With his gaze once again fixed upon what was once a beautiful and lush plain of green grass, now not very different from a rocky ravine or a canyon due to the multiple scars crossing it from side to side, a new battle takes place right there.
"I acknowledge the stupidity that made you believe you could face me."
Mocking coldly while casting a passing glance at the fallen monk, who incredibly managed to last a few seconds under the pressure naturally exuded by him, Sesshōmaru now finally looks at his main target.
This is obviously Asahiko, since literally only Miroku and he attempted to fight Sesshōmaru, although the monk lasted less than a little bit, but his contribution to the cause is greatly appreciated.
"Yeah, maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to bring him here."
Considering Sesshōmaru's words and accepting that he is right, it was a true stupidity to bring a normal human like Miroku into this kind of fight, Asahiko makes a couple of signals toward the sky.
The one who responds instantly is none other than Sango. She had been flying around the area and observing the situation from above, so upon noticing Asahiko's hand signals, she descends to pick up Miroku.
Surprisingly, Sesshōmaru does not move a finger to prevent Miroku's "rescue" by Sango, but instead completely ignores them and keeps his eyes on Asahiko.
"Shall we begin now?"
Forming his distinctive green semi-solid whip, which by the way extends from the index and middle fingers of the only hand he has, Sesshōmaru maintains an elegant bearing at all times.
Faced with this display of "consideration" on his part, Asahiko simply smiles casually before murmuring in a low voice, briefly surprising Sesshōmaru... Even more so when those murmurs come from right behind his back.
"Hadn't we already?"
Guiding his hand at full speed toward the back of Sesshōmaru's neck in a surprise attack, Asahiko opens his eyes wide when the former's silver hair unexpectedly blocks his view, disrupting his grab before it can even happen.
But of course, that's only from his point of view, because Sesshōmaru takes advantage of the moment and strikes both of Asahiko's legs with his own, breaking his balance before guiding his hand like a rapier toward his enemy's chest.
This was not a theatrical move in the slightest, but rather his nails are overflowing with obviously toxic green energy, quite an insidious move on Sesshōmaru's part.
"¡Agh!"
Letting a trail of blood escape from his lips but mainly from the hole in his chest, the area pierced by Sesshōmaru's arm, Asahiko's face slowly becomes pale and lifeless.
Such a thing does not surprise Sesshōmaru. Instead, he even frowns and begins rummaging around inside Asahiko with his hand, frowning more and more because of how real it feels.
"You have... Improved. Before, your illusions lacked substance, easily deduced by anyone with even a minimum of real skill."
"Thanks, I guess? But can you stop rummaging around inside my illusion? It feels weird seeing that live and in person, even from far away."
Speaking through the illusion still held by Sesshōmaru, which has already shed its appearance of weakness, Asahiko is clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
"Fine."
"Oh, come on, it's just an—"
"Explode."
Slightly reducing control over the green energy covering his arm, which immediately goes out of control and causes the illusion's body to explode from the inside out, Sesshōmaru calmly turns toward the "real" Asahiko.
"There was no need to do that, it was just an illusion."
"An illusion, the destruction of the surroundings, using the help of a human, and dragging the battle out as much as possible... Are you perhaps out of energy?"
"Tsk, can't you be more like Inuyasha and be a muscle-headed idiot?"
Shaking his head while discreetly looking toward the sky, Asahiko makes an unpleasant decision... He is going to have to fight head-on. It's complete madness. If Inuyasha, who is a Hanyō, surpasses him physically, imagine what Sesshōmaru will do to him. But it's the only possible option.
Running away is currently impossible. Asahiko's physical abilities are far inferior to Sesshōmaru's, while his energy is continuously being drained by "something," and he is also nearly empty after the previous battle. So he has to buy time. Dawn is near, and with the first rays of sunlight, Inuyasha will return to his normal form and lend a hand.
"Give me Clouded Fang and I will let you leave here alive, Asahiko. Think about it, it's not a bad option and you really lose nothing."
"Ha, ha, I only lose my sword?"
"Which is actually mine by inheritance rights. It should never have ended up in your hands!"
Breaking off the negotiations after finishing his words, Sesshōmaru closes the distance between them with a single quick step, reaching Asahiko and attacking with his venom-filled claws.
Fortunately, the latter reacts quickly, mainly thanks to Souga's unexpected but correct mental warning, thus managing to swiftly draw Clouded Fang and stop the incoming strike with the thick body of its metallic blade.
"Boom*
It was a dry but deep sound that spread from the collision, clearly demonstrating the power contained in that single punch. This is so true that Asahiko is forced to retreat while gritting his teeth.
Although it was useless, it did not matter how much strength he put into Clouded Fang or into his arms. Faced with Sesshōmaru's overwhelming physical power, resistance was completely useless, and with each passing second it became more obvious.
"You should have escaped when you saw me arrive. Now you've lost every opportunity by entering direct combat and rejecting my generous offer."
"What an ego. Besides, we'll never know if we don't try. I still believe in myself~"
"What a useless action. Your species simply isn't made for this."
Suddenly stopping the force he was applying with his hand, Sesshōmaru then stomps the ground with superhuman strength and easily shatters it, confusing Asahiko's senses with both surprise movements.
Having him exactly where he wanted him, confused and without a firm stance, he uses the leg planted in the ground as a pivot before making a quick spin, gathering all the kinetic force of his body to deliver a brutal kick.
