"Stop at your feet somehow, Inu—"
Testing the ground without a trace of grass from one moment to the next, Asahiko's head is dragged across the ground for a few seconds, at which point Inuyasha finally reacts and Sesshōmaru is forced to send him flying toward a rock.
That dry impact against the rock made all his bones vibrate, but thanks to the illusion cast on himself during the fight Asahiko can no longer even feel pain, self-deception at its highest level!
Normally that would be a double-edged sword, since how are you going to know if you're injured or not?, but that does not apply to Asahiko thanks to his supernatural body… he can withstand a good amount of blows, perhaps?.
[Come on, get up already, you can't let him humiliate you like this and get away with it!]
"Since when do you care about my honor, Souga? God, if it weren't for this beautiful supernatural body I'd have all my bones broken"
[Of course I care! I will never allow you to be weaker than the sons of that bastard Inu no Taisho, you have to defeat them no matter wha—]
Cutting the mental link between him and Souga without hesitation, Asahiko pulls himself away from the rock in which he was embedded, thus being able to better observe the disaster around him.
Everything… simply went to hell. The once green and vibrant forest has disappeared, leaving in its place scorched earth, fallen trees and dozens of deep cracks. It literally looks like a completely different place from the beginning, while the only recognizable things are the people who remain nearby.
Which are obviously Inuyasha's group, plus Totosai who incredibly did not flee, who by the way fly around and keep a safe distance from the ongoing confrontation.
"Stop looking around and give me a hand, Asahiko!"
"Wow. Not even a second?"
Dodging the semi-solid whip that moves among clouds of smoke and poison, apparently guided by his voice, Asahiko makes a movement with Clouded Fang before cutting the whip easily.
Having done that, and now knowing Sesshōmaru's location thanks to his whip, he launches himself without hesitation into the battle and manages to arrive in time to help Inuyasha, who by the way was in quite a bit of trouble due to the lightning.
These bolts have the thickness of a human thigh, while they crawl along the ground at an astonishing speed, striking when least expected and now point their fangs at Inuyasha.
"Get your head down!"
"What. Don't mess with me!"
Throwing his body to the ground purely by instinct, Inuyasha watches pale as a reddish trail moves just above his head, stopping the threatening lightning and creating a resounding explosion that wipes out the surrounding clouds.
*Boom*
Surprisingly, and despite the explosion, the reddish trail continues forward at full speed, creating a long crack across the battlefield. That same crack is easily dozens of meters long, while it sinks into the earth like divine punishment.
"So you finally intend to use it for real, I was already getting tired of playing"
"Hahaha, what can I say, I'm more of a mage than a swordsman because of my race~"
Even winking, Asahiko passes by the still fallen Inuyasha before starting to cross "swords" with Sesshōmaru. The latter, following the same tactic as with Inuyasha, initially stays on the defensive, testing how capable Asahiko is.
But that backfired, since Asahiko does not have a proper fighting style, rather he uses feints, illusions, surprise attacks and low blows… simply a chaotic mess, the nightmare of a more "traditional" swordsman like Sesshōmaru who expected an "honorable duel".
"Die once and for all, slippery thing"
"Wrong again"
Ignoring how another of his illusions is pierced by a lightning bolt until it turns black, Asahiko stabs from behind with Clouded Fang, but retreats when the white trail behind Sesshōmaru lunges toward him rapidly.
The interesting thing is that Sesshōmaru seems to be able to feel how that trail moves, despite not being something organic, making him not hesitate to turn and launch a powerful lightning bolt toward Asahiko.
*Booom*
Twisting his body among the blue sparks falling around and the fragments of reddish energy, which he had used to defend himself, Asahiko extends his free hand and quickly releases a fan-shaped flame forward.
Such an attack manages to keep Sesshōmaru at bay, since he already knows how unpleasant those flames can be, granting enough time for Asahiko to speak to the other team members.
"Are you going to help me or just watch, Inuyasha?!"
"… Wait, I think I've got it"
"And he's got me, you piece of—"
Forgetting his momentary fury to throw himself to the ground and dodge the semi-solid whip that cuts through his flames as if nothing, Asahiko rolls and rolls more until he finally gets to his feet in a safe area.
The first thing he did upon standing was obviously to kill Inuyasha ten thousand times in his mind, although soon Asahiko notices the strange state of the dog boy.
