In the forest beside Kikyo Shrine in Musashi Province...
A fine drizzle fell slowly from the sky, landing on dense leaves without making a sound.
"Can you still move, Sesshōmaru?"
A voice with a peculiar cadence came through the forest, belonging to none other than Senhime Rin Getsu.
At that moment, Sesshōmaru leaned against a tree trunk, calmly raising his arm as Jaken tended to his wounds. Without looking up, he said:
"Ignore her. Continue."
"Yes, my lord." Jaken, who had been about to glance upwards, immediately ducked his head and resumed applying the herbal ointment made by Kikyo onto Sesshōmaru's arm.
Meanwhile, Senhime Rin Getsu, pristine in her white kimono, had already approached Sesshōmaru. With an amused yet exasperated expression, she remarked:
"What, are you upset I didn't leave you time to reminisce with Tōga?"
Sesshōmaru merely lifted his head to glance at her, his eyes clearly conveying impatience.
Seeing this, Senhime sighed:
"You've become less adorable the older you've grown."
She then rested her cheek against her hand, tilting her head nostalgically:
"When will you return to those days when you'd cling to my sleeves and cry 'Mama!' whenever I stepped away?"
Even someone as composed as Sesshōmaru couldn't help but feel a vein throb at his temple at such words.
'Is this woman even listening to herself?'
After a long silence, Sesshōmaru finally spoke:
"How did he die?"
"Of course, he entrusted me to Luo Shu before passing with a smile—"
Senhime's lips curled mid-sentence:
"Just kidding."
"Tōga died full of resentment."
"After striving his entire life for the chance to surpass the Great Yokai, that opportunity fell to me—a woman who'd long accepted reality, abandoned ambition, and lacked both talent and ability."
"Heh, he was practically gnashing his teeth in envy before descending to hell."
Sesshōmaru's eye twitched. Though he knew Senhime was exaggerating, given his understanding of Tōga, the man had likely been seething with bitterness.
Truth be told, Sesshōmaru felt somewhat sour as well.
Tōga had fought his entire life to transcend the Great Yokai, only to meet a regretful end due to circumstances. Meanwhile, Senhime—who'd rationally given up struggling due to her limitations—had gained a chance to advance further, all because of one man.
The cruel irony? Despite the opportunity, Senhime's lack of accumulated strength meant she still couldn't cross that threshold.
Was Senhime stronger than Tōga? No—she'd simply been born a woman. Yet one perished in defeat while the other effortlessly progressed.
What kind of joke was this?!
Sesshōmaru closed his eyes in frustration before asking:
"What will you do now?"
"Visit the world where your new father resides, of course."
Senhime teased, clearly delighting in provoking reactions from Sesshōmaru's perpetually icy expression. After all, to her, a son who couldn't be toyed with was a wasted opportunity.
At this, Sesshōmaru's face darkened further, refusing to respond.
Senhime merely pressed her lips together in amusement before speaking coolly:
"Sesshōmaru, you should come too."
"You must be aware that you've reached your limit. This is evident from the fact that you still sustained injuries when defeating Kirinmaru, who was only revived with half his power."
"Nothing in the Dog Tribe, nor in this entire world, can facilitate your rapid growth anymore."
"If you wish to progress swiftly, it would be best to venture into a new world with higher ceilings and more opportunities."
"Of course, accessing that world isn't without conditions. Joining the organisation behind Luo Shu and serving them is inevitable."
Upon hearing this, Sesshōmaru paused, his brow furrowing slightly.
Senhime Rin Getsu didn't press further. She turned away and said coolly:
"The departure is scheduled for three days from now. If you decide to go, gather whatever you wish to bring and enter the Bone-Eating Well at sunrise on that day."
With that, Senhime Rin Getsu turned and walked away, her footsteps rustling through the dry leaves as she departed, leaving Sesshōmaru deep in thought.
...
Kaede's Village, Kikyo Shrine.
Kikyo stood in the drizzling rain, clad in her red-and-white Miko outfit with a straw cape draped over her shoulders, gazing at the ruined remains of the shrine before her.
A soft sigh escaped her lips at the sight of the once-majestic shrine reduced to rubble.
"Completely destroyed..."
Beside her, the Dark Shrine Maiden Tsubaki lay sprawled on the ground, her Miko outfit tattered and revealing, gasping for breath:
"Lost again..."
Yet another defeat in her spiritual duel with Kikyo left Tsubaki utterly disheartened.
She had sacrificed her soul to a yokai, all to preserve her youth and maintain her Spiritual Power at its peak. Yet Kikyo had seen through her corruption, using her Purification Power to severely wound the yokai bound to Tsubaki. The backlash had left her utterly defeated.
The bitterest irony was that she hadn't managed to harm Kikyo at all—only the shrine bore the brunt of their clash.
"How... ridiculous!"
Tsubaki raised an arm to cover her eyes, as if to hide her tears from Kikyo:
"Why does an era like this produce a monster like you?!"
Kikyo offered no response to the accusation. She turned to leave, but after a few steps, she paused and doubled back.
"I recall," she said calmly, "during our last duel, you placed a curse on me?"
Tsubaki stiffened, lowering her arm to peer warily at Kikyo:
"So what if I did?"
Her voice wavered with unease, fearing Kikyo might retaliate with a curse of her own.
Kikyo remained impassive. "Lift the curse, and I'll let you go."
"Lift it?" Tsubaki blinked, then comprehension dawned, her expression twisting into something wild.
The curse she'd cast ensured Kikyo would meet a violent end if she ever fell in love. Back then, Kikyo had dismissed it outright, declaring she would never love anyone.
Yet now, Kikyo wanted it removed?
"I see, I see!"
"Hahaha! I've won, Kikyo! I've beaten you!"Tsubaki let out a few wild laughs and mocked Kikyo loudly:
"You fell into that hell before I did, which means you lost, Kikyo!!"
Hearing this, Kikyo tilted her head slightly, looking at Tsubaki with confusion.
'Is this woman mentally unwell? First, she arbitrarily treats me as an enemy, then arbitrarily declares herself the winner. Should I find her a doctor to check her brain?'
At that moment, Tsubaki suddenly began chanting incantations and pointed at Kikyo from a distance.
Soon, dark energy dissipated from Kikyo's body, and Tsubaki laughed triumphantly:
"The curse has been lifted. I've lost interest in you now, Kikyo. You're already my defeated opponent!!"
As she spoke, Tsubaki couldn't help but feel a sense of sentimentality. She might have lost to Kikyo in magical arts, but when it came to the conduct of a shrine maiden, she had emerged victorious.
What was this called? This was called winning through morality despite lacking ability!
Seeing the curse lifted, Kikyo no longer bothered to engage with Tsubaki and turned to leave.
Just then, a figure appeared in Kikyo's line of sight.
Looking at Luo Shu standing on the broken tiles ahead, Kikyo said calmly:
"Finished?"
"Finished!"
Understanding that Kikyo was asking about So'unga, Luo Shu patted the sword at his waist and glanced at Tsubaki on the ground:
"You seemed to take quite a while?"
Kikyo didn't argue, simply stating, "I intend to spare her."
Hearing this, Tsubaki snorted but didn't retort, merely struggling to her feet and limping away.
At this, Luo Shu nodded at Kikyo's words and said:
"I see. You spare her, but I won't. That way, we can reasonably capture her without affecting your mood."
Kikyo: "..."
Could she say that that wasn't what she meant?
Tsubaki: "..."
'Are you two teaming up to mess with me?!'