Chapter 40: Ryūkotsusei (Part I)

"Up ahead, that must be where the Ryūkotsusei (Dragon-Boned Spirit) is sealed," Yae Sakura said.

Standing on a tall hill, she and Kikyō sat on Higokumaru's back, gazing at the mist-shrouded mountains in the distance.

Through the thick white fog, they could barely make out an enormous shape.

An terrifying presence radiated from that spot outward in all directions. Within ten miles, not a single trace of life remained. Even the earth itself was barren, unable to support any growth due to the overwhelming demonic energy.

"We'd better be careful here!" Kikyō warned, sitting behind Yae Sakura and keeping a slight distance between them. "The Ryūkotsusei is known as Tōga-ō's archenemy—it won't go down easily."

Higokumaru dismissed Kikyō's concerns with a wave of her hand. "It's just some slithering reptile. Don't worry, Big Sister; I'll bite it dead in one go."

Kikyō tried again, undeterred by Higokumaru's bravado. "Legend has it, the Ryūkotsusei can destroy a nation with a single blow."

"Oh? You mean those tiny countries with populations of less than ten thousand?"

"You..." Kikyō was instantly speechless!

She wanted to argue back, but Higokumaru had spoken the truth.

"All right, enough with the bickering. Higokumaru, go closer for a look."

In Inuyasha, the true forms of great monsters were always massive.

The "great" monster known as the Great Demon King Tōga-ō, whose corpse after death resembled an entire city—truly lived up to its name as a "great" monster.

Similarly, the Ryūkotsusei before them boasted a body equally astonishing in size. Even from a distance, it was terrifying...

"So that's what a Ryūkotsusei looks like..."

"I knew they said it was powerful, but seeing it with my own eyes now is still shocking..."

A red figure flashed through the air. Higokumaru, carrying Yae Sakura and Kikyō, landed on a cliff opposite the valley where the Ryūkotsusei was sealed. They carefully examined the enormous dragon-shaped monster across from them, half of its body buried in the mountain.

Its colossal body, black scales, and menacing dragon head exerted an overwhelming pressure just by looking at it—a force so immense it was hard to put into words.

Forget ordinary creatures—even many monsters would likely lose their minds facing the Ryūkotsusei's terrifyingly massive body.

"Ryūkotsusei..."

In Inuyasha, this monster had been killed instantly by Inuyasha during its first appearance. Seeing it now with my own eyes... I realized just how incredibly powerful it must have been.

For such a formidable creature to die so easily at Inuyasha's hands in the anime seemed completely unrealistic...

"I'll go release its seal!"

I looked at the huge claw embedded in the Ryūkotsusei's heart—that was the seal left by Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father, Lord Toga.

Yae Sakura jumped off Higokumaru's back and used Shuryu Slash to appear directly on top of the broken claw.

Only then did Yae Sakura notice that the cliffs forming the valley weren't natural. They looked like they'd been violently split apart by someone.

Hack marks were visible all over. Looking around, she saw that not just the valley, but all the surrounding cliffs bore signs of battle.

But these signs... were enormous.

Yae Sakura guessed that it must have been caused during the battle between King Tōga and the Ryūkotsusei.

It was too bad King Tōga had died; otherwise... Yae Sakura would have loved to test her skills against this top-class powerhouse. But since he was dead, she'd have to settle for fighting his wife instead.

Now...

Yae Sakura prepared to release the seal on the Ryūkotsusei. As for what Inuyasha would do without this experience baby? That wasn't her concern anymore.

"Scarlet cherry blossom..."

With a wave of her hand, a pile of "cherry blossoms" landed on the massive claw fragment.

These weren't real cherry blossoms but rather one manifestation of Yae Sakura's scarlet sword force.

As soon as the blossoms touched the giant claw, they instantly transformed into pure scarlet sword energy.

The entire huge, broken claw turned directly into powder.

At that moment, an evil wind slowly rose above the valley, filling the air with its malevolent presence. Thick, dark clouds swiftly covered the entire sky.

Boom! Boom!

In the valley below, the effect of the sealing claw vanished completely. The wound on the Ryūkotsusei's heart began pulsing with an eerie red light now that the claw was gone.

A terrifying energy radiated out in all directions as the Ryūkotsusei's heartbeat slowly returned. The surrounding land and sky trembled with its pulsing.

First, its nearly petrified dragon claw moved, then its coiled body, which was almost as long as the entire valley.

Rocks began crumbling from the mountainside, and the ground at the bottom of the valley started to swell and crack.

The Ryūkotsusei, dormant for hundreds of years, was slowly beginning to stir.

At that moment, dark clouds gathered in the sky above. As the Ryūkotsusei awakened, lightning flashed and thunder roared, fueled by its immense demonic power...

"Ryūkotsusei, you're awake."

Yae Sakura had returned to the cliff opposite the valley, watching the awakening Ryūkotsusei. This was nothing like the useless creature depicted in anime.

This vast demonic energy dwarfed even that of the earth spider and Gashadokuro she'd encountered before.

If this Ryūkotsusei is this powerful, how much stronger must Tōga-ō be?

As Yae Sakura studied the Ryūkotsusei, it too examined her and Kikyō's group. "Did you break the seal and wake me from my slumber?"

Two shrine maidens and a fox spirit...

Why would shrine maidens come to free a great monster like me? That's strange...

"Very well! Come fight with me... Ryukotsusei!"

Looking at the Ryūkotsusei before her, honestly, if she were her past self, she would have run away right now.

But as the Gyakushin Miko, all she felt was a desire to fight.

"You woke me up just to battle me? A mere half-demon?" The Ryūkotsusei seemed to think this was some kind of joke.

His tone was full of contempt, but inside, he started taking them seriously. Despite having no demonic power, the Ryūkotsusei sensed danger from this half-demon shrine maiden.

"Don't engage. Just watch from the side. Higokumaru, protect Kikyo."

Yae Sakura ignored the Ryūkotsusei's scorn and spoke to Higokumaru and Kikyo instead.

Kikyo was strong, but she still fell short when facing a great monster.

Although her spiritual powers could threaten even large monsters, she was ultimately just an ordinary human.

-

"I understand..." Higokumaru said, her fox face showing sheer exasperation. To be honest... she really disliked this Kikyo.

It was one thing for Kallen to steal Yae Sakura, but now here came another rival—and this one seemed even more infuriating than Kallen. She acted like victory was guaranteed, completely dismissing Higokumaru's presence as if all her actions were just a clown's antics.

Higokumaru was seething with annoyance! But she couldn't ignore Yae Sakura's orders.

"Be careful," Kikyo said gently from where she sat on Higokumaru's back. "I'll keep an eye on you."

"Mm..." Higokumaru grumbled in response.