"…What kind of technique is this?"
Staring at the pale purple skeletal Susanoo surrounding Kagetsu , Ryōra felt a chill of despair crawl up his spine.
He had seized the perfect opening,right after that overwhelming repulsive force,
yet the enemy had simply revealed another ability.
Another impossible ability.
"I don't have time to keep playing with you."
Kagetsu 's gaze swept over Jūra, who was struggling to stand, then shifted to Ryōra.
A summoning array unfolded beside him.
"Animal Path: Summoning Technique."
Poof!
White smoke burst outward.
Two figures appeared.
Midoriko .
And Rengokuki.
Midoriko raised her hand slightly.
"Bansho Tenin."
The Wind Blade Fang trembled violently before shooting toward her,
only to be caught midair by Rengokuki.
"Who… are you people?"
Ryōra's grip tightened on the Thunder Blade Fang, veins bulging as he stared at them.
He didn't dare move.
"The new masters of this island."
Before the words had even fully fallen,
Midoriko vanished.
Her figure became a blur as she closed the distance instantly.
The naginata in her hand gleamed with pure spiritual power as it slashed toward Ryōra.
Clang!
Ryōra barely managed to block.
But even without using her Deva Path abilities,
Midoriko 's Rinnegan perception and spiritual power, which directly countered demonic energy, pushed him into immediate disadvantage.
Elsewhere,
Rengokuki roared and charged Jūra.
The two collided violently.
With no interruptions,
Kagetsu focused entirely on Kyōra.
"Preta Path."
Demonic power surged out of Kyōra uncontrollably,
pouring into Kagetsu .
Kyōra's struggles weakened.
His body began to flicker,
turning semi-transparent.
"As expected…"
Kagetsu narrowed his eyes.
"So this body is just condensed demonic power."
Earlier, when he had attempted to extract Kyōra's soul,
there had been nothing.
No soul.
Nothing to grasp.
Now the truth was clear.
The Shitoshin's real cores,their demonic spheres sealed within the Cauldron of Resonance,
contained their true essence.
These bodies?
Just projections.
Constructs.
Like chakra clones.
"No wonder you're so arrogant…"
Kagetsu tightened the cables.
Crack.
Kyōra's body shattered,dissolving into drifting green particles of demonic energy.
"Then there's no need to hold back."
In an instant,
Kagetsu vanished.
He reappeared beside Rengokuki.
His hand rose.
"Bansho Tenin."
Jūra's expression twisted in shock as he was dragged forward.
"No,!"
But instead of retreating,
madness filled his eyes.
He surged forward with all his strength.
"If I die,I'll take you with me!"
"Pointless."
Chakra erupted.
A pale blue Susanoo manifested instantly.
A blade formed.
Slash.
Jūra was cut cleanly in half.
His body dissolved into green light,
gone.
"…Strange," Kagetsu muttered lightly.
"Rushing in just to die."
Not far away,
Ryōra saw it all.
Jūra's death shattered his composure.
Just for a moment,
his movements slowed.
That moment,
was fatal.
"Shinra Tensei."
A sudden repulsive force struck his arm,
throwing off his stance.
His chest opened completely.
Before he could recover,
the naginata flashed.
A diagonal slash,
from shoulder to abdomen.
Everything stopped.
Midoriko withdrew her weapon and turned away.
Behind her,a glowing white mark of spiritual power appeared across Ryōra's body.
It burst.
Ryōra dissolved into light,vanishing completely.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Kagetsu dispelled the summoning.
Midoriko and Rengokuki vanished in smoke.
He casually collected the Shitoshin's weapons into the Kamui Dimension,
then glanced toward the distant rocks where the children were hiding.
And disappeared.
The next moment,
he stood atop Entei once more.
Below, the ocean calmed.
Green demonic particles drifted through the air.
Kikyo lowered her bow.
"The Shitoshin are dealt with?"
"Mostly," Kagetsu replied.
"Their real bodies aren't here."
Kikyo blinked, slightly surprised.
She had just destroyed Gōra completely,
yet hadn't sensed anything unusual.
"There should still be half-demon children on this island," she said thoughtfully.
"I met them fifty years ago."
"If they're still here… they might know where the real bodies are."
"They are," Kagetsu said with a faint smile.
"They were watching the fight just now."
Meanwhile…
Behind the rocks,
the children stared in shock.
"He… disappeared?!"
But then,
Moegi's voice broke the silence.
"Sister Asagi! The Shitoshin are gone!"
"They're dead!"
Midori quickly lifted his shirt.
"Quick,check the mark!"
Everyone leaned in.
Hope surged.
And then,froze.
The marks were still there.
Clear.
Unchanged.
Silence.
Their expressions stiffened.
Hope,shattered once again.