"I get it now. That's what Father was thinking!"
Inuyasha did, after all, have human blood running through half his veins, and he had grown up under Princess Izayoi's loving care.
Though he had suffered rejection as a child because he was a half-demon, Princess Izayoi's presence had kept him from going astray.
For all that his words and actions could sometimes be downright obnoxious,
when you looked beneath the surface, Inuyasha's mind worked fundamentally like a human's.
That was why Hojo Akitoshi's words had only stirred Sesshomaru slightly. Having yet to meet Rin, he still felt a measure of disdain.
But Inuyasha, all harsh words and a soft heart, had taken every word to heart.
Steadying himself, he watched Hojo Akitoshi, who was still struggling to hold his own against Sesshomaru.
Inuyasha glanced back at Kagome. She was terribly tense, bow in hand, afraid to loose an arrow carelessly and hit her companion.
I can do this.
Silently encouraging himself, Inuyasha stepped up to Tessaiga with determination in his eyes.
He closed one hand around its hilt!
It's working!
Wild joy lit his eyes when Tessaiga did not unleash lightning to reject him this time.
The sight gave Inuyasha hope and filled Kagome with delight.
"Tessaiga accepted Inuyasha?"
Sesshomaru, who was pursuing Hojo Akitoshi, saw it too.
Confusion and resentment flickered through his eyes. After all, the way things were unfolding seemed to prove that Hojo Akitoshi had guessed his father's intentions exactly.
That was especially hard for Sesshomaru to accept.
"Love and protection? What meaning do those things have for demons!"
Reality's clash with his beliefs drove Sesshomaru into an even greater frenzy. The negative emotions he had harbored for so long spurred him to unleash a vicious blow.
Boom!
He gave no thought whatsoever to the fact that they were fighting inside his father's remains.
And every blow Sesshomaru struck was actually damaging his father's bones.
His heavy, powerful swipe missed the slippery Hojo Akitoshi and instead smashed yet more of the Great Dog General's remains.
Bone fragments flew everywhere, and dust billowed all around them.
If the battle dragged on too long, the sole memento the Great Dog General had left for his descendants to mourn him by
would probably be destroyed entirely by his own dear son.
"Watch it. Fight all you want, but don't smash the Great Dog General's bones apart."
"You'll make your father cry."
Hojo Akitoshi leaped away to evade Sesshomaru's attack. Under cover of the dust, he still remembered to tuck bone fragments into his clothes.
He even offered Sesshomaru some kindly advice.
"I imagine the late Great Dog General made arrangements for you too, didn't he? After all, despite being a demon, he came to understand love and protection."
"He was a Great Demon worthy of respect. Think about what he arranged for you."
"Once you understand that, you'll know whether I'm telling the truth."
"Enough of your prattle."
Hojo Akitoshi's words only added fuel to the fire, making Sesshomaru even angrier.
Of course the Great Dog General had made arrangements for him. But what had he given him?
Tenseiga, known as the blade of heaven. Yet it was a sword that could not kill!
What use was that?
It was too cumbersome even as an ornament!
Venomous saliva began to collect in his mouth, its corrosive power tremendous.
At this point, Sesshomaru was relying more on the combat instincts inherent to his beast form.
He glanced at Hojo Akitoshi, who bounced around like a flea. Annoying as this human was to a demon,
Inuyasha, standing nearby with Tessaiga in hand, was the one he hated most.
Looking at him was like seeing his father before he went to his death, prattling on about principles Sesshomaru could not understand.
"Hah-ptoo!"
Sesshomaru puffed out his cheeks and spat a thick glob of phlegm at Inuyasha, who was still swinging the rusty Tessaiga around.
"Watch out!"
Hojo Akitoshi immediately shouted.
"Look out!"
Noticing that Sesshomaru had changed targets, Kagome hurriedly fired an arrow at the glob.
Fortunately, Sesshomaru's glob of spit was rather large.
