As the voice spoke, Luo Shu wrapped one arm around Yukari Oikawa's waist while his other hand grasped Kirinmaru's Bakuseiken. He chuckled lightly:
"Did I show up too early?"
Yukari Oikawa could only sigh in exasperation:
"Too late, actually."
Her expression frosty, she added:
"If Kikyo hadn't fired that arrow and revealed your return, were you planning to keep watching from the sidelines while I got ganged up on?"
Luo Shu merely smiled in response:
"At a heroic rescue moment like this, let's not spoil the mood with such discordant talk."
"Look, our Demon Sword friend here seems quite upset now."
Indeed, the pink jewel eyes of So'unga's true form trembled uneasily as they fixed upon the shrine's direction.
There, a cold and aloof woman in a red and white shrine maiden outfit, with a quiver on her back, silently drew her bow and aimed an arrow at So'unga.
On the other side, Luo Shu glanced at Kirinmaru, pinched the Bakuseiken with his fingers, leaving clear imprints on the blade, then remarked with surprise:
"Not a bad blade. What's its name?"
Kirinmaru eyed the finger marks on his Bakuseiken with visible distress and replied coldly:
"Bakuseiken."
"Quite the grandiose name." Luo Shu glanced at the clearly single-edged greatsword in his hand, shook his head, and simply released it.
The moment the blade left his grip, Kirinmaru swiftly drew it back and retreated thirty metres before fixing his gaze on Luo Shu.
By then, Luo Shu had already turned his attention to So'unga and said:
"Aren't you going to call out those hiding in the shadows?"
After a brief silence, So'unga asked in turn:
"Have you discovered a new passage? Or perhaps those we sent back weren't you at all?"
So'unga was puzzled. Luo Shu and Kikyo had clearly been sent back through the Bone-Eating Well—how had they reappeared?
Luo Shu didn't answer. Instead, he cast a sidelong glance at the towering sacred Tree of Ages, revered as the divine tree.
At that moment, a faint, gnarled face emerged from the tree's bark, its voice hoarse as it spoke:
"Don't overthink it, So'unga. There's only one passage—the Bone-Eating Well. They must have found another way to return."
Hearing this, So'unga grew visibly irritated and snapped:
"Tree of Ages, your true form has always been here. How could you have noticed nothing?"
The Tree of Ages remained silent, but Luo Shu interjected on its behalf:
"Don't be too hard on it. For an immobile tree, breaking through the illusions I created is rather difficult."
So'unga froze, disbelief flashing across his features:
"The Tree of Ages has been under your illusions this whole time?"
"Impossible. It's never even appeared before you."
"Is it really so hard to grasp?" Luo Shu smiled faintly, his gaze calm as still water. "Just consider it the work of a highly skilled diviner on our side."
"Damn it!"
So'unga gritted his teeth—just as a surge of icy dread flooded his consciousness.
Without looking, he knew: Kikyo had loosed a sacred arrow.
Among those present, Luo Shu was the most unpredictable, but it was Kikyo's Sacred Power that So'unga feared most.
The former because Luo Shu's methods were inscrutable; the latter because he knew all too well how terrifying Kikyo's Sacred Power could be.
Realising this, So'unga bellowed:
"Tsubaki, what are you waiting for?"
As his voice rang out, countless paper talismans materialised in the sky, fluttering in waves before the sacred arrow, blocking its path.
The arrow, devastating against demons and evil spirits, faltered when faced with the Spiritual Power of the same nature. After piercing through several layers of talismans, it was eventually ensnared by the swarm.
Watching this unfold, Kikyo's expression remained unchanged. She merely tilted her head slightly, her gaze settling on the eaves of the shrine's main hall.
There stood a woman with dishevelled white hair, clad in an enigmatic and coldly elegant black kimono. Her face was youthful, like that of a sixteen-year-old girl, yet her sharp eyes betrayed a ruthless edge.
This woman—the so-called Tsubaki—stood at the edge of the roof, her frigid stare fixed on Kikyo, brimming with what seemed like an unshakable hatred.
"Who are you? Tsubaki?" Kikyo looked at the vaguely familiar woman before her, a trace of surprise flashing across her face.
The Dark Shrine Maiden Tsubaki let out a cold laugh. "Should I be grateful you still remember me, Kikyo?"
Kikyo remained silent, quietly putting away her bow and arrows. After all, sacred arrows weren't the best choice when dealing with another shrine maiden like Tsubaki.
Yet at this moment, Kikyo's expression turned melancholy:
"I never thought you would ally with yokai..."
Dark Shrine Maiden Tsubaki—a fellow demon-hunting shrine maiden Kikyo had encountered during her travels. They had even shared similar views on exterminating yokai and fought side by side.
But after Kikyo was hailed as the Warring States' strongest shrine maiden and entrusted with the Shikon Jewel by demon hunters, Tsubaki grew jealous and turned against her. In their duel, Tsubaki suffered backlash that disfigured her face.
Thus, the moment Kikyo saw Tsubaki appear, she knew this wouldn't end peacefully.
As the Dark Shrine Maiden Tsubaki detained Kikyo, So'unga secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He had originally invited the Dark Shrine Maiden to kill Kikyo and break the Kikyo Shrine's barrier.
Now, this move proved prescient—with his group consisting entirely of yokai, they might not have been able to stop Kikyo otherwise.
At least So'unga believed that apart from the samurai he controlled, no one else could hold Kikyo back.
Of course, while Kikyo was being delayed, the more troublesome figure was actually the man casually embracing the Yuki-onna as if enjoying a romantic moment.
This man of completely unknown origins was currently So'unga's greatest concern.
Most crucially, So'unga knew time wasn't on his side—there was no telling how long the Dark Shrine Maiden could keep Kikyo occupied.
Thinking this, So'unga immediately shouted:
"No more hesitation, Tree of Ages! Let's attack together!"
Hearing this, the giant face on the Tree of Ages remained silent for a moment before sighing.
The next second, the earth shook.
Massive roots burst through the ground, resembling spider legs, and pierced the shrine's blue brick flooring.
Countless roots erupted violently, causing the Tree of Ages itself to grow several heads taller.
The enormous sacred tree transformed into a crude, hulking treant, its wooden face solemn and cold as it glared at Luo Shu:
"Human, don't push me. I just want freedom... I just want to live."
Seeing this, Luo Shu merely tilted his head slightly, gazing calmly at it:
"Don't pretend to be innocent."
"After choosing to oppose me, you should commit fully to your actions. At least that way, you can taste bitter defeat with more dignity in the end."
"Don't get cocky, human!!"
The Tree of Ages roared as massive roots erupted like black lightning, tearing through the air toward Luo Shu!