As she spoke, a dark red Susanoo materialized around Hikari Uchiha, encasing her body as it swiftly rose into the air.
Daiyokumaro stood over twenty meters tall.
And the third stage of her Susanoo? Also about twenty meters.
When the giant red figure from the Naruto world appeared, Daiyokumaro's face twisted with even greater shock. "Are you a demon too? No… I can't sense any demonic aura. A half-demon with diluted blood, then?"
In the Inuyasha world, humans with spiritual powers exist, but there's no way they could pull off a colossal technique like this.
Hikari wasn't in the mood to chat. She calmly maneuvered her Susanoo, raising its massive sword. "Flame Breathing…"
"Form One Hundred Eight: Crimson Flame Slash!!!"
With a sharp cry, she swung the blade. In an instant, a blazing red sword aura tore through the air, trailing a fiery sonic cone as it hurtled toward Daiyokumaro hundreds of meters away!
And then…
Boom!
A faint, translucent shimmer flickered in the air.
The unstoppable Crimson Flame Slash slammed into something incredibly sturdy. After a brief stalemate, it shattered into scattered sparks. Those same sparks illuminated a defensive barrier in front of Daiyokumaro.
"…That's the Blood Coral Jewel's barrier," Kikyo said softly, stepping forward with her bow in hand as the helicopter landed nearby.
The Blood Coral Jewel, a treasure passed down through generations of the Demon Bat Clan, held the demonic energy of their past leaders. When wielded by a guardian, it could project a powerful barrier to protect the clan—pretty much the "strongest shield" in the Inuyasha world.
In the original timeline, Inuyasha used his Tessaiga to shatter the Blood Coral Jewel, absorbing its demonic energy to upgrade into the "Red Tessaiga," capable of breaking barriers.
And now…
Hikari had just witnessed the jewel's strength firsthand.
"To block a Crimson Flame Slash like that? This barrier's toughness is almost on par with the Four Violet Flames Formation," she mused.
Best part? It's portable! (I want it!)
Hikari's eyes narrowed, locking onto Daiyokumaro, who was smugly gloating inside the barrier. "You seem pretty confident in that barrier's power," she said lightly.
"Hmph!" Daiyokumaro scoffed. "The Blood Coral Jewel is my clan's greatest treasure, and Shiori's a genius at barrier techniques. You think you can break it? Keep dreaming!"
"Oh? I wonder what Shiori would do if she found out her dear grandpa was the one who killed her father," Hikari shot back.
"?!"
That's right.
Shiori was a half-demon.
Her father, Tsukuyomaru, the previous guardian, fell in love with a human woman and developed compassion for humans—only to be killed by his own father, Daiyokumaro. Shiori, born with strong demonic power, was taken back to serve as the new guardian.
Daiyokumaro's current plan? Slaughter villagers to sever Shiori's emotional ties to humans, ensuring total control over her.
To be fair, Shiori didn't exactly have deep "emotional ties" with the villagers. Their treatment of her and her mother was about as warm as Konoha's attitude toward Naruto—just enough to keep them alive, nothing more.
But the Demon Bat Clan was even worse…
Sure enough, when Shiori learned the truth about her father's death, her demonic energy erupted, expelling Daiyokumaro from the barrier in a furious burst.
Hikari seized the moment, unleashing her prepared ocular jutsu. "Engraved Tsukuyomi! …Yasaka Magatama!"
Daiyokumaro froze, caught in the grip of Tsukuyomi's illusion.
Then, his demonic energy went haywire, surging uncontrollably as it was siphoned away like water through a straw, flowing from the void into Hikari's body!
Daiyokumaro flapped his wings, lunging forward in a desperate counterattack. But Kikyo was ready. She drew her bow, the string trembling as she took aim at the giant bat.
"Sacred Arrow!"
Against a fully powered Kikyo, Daiyokumaro could only hold out for a moment before his body exploded midair!
But in the next instant, his spirit darted from the shattered corpse, streaking toward Shiori. Hikari's reflexes kicked in, and she activated Yasaka Magatama again, yanking Daiyokumaro's residual soul toward her and absorbing it into her Sharingan's power.
"Miss Hikari, you…" Kikyo hesitated, looking concerned. "The souls of these demons are filled with deep malice. Absorbing them recklessly could affect your mind. If you feel anything off, tell me right away, and I'll find a way to help."
"Got it," Hikari said with a nod, descending from the air.
With the threat gone, the surrounding villagers let out sighs of relief. But as they noticed the bodies of those killed in the attack, their gazes turned hostile, blaming the half-demon Shiori for the carnage.
Only Shiori's mother ran forward, embracing her daughter and weeping softly.
"Ugh, I saw this in the manga, but these villagers are so annoying," Bulma muttered, clearly irritated.
"Seriously," Hikari agreed.
"Why don't we take them with us?" Bulma suggested. "Shiori's dad is gone, and they don't have any other family here. They could join us in the search for the Shikon Jewel shards and move to the Village of Maple. At least there, no one would discriminate against a half-demon. Or they could come to my place—my house is pretty big."
Hikari blinked, caught off guard.
Kikyo nodded slightly. "If Shiori and her mother are willing, I can talk to Maple about it."
Since Kikyo was on board, Hikari gave her approval too. She and Bulma approached Shiori and her mother to ask their thoughts. After glancing back at the villagers, Shiori's mother hesitated but agreed. "…Alright. Maybe a fresh start somewhere else will be easier for Shiori."
Hikari's gaze drifted to the Blood Coral Jewel.
She was just wondering how to ask for it without sounding too forward when Shiori, as if reading her mind, held out the jewel. "Here, big sister. This is for you."
"Hm?"
"It's a thank-you for avenging my dad."
"Is that so…" Hikari's lips curved into a small smile. "Well, in that case, I'll gladly accept."