The difference between demons and humans lay in how much power they possessed and how well they controlled their desires.
At heart, both felt the same joy, sorrow, love, hatred, and greed.
The stronger a demon became, the easier it was to assume human form.
Sesshomaru was a perfect example.
In human form, he looked no different from an imperial prince raised in wealth and privilege.
In other words, Yura’s remark had treated Toran as less than a person.
Sensing that the mood had turned dangerous, Jaken quietly slipped away.
“Since you look so unwilling, I suppose I’ll give you a chance.” Excluding the Four War Gods of Horai Island, the Panther Devas were the first group from the anime Inuyasha had encountered since recovering the memories of his past life.
The panthers were not ungrateful traitors, either.
In the original story, Toran had let go of her hatred after Sesshomaru used Tenseiga to save her brother and sisters.
Considering their character, abilities, and ready-made tribe, Inuyasha did not mind investing some time in them.
Time would always be on his side.
After another ten years, he would be even stronger!
Realizing Inuyasha could still be reasoned with, Toran suppressed her resolve to die.
Her voice trembled slightly.
“…What chance?” “Once every ten years, I’ll allow the Panther Tribe to challenge me openly.” Inuyasha’s tone was arrogant, and the corner of his mouth curled upward.
“As long as you obey my orders, I don’t care how much power you build.
The stronger you become, the better.
If you’re too weak, I’ll cast you out myself.” “I won’t even stop you from reviving your Panther King.” His earlier words had already shaken Toran, but the moment he revealed the Panther Tribe’s greatest secret, her expression changed dramatically.
“How do you know about that?!” “Relax.” Seeing Toran assume a fighting stance, Inuyasha casually waved his hand.
“The truth is, the Panther King isn’t important.
None of you are important, and neither is the Panther Tribe.” “What matters is that, at this moment in history, you encountered me.” “Treasure that fact, Toran.” Inuyasha had never been patient, and he had lost all interest in continuing his attempt to persuade her.
He wrapped an arm around Yura’s slender, silky waist.
“Yura, bring those three kittens.
We’re leaving.” “Yes, Inuyasha-sama.” Her hair stretched and pulled taut, carrying master and servant into the sky toward the Dog Demon allied army’s camp.
Toran watched them leave without hesitation, her wounded siblings dangling behind them and dripping blood.
Her expression shifted repeatedly before she gritted her teeth and followed.
Whatever the future held, and whether Inuyasha kept his promise or not, she could never abandon the siblings who had been by her side for so many years.
When Inuyasha returned to camp, the scene before him made his gaze pause.
The battlefield had already been handled—or more accurately, purged.
Panther corpses had been piled into a small mountain.
Blood ran from beneath the mound in dark-red streams and soaked into the earth, while the air reeked of gore and scorched fur.
Not a single survivor remained.
There were not even any badly wounded soldiers left groaning on the ground.
They had either died in battle or been finished off afterward, swift and thorough.
The allied demons had fully vented the fury left by the massacres they had suffered.
What made Inuyasha narrow his eyes, however, was the revelry around the mound.
Several vicious demons sat around bonfires, tearing into chunks of meat carved from the panthers.
Black-red blood ran down their chins as they chewed.
Others drank from panther skulls impaled on wooden stakes, the fur still warm.
Laughter, curses, and the crunch of breaking bones echoed beneath the low demonic clouds like a feast held in hell.
The cruelty that anime had omitted or softened now lay before Inuyasha in all its bloody reality.
There was no clear divide between justice and evil, nor any beautiful battle where victory ended with a clean death.
This was naked war between races, with the victors openly devouring the defeated.
Inuyasha took it in stride.
This was a savage age, a lawless world, and a paradise for the strong.
Those who could not earn a seat at the table would be served upon it.
‘But this is far too chaotic.’ The silver-haired half-demon’s expression darkened as he entered the camp.
Yura followed at his side, her hair dragging the three unconscious panthers behind them.
“It’s Inuyasha-sama and Yura-sama!” The allied demons spotted them and erupted into thunderous cheers.
“They even captured the Panther Devas!” “Long live Inuyasha-sama!
Long live Yura-sama!” The cheers rolled through the camp like a tidal wave.
Around the bonfires, demons still chewing panther flesh raised their arms, their faces filled with fanatical devotion.
In this land ruled by strength, whoever brought them victory earned their loyalty.
But when they noticed the silent, ice-blue figure following Inuyasha and Yura, the cheers abruptly died.
Toran clenched her fists until her nails dug deep into her palms.
Grinding her teeth, she sprang into the center of the camp, and the killing intent in her eyes sent the nearby demons scattering.
After running a few steps, however, they suddenly realized they were not the ones who should be fleeing.
Royakan and the others immediately turned back.
They bared their teeth at Toran, watching her like predators ready to pounce.
Inuyasha had no interest in such petty squabbling.
He gave a quiet snort, and Yura, understanding her master’s intent, snapped her fingers.
Once again, every demon present was caught in her hair and hoisted into the air.
They kicked and flailed as shouts and curses erupted throughout the camp.
“Yura-sama!
You don’t need to do this over one panther!
If we all attack together, we can definitely kill her!” Royakan struggled and shouted from the air.
Yura’s answer, delivered out of loyalty to Inuyasha, was another snap of her fingers.
Her supple yet razor-sharp hair tightened into the demons’ flesh and sealed their mouths.
Warm, foul-smelling blood seeped along the strands, revealing the savage outline of the otherwise invisible web covering the sky.
Inuyasha strode deeper into camp, his silver hair drifting in the blood-scented wind.
His scarlet Robe of the Fire-Rat reflected the bonfires’ crimson glow like a banner that would never fall.
Yura moved her fingers, sending strands across the massive boulder at the camp’s center.
In the blink of an eye, the rough stone was carved into a smooth throne.
Inuyasha sat down, rested one elbow on the armrest, and propped his head on one hand.
His careless gaze swept over the demons hanging helplessly in the air, their lives entirely at his mercy.
Then he chuckled.
In the camp, where only the crackle of the bonfires remained, that quiet laugh reached the ears of every demon.
“The Panther Tribe has submitted to me.
What will you choose?” The question was delivered in a calm voice.
The strands sealing the demons’ mouths immediately loosened.
One demon gathered his courage and spoke.
“I want to return to the mountains…” Shrrk!
The demon was sliced into bean-sized chunks that rained from the air and scattered across the ground.
The entire camp fell deathly silent.
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