"Her soul... her soul didn't return?"
"How could my spirit arts fail to summon a soul? Unless her soul has already been reincarnated into another body! Damn it, this so-called Kikyo is nothing but a doll with Kikyo's appearance!"
"Damn it all! All that thought, all that effort I put into this! And it still went wrong! I'm furious, furious..."
The Demoness Urasue gritted her teeth in a foul mood.
Outside the kiln cave.
Li Xia and the others had already engaged the army of Clay Puppets Urasue had created using a Demon Art similar to "Impure World Reincarnation."
These clay figures, fired from human remains and Tomb Soil, resembled terracotta warriors! Once infused with the souls of the dead, they could move! However, the souls used were too weak, leaving the Clay Puppets stiff and slow. Their bodies were also as fragile as porcelain and could be shattered with a little force, so they posed little threat to the group.
There were only two problems. The first was their sheer number.
There were at least a thousand clay soldiers here.
Even a thousand pigs squatting there waiting to be slaughtered would take quite a while to cut down.
The other problem was the death energy and foul aura that poured out when their bodies shattered.
Living beings could not inhale too much death energy. It would only harm them.
"What's all that noise outside?"
Already in a terrible mood, Urasue raised an eyebrow.
As she spoke, she reached to take the strange spiritual object needed for her Advanced Demon Art from the hand of Kikyo's clay body: a branch of a soul-summoning tree!
It was a tool that aided in summoning souls. Even after being separated from the tree, the branch would never wither or rot, remaining lush and green forever!
Urasue had originally given it to Kikyo's Clay Figure to strengthen the soul-summoning effect of her Demon Art!
She had never expected Kikyo's soul to have already reincarnated.
That rendered even the Demon Art enhanced by the Soul-Summoning Tree branch ineffective.
"Hm? Give it here! That's mine!"
Urasue grabbed one end of the Soul-Summoning Tree branch and tugged, trying to pull it out of Kikyo's Clay Figure hand.
Yet what made her frown in bewilderment was that the unfinished clay Kikyo, whose eyes had been utterly lifeless, now seemed to possess a will of her own. Although her gaze remained hollow and numb, she could actually make small movements on instinct. Most importantly, Kikyo refused to let go of the soul-summoning branch.
At that sight, Urasue instinctively looked through the entrance of the kiln cave where she had fashioned Kikyo's clay body, down toward the mountain stream and the girl being protected at the center of the group on the wooden bridge.
That girl was Kagome.
"Could that human girl be...?"
The resemblance!
It was uncanny!
Put her in a shrine maiden's outfit, and the two would look as though they had been cast from the same mold!
And so, while the group dealt with the army of clay soldiers, Urasue struck! With a swing of her great scythe, she destroyed the wooden bridge over the mountain stream in a single blow, sending everyone tumbling into the valley below!
The old witch seized the opportunity to abduct Kagome, who currently could not even qualify as a weakling with a combat power of five.
"Oh no, Higurashi..."
"Kagome...!"
Down in the valley.
After safely handling the fall and dealing with the clay soldiers that had fallen alongside them, Li Xia and the others suddenly realized during their conversation that they would likely have to face Kikyo's clay body next. Their hearts grew heavy.
Especially Kaede and Inuyasha.
Kikyo was the former's elder sister, bound to her by the closest of family ties.
As the latter's former girlfriend, she had been his lover.
And family love and romantic love were the two hardest feelings to let go of.
Back at the kiln cave.
Urasue had bound Kagome's hands and feet and submerged her in a pool of medicinal liquid.
Combined with the Soul-Summoning Tree leaves in the pool, these herbs could effectively draw out the soul of any living being immersed in it.
"Hey, what are you doing? Why are you soaking me in these herbs? This is disgusting..."
Kagome tried to break free.
But she found her strength gradually draining away.
Her struggles grew weaker and weaker.
"What a noisy little girl!"
The old witch was thoroughly impatient.
Yet the thought of what she was about to accomplish filled her with excitement and smug satisfaction.
"The body fired from Spirit Bones and Tomb Soil is ready. All that's left is to put the soul inside! Hehehe, once the herbs have done their work, your soul will leave your body!"
As she spoke, she deliberately leaned close to Kagome's face and gave an eerie smile.
"Now, be a good girl and give Kikyo's soul back!"
What she wanted was to awaken Kikyo's reincarnated soul within Kagome, draw those souls out of Kagome's body, and transfer them into Kikyo's clay body. That would resurrect Kikyo and give Urasue an incredibly powerful fighter.
