Give me the Shikon Jewel

His pupils shrank to pinpricks as Inuyasha stared in horror at the blade about to slice into his neck.

Arrogant as Inuyasha was, he had never imagined his neck would be harder than a blade.

Kikyo, I'll be seeing you soon.

Strangely enough, at that moment, Inuyasha had the very same thought Kagome had when she faced the Hojo Army's charging cavalry.

"Hmph! A half-demon is still just a half-demon!"

She watched her blade draw ever closer to severing the head of that half-demon with his beautiful hair.

After an evening in which almost nothing had gone her way, Yura of the Hair finally felt a little pleasure.

But nothing was certain in this world. Before the faint smile that had just touched her lips could fade naturally,

it froze on Yura of the Hair's exquisite face like quick-setting concrete.

Clang!

A crisp sound rang out as an arrow flying seemingly out of nowhere struck Yura of the Hair's blade.

Twang!

A low bowstring thrum followed, coming from the bow Hojo Akitoshi held.

"You little-!"

Her charming smile instantly twisted into a snarl. It was like climbing toward the peak of pleasure, only to have it cut short at the very last step.

The pleasure stopped.

That feeling of being stranded halfway was worse than never having experienced it at all!

As her blade veered farther from Inuyasha's neck, Yura of the Hair turned toward the source of the arrow, her snarling face growing fiercer still.

"Of course it was you!"

Just as Yura of the Hair had expected, the one who had stopped her was that demon's bane, Hojo Akitoshi!

But before she could spit out a few threats to vent her anger,

Twang, twang, twang!

Bowstrings thrummed in rapid succession, like a sudden downpour striking lotus leaves on a summer pond.

Arrows gleaming coldly beneath the moonlight filled Yura of the Hair's vision!

"Damn you, human!"

Roaring in a low voice, Yura of the Hair mustered every ounce of strength to dodge the arrows at speed.

At the same time, she manipulated her invisible Hair Sea, shaping it into a wall.

"Hair Cage!"

At that critical moment, the technique Yura of the Hair unleashed saved her from danger.

The airtight, shield-shaped barrier woven from countless hairs successfully blocked Hojo Akitoshi's attack.

"You've pushed this demon too far!"

Sheltering behind her technique, Yura of the Hair gritted her teeth.

"Throw the firebombs!"

But the same tactic played out once more. Before Yura of the Hair could launch a counterattack,

Hojo Akitoshi's equally cold voice carried over from the distance, and fierce flames erupted across the shield wall of hair in front of her.

"You!"

Before she could even catch her breath, Yura of the Hair hastily leaped upward.

Staring at the raging flames beneath her feet, how could Yura of the Hair possibly swallow such humiliation?

She raised her hand, preparing to unleash Hair Blades, a technique that made the hair under her control as sharp as piano wire.

Then she would slice all those damned humans led by Hojo Akitoshi into pieces!

"Matchlock Corps, fire!"

But the Hojo Army's attacks came like waves, each higher than the last, surging on without end.

Yura of the Hair was just about to unleash her Hair Blades in midair when wave after wave of bullets came flying toward her, far denser than even Hojo Akitoshi's arrows.

Suspended in the air with nothing to push off to dodge, the beautiful demon woman did not even get a chance to reach the ground.

Beneath the moonlight, her body began jerking violently in midair, as though she had grabbed a high-voltage wire from the future.

Splat!

In the eyes of the Hojo Army's soldiers, the unfortunate demon had spent quite some time dancing in the sky, giving a performance no one could appreciate.

Only then did she finally drop to the ground like a tattered sack.

"Is she dead?"

Inuyasha rubbed his eyes. Yura of the Hair had been riddled with holes, so surely she was dead?

With that thought in mind, Inuyasha, who had once feared nothing, cast a particularly wary glance

at the Hojo Army's matchlock gunners, arrayed in three firing lines ahead of them.