The energy around Inuyasha flowed outward and inward, continuously touching the edge of both Sesshōmaru's energy and his own, forcing their energies to tremble unconsciously.
"That seems to be something very ba—"
"Don't lose focus"
"Tsk!"
Clashing again against Sesshōmaru in a blue and red flash from their powers, Asahiko tries to retreat due to the ever-growing danger coming from his back, but the one in front stops him every time.
This annoyed Asahiko greatly, can't he feel the danger emanating from Inuyasha?, almost like the preparation before an epiphany or something like that… And the biggest idiot doesn't seem to understand it!.
"You're an idiot, can't you feel the danger coming from Inuyasha?"
"Inuyasha? Just background noise!"
"Why did it come to this!"
Exchanging several more desperate blows, the bells in his mind finally reach their peak, forcing Asahiko to take an extreme measure and transform into a huge unknown creature.
The size was not for fighting, but he used it to receive Sesshōmaru's blow, since all that flesh is actually a layer of energy, thus escaping the stalemate he was in.
Now free, more or less, Asahiko quickly discards that enormous and deformed form into that of a simple bird, instantly spreading his wings before flying into the sky.
Thanks to that he moves away from what is happening behind, something his instincts warned him about, a pure and unpretentious power… something truly worthy of being observed from above.
"Try this… Wind Scar!"
"¡AHHH!"
Along with Sesshōmaru's scream as he is devoured by a flash of bright energy, which is so pure and destructive that it easily devastates more than a hundred meters in a straight line, Asahiko is pushed to the side.
Due to that sudden push, caused by the force of the attack that tears through the wind mercilessly, Asahiko gains another perspective from which he notices something extra.
The energetic flash of the "Wind Scar", white with slightly yellowish edges, for a few seconds was devoured by a black and bluish color originating from Sesshōmaru, though it then simply disappears.
"I got you, Asahiko"
"Thanks, Miroku, everything's starting to hurt again…"
Accepting Miroku's help, who flies on the ox along with Totosai, that's why he was able to grab him despite being a bird, Asahiko begins to complain about the pain that gradually returns to him.
Yes, that last transformation consumed a large part of his energy, so little by little the illusion over himself is beginning to fall… which makes every bone in his body hurt.
"Hahaha, I can't even imagine how… I really don't see myself taking a hit from Sesshōmaru and staying on my feet"
"Yes, now I understand he hits hard, the bastard. And, what is that technique, Totosai?"
Turning his bird head toward Totosai who looks downward, Asahiko asks him a question. Of course he knows the name, Inuyasha shouted it, but what lies behind all that?.
"It is the 'Wind Scar', one of the techniques of Steel Fang. Cough, cough, don't look at me like that, I only know that it works by sensing the 'Wind Scar', the place where two opposing energies collide…"
"Useless old man"
"Ha, ha, ha…"
Ignoring Totosai's discomfort on his own ox, Asahiko leaves Miroku's hands and takes a seat on his head. It's not that he wants to stay with him, but the ox's back doesn't have room for more people, so he has to make do with what he has.
That situation lasts a few minutes until everything finally calms down below and the aftermath of the attack disappears, thus allowing everyone to land and for Asahiko to return to his human form on the ground.
"Hahaha, look at his hair, Miroku!"
"That's not something you say, Shippo. He has helped us a lot, we shouldn't make fun of his… unique style"
"B, but… hahaha, aghb"
Twisting his little head in an attempt to escape Miroku's grip, the little fox trembles upon noticing Asahiko's blue eyes on him. By the way, Kagome already went with Inuyasha.
In the end Asahiko does nothing, but instead uses the last of his energy to create a mirror and looks at himself. And God, what an appearance. Half-burnt spiky hair, torn clothes, skin full of dust and dirt… a "wild" appearance in short.
"Ha, ha… Hahahaha…"
"Your Excellency, Asahiko, he…"
"I'm going to kill that bastard!"
Cutting off Sango and pushing everyone away with his sudden shout, Asahiko grabs his face while laughing softly, though he then calms down and smiles as if nothing had happened.
"He's gone crazy, Miroku"
"Without a doubt, Shippo… that's why a man must never focus on his own appearance"
"Only on that of women, right, Your Excellency?"
"Of course, Shi— Sango! Cough, cough… I'm going to see Inuyasha"