Why can't humans do it too?

Naraku is the Avici Hell described in Buddhist scriptures as a place of endless suffering from which no one can escape. All beings trapped within it will endlessly repeat the cycle of struggling to break free from darkness only to fall back into it.

Ominous, extremely ominous. Even though he didn't practice Buddhism, Nura Rikuo still understood the meaning behind this name. This yokai, who dared to use such an ominous name as his own, was probably much more troublesome than he appeared now.

"Come at me together!" he shouted, raising his hand. This move is known as Nura Rikuo's Call to Arms.

Together with Araragi Koyomi, they charged forward. Nura Rikuo carefully hid beside Araragi Koyomi, using the vampire's body to try and block any potential accidents. There was no other way; compared to this tank who was practically an infinite health bar in a game, he, a Nurarihyon, was incredibly fragile.

At the very least, if it had been him who was exposed to that poisonous smoke, he definitely wouldn't have been able to deal with it as easily as Araragi Koyomi.

Despite fighting two opponents alone, he did not appear disheveled, simply because this demon named Naraku possessed astonishing flexibility, or more accurately, the ability to infinitely transform. His arms and legs would sometimes transform into thick tentacles like when he ambushed Araragi Koki earlier, and at other times into short, hard spikes.

Beneath that male body seemed to lie something else, tearing apart like churning mud.

The swollen abscesses on his right arm burst open one after another. As Araragi Koyomi and Nura Rikuo hurriedly dodged, Naraku released a highly toxic and corrosive gas, which was the reason why they had been locked in a stalemate for so long and fought so hesitantly.

“Fear… what an interesting power. It plunders and gathers the power of other demons into one body. This kind of power is similar to mine—hmm?” Naraku, who was making sarcastic remarks, suddenly turned his head sharply in one direction, and even the vicious smile on his face disappeared completely, replaced by utmost seriousness.

Right there, in this direction, there was that familiar burst of spiritual energy, and that hazy feeling.

"The Shikon Jewel..."

Muttering to himself in a voice only he could hear, Naraku suddenly reverted to his mutated body and fled rapidly in another direction. Araragi Koyomi and Nura Rikuo, of course, did not miss this opening and quickly gave chase.

The force of his counterattack and the miasma he released were no different from before, but after exchanging a few blows with the two, Naraku turned into a puddle of mud in front of everyone.

“…The technique of creating clone puppets,” Nura Rikuo said, his face somewhat grim as he covered his mouth and nose and looked at the pile of mud in front of him.

"Huh? Can we still catch up?" Araragi Koyomi scratched his head, looking a little dumbfounded.

"Damn, this monster is too cunning. It's probably some old monster that crawled in again," Nura Rikuo sighed and then called over his underlings. "Did you take a picture of it? Print out a few more pictures of this monster and send them out to warn everyone in the family to be careful."

"...And to the human army, send it to them too. Remember to remind everyone that this monster is extremely good at stirring up the dark side of people's hearts, so be extra careful," Nura Rikuo said after hesitating for a few moments, treating everyone equally.

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief!"

--------------

Naraku is on his way.

Although it was a little embarrassing to say, when he felt that familiar spiritual energy again in this strange world, and that power that he longed for so much, he—not that he was angry, but if it weren't for the fact that flying directly would easily attract unnecessary trouble, he really wanted to fly directly to the place where that spiritual energy was located as fast as possible.

You misspoke; it's the place where that power resides.

Crossing layers of ruins, passing by the monsters locked in battle, it was just a passing gust of wind for them. Passing by the humans wielding metal storms, unleashing bullets and flames at the monsters, even Naraku couldn't help but take notice of such wondrous weapons. But none of these were the most important things at the moment, nor were they the most pressing issues to resolve.

Perhaps sensing the same irresistible attraction to all demons, or rather, all life, when Naraku arrived at what should have been his destination, the not-so-high mountain was already teeming with demons of all sizes, who were frantically making their way up the mountain, and surprisingly, they didn't fight each other.