He recalled his earlier charge into the Hojo Army's camp. Reluctant as he was to admit it, Inuyasha understood.

The Hojo Army had been holding back earlier!

Had they attacked him at the same pace they had just used against Yura of the Hair, Inuyasha doubted he would have fared much better against such an unfamiliar threat.

"The Hojo Army? What a terrifying army!"

Drawing a sharp breath, Kaede, who had witnessed the Hojo Army's fighting strength firsthand, fixed her gaze on Yura of the Hair's motionless body.

Half a century of slaying demons on her own allowed Kaede to make a fair assessment.

The demon woman before her, Yura of the Hair, unquestionably ranked as a mid-level demon.

She would certainly have been insignificant to Kaede's elder sister Kikyo, but if other monks, Onmyoji, or priestesses had dealt with her,

they might not have done any better than the Hojo Army!

More than seventy percent of them would very likely have met an unexpected, disastrous end.

And that was despite demon slaying being their specialty.

Filled with profound apprehension, Kaede felt her heart grow heavy.

The Hojo Army had performed far too well at a task outside its usual duties, leaving her feeling a crushing weight at the prospect of dealing with Hojo Akitoshi next.

"Our army has slain the enemy demon!"

Akechi Mitsuhide had no idea what Kaede and Inuyasha beside him were thinking, nor did he care to speculate.

He knew only one thing: under Hojo Akitoshi's command, they had successfully killed a demon that ordinary humans could not withstand.

Such an achievement, such glory, would undoubtedly further enhance both the Hojo Army's standing and Hojo Akitoshi's personal prestige.

Eager to strike while the iron was hot, Akechi Mitsuhide raised his sword and announced this tremendous news to everyone.

"Yeah!"

Looking at the demon lying on the ground and Akechi Mitsuhide raising his sword in celebration,

the Hojo Army's soldiers recalled the old tales they had heard, stories of heroes slaying Yamata no Orochi or the nine-tailed fox demon.

At the thought that they were just like the heroes in those tales, the soldiers' excitement

was beyond description.

As the Hojo banners gradually spread across Japan, today's deeds would surely become part of a new, great Japanese legend!

And they themselves would be part of that legend!

"Something's wrong!"

"Watch out!"

Suddenly, amid the widespread jubilation, two unwelcome voices, one male and one female, broke in at the worst possible moment.

As everyone stared in shock, the demon woman on the ground, whom they had believed dead,

actually stood back up. By all rights, she had taken dozens of pounds of bullets.

The demon should have been torn to pieces no matter what!

Yet Yura of the Hair was not dead!

"How is that possible?"

The Hojo Army had surprised Yura of the Hair many times that evening. Now it was her turn to surprise them.

As Yura of the Hair rose, many of the Hojo Army's Hatamoto Samurai were swept off their feet by whips formed from invisible hair.

Whether they were samurai clad in iron armor or matchlock ashigaru wearing only light armor,

Yura of the Hair flung them into the air without distinction. They then crashed heavily to the ground, blood spilling from their mouths.

What went around came around.

For the first time, the Hojo Army suffered widespread casualties.

And the samurai were not the only ones under fierce attack. Kagome, standing beside Hojo Akitoshi,

the girl from the future, also faced a terrible crisis!

Having stealthily extended her hair through the soil to Kagome's feet, Yura of the Hair acted in a flash.

With a sudden movement of her hair, she bound Kagome's legs.

Then she swiftly dragged Kagome toward her.

"Give me the Shikon Jewel!"

After swallowing so much humiliation, all Yura of the Hair wanted now was that legendary treasure said to grant demons boundless power.

For that reason, even though she could have seized the chance to finish Hojo Akitoshi off just now, the enraged Yura of the Hair had chosen to ignore him.

"Kagome!"

At the sight, Inuyasha nearly lost his soul to terror.

"Kagome!"

Never imagining that things could take such a turn, Kaede stood utterly frozen.