The Kamaitachi’s sharp claws slashed down, sending a gale of blade-like air currents sweeping toward Kikyō.
Kikyō did not even look at it.
Her gaze remained firmly locked onto the fleeing Crooked Spirit.
“Did you think I was unprepared?”
Her voice was soft, so quiet it was almost drowned out by the howling wind.
But Kōbe Hikaru heard it.
The Crooked Spirit heard it too.
“What?”
Its countless faces displayed expressions of confusion all at once.
Kikyō’s lips parted slightly.
An incantation slipped from her mouth.
In an instant.
Countless streaks of light illuminated the ground.
The glowing patterns spread outward, forming a massive ritual array beneath the Crooked Spirit’s feet.
The array’s design was intricate and dense, with every line radiating a blinding white light.
“This is…”
For the first time, a look of sheer terror appeared on the Crooked Spirit’s faces.
“The Four Spirits Sealing Array?!”
“You intend to seal me completely!?”
“Impossible!
When did you—”
Kikyō did not answer.
She simply raised her hand, shooting a beam of Spiritual Power from her fingertip to activate the array’s core.
Boom—
A pillar of white light erupted into the sky.
Countless chains of light surged from the array, wrapping around the Crooked Spirit’s body like vines.
The Crooked Spirit struggled frantically, all of its faces twisting into hideous visages as it let out ear-piercing shrieks.
“Let me go!
Let me go!”
“I waited five hundred years!
Five hundred years!”
“You despicable human—”
“You, and Midoriko too!
All of you, you all deceived me!”
But the chains of light only tightened their grip.
Dense sealing incantations were carved into every single chain, a binding technique specifically designed to restrain the Crooked Spirit.
Watching this scene unfold, a wave of sudden realization washed over Hikaru.
She had known all along.
Known from the very beginning.
That the Crooked Spirit would attempt to escape on the night of the full moon.
Perhaps every time the guardian of the Jewel of Four Souls changed, the Crooked Spirit would try to flee.
It was its only opportunity.
But every time, it was suppressed before it could seize that chance.
And Kikyō—
She had not tried her hardest to suppress the Jewel of Four Souls like the guardians before her.
She was ‘waiting’ for the Crooked Spirit.
All her previous acts of suppression were merely a show put on for its benefit.
To make it believe there was an opening.
To make it lower its guard.
To make it jump out of its own volition.
And then—
Catch it all in one fell swoop.
Though pure and untainted, Kikyō had always been incredibly intelligent.
But Hikaru had no time to marvel at her brilliance.
Because the Kamaitachi’s attack had arrived.
The gale was like a barrage of blades.
Kikyō’s entire focus was currently dedicated to suppressing the Crooked Spirit.
She had absolutely no leeway to worry about her back.
If this strike hit her—
Countless images flashed through Hikaru’s mind.
The Kikyō from the original story.
That lonely Shrine Maiden.
Guarding the Jewel of Four Souls all by herself.
Facing countless demons all by herself.
Shouldering every burden all by herself.
No one to help her.
No one who could stand by her side.
Perhaps that was why her vulnerabilities were exploited, ultimately leading to her death?
He also suddenly understood that if he hadn’t been here tonight, Kikyō might still have managed to handle this—or rather, she definitely would have handled it.
But it would not have been easy.
She would have suffered severe injuries, realized she wasn’t absolutely invincible, and begun to yearn for someone she could rely on…
But.
There were no “ifs.”
Because Kōbe Hikaru was right here!
Anything else was nonexistent, impossible to occur, and naturally, irrelevant.
His body moved.
It was only natural for him to move, even if it was just for his own benefit.
[Ghost Step] activated.
An afterimage flickered through the air and vanished.
The next moment, he appeared behind Kikyō.
Directly in the trajectory of the Kamaitachi’s attack.
He swung his blade upward, sending a black arc of sword aura tearing through the air to meet the all-rending gale.
Clang—!
The sound of clashing metal rang out.
Hikaru’s arms went numb once again as the immense force pushed his body sliding backward.
The bluestone bricks beneath his feet shattered, leaving two deep trenches in his wake.
But he blocked it.
He had successfully blocked the Kamaitachi’s strike.
“You…?”
Kikyō’s voice came from behind him.
She did not turn her head, because she couldn’t.
The Crooked Spirit’s struggles were growing increasingly violent, and the chains of light could snap at any moment.
She had to maintain absolute concentration.
“Focus on what you’re doing,”
Hikaru said calmly, though the sword in his hands was trembling.
Not out of fear, but from exerting too much force.
The Kamaitachi’s strength far exceeded his imagination.
This strike was merely a probe, yet it had already injured his internal organs once again.
If it had been a full-power blow…
He would probably have been torn to shreds.
But he did not take a single step back.
“Leave your back to me,”
he said.
He added, “I have a way.”
Kikyō fell silent for a moment.
Her hand seals did not loosen, and her Spiritual Power continued to pour endlessly into the array.
But Hikaru could feel her body relax slightly.
That extreme, rigid tension dissipated.
She believed him.
She let go of her vigilance toward her rear, hesitating no longer.
She trusted him, now even more deeply than before.
Hikaru ignored the system panel.
He tightened his grip on the hilt, staring at the thirty-foot-tall Kamaitachi before him.
The giant beast was staring back at him with its hollow eye sockets.
There was no anger, no disdain.
Only…
Confusion?
It seemingly couldn’t understand why a lesser yōkai at the Body Transformation stage would dare stand in the way of a Quality Transformation entity like itself.
It was illogical.
It defied the laws of survival for yōkai.
The weak should flee.
The weak should submit.
The weak should not stand in the way.
“…You are different from ordinary yōkai, aren’t you?”
The Kamaitachi spoke.
Its voice sounded like howling wind, carrying a hollow, vortex-like quality.
“You carry the scent of a human.
You are no ordinary yōkai.”
Hikaru did not answer.
He merely adjusted the angle of his blade.
And then—
The Demonic Aura within his body began to boil.
Blood surged frantically through his veins.
This was the power of [Blood Transformation].
His Sixth Stage.
The perfection of his Body Transformation.
At the same time, he activated the special ability left behind after Muramasa’s integration.
[Bloodthirst Frenzy].
Strength, speed, and reaction time all increased by 30%.
Though it wasn’t enough to bridge the gap between him and the Kamaitachi, at the very least—
It was enough for him to block a few more strikes.
“Bring it on,”
Hikaru challenged.
There was no fear in his eyes.
Only the will to fight.
In that moment, [Tough Body Transformation], [Sharp Eyes Transformation], [Archer Arms Transformation], [Spear Waist Transformation], [Shield Bones Transformation].
[Blood Transformation].
Six Stages applied to his body.
His Demonic Aura skyrocketed—
Ghost Qi, spread!
And so.
Amidst a series of cracking sounds, the armor covering Hikaru’s body expanded explosively, becoming larger, thicker, and heavier.
The armor was jagged with protrusions on all sides.
The Red Oni Mask looked ghastly, and with his pale hair whipping in the wind, he looked like an Asura.
Like a god, but even more like a demon!
This was…
“To think you possess Ghost Qi of such quality—!?”
For the first time, astonishment surfaced in the Kamaitachi’s hollow voice.