"Mm. My wish has always been simple," Kikyo said softly, tucking a strand of hair neatly behind her ear as she gazed tenderly at her younger sister. "I only ever wanted to be a shrine maiden who could save the world—while still taking care of you at the same time."
Her words were calm, but they carried the weight of years.
"If not for the Eternal God Sect," she continued, her tone quieter, "a miko is nothing but an outcast—despised by demons, feared by humans, even mistrusted by other mikos. All my life I've walked a lonely path."
She smiled faintly, though her eyes dimmed.
"But now you've grown. You've become a shrine maiden in your own right, unique and stronger than I ever was. That much reassures me. I can finally devote myself wholly to serving the gods."
Xiao Feng bowed her head, crystalline tears dripping freely onto her hands.
Never had she imagined… this was the heart her sister carried.
To the world, Kikyo was strong, brave, holy—an untouchable shrine maiden who carried herself with unshakable dignity.
But within, she was still a woman. A woman who yearned for a love that would last, for a family where happiness blossomed.
Yet fate had denied her every dream.
Everything she wished for had turned against her.
And so, the more her personal joy was stripped away, the fiercer her resolve became to bring salvation to others.
If I cannot be happy, Kikyo thought, then let me find joy in seeing others' happiness.
It was her path. Her burden. Her chosen strength.
Now her sister had grown, no longer so fragile that Kikyo needed to fear losing her. With the world's problems on the verge of being solved, she could at last accept the fate she had long prepared for herself—
To leave this painful world.
To step into the realm of the gods.
To wait for them, faithfully, as her duty demanded.
It was the highest honor of a shrine maiden.
Moreover, Xiao Feng had told her—the goddesses were all true gods.
Kikyo's heart longed to meet them. To speak with them.
She drew Xiao Feng into her arms, holding her close, saying nothing more. She simply stroked her sister's back as she always had, humming a quiet lullaby like a mother soothing a child.
For a long while, the younger girl sobbed against her shoulder.
At last, Xiao Feng straightened, wiping her tears. Her eyes were red but blazing with determination.
"I'll work hard," she promised. "I'll work harder than ever. I'll make the world ascend to a higher level, no matter what it takes."
Kikyo's smile warmed. "I know."
Their gazes met—sister to sister—in a silence full of unspoken words.
The Day of the Festival
Several days later, the festival began.
Maple Village was alive with celebration. Lanterns swayed, ribbons fluttered, banners snapped in the wind. The once-small settlement now teemed with life, its population ten times what it had been before Kikyo left to battle.
Where there had once been a handful of huts, now stood homes of stone—sturdy and beautiful. To ordinary humans, the villagers who had gained divine blessings looked like immortals.
The village chief, promoted by both age and merit, had become the mayor of what now resembled a thriving town.
At dawn, the temple bells rang. Their peals echoed far, not only across Maple Village but also in Dragon Canyon and the mountain settlement of Chuyao.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The sound rippled like waves across the land.
Everywhere, men and demons alike dropped to their knees in reverence.
The altar Kikyo had prepared stood beside the Tree of Ages, built of vast stone blocks stacked nine levels high. It was unadorned, unpretentious—yet its presence radiated solemnity.
Upon it were gathered the rarest of offerings:
The heart of the Dragon Bone Spirit.
The Tenseiga, fang of the Great Dog Demon.
The Tree of Ages itself.
And Kikyo, Miko of the Eternal God.
Atop the altar, Kikyo knelt in quiet prayer.
Xiao Feng steadied her trembling voice, then began to sing. Her chant rose on the breeze, weaving through the air until even the sunlit sky seemed to grow hazy, as if touched by dream.
The true god was about to descend.
Nervous murmurs rippled through the gathered crowd. Even the thunderbirds fidgeted with unease. Sesshōmaru knelt in the distance, Jaken bowing at his side.
"Master," Jaken whispered, "will God really appear?"
Sesshōmaru's eyes flashed, sharp. "Silence. Do not ask what you should not. Wait."
He glared. Fool. One who had never seen the power of a god could not comprehend its terror.
God's Domain
In the world of the gods, Liu Che was busy training Lin Qing'er and Kaguya.
Not what one might imagine—this was no dalliance, but combat instruction.
Though both possessed immense talent, their grasp of divine arts was clumsy.
Lin Qing'er, the goddess Nuwa, wielded her powers bluntly. She knew only to call upon creation, but not how to manipulate it tactically.
Even Tsunade, observing, shook her head in exasperation. With the ability to create, Qing'er should have been shaping the battlefield to her advantage—yet she fought as if wielding a club.
Kaguya, by contrast, was worse. With her Byakugan and Rinne Sharingan, her potential was limitless. Yet her close combat was pitiful.
