"We meet again, So'unga!"
Hearing these words and seeing Naraku's face, which practically screamed 'I'm treacherous,' So'unga unsurprisingly felt his heart skip a beat, a faint urge to retreat stirring within.
But soon, the hidden measures he sensed buried within Naraku's body and soul restored some of his confidence.
With a thought, So'unga glanced at Naraku: 'This half-yokai is rather sinister. Best to eliminate him sooner or later.'
Thinking this, So'unga controlled Setsuna no Takemaru to speak in a deep male voice:
"Where are they?"
"Right here." Naraku stepped aside, revealing a man and woman lying on a straw mat before a decapitated Buddha statue.
These two were none other than siblings Shin Natsume and Maya Natsume.
Currently, both had their hands tightly bound, brows furrowed, with purple markings covering their exposed skin. A faint, blood-like stench emanated from the patterns.
Clearly, the two were severely poisoned, unable even to regain consciousness.
"Used poison to restrain them?"
Seeing this, So'unga nodded slightly, thinking 'how cautious'.
Yet simultaneously, his wariness towards Naraku grew.
If even Luo Shu and Kikyo, whom he'd thought successfully manipulated, could pull a fast one on him, how much more treacherous might Naraku – or rather, the former bandit Onigumo – be? The answer was practically obvious.
Were it not for wanting to use Naraku as a decoy after crossing worlds, So'unga would gladly dispose of him immediately.
Since the plan to create the Shikon Jewel had already failed, Naraku held no further significance for him.
Yet, though Naraku was no longer needed, some probing was still required...
With this thought, So'unga suddenly asked with deliberate meaning:
"Where is your true form?"
Hearing this, an indescribable look of surprise flashed across Naraku's face.
Immediately afterwards, the creaking sound of a door opening came from behind.
Another Naraku stepped through the ruined temple gates:
"I never imagined the half-body I created could still deceive you."
Had So'unga not been remotely controlling Setsuna no Takemaru's body, it would have shown sheer terror upon hearing the voice from behind.
It truly hadn't anticipated that the Naraku before it was merely a fake.
Did this mean its contingency plan had already failed?
At this thought, So'unga immediately spoke with deep wariness:
"Well played, Naraku."
It paused mid-sentence before asking:
"When did you realise I'd planted methods within you?"
"From the very beginning."
Naraku walked calmly towards his doppelgänger, reaching out to grasp it. The duplicate instantly dissolved into thick crimson mist, sucked into his palm:
"Bandits have an initiation rite - after joining a mountain gang, they must kill a villager from a nearby settlement in full view. In our circles, this is called the 'blood oath.'"
"As an accomplished bandit myself, I imagine the yokai world isn't lacking in similar rituals?"
Hearing this, So'unga fell silent.
Born as a mighty evil artefact, its wielders were either peerless martial artists or Great Yokai who ravaged the Warring States period. Naturally superior, So'unga had never paid attention to bandit customs.
Those petty thieves who wouldn't survive a few years in the Warring States even after obtaining it weren't worth So'unga's notice.
To think it would be undone by arrogance?
So'unga let out a self-deprecating chuckle before asking:
"Of the two siblings before us, which is real and which is fake?"
Naraku responded with a light laugh:
"That depends on the intelligence you provide."
So'unga's gaze flickered momentarily before confessing:
"All interlopers entering our world carry devices called Emergency Escape Devices."
"These treasures were created by a major faction from their world. Once imprinted with a spiritual mark, they allow instantaneous departure from any world back to their origin point."
"Moreover, the return coordinates are specified by the explorer. Though there are spatial limitations, it provides ample opportunity for concealment."
Understanding dawned on Naraku:
"I see."
"So that's why you seek to control, even replace the visitors? To synchronise the spiritual imprint with the device's markings?"
Realising So'unga intended to use the Emergency Escape Device to reach the modern world, Naraku suddenly grasped the situation.
The intelligence likely came from either the earliest Onmyou Agency explorers or those elusive Vampire nobles they'd never apprehended.
With this realisation, Naraku fell silent.
Seizing the moment, So'unga pressed:
"Which is real? Which is fake?"
"The sister is real. The brother is false."
Naraku wore a deceptive smile as he said meaningfully:
"You may trust my words, but once you choose, don't you dare regret it."
So'unga studied Naraku intensely before scoffing:
"The word 'regret' doesn't exist in So'unga's vocabulary."
With that, it strode forward towards the prone Maya Natsume, looking down contemptuously at the silver-haired girl:
"Quite the beauty. From now on, you shall be So'unga's new Sword Slave."
As these words fell, So'unga manipulated Setsuna no Takemaru to place its true form into Maya Natsume's hands.
Meanwhile, Naraku gazed thoughtfully at Setsuna no Takemaru's retreating figure, murmuring:
"Future sight?"
"What a fascinating ability..."
As Naraku mused, the faint indigo mist surrounding his handsome yet perpetually sinister features dissipated, revealing Luo Shu's impassive countenance.
At this moment, So'unga's control had already begun.
Strands of ominous brown-red miasma rapidly spread from Maya Natsume's right hand, gripping So'unga.
The jade-like blade of So'unga now resembled a leech, voraciously sucking at something.
In this state, it hadn't even noticed Naraku's transformation.
Just then, a flicker of black light abruptly appeared between Maya Natsume's eyebrows.
Instantly, So'unga's blade trembled violently, followed by a terrified voice crying out:
"What is this? What is this?!"
So'unga's voice rose sharply, filled with boundless regret:
"Is this Purification Power? Damn you, Naraku! You set me up!!"
"No————!!"
As So'unga's shrill screams echoed, Shin Natsume, lying nearby, suddenly opened his eyes. Moving his arm, he bit his finger and quickly sucked the blood containing toxins into his mouth.
Within a few breaths, Shin Natsume had neutralised the poison. He then reached behind his back, retrieved the Kusanagi Sword, and handed it to Luo Shu:
"It seems just as my Dragon Eye foresaw. So'unga chose Maya."
Had So'unga chosen Shin Natsume, it would have faced the already activated Kusanagi Sword—a Demigod Weapon controlled by a Demigod Sword Spirit—ensuring at least a swift death.
However, by choosing Maya Natsume, the consequences became something even Luo Shu couldn't have predicted.
Yet, as Shin Natsume had previously told Luo Shu, So'unga ultimately chose Maya Natsume.
Luo Shu calmly accepted the Kusanagi Sword but turned his gaze to Maya Natsume:
"What is that?"
Though he had already tasked the Mysticism Encyclopaedia to divine the answer, Luo Shu still asked Shin Natsume, as the latter was the true inheritor of the Natsume family.
At that moment, Shin Natsume took out a cigarette pack from his pocket, shook one loose, and gazed at the unconscious Maya Natsume:
"Among successive generations of the Natsume family, one member almost always awakens the supernatural ability Dragon Eye. Yet, such hosts often descend into madness, living briefly, with many even leading the Natsume family to ruin."
"But for a thousand years since arriving in this world, the Natsume family has remained an esteemed lineage."
"The reason lies in the ability you now witness."
Shin Natsume's voice brimmed with nostalgia and emotion as he continued:
"A power originating from the bloodline of Amaterasu Omikami, shining like the sun, nullifying all supernatural abilities, illuminating the world, and banishing all darkness."
"Its name is—Amaterasu Dragon Gate!"