"Strange--this should be where I was blown away."
"Why can't I see Sesshomaru and the others?!"
When Inuyasha, Kagome, Kirinmaru, and the Great Dog Demon returned to the previous location, they saw no sign of their companions.
"Alternate dimension..."
"What?"
Kirinmaru surveyed the surroundings for a moment, then spoke.
"The Shikon no Tama has its own internal dimension..."
"When the Great Dog Demon and I first came to the Western Lands, it once trapped me inside."
"It seems this time, it's taken your companions and those Servants in as well."
The slow explanation drew reactions from Inuyasha and Kagome.
'So that's why Rikuo-kun and Moroha couldn't come...'
Kagome recalled the failed Command Spell earlier.
It seemed the Shikon no Tama deliberately isolated her and Inuyasha--separating them from the rest.
Beyond using underhanded methods to harm them, it also intended to trap Sesshomaru and the others to death inside.
"But if they're truly inside the Shikon no Tama, Rikuo-kun and the others should notice."
"No--probably hard to realize. For the current Shikon no Tama, recreating scenery identical to the outside world isn't difficult."
Inuyasha had barely finished speaking before the Great Dog Demon interjected.
"Especially when focused on fighting enemies, hardly anyone could notice they're inside the jewel."
Able to imagine what Sesshomaru and the others were experiencing, Kirinmaru and the Great Dog Demon understood the Shikon no Tama's intent.
"Inside the jewel, the youkai are endless."
"Combined with its mutated form, hard to imagine what kind of monsters could appear."
"If they can't truly kill the Shikon no Tama, they'll be exhausted to death in there."
Hearing this, Inuyasha and Kagome grew anxious.
"Is there any way to rescue everyone?"
"The only option is to kill the Shikon no Tama."
"But clearly that's not simple--so we'll have to go in ourselves to help."
"..."
It wasn't about modesty or reluctance. Kirinmaru and the Great Dog Demon were certain the current Shikon no Tama had special Servant abilities.
"Then how do we get in?"
If they couldn't pull everyone out, the only choice was to go in.
"[Meidou Zangetsuha]!!"
Kirinmaru remained silent. Instead, the Great Dog Demon drew Tessaiga and carved out a massive circular Meidou.
"This is..."
"The technique Totosai mentioned?"
Witnessing "Meidou Zangetsuha" for the first time, Kagome and Inuyasha were stunned.
"Originally, I planned to have Sesshomaru help you master it, then pass it to your current Tessaiga--but it looks like that won't be necessary."
"Heh! Who needs his help! Tessaiga is already plenty strong!"
The Great Dog Demon's words made Inuyasha frown in annoyance.
He didn't need that approach. Having Sesshomaru help him? Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps.
Besides, after gaining dragon scales, and now Nenekirimaru and Murasame's powers, Tessaiga had become incredibly formidable.
Even without "Meidou Zangetsuha," it made no difference.
"Kagome, was it? Once inside, remember to protect yourself with spiritual power."
"Eh? Yes!"
Pausing for a moment, Kagome understood the Great Dog Demon's warning.
Of the four, she was the only pure human.
The Meidou--
Definitely not a realm mortals could easily tread.
Inuyasha carried Kagome on his back, and all four charged into the massive Meidou.
'It's like the universe...'
Once inside, surrounded by starfields and starlight resembling outer space, Kagome marveled.
"Old man, can we reach the Shikon no Tama's interior from here?"
"No--from here on, we'll need Kirinmaru."
"Unlike me, Kirinmaru excels at manipulating space-time. He's the one who found the Shikon no Tama's hiding place before."
"Then I'll leave it to you... uh, Kirinmaru?"
"No need to be so formal. You're the Great Dog Demon's junior--I don't mind."
"Actually, I started searching the moment we entered."
As the conversation concluded, Kirinmaru felt something increasingly wrong.
He sensed something changing in the space around them.
......
"Haah..."
"Haah..."
"What do we do? It feels like no matter how many we kill, they never run out!!"
Shippo, Jaken, and Rin huddled near A-Un, anxiously watching their companions fight.
No matter how many they defeated, the enemy numbers never seemed to decrease.
If anything, they kept multiplying!
CLANG!
Using her blade to shove away an approaching youkai, Akame also felt fatigued.
The situation was dire. She'd already had Rin use a Command Spell to boost herself just to keep fighting.
At this rate, everyone would...
"Seriously! Is this what they call 'ants overwhelming an elephant'?"
Cu Chulainn was bare-chested now, flicking a winged creature away with his spear, sighing.
"You still have spare breath to talk, Lancer."
"Hey--can't collapse before my Master, can I?"
"You two really are a laid-back Master and Servant..."
"[Maryuuha]!!"
Sweeping away the approaching enemies, Moroha had long since released her restraints and activated her Noble Phantasm, "Nation-Ruining Crimson Yaksha."
But given the enemies' youki-absorbing trait, she could only rely on spiritually-infused "[Maryuuha]" and "Sacred Arrows" for offense.
CRACK!
Having channeled as much "Matoi" power as possible against the enemy, Rikuo was also searching for a way to break through.
If this continued, they'd truly be worn down to death.
"[Kazaana]!!"
Opening his right hand and sucking a horde of enemies into the "black hole" in his palm, Miroku quickly sealed it again.
"Master Miroku!"
"Don't worry, Sango. Now isn't the time to fret over this. When it's needed, it must be used."
Soothing Sango, Miroku had no choice but to resort to the "[Kazaana]"--the enemies before them were too troublesome for talismans and spiritual power alone.
"Sister!"
Kohaku could only fret helplessly. His skills were no match for these demon creatures.
"When are Inuyasha and Kagome coming back?!"
Shippo nervously watched more creatures emerge from the ground, worried. With those two here, it wouldn't be this difficult.
"Heheh--they can never return."
"What?"
"This place and the outside are different worlds--a domain even space-manipulating youkai like Kirinmaru cannot enter."
"I am completely different from before."
As if hearing Shippo's words, the demon creatures all spoke in unison.
...
"It's no use, then?"
"No matter how I slice through space, I can't get in--it's as if it's completely sealed."
Within the Meidou, Kirinmaru and the Great Dog Demon hadn't expected this obstacle.
Kirinmaru had located the Shikon no Tama, but the problem was--
They couldn't get in.
"It seems after the Shikon no Tama fully formed, its power increased--reinforcing the space inside the jewel."
"We can't break in from outside with just us alone..."
"So we're completely helpless?!"
Hearing the Great Dog Demon's words, Inuyasha grew frantic. He couldn't just stand by and watch Miroku and the others be worn down to death.
"Calm down, Inuyasha. There must be a way."
Soothing Inuyasha, Kagome maintained her spiritual power emission and urged.
"Kagome is right. It's not that we have no options."
"Really, old man?!"
Looking hopefully at the Great Dog Demon, Inuyasha pressed.
"If we can't get in from outside alone, then we have someone inside help too."
"If we both carve open the space at the same point, it might work."