As the demons stared at the silver-haired half-demon, they felt an invisible presence rising behind him.
It seemed to become a grinning crimson hound, poised to swallow them all in one bite.
He was even more terrifying than Sesshomaru!
Temperamental and utterly merciless!
Not one demon dared speak.
The timid Royakan even left a puddle beneath himself.
Toran was equally horrified.
The death of one of her clansmen naturally enraged her, but the smiling Inuyasha frightened her far more.
She glanced at her siblings suspended in the sky, then slowly lowered her head, silently accepting his claim that the Panther Tribe had submitted to him.
“Why has everyone gone quiet?” Inuyasha leaned back against the beautiful demoness who had knelt behind him to serve as his backrest.
With the back of his head nestled against the soft swell of her breasts, his smile remained lazy and casual.
“I’m not some devil.
Say whatever you want.
Feel free to speak your minds.” Lord Inuyasha had no patience for these nameless demons of mediocre strength.
If they refused to obey, they could simply die.
The demons swallowed hard, but not one dared make a sound.
Then— “Sesshomaru-sama!” Jaken came racing into the camp, gasping for breath.
Chasing Sesshomaru had nearly run his two short legs into the ground.
The instant he stepped into camp, however, he sensed that something was terribly wrong.
The setting sun bled across the horizon, staining the world dark crimson.
His fellow soldiers dangled from strands of hair, swaying in the fading light and casting twisted shadows across the ground.
Drops of blood ran down the strands and struck the scorched earth with quiet patters.
At the far end of his vision, amid the glow of the sunset and bonfires, Jaken saw a pair of golden eyes.
They shone with dazzling brilliance like a newborn sun suspended between heaven and earth.
Gulp.
Jaken swallowed, and his legs began trembling beyond his control.
“I-Inuyasha-sama…
I took a wrong turn.
I’ll be leaving now.
Right away…” Inuyasha did not stop him.
He was no murderous lunatic.
He had his own rules and principles for everything he did.
“Judging by your faces, none of you will manage to say anything worthwhile.” He withdrew his gaze and spoke calmly.
“Then I’ll give you your orders directly.” “Since ancient times, the Western Lands have been territory conquered by my Dog Demon Tribe.” “Everything that lives upon this land—the mountains, rivers, prey, and even all of you—is naturally the property of my tribe.” “From this day forward, your lives and everything you own belong to me.” “Anyone who defies my commands…” Inuyasha paused.
His golden eyes remained perfectly calm as his voice rolled across the camp.
“Dies!” The camp was deathly silent.
Yura frowned in displeasure and rebuked them coldly.
“Have you all gone deaf?
Didn’t you hear Inuyasha-sama?” The demons jolted back to their senses and rushed to answer.
“We heard you!
We will obey every command, Inuyasha-sama!” They had thought they were all about to die.
Instead, the outcome was so simple that it left them overjoyed.
In this lawless age, countless demons could only dream of serving a powerful lord.
Jaken’s devotion to Sesshomaru came not only from having his life saved by chance, but also from Sesshomaru’s overwhelming strength.
“Awooo!” Royakan shouted with all his strength.
“I, Royakan, pledge myself to your service!
I will charge through fire and water without hesitation, Inuyasha-sama!” Beastly roars and ghostly shrieks erupted from every direction, making Inuyasha frown.
This crowd’s flattery belonged at the children’s table.
Yura snapped her fingers again.
Snap!
The entire camp fell silent.
Inuyasha swept his gaze over the demons whose mouths had been sealed and spoke at an unhurried pace.
“Since you’ve acknowledged me as your lord, you can handle a few tasks for me.” “First, gather every resurrection art in the world.” “Whether it is an ogress’s secret art, a demon’s evil sorcery, or an onmyoji’s scripture, bring me anything connected to resurrection—regardless of whether it revives a person or an object.” “While you’re at it, collect every kind of healing art you can find.” Kikyo needed to be revived perfectly, and Kaede’s eye needed to be healed.
Searching alone would consume far too much time and effort.
Now that several hundred subordinates could scour the land for him, Inuyasha could save himself a great deal of trouble.
According to his memories, there were three known methods of resurrection.
The first was Urasue’s clay vessel resurrection technique, which had revived Kikyo.
The resurrected person looked exactly as they had in life, but the flaw was obvious—the body was still made from fired clay.
The second was the Shikon Jewel, which had been used to revive both the Panther King and the Band of Seven.
The third consisted of Tenseiga and the Meido Stone.
Rin had been brought back to life twice through those two treasures.
The world was vast.
Inuyasha believed there had to be a fourth method, a fifth, and perhaps even more.
“The Panther Tribe will handle this task.
Toran, will you accept it?” This order was exactly what Toran wanted.
She dropped to one knee.
“As you command, Inuyasha-sama!” “Second, recruit every skilled craftsman you can find.
I want an unprecedented city of demons built around the Bone-Eater’s Well in the Eastern Lands.” Having finished his decree, Inuyasha waved his hand.
Yura released her hair, allowing the suspended demons to tumble to the ground.
“Royakan, you’ll be responsible for this task.” Inuyasha’s gaze settled on the gray-brown wolf demon.
“Succeed, and you’ll be rewarded.
Fail…” “Heh.
Heh.” Those two quiet chuckles made every demon present shudder.
Royakan swallowed hard, sprang to his feet without another word, and waved toward the surrounding demons.
“You all heard him!
Split into four groups according to your clans!
East, south, west, and north—move out!” “Yes, sir!” “We will not fail you, Inuyasha-sama!” Their roars shook the sky, and their morale soared.
The demons rapidly formed four long columns, kicked up clouds of dust, and charged into the vast twilight without looking back.
Toran hurried over to her three siblings, who had also been lowered to the ground, and carefully examined them.
After confirming they were merely unconscious and in no danger of dying, she finally released a long breath.
A faint trace of gratitude toward Inuyasha even rose within her.
Had their positions been reversed, Toran would have begun a massacre.
She would never have spared the lives of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru.
“Toran.” The call snapped her back to attention.
As Inuyasha prepared to rise, he lowered one hand beside him, and a pale, slender thigh immediately settled beneath his palm.
Using Yura’s thigh for support, he rose to his feet.
His silver hair fell over one shoulder, and in a single moment, his posture changed from lazy to commanding.
He tucked both hands into his sleeves, tilted his head slightly, and regarded Toran with calm eyes.
“I’ve given you your stage.” “Don’t disappoint me.” With that, Inuyasha turned and began his journey back to Kaede’s Village.
In the end, his order to build a city had been born from a longing for a place he could call home.
Toran watched the two of them leave with a complicated expression before finally letting out a sigh.
^^ The more you vote, the more chapters I upload weekly.) …
Replace “é” with “e” on your web browser.)