Kaguya.
"Petty tricks before a master?"
Kaguya sneered, angling the ancient bronze mirror towards the charging Naraku.
In that moment, an immense violet radiance erupted!
Then, an overwhelming shockwave surged forth, striking Naraku's body head-on.
"What?!"
Naraku's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
"This can't be!!"
Yet at that very moment, the terrifying shockwave had already obliterated Naraku's entire body. Under the light of the sacred mirror, Naraku gradually dissolved into nothingness.
Pink feather ribbons drifted lightly down from the sky, only to be snatched up by Kaguya in her palm.
After retrieving the robe, Kaguya didn't even glance at Naraku's remains; instead, she turned her gaze towards Luo Shu and his companions nearby.
Narrowing her eyes, Kaguya draped the robe over herself, her expression gradually turning cold and stern:
"Now then, the little insects have been dealt with."
"Next, it's your turn!"
Hearing this, Luo Shu's face revealed an enigmatic smile.