Under the moonlight, less than fifty paces from the Hojo Army's camp, an enormous demon lay on the ground like a mountain.
The blood trickling from Mountain Ogre's body had already gathered into a shallow pool.
Not far from Mountain Ogre, the gentle moonlight shone on a cold, noble young man.
At his feet lay the crater he had made by slamming his younger brother into the ground, while one hand held that same brother, Inuyasha, aloft.
To those watching, the scene possessed a strangely sinister beauty.
"Inuyasha!"
Kagome had originally thought that the demons attacking this time would end up just like Yura of the Hair, who had met her bitter end not long ago.
There might be a few setbacks against the Hojo Army, but everything would still work out happily in the end.
Especially after seeing a demon as intimidating as Mountain Ogre fall before the Hojo Army without lasting even a single exchange.
Besides, the demon attacking them was supposedly Inuyasha's older brother.
Kagome had even felt a little secretly pleased, thinking that the Warring States period and the demons of this world were not so frightening after all.
But nothing was certain. Now, seeing Inuyasha in Sesshomaru's grip after likewise failing to last a single exchange,
she seemed to truly grasp just how dangerous this world was!
The girl turned her head from side to side, sincerely hoping that a hero would step forward now.
Someone who could turn the tide!
"Still not talking?"
Sesshomaru tightened his grip further, squeezing until Inuyasha's eyes rolled back.
He could hardly muster any affection for this nominal younger brother of his.
For one thing, his father, the Great Dog General, had died because of this brother and his mother.
At first, Sesshomaru had shown enough restraint not to blame him for their father's death. He had left him to fend for himself, treating it as a chance for him to grow stronger.
After all, a demon's offspring-especially the offspring of the Great Dog General-was hardly so fragile that he needed someone watching over him around the clock.
But later...
Beastmaster's attack had made Sesshomaru realize that his strength was insufficient. Fathers and sons fought together, and brothers stood side by side against a tiger.
Whatever else might be said, his younger brother had a share in the domain their father had conquered. Their father had even left him a treasure.
Yet just as Sesshomaru was preparing to seek him out, what had that worthless younger brother been doing?
Repeating their father's mistakes, falling in love with a human priestess, until he ended up disgracefully sealed away!
At that thought, Sesshomaru stared at the groaning Inuyasha, and an inexplicable fury surged within him.
Such a useless fool. Such an idiot.
What right do you have to inherit anything from a father you never even met?
If not for you, how would my forces have suffered such losses in the battle against Beastmaster?
Those were my followers, men who trusted me completely and were willing to follow me!
And then... and then!
They died on the battlefield!
They died!
If I had obtained Tessaiga, capable of killing hundreds of demons in a single blow, how could that battle have become a source of such anguish...?
"Do you hate Inuyasha? Or do you hate yourself?"
"I can feel your sorrow."
The sight had stirred Sesshomaru's emotions and brought back memories of the dead, leaving him briefly distracted.
Seizing that moment, Hojo Akitoshi slipped smoothly into close range.
This surprised Hojo Akitoshi greatly. He had assumed that someone like Sesshomaru would never make such a basic mistake.
But once he truly reached his side, Hojo Akitoshi, perceptive and well versed in human nature, sensed the turmoil within him.
Combining that with the information in his mind, Hojo Akitoshi instantly saw right through Sesshomaru.
In that case, don't blame me!
The words coming from his mouth sounded concerned, but every one of them struck at Sesshomaru's heart.
Hojo Akitoshi intended to exploit the opening, using his words to unsettle Sesshomaru's already troubled mind.
He would stir his emotions further, divide his attention, and slow his reactions.
Draw!
Hojo Akitoshi seized his chance, shaking Sesshomaru with his words while unleashing all the strength and speed he currently possessed.
Once again, he used his signature technique, Draw-Sword Slash.
To an ordinary observer, the slash was as swift as a gale and as fierce as thunder.