Miscellaneous fish.

Naraku could tell the composition of this rabble at a glance, and he had no intention of showing himself in front of these useless people. He simply followed the invisible sense in his heart and searched for them.

He had already heard the sound of flesh being torn apart, the unwilling cries and deep resentment of the demons before they died, and that long-lost name, the name that the demons longed to call out—the Shikon Jewel.

But amidst the cacophony and the chaotic gazes of the demons, Naraku spotted them at a glance.

A woman in a red robe with white hair, and a woman in a green skirt with black hair, the former embracing the latter, were dancing among a group of monsters.

Dance of Slaughter.

The husband played sixty-six cards and the ending was also

Generally speaking, since decades ago, there have been very few things that could make Naraku angry. It was a sudden, volcanic eruption of anger that drove him to tear everything that could move and was still alive into pieces and devour it, wanting to see their corpses piled up like mountains.

He knew the origin of this emotion, but he was unwilling, or even didn't want to, think about why it appeared. At least... it was because of hatred, or perhaps it was the simple malice of a demon.

"...Platycodon grandiflorus..."

The two words were uttered heavily from his throat, like lava flowing from a volcano. Naraku chewed on the name, that familiar spiritual power, the spiritual power that belonged to her alone. But both her age and the expression on her face and the words she uttered clearly proved to him that it was not her—not the person named Kikyo.

But that hateful white-haired guy was still the same person he knew.

"...Inuyasha..."

With a look of utter disgust, he uttered the name of the white-haired dog demon. Reuniting with his old friend brought Naraku no emotion or joy whatsoever; he simply wanted to tear these two to shreds... no, of course, there was also the most important thing: something that could make him stronger, something that could transform him into a true demon.

Kagome Higurashi was fighting alongside this guy she had just freed from his seal. More accurately, this dog demon was helping her evade the attacks of these demons, while she unleashed the power within her that she could now clearly perceive—it should be called spiritual power.

"To the left! A monster is attacking from the left!"

"On the right! There's one on the right too! Ah! Something's breaking through the ground!"

"Hey! Hurry up, Inuyasha! That paw almost touched me just now!!"

Surrounded by demons, Kagome Higurashi spoke in a commanding voice, until...

"Shut up, woman! It's so noisy!!!"

With veins bulging on his forehead, Inuyasha wanted to give himself a good slap for mistaking this woman for Kikyo when he first woke up. This damn personality of his was clearly not even half as good as Kikyo's!

It's so noisy! And why do I have to listen to her?!

The only similarity is in their face and spiritual energy! Aside from that, there's absolutely nothing similar!

"Aaaaaaaaaa!!!"

The only response he received was a piercing scream, as a gaping maw lunged down at the two people in mid-air, its sharp teeth likely to leave deep wounds if it grazed them.

"Soul-scattering Iron Claw!!!"

Without any more laughter or jokes, Inuyasha decisively tore downwards with his five fingers in a claw-like shape, ripping the gaping maw apart the instant it made contact, and then using the force of the impact to dodge in another direction.

"Be careful—huh?!?!" Kagome Higurashi cried out, her eyes widening in surprise as she stared at the man who had suddenly appeared in front of her.

"...Successfully."

The man seemed somewhat excited, but he was managing to suppress it. As he spoke in a deep voice, Kagome looked down and noticed that the man who had suddenly appeared had somehow pulled the Shikon Jewel out of her skirt pocket with his left hand.

"Inuyasha!! Inuyasha!!! The Shikon Jewel has been taken!!"

"Ah, I see it! Put it down! The Shikon Jewel is mine!!!"

Turning his head, Inuyasha saw that the treasure he had considered his for the taking, the one that could make him a pure demon, had been snatched away by some inexplicable fellow, and he flew into a rage.

But it's too late.

The Soul-Scattering Iron Claw did indeed tear the man's flesh apart, but such damage was hardly even considered damage to him.

The severed body flowed like a stream through the gaps between the monsters on the ground, and in the blink of an eye, it reached the forest on the other side of the field of vision.

