Beneath the dark, overcast sky, Hitomi Castle seemed especially gloomy and sinister. There were no human voices, no chirping insects. Even the plants and flowers in the courtyard had withered, as though this were an abandoned wasteland. Yet Sesshomaru and Han both knew that was far from the truth. Beyond the initial barrier, the castle appeared undefended, its gates wide open, but deadly traps surely lurked within. The evil aura inside was growing thicker...
"Let's go." Sesshomaru surveyed the courtyard, noting the faint, elusive threat, a trace of mockery curling his lips.
"Mm." Han nodded and heightened her guard. The emergence of evil disrupted the workings of heaven; the withered vegetation was already an ill omen.
Han desperately missed Kikyo and feared for her, while Sesshomaru cared nothing about whether Inuyasha and the others arrived. Rather than wait for them at the gates, the two entered the castle directly. The moment they stepped inside, the enormous gates that had stood silently open behind them creaked and slowly closed. They exchanged a glance and moved closer together, their eyes resolute. Neither showed the slightest intention of retreating as they walked deeper into the castle without a change in expression.
In the building at the very heart of the castle, where the evil aura originated, the white-haired fox woman watched Sesshomaru and Han enter Hitomi Castle in the mirror Kanna held. A chilling smile appeared on her exquisitely beautiful face. "Are you ready, Flower Emperor?"
The Flower Emperor did not answer. Only when the flame-like man beside the fox woman glanced at him did he suppress his resentment at being abducted and forced to obey. Lowering his head, he said, "Yes. Any time, Lady Yan Luo." If not for the man named Momiji, who seemed born to command fire-or rather, the