Neither Akechi Mitsuhide nor Kagome, Kaede, or the others believed Hojo Akitoshi would miss.
Under an attack like this-and with Hojo Akitoshi aiming at Sesshomaru's neck this time rather than his hand-
even in the worst possible outcome, surely this great demon, Sesshomaru,
would at least suffer a serious wound?
"Lord Sesshomaru!"
Jaken, who had only just raised his head, cried out involuntarily. In all honesty, he held little hope either.
But who was Sesshomaru?
He was one of the foremost figures in the world of Inuyasha.
Facing Hojo Akitoshi's seemingly fatal strike, even after his opponent had shaken his resolve,
his eyes shifted without revealing the slightest fear. His cold face remained as impassive as ever.
Moving his arm even faster than Hojo Akitoshi, Sesshomaru unhesitatingly used his younger brother as a shield.
If Hojo Akitoshi continued his swing unchanged, his blade would undoubtedly strike Inuyasha squarely across the back.
Everything happened in a flash.
Seeing Sesshomaru respond so quickly, as though he had not been shaken at all,
Hojo Akitoshi forcibly changed the course of his blade. Once a martial technique like Draw-Sword Slash was unleashed,
it relied entirely on forward momentum, leaving almost no possibility of changing moves. It was a kill-or-be-killed attack.
But Hojo Akitoshi had changed it anyway!
The gleaming blade swept past Inuyasha's back by a hair's breadth. As the swing reached its highest point, Hojo Akitoshi pressed downward.
In an instant, the redirected blade grew faster still, cleaving straight toward the top of Sesshomaru's head.
This strike was even closer to Sesshomaru. If he tried the same trick against the descending blade,
even if Inuyasha died, Sesshomaru would be maimed as well.
"Not bad."
Even at that critical moment, with scarcely any room left to maneuver, Sesshomaru remained calm, his expression utterly unchanged.
Watching the attack that was almost upon him, seemingly right before his brow, Sessho-
maru thrust his hand forward.
Released from his grip, Inuyasha became a cannonball, crashing straight into Hojo Akitoshi as he attacked at close range.
The force of the collision sent Hojo Akitoshi flying, carrying the blade in his hand farther and farther away from Sesshomaru...
"Damn it!"
The exchange ended after only a few breaths. Sesshomaru had effortlessly thwarted an attack everyone had believed certain to succeed.
Everyone on Hojo Akitoshi's side could only beat their chests in frustration.
As far as they could see, Hojo Akitoshi had handled every moment to perfection.
Had they been in his place, none of them could have done better.
But against absolute power!
Staring at Sesshomaru, whose clothes seemed untouched by even a speck of dust, they all felt their hearts plunge into an icy abyss.
"Hahaha! Did you see that?"
"You foolish humans! This is Lord Sesshomaru's power!"
With the sudden reversal, those on the Hojo Army's side were unhappy, so now it was the little demon Jaken's turn to rejoice.
He hopped about gleefully, waving the Human-Head Staff as though he himself were Sesshomaru, sweeping all before him.
He shouted at the top of his lungs. Had his literary talents not been so lacking, Jaken would have loved to compose a poem.
Something to proclaim his lord's might.
"Noisy."
Although he appeared to be the victor in every respect, Sesshomaru did not reward his follower Jaken's boasting with approval.
Instead, Sesshomaru quietly examined a corner of his sleeve and coldly rebuked Jaken.
Then his inscrutable gaze settled on Hojo Akitoshi, who had rolled across the ground several times to dissipate the force.
He had just stood up, holding Inuyasha.
"You're not bad."
Repeating his earlier praise, Sesshomaru raised his arm in the moonlight, revealing the sleeve Hojo Akitoshi had sliced open.
"What?"
But what Sesshomaru considered good did not look that way to anyone else.
With timing, terrain, and support all in his favor, Lord Hojo Akitoshi had only managed to cut his opponent's sleeve?
How could anyone in the Hojo Army accept that!
Before you continue