Ignoring the fiery gazes of the two people on the other side, Naraku's burning eyes licked every surface of the Shikon Jewel. This was what he wanted, this was what he had wanted for decades...

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the man in the purple kimono revealed a satisfied smile and swallowed the pink jade.

--------------

"The big one is coming."

The instant Naraku swallowed the jewel, Sull suddenly raised his head and looked in the direction of the Higurashi Shrine. He could sense something there... something extremely disgusting and extremely troublesome.

Like a feather tickling the palms and soles of the feet, it constantly stirs the emotions of all intelligent life... but what is even stranger is the feeling as if a part of oneself exists there.

"When will this turbulent time end?" Su Er couldn't help but sigh, looking at the pink-haired girl in front of him with some difficulty. "Are you really going to die like this?"

"If I can see more people smiling happily, then I am willing to do so," Saigyouji Yu said calmly, looking at the yokai who had suddenly appeared in front of her and said so much.

Suer has made the current situation and her future very clear.

Although I feel bad for Zi's concern, this is her choice.

Suer has made his decision; he will destroy the two unusual trees and the formation.

The spell established by the Saigyouji monk hundreds of years ago did indeed protect humanity for centuries, but now, with the passage of time, it has become a trap that will devour more lives and even disrupt the order of time.

Saigyouji Yu's original ability was simply to summon and control the dead. However, after she was completely bound to the cherry blossom tree, as the entire formation and the tree underwent deeper and deeper transformation, and with the strengthening of the earth's veins, the range of her ability expanded to an unimaginable extent as the earth's veins flowed.

It is calling upon the dead from almost every corner of the world, and even worse, it has developed into luring the living to die; everything is heading in the worst possible direction.

So let's just destroy it, let the past be the past, and the future be the future. So... Saigyouji died during a secret rendezvous.

Even if you don't have much of a relationship with this girl, as a human being, it's never pleasant to see such a pure and kind person willingly give up their life.

"Have you considered not being human?" Sul suddenly said, stroking his chin. "You also want to continue playing with Yakumo, right? You can protect others and satisfy your own desires at the same time. All you need to give up is your identity as a member of the Saigyouji family, no longer be a descendant of an exorcist family, and give up your family mission and such... I suppose you don't mind, right?"

Not quite understanding what Suer was saying, Saigyouji Yu tilted his head blankly.

"Huh? Is that okay?"

Yes, of course... probably.

"Interested in becoming the tree spirit of this cherry blossom tree?" Xin Ke asked with interest, pushing up the simulated glasses on her nose.

--------------

Kagome Higurashi's previous incarnation was Kagome, a priestess with powerful spiritual energy. Naraku's birth was related to her, and she had a complicated relationship with Inuyasha hundreds of years ago. They made a promise that Inuyasha would use the power of the Shikon Jewel to become human. However, this beautiful relationship was destroyed by Naraku's schemes, which ultimately led to Inuyasha being pinned to a tree by an arrow. He was released decades later by Kagome Higurashi, who was the reincarnation of Kikyo hundreds of years in the future.

But none of that matters anymore. Naraku, a half-demon born from countless demons, yearns to become a complete demon. The Shikon Jewel can either turn a half-demon into an ordinary human or make him a true demon.

That is the form Naraku has taken now.

A true demon is determined by his own nature. He is a demon formed from the most essential elements of countless demons, a being comparable to the Chimera among demons. This is Naraku.

It can only be said that if Jibril hadn't discovered the strangeness of the spell behind Higurashi Shrine and rescued them in time, Inuyasha and Kagome would probably have been killed by Naraku on the spot.

Naraku, who was originally a collection of countless demons, further developed his unique demon characteristics after obtaining the power of the Shikon Jewel. His strength was not the kind of direct strength that could split mountains and rocks and turn the world upside down, but rather it was more reflected in his survivability and difficulty to deal with.

Jibril could easily deflect Naraku's attacks, but even she couldn't kill him.