"How miserable... To think he'd be beaten like this."
Byakuya crossed his arms, observing the head slowly growing within the barrier.
"Hmph... I underestimated that Servant. To possess both power and a weapon I'd never encountered before..."
A face began emerging from the reforming flesh. Naraku's head took shape as he spoke with cold displeasure.
This wasn't the first time he'd resorted to this trick.
In truth, every time before venturing out, Naraku took care to prepare a teleportation anchor in advance. Though it often went unused, this time it had narrowly saved his life.
He'd employed the same method when claiming the Hosenki fragment from Toga's tomb long ago.
'Worse than I anticipated... My youkai power is almost completely drained. That blade is, in some ways, more threatening to me than even Tessaiga.'
Taking stock of his body's condition, he realized he'd never been in such a dire state.
"Byakuya—monitor the movements of the other players for now. Summon me if anything urgent arises."
Concealing his presence, Naraku flew off toward the mountains.
'Looks serious. He needs to restructure his body and absorb fresh youkai power. Kagome and her friends drew quite an impressive ally...'
Byakuya watched Naraku depart, already understanding what he intended to do.
Losing youkai power was certainly no small matter for Naraku, but it wasn't fatal either.
After all, Naraku himself was an amalgamation of countless youkai—not a single unified being.
Essentially, as long as Naraku wasn't completely destroyed, he could always harvest other youkai bodies to replenish himself. The same applied to his youkai power.
Rikuo's Nenekirimaru might be devastatingly effective against ordinary youkai, but Naraku had his own methods of recovery. Just like eating—devour the stored youkai and he'd be restored.
It would take considerable time, but this was merely an unexpected setback.
...
CRACK...
The mirror shattered from Miroku's Shakujo strike. Kanna leaped backward, then turned and fled.
"Wait!"
Miroku moved to give chase, but the barrier around them began dissolving, forcing him to stop.
"Did Kagome and Rikuo succeed?"
Sango watched the shifting environment with uncertainty.
"Ugh!"
Crouched on the ground and breathing heavily, Kagura glanced at the escaping Kanna, knowing the situation wasn't favorable.
Although the agonizing sensation of her heart being squeezed had vanished, Naraku was definitely still alive.
"Everyone..."
Kagome and Rikuo returned from their pursuit.
"Kagome!!"
At the same moment, a tornado kicked up from nearby and a cloud of dust rushed toward them.
"That's... Koga? Who's the guy with him? He can actually keep pace!"
Shippo had witnessed this kind of arrival more than once, but unlike before, an unfamiliar figure ran alongside Koga.
"Naraku was just here! Are you alright?! Where's that mutt?"
Rikuo observed the stranger who ran up and casually grabbed Kagome's hand. His expression turned curious.
This person was also a Master...
But these people obviously knew each other, and their relationship seemed fairly close?
"Yo! Master, you know this girl? Not bad at all. And you—you're a Servant, right? Even from a distance I could feel that commanding presence."
Cu Chulainn came to a stop beside them, finally getting a proper look at Rikuo's demonic visage.
"Koga is also a chosen one?"
"That's right, he's my Servant. His Class is Lancer."
"Hey! Master, is it really okay to just reveal that? After all, they're also participants..."
"It's fine. Kagome won't attack us."
Watching everyone's exchange, Cu Chulainn wanted to object, but Koga's utterly trusting expression left him speechless.
Well, they didn't have a Dragon Ball anyway. Other than his combat ability, there was nothing worth scheming for.
"Where'd that Naraku bastard run off to? He should've been here just now."
"You arrived too late. Naraku already escaped."
"..."
Everyone then began sharing their respective situations with each other.
"This guy actually forced Naraku to flee in such disgrace? A youkai I've never encountered. Even though you were summoned, I still gotta ask—where exactly are you from? Looks way more reliable than that mutt."
Hearing that Rikuo had carved Naraku up and sent him running, Koga moved closer to examine him.
"Well, to explain in terms this era would understand, roughly..."
Rikuo also recognized the wolf youkai's nature. Just as he was about to elaborate, he noticed Kagome walking toward the just-risen Kagura. Everyone's attention followed.
"Kagura, do you want to come with us?"
Making her invitation, Kagome and Rikuo had also learned from Miroku and Sango about Kagura's earlier act of leaking information.
That action would certainly be viewed as betrayal by Naraku and lead to a death sentence.
Kind-hearted Kagome naturally couldn't just stand by and watch Kagura be killed.
"Forget it. Even with you people, it won't change the fact that I'll die afterward. Ultimately... I can never escape Naraku's grasp. Freedom was always just my delusion."
Looking somewhat hollow, Kagura's bitter and powerless words drifted out.
Everyone fell silent, hearing her resignation. They felt helpless.
"Well... having your heart in someone else's hands is certainly a crippling weakness. Isn't there a way to reclaim it?"
Cu Chulainn, having just pieced together this female youkai's situation from the group's conversation, posed the question.
"Hmm... there might be a way. But where's that mutt?"
Koga glanced at Kagome's worried expression, then shot a look at Cu Chulainn before speaking.
"Hm? Why look for Inuyasha?"
"Doesn't his brother have a sword that resurrects the dead? We kill her first, then have the mutt's brother revive her. That way, because of Tenseiga's revival effect, Kagura's heart should be restored to her body..."
Hearing Koga's suggestion—a statement that stunned everyone present—the group stood dumbfounded.
"But even if Kagura dies, her heart would still be with Naraku."
However, Miroku felt this method treated only the symptoms rather than the root cause.
Even if Tenseiga revived someone, that didn't mean the heart would magically return from Naraku's possession.
"This matter... leave it to Lancer to handle."
"Hey hey hey, Master—you can't be thinking of having me use my Noble Phantasm on this lady?"
Catching on, Cu Chulainn's eyelid twitched as he spoke.
"Noble Phantasm?"
Hearing this, everyone's gazes shifted toward him.
"One of Lancer's Noble Phantasms has the effect of being unavoidable—absolutely striking the enemy's heart without fail."
"Eh?"
"Can directly attack the heart? That's terrifying!"
That outrageous effect startled Rikuo, Shippo, and the others.
Even Kagura stood frozen with shock.
But then Kagome connected the dots...
"So we have him pierce and shatter Kagura's heart, then use Tenseiga to revive her. That way, because of Tenseiga's resurrection, Kagura's heart will be restored within her body..."
"There's actually such a method?"
"Just saying upfront—I've never faced a situation where the enemy stands before me but their heart is elsewhere. I have no idea what will happen."
"But it's worth trying, isn't it?"
"Yeah... this is the only way to help Kagura break free from Naraku right now."
"But... first we'd need to convince Sesshomaru to help, right? I think that'll be extremely difficult."
"Then let that mutt go beg. They're brothers, aren't they?"
"I think you're making things rather difficult for Inuyasha..."