As time passed, everything proceeded smoothly.
Kagome, meanwhile, began to panic.
My body feels awful! And now I can't move at all! What do I do?
Inuyasha... Mr. Xia... where are you?
Nearby, Urasue watched the girl in the medicinal pool cling to her sense of self and keep her mind steady, desperately resisting the separation of her soul from her body. She could not help frowning.
"What a stubborn little girl!
An ordinary person should lose consciousness as soon as the herbs take effect. How has she held on this long?"
Just then.
Purple light flickered and surged at Kagome's chest, illuminating half the mountainside.
Urasue's pupils contracted at the sight.
Her initial shock gave way to wild delight.
"That light is... a Shikon Shard? You actually have a Shikon Shard?"
"I-I-I'm so lucky!"
"Give it to me! Give it here..."
Driven by greed, she lunged forward, trying to snatch the mass of purple light from Kagome's chest.
But the dazzling light seemed alive. Sensing the threat, it instantly expanded and forcefully repelled Urasue's hand, sending her staggering several steps back.
"Is... is this the power of the Shikon Jewel?"
The old witch exclaimed, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Then the expanding sphere of light forced her back several more steps.
When its dazzling radiance subsided a little, she saw a barrier that appeared thin but was exceptionally sturdy, with powerful souls darting about inside it.
Even with all her experience, Urasue stared at those restless souls in wide-eyed disbelief.
"I've never seen souls this powerful! Truly worthy of one of the greatest shrine maidens in history!
But why are these souls all so enraged?
Why are they filled with such intense resentment?
Could Kikyo have died full of hatred in her previous life?"
Beside the kiln cave, just a short distance away, Kikyo's clay body, whose eyes had always seemed hollow and blank, appeared to sense an inexplicable pull. She turned her head and stared vacantly at the sphere of light before her, at the furious souls of her past life within it!
At the same time.
Having dealt with all the worthless clay soldiers, Li Xia, Inuyasha, Kaede, and Shippo hurried over.
Each reacted differently when they saw the sphere of light and Kikyo's clay body sitting blankly outside it.
Li Xia did not know whether he was imagining it, but when Kikyo's clay body met the gaze of Inuyasha, who was wearing the Fire-Rat Robe, he caught a hint of something different in her previously lifeless eyes!
"You're..."
Inuyasha's heart trembled, and his nose stung with the threat of tears.
He had long since ceased to resent Kikyo for sealing him away. All that remained was the longing buried deep in his heart.
Don't call my name!
Inside the sphere, Kikyo's furious soul sent out a faint fluctuation.
Beside him, Li Xia also spoke up in warning.
"Inuyasha, this is Urasue's soul-extraction art. Whatever you do, don't say that person's name! Let's destroy the pool holding Higurashi captive and get her out first!"
He did want to resurrect Kikyo, but taking the opportunity to reinforce his image as someone knowledgeable and concerned for his companions was not a bad idea either.
After all, Kikyo was destined to return to life, and Kagome was certain to reclaim those souls.
Just as Li Xia expected, how could Inuyasha listen to anyone at a time like this? Seeing his former lover standing blankly nearby, he instinctively called the name that had haunted his heart, countless nights, and countless dreams.
"Ki... Kikyo!"
The moment his voice fell, the color drained from the eyes of Kagome, who had still been desperately struggling in the medicinal pool!
Immediately afterward, the barrier that protected Kagome, while also serving as some kind of seal created by the Shikon Jewel, shattered and dissolved.
Kikyo's Wrathful Souls had broken through it.
Her signature background music began to play.
"It's out!"
Urasue was overjoyed.
Inuyasha, Kaede, and the others were startled.
"Hahaha! Half-demon, the instant you called that name, this stubborn girl's mind fell into chaos! That gave Kikyo's soul the chance to escape her body! You've been a tremendous help!"
The old witch explained with a loud laugh.
In a fury, Li Xia stepped up and punched the dazed Inuyasha in the side of the face.
"You damn liability!"
Of course, as the sneaky schemer here, he was an even bigger liability!
Before their eyes, all the souls that had escaped Kagome's body turned into little spheres of light and entered Kikyo's clay body as she slowly floated into the air nearby. Kikyo's clay body immediately began to radiate a sacred, peaceful white glow.
Milky-white light wreathed her entire body, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
"Higurashi..."
Li Xia rushed toward the pool.
He lifted Kagome out of the medicinal liquid, his face filled with concern.
Inuyasha, meanwhile, continued to stare blankly at Kikyo.
Before you continue