So although Kagome's archery was not particularly skilled, her arrow, imbued with the power of purification,
still managed to purify more than half of the attack.
And thanks to Hojo Akitoshi and Kagome's warnings, the remainder failed to hit Inuyasha head-on.
But...
"What the hell is this sword good for!"
At first, Inuyasha had intended to block Sesshomaru's attack with the rusty Tessaiga. Luckily, his sixth sense had given him a warning.
The moment its tip touched the corrosive, poisonous saliva, Inuyasha keenly sensed that the rusty sword would be utterly useless.
Only then, just before the spit struck him, did he scramble and tumble out of range of Sesshomaru's attack.
His fiery temper immediately got the better of him, and he launched into a tirade at Tessaiga.
He had managed to pick it up, but it did absolutely nothing, and it was downright embarrassing to look at.
What was the point of having this thing?
"Hmph. All show."
At the sight, the corners of Sesshomaru's mouth rose slightly in his canine form. Seeing Tessaiga remain useless in Inuyasha's hands
improved his mood considerably. Even his eyes held mockery as he looked at Hojo Akitoshi.
It was as though he were saying, That's all?
"Ah."
Hojo Akitoshi let out a heavy sigh and began reflecting on whether he had interfered too much.
Perhaps the bond between Inuyasha and Kagome was not strong enough. In the original timeline, Inuyasha had seen Kagome in danger.
That was what had awakened Tessaiga's true power.
But now...
Who had formed a strong enough bond with Inuyasha?
Kagome? Kaede? Surely not him?
Shaking his head, Hojo Akitoshi called to Inuyasha from afar.
"Calm down and try to understand Tessaiga. I don't believe your father would have left you a useless sword."
"And believe in yourself. Believe you can create a miracle, just as I believe in the sword in my hand."
"And in myself. I, Hojo Akitoshi, will lead my followers to establish a world of benevolence and righteousness."
"Until then, how could I possibly fall here!"
As he finished speaking, Hojo Akitoshi's gaze changed. A faint light began to form around the sword in his hand.
"That's...!"
Seeing the change in Hojo Akitoshi's blade, Kagome's expression shifted in shock.
Though the light flickered in and out, and its presence came in fits and starts, as if it might vanish at any moment should it fail to catch its breath,
there was no mistaking its aura. It was the very purifying power she possessed as Kikyo's reincarnation!
But... why was this purifying power appearing in Hojo Akitoshi too?
"Purifying power?"
Sesshomaru was astonished as well. As humanity's foremost power for vanquishing demons, purifying power might not be something seen only once in a thousand years,
but it was still exceedingly rare. Ordinarily, it was hard for even two wielders to exist in the same era.
Since that girl over there already possessed it, why had another wielder appeared?
And why had he encountered both at once?
Just my luck!
Secretly alarmed, Sesshomaru's rage-clouded mind cooled instantly. He carefully considered the reason behind this.
Could Hojo Akitoshi have resorted to some hidden trick?
"Third time's the charm. I've come into close contact with this power several times already."
Hojo Akitoshi smiled, watching the light rise from the blade in his hand.
Though he had repeatedly complained before about not bringing some incredibly convenient cheat that defied common sense, Hojo Akitoshi understood the truth.
Since coming to this world, he had learned everything quickly, and his mind, physical stamina, and perception were all exceptional.
Just a hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run every day.
A training regimen that hardly sounded like something that could make anyone powerful had given him top-tier martial prowess, letting him sweep across battlefields like an unrivaled warrior of the Warring States.
After coming into contact with Kagome's purifying power, he had gone back and pondered it carefully. Without any more detailed method of cultivation,
he had brushed the hazy fringes of purifying power while alone in the still of night.
Hard work is my cheat, then?
Hojo Akitoshi shook his blade and drove off the ground. In a few swift movements, he suddenly appeared before Sesshomaru.
His blade swept out as Hojo Akitoshi put every ounce of his strength into the strike.
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