"¡Agh!"
Calling that attack painful would be a massive understatement. That kick easily had the force of a truck moving at full speed. But knowing that a follow-up attack was very likely, Asahiko does not give in to the pain and releases a trail of energy in the place where he had been moments before.
This "gift" explodes the instant his feet leave the ground due to the merciless kick, causing a geyser of golden flames to erupt from the earth and completely engulf the demon just as Sesshōmaru attempts to continue his attack.
"Mere nuisances!"
Dispersing the flames with an elegant movement of the white pelt extending from his back, Sesshōmaru lightly frowns and redirects the flaming bullets heading toward him with his hand, avoiding any damage to himself.
But that certainly spectacular movement, it must be admitted, leaves him open to the sudden attack coming from the surroundings. It originates from the flames still dispersed through the air, all of which merge into multiple tentacles and restrict Sesshōmaru's movements.
The tentacular restraint lasts only an instant, during which Sesshōmaru's mind is bombarded by different sensations and thoughts, finally creating a gap in his defenses.
"You grew too confident, Sesshōmaru."
Speaking from every direction and yet from none at the same time, since Asahiko's voice is actually sounding directly inside Sesshōmaru's mind, a blurry shadow slides through the area and Clouded Fang finally bites into his enemy's flesh.
Warm red blood slowly slides down Clouded Fang's trembling blade, which manages to pierce the flesh of Sesshōmaru's right shoulder, although it is unable to go any deeper due to the absurd hardness of the bone.
It did not matter how much strength Asahiko applied to Clouded Fang. Everything seemed like a futile effort in the face of what could only be called an overwhelming bodily difference.
"Now I understand... I have been under an illusion from the very beginning."
"What are you talking about? I hit your shoulder, not your head. Are you delirious from the surprise or something?"
Frowning at the trembling of his own arm, Asahiko stops trying to cut downward and changes his objective to cutting sideways, wanting to open the current wound as much as possible.
"Not at all. Besides, that explains why I couldn't feel the sword despite the amount of negative energy it was releasing, and also the passivity in your attacks."
"Although I really do have little energy. Kaijinbo was a very resilient cockroach, you know?"
"Perhaps... But when you toyed with my mind earlier, I noticed there was another illusion placed on me, a more passive and insidious one. When was it? During the seconds I focused on the monk?"
"... Tsk, you're absurd."
Clicking his tongue upon having that "something" from the beginning exposed, the same thing that had been draining the little energy he had left from the start, Asahiko dispels the illusion affecting Sesshōmaru himself.
There was no need to keep wasting energy maintaining that illusion now that it had been exposed, mainly because modifying one of Sesshōmaru's senses was absurdly difficult, but modifying two, and now that he knows... Hahaha, good luck with that.
"So that's Tokijin?"
"Yes, incredibly it survived and now seems stronger, although I don't recommend taking it, Sesshōmaru. The negative energy it possesses is not normal. God knows what materials Kaijinbo forged it from or whether it might also control your mind."
"Absurd!"
Expelling a toxic cloud from the hand that had always remained free, Sesshōmaru forces Asahiko back before transforming part of that greenish cloud into a semi-solid whip, using it as a mid-range weapon to gain more distance.
Now certain, Sesshōmaru does not advance to launch a follow-up attack, but instead transforms the semi-solid whip back into a toxic cloud, creating a "death zone" that extends for dozens of meters.
Obviously Asahiko already knew what was coming. The elder dog was going after that sword called Tokijin, so he does not hesitate and creates multiple spheres of golden fire to bombard the interior of the toxic cloud, creating large-scale destruction throughout the covered area.
*Boom* *Boom* *Boom*
With each new "explosion," a large area of toxic green mist is dispersed to the sides, revealing the rocks and scars beneath, but not even a trace of Sesshōmaru.
That situation remains unchanged for the next few seconds, forcing Asahiko to finally accept that he has lost, and without hesitation run as far away as possible before shouting from there.
"Are you alive, Sesshōmaru?! If you are, shout something loud like that. Damn."
Opening his eyes at what could be considered an enormous blue crescent moon heading toward him, thinking of the signature attack of a certain orange-haired shinigami, Asahiko does not hesitate to jump to the side to avoid it.
It was the right decision, because the bluish crescent he saw was only the tip of the iceberg, something demonstrated when looking at the scar it leaves behind, which extends several meters deep.
"I am, but will you be in the next few minutes?"
"Uh... Peace? You already have a sword, a very good one in fact, so you don't need Clouded Fang anymore."
"But I still want it."
Positioning Tokijin before his face while a bluish aura surrounds it, sword pressure or sword force depending on how one calls it, Sesshōmaru smiles coldly with overflowing battle lust.
...Off-screen...
Placing his feet upon what had once been a vibrant plain, Sesshōmaru dismisses his mount and an imperceptible look of approval can be seen in his features.
"You have... Exquisite tastes, Asahiko. I truly feared that by associating with that rabble you would end up like Inuyasha, a disappointment to the blood running through his veins."
"Just... Because of the clothes?"
"What is a sword without its sheath, a land without a landscape? Power is demonstrated in every action, decision, and even appearance."
Delivering something akin to a mantra for life itself, Sesshōmaru waves his only hand and a gust of wind suddenly strikes him, causing his elegant white garments to flutter softly.