Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"He did follow her for a while... but he was quickly left far behind by Miss Tsubaki, and he couldn't even see her back anymore."

"Miss Tsubaki is not heading in that town, so Miyuki Shirogane doesn't have a pre-set destination."

"Left with no other choice, he returned to the Taoist temple alone, waiting and praying for Miss Chun, hoping that she would not encounter any danger."

"At this time, he felt the importance of power even more."

524. Tsubaki's decisive battle with Kikyo, the femme fatale, Miyuki Shirogane.

"Lightning flashed and thunder roared, dark clouds rolled across the sky, a heavy rain was imminent."

"In the desolate wilderness, Kikyo, who wanted to hