Inuyasha was very familiar with the other power manifesting in the Soryuha before him.
Haki from the world of One Piece.
Thus, the identity of this "Sesshomaru" before him was already quite clear.
Though Inuyasha was somewhat reluctant to acknowledge it... after all, when Ray had left the Demon Realm before, Inuyasha had called him "Brother."
How embarrassing!
Ray also noticed Inuyasha's cowardly appearance and couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
'Ah, this foolish little brother.'
Having recovered most of his memories, Ray no longer held any rejection towards Inuyasha.
In the coming centuries in this world, he had become very familiar with him.
Though they only met occasionally, their children got along very well, even though the current Inuyasha hadn't experienced those things yet.
...
Sensing the power of the Gokuryuha, Ray was somewhat shocked.
The power of his current Soryuha was absolutely ridiculous.
In the world of One Piece, this would undoubtedly be an ultimate technique that only top-tier Yonko or Admirals could unleash at the cost of their lives.
Yet for Ray, it was merely a low-cooldown minor skill.
However, the Gokuryuha actually managed to stubbornly resist it.
It was truly worthy of being the strongest blade once wielded by his father, even though Ray didn't yet have the right to wield it.
Demonic Power surged wildly, and Haki boiled violently.
As more Demonic Power and Haki poured into the Soryuha, the balance of the skill clash began tipping in Ray's favor.
The Soryuha grew even larger, its surface densely covered with dark red lightning like falling raindrops.
Finally, the Gokuryuha was shattered, generating a terrifying shockwave.
Within a ten-kilometer radius, winds howled, clouds churned, the earth cracked, and rivers changed course.
Inuyasha was sent flying several kilometers straight back before he stabbed Sounga into a mountainside, using his body weight to barely stabilize himself.
Meanwhile, Ray instantly teleported backward, using his tail to catch the already airborne Jaken and Rin.
Then, with a quick glance, he spotted the similarly blown-away Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara.
Letting out a sigh, Ray flew to their location.
He whipped out his Light Whip, binding all three humans and two demons together.
Kagome and the others were initially stunned.
'Gods, was Sesshomaru here to save us?'
'Or was he planning to use them as hostages to force Inuyasha to drop his sword?'
'Hmm... the latter seemed much more plausible.'
Thinking this, Kagome, Miroku, and Sango grew somewhat angry.
They had been kilometers away during Ray and Inuyasha's battle and hadn't noticed the peculiarities of the Soryuha, so they still thought this was the real Sesshomaru.
'Why is Sesshomaru pulling this again? He was quite reasonable when we last met,' Kagome grumbled while pouting.
The last time she'd tried calling him "Big Brother Sesshomaru," he'd only glared at her.
That kind of reaction should mean he'd accepted their group.
So why was he acting like this today?
Did he lose all self-control when he saw a good sword?
'Pfft, sword fetish!' Kagome cursed inwardly.
Meanwhile, the young fox demon Shippo cried out with tear-filled eyes.
"It's over, Inuyasha! You have to drop that sword to save us!"
...
After the shockwave dissipated, Ray placed the seven lives in his care about a hundred meters away from Inuyasha.
"Huh?" Everyone except Jaken and Rin was bewildered.
What was going on? Did he really just come to save them?
It was at this moment that the observant Miroku and Kagome noticed something unusual.
This Sesshomaru's pants... looked kind of futuristic.
'Could it be?!' Kagome's heart leapt with joy.
"Ray-san!"
Sango and Shippo gradually caught on as well.
Holy crap, that reliable and powerful man was back!
This damned sword was definitely finished!
They'd suffered plenty from Sounga's bullying in the village earlier—if Inuyasha hadn't suddenly gained control, Shippo and Miroku would have already gone to heaven.
Ray didn't respond to their recognition, his gaze still fixed on Inuyasha.
Sounga, sensing the threat from Ray, was desperately demonizing Inuyasha to enhance its sword stand's power.
After all, a half-demon alone couldn't unleash the full might of Sounga.
Otherwise, why would it be exhausted after just one Gokuryuha?
'If only I could control that Sesshomaru,' Sounga's spirit fantasized.
But it quickly abandoned that thought.
A great demon with perfect Demonic Power could not control it, and of course, a great demon without a "Heart of Protection" could not control it either.
The most recent yokai capable of controlling it was only Inu Taisho, Toga.
...
Ray did not understand Sounga's thoughts, yet his reason for coming here overlapped with Sounga's intentions.
He wanted to test whether he currently possessed the "Heart of Protection."
If he could master Sounga, that would mean he already had it.
Conversely, if he couldn't harness Sounga's power and could only use it for killing, then he didn't.
But now there was a troublesome matter: how should he deal with Inuyasha?
This foolish younger brother was perfectly possessed by the Demon Blade.
His entire right arm was under the control of Sounga's tentacles.
'As a member of the dog demon clan, Inuyasha was truly pathetic.'
Sighing, Ray began pondering solutions.
If he forced it, he could probably snatch the sword away.
But that would require cutting off Inuyasha's arm.
He was unwilling to do that.
As a half-demon, it was uncertain whether Inuyasha could reattach a severed arm afterward; he might end up permanently disabled.
Moreover, Sounga's control tentacles didn't seem to be simply connected to the arm.
If they had penetrated inside his body, cutting it off would be pointless.
The only method was to make Sounga voluntarily leave Inuyasha's body.
When Ray saw Kagome behind him, he suddenly thought of the answer.
But to be safe, he needed to do one more thing.
...
Ray flashed backward, his Light Whip swiftly flying out and binding Kagome, Miroku, and the others once again.
Then, he swung the Light Whip high into the air, sending them flying toward Inuyasha's direction.
Three humans and two yokai were thus suspended by the Light Whip in front of the demonized Inuyasha, like tempting bait placed before a carnivorous giant fish.
They stared at the murderous Inuyasha before them, cold sweat dripping all over their bodies.
Moments later, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara let out terrified screams.
Shippo cried in fear: "Inuyasha, don't come any closer!!"
Sango desperately urged: "Calm down, you must stay calm!"
Miroku tried every means: "Kagome is still here. You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you kill her!"
Kirara: "Meow~"
Kagome's face remained calm: "Inuyasha..."
Hearing Kagome's voice, the demonized Inuyasha paused his steps and fiercely struck his own head with his left hand.
The crimson in his eyes regained a hint of clarity.
Just then, Kagome's next words came.
"Sit! Sit! Sit, sit, sit!"
Boundless control power erupted, and the necklace around Inuyasha's neck glowed brightly.
Sounga realized it couldn't resist this spiritual power, especially since the power released from the necklace actually had a suppressive effect on it.
'Damn it, it's not safe to stay here.'
Sounga saw the reality clearly and immediately released the tentacles controlling Inuyasha.
As the sword departed, Inuyasha crashed headfirst onto the ground.
The impact was so powerful that it left a giant rock crater ten meters in diameter.
Watching the scene unfold before him, Ray released the Light Whip binding the three humans and two yokai.
At that moment, Rin couldn't help but speak up: "Ray-sama, you're so mean."
"Hm? You recognized me?"
Rin giggled. "Sesshomaru-sama doesn't have this many tricks up his sleeve."
Ray couldn't help but laugh softly and reached out to pat Rin's head.
"That's because he still can't let go of his pride."
----
Bakusaiga will be obtain once Ray regain his hand!