"You're right, Sesshomaru-sama is just too concerned with saving face," Rin nodded in agreement.
Ray smiled bitterly in his heart.
Indeed, why had he lost so many precious things in his past?
Wasn't it precisely because he was too stubborn, trusting only himself, and keeping everything buried deep inside?
Even at such a young age, Rin had seen through this clearly.
Therefore, he needed to test whether he could obtain the right to wield Sounga, to see whether he already possessed what his father called the "heart of protection."
As for Sounga? That fellow had vanished the moment Inuyasha fell.
He would search for it later.
The current Ray was not the Sesshomaru of old; he chose to prioritize caring for those around him first.
...
Ten minutes later, Ray, Rin, Jaken, Inuyasha, Kagome, and the others had all gathered together.
Three elderly figures had also arrived: Tōtōsai (the swordsmith who forged Tessaiga and Tenseiga), Myōga (a flea yokai and the steward who served Inu Taisho), and Saya, the scabbard of Sounga (an elderly soul entity).
Inuyasha was still rubbing his neck, his gaze toward Ray filled with resentment.
"Ray, what was with that fishing tactic? You nearly broke my neck."
Kagome also pouted. "That's right, Ray-san! You could've just told me directly. Hmph, you're such a bad guy."
Ray listened but remained silent.
Who said he was a bad guy?
He was merely testing Inuyasha's feelings for his companions!
Thus, Ray changed the subject, turning to the scabbard.
"Where do you think Sounga has gone?"
Saya shook his head, indicating, "Sesshomaru-sama, I do not know where Sounga might be, but wherever it is, the place will surely be filled with death energy."
Ray paid no mind to the scabbard's form of address.
After his memories returned, being called Sesshomaru stirred no ripples within him.
Long, long ago, he had always been addressed this way by these people.
Yet, in the longer span of his future life, he called himself Ray, battling in the higher dimension.
Those memories had not fully returned, but he was clear about his goal: to resurrect his fallen companions.
And how exactly had these companions sacrificed themselves?
Some died of old age, while others vanished in that world-ending war.
Otherwise, why were there no great yokai left in the 500-year future where Kagome lived?
Inuyasha, himself, his mother—which of them couldn't live another 500 years?
Though his memories weren't fully restored, Ray now knew exactly who he was and what his objective was: to obtain the perfect heart of protection and master the lunar law to perfection.
Thereafter, he could transform this half-real, half-illusory world into reality, allowing everything to begin anew.
The place of success or failure would be the real world of one piece.
Of course, he still cant remember why he had been a human once before transmigrating into the one piece world.
It was probably just one of his many lifetimes—nothing worth dwelling on.
...
After a brief exchange, Ray approached Inuyasha.
"Can that broken arm of yours still lift a sword?"
Inuyasha's face twisted with displeasure upon hearing this.
Why was Ray just as infuriating as Sesshomaru?
"Don't worry, I could still cut you down without a problem."
Hearing this, Ray showed no anger, instead speaking calmly, "Don't push yourself. Rest well, then come with me to find Sounga."
At these words, Inuyasha's pupils trembled, while Kagome and the others wore smiles.
Meanwhile, Tōtōsai, Myōga, and Saya gaped in astonishment.
'Gods, Sesshomaru was showing concern for Inuyasha!'
'Since when did these two brothers get along so well?'
'Weren't they just fighting last time?'
The three old-timers felt like their world was collapsing.
Although Myōga had seen Ray after the panther cat tribe battle, he didn't know Ray's true identity.
The three elderly yokai currently wore expressions of complete bewilderment, their lips twitching.
This didn't make sense.
This Sesshomaru was so strange—this wasn't his established character at all.
But when they observed the expressions of Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and the others, they noticed the group wasn't the least bit surprised.
What did this mean? Had they seen Sesshomaru showing concern for Inuyasha before?
And multiple times at that?
This world had become so strange; it seemed they could no longer keep up with the times.
They were, ultimately, just yokai from the old era.
...
When Inuyasha heard Ray's words, his face flushed slightly.
Two seconds later, he let out a "tch" sound.
"I can go destroy that sword right now."
Seeing Inuyasha's reaction, Ray punched him on the head. "Behave and listen, or I'll beat you to a pulp and go deal with Sounga myself."
After saying this, Ray walked off into the distance.
The others gathered in a circle and began eating.
Only Inuyasha remained, clutching his prominently swollen head and hissing in pain.
"That bastard Ray, how come his hits hurt even more than Sesshomaru's? This really hurts."
Seeing the half-demon's dramatic reaction, Kagome and Sango chuckled, their laughter ringing like silver bells. But the three old men grew even more confused.
"What Ray? He's not Sesshomaru?"
"Does Sesshomaru have a twin brother?"
"When did the master have another child? How come I, Myōga, didn't know about this?"
"Kagome, could you explain this to us?"
Hearing Tōtōsai's question, Kagome stroked her chin. "This explanation is a bit difficult. Let me think..."
...
Some time later, the three old men still looked like they only partially comprehended the situation.
Tōtōsai's forehead seemed to be covered in question marks.
"A second personality? Someone who come from another world?"
Saya, the scabbard, was pondering another question. "He can control Sesshomaru's body? Why does he feel untrustworthy?"
Meanwhile, Myōga fell deep into thought.
He remembered Inu Taisho once saying, "Perhaps beyond the Demon Realm exist even more powerful worlds, where powerful beings might be able to travel through dimensions or create worlds. Unfortunately, I won't get to see them."
At the time, Myōga hadn't understood Toga's words.
But thinking carefully, a demon lord of his master's caliber might have truly been able to sense things beyond this world.
Could it be?
Just then, Rin spoke up. "Geez, you're all overthinking this! Anyway, I believe Sesshomaru-sama and Ray-sama are the same person!"
Hearing this, the others reacted strongly, with Inuyasha having the strongest reaction of all.
"Impossible! Ray is way better than Sesshomaru!"
Suddenly, Inuyasha felt the atmosphere in the entire area shift.
Moments later, teasing voices came from the group.
"Ooh~ Who was just complaining about him earlier?"
"Well, well, acknowledging your brother now, Inuyasha?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, oh my, oh my, oh my my my."
Hearing everyone's teasing, Inuyasha felt his face burning with embarrassment.
He grabbed a piece of meat and ran behind the cave to face the wall alone.
The group burst into laughter at his behavior.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha took out a white shiba inu toy from his chest.
On the toy's forehead was a Ray mark.
...
Half an hour later, Ray arrived at a desolate wasteland.
Below this place lay a dilapidated village.
He had come here because he wanted to save someone.
As an older brother, he always had to take responsibility for the mistakes his younger brother made.
"Jaken, come out!"
Upon hearing Ray's call, the system immediately materialized.
"Sesshomaru-sama, this old servant is here."
That's right, the system was Jaken, albeit in a soul form.
He was able to appear because the real Jaken in the cave had fallen asleep.
Seeing him, Ray felt deeply relieved.
For a long time, only Jaken's soul had accompanied him through countless worlds in their conquests.
Their bond between master and servant was more like that of brothers.
"Are you sure you can save Kikyo?"
"Hehe, Sesshomaru-sama, rest assured. Your memories haven't fully recovered yet, so you don't realize what level you had reached back then. With the system created by your power, combined with this old servant's operation, reviving a human is nothing difficult, right?"
After hearing this, Ray nodded slightly. "But there must be conditions, right?"
Jaken responded with a smile, "Yes, we need to take her soul to the One Piece world."
"What does that mean?"
"Well... it means that when she perishes in the Demon Realm, she will be sent to the One Piece world for rebirth."
"Alright, understood."
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