Such divine talents, wasted.
After half an hour, Kaguya lay sprawled on the floor, clutching her backside with teary eyes, pouting as though the world had wronged her.
Lin Qing'er fared better, finally grasping a style under Tsunade's guidance. Creation means all things. All things can be weapons. She began to experiment—conjuring objects, hurling them, weaving endless assaults.
"Enough," Liu Che said at last. "Training ends here. Kaguya, you failed. Lin Qing'er… you failed too. Reflect when you return."
Both goddesses knelt immediately, chastened.
Even Tsunade and the others watching bowed their heads.
God was God. Even revealing but a fraction of his strength, Liu Che overwhelmed them all.
The demoness standing apart clenched her fists, eyes burning. Everyone has their own path, she realized. Mine is force. To be the demon beneath one god but above all others!
Back in the Ziwei Palace, Liu Che's gaze turned to the golden message shimmering before him. He smiled.
The sacrifices had begun.
"Good," he murmured.
Ding… Your followers sacrificed the heart of the Dragon Bone Spirit. Triggering a 1,500-fold increase: you receive the four-star beast, Undead Bone Dragon.
Ding… Your followers sacrificed the Tenseiga, Fang of Healing. Triggering a 10,000-fold increase: you receive the Supreme Artifact [Blade of Judgment].
Ding… Your followers sacrificed the Tree of Ages, bearer of immense fortune. Triggering a million-fold increase: you obtain a complete Law—[Time].
Ding… Your followers sacrificed the shrine maiden Kikyo, blessed with great fortune. Triggering a ten-thousand-fold increase: you unlock a special occupation—[Eternal Priestess].
[Eternal Priestess]: A unique class within the Eternal Church. Only women of pure heart, utterly devoted, may undergo the transfer. Even if their soul is sacrificed, betrayal is impossible. Their body may perish, but their soul is eternal. They exist as fanatics, forever loyal.
Liu Che's eyes gleamed. "As expected of Kikyo… even in sacrifice, she surpasses. To give her life and gain a new divine occupation—splendid!"
But what pleased him most was the Tree of Ages.
The complete Law of Time.
With time itself in his grasp, his God Realm would accelerate, evolve, ascend.
This was no mere fragment. Time was one of the three highest laws—far beyond the path of love. Compared to it, all else seemed meager.
Though Xiao Luan had sealed his residence with a hundred thousand wards, even so, the ripple of power was undeniable. Time warped within his chambers, swirling like a vortex.
Those outside could not detect the truth, but Xiao Luan, attuned, trembled.
Another law… she thought. He has mastered another law.
Only half a year had passed since his first. Already, he grasped Time.
Within the divine world, fragments of law dimmed, surrendering to his mastery. Those who had once touched Time felt their own grasp weaken.
This was the submission of all fragments to the true sovereign.
Time now obeyed him.
The gods might kill Liu Che in this moment. But they could not kill his past. Nor his future.
Time itself was his shield.
He was, in truth, immortal.
Inuyasha's World
From the skies above, light descended.
God himself revealed his presence.
Liu Che's form appeared vast and resplendent, divine power flooding across the land.
His generosity was rare, but the sacrifices had been too rich to ignore. Were his fortune higher than sixty percent, he might have swallowed this world whole.
In the Western Lands, Sesshōmaru's mother, Lady Ling Yue, gazed upward, frozen.
The figure above was strikingly handsome, surrounded by nine radiant orbs circling his head like planets. Behind him towered a giant peach tree, and around him coiled the flowing power of Time.
One glance—and she saw her childhood self, laughing in innocence. Another glance—and she saw herself alone, weeping at the end of days.
True loneliness, true despair. A death without solace.
"…So that is my end?" Lady Ling Yue whispered, tears glistening in her eyes.
When the age of spirit ended, and miasma consumed the world, no monster would survive. Even she, once mistress of the West, would fade.
At the altar, Kikyo and Xiao Feng looked up, overwhelmed.
The god had come.
Their voices rang out, trembling with awe.
"Bow before the Eternal God!"
"Bow before the Supreme One!"
All around, the faithful fell prostrate.
Light gathered, dimming only enough for mortal eyes to glimpse his majesty.
"Rise," Liu Che's voice resounded like thunder from the ninth heaven.
"I am pleased with your sacrifice. As chief priest and priestess, each of you may make one wish."
The Law of Time coursed through him. His generosity swelled. For this moment, he would grant them anything.
The promise of a god's wish—how it shook every heart present.
Even Sesshōmaru, kneeling apart, felt a rare flicker of envy.
If only that wish were his.
He would restore this broken world.
He would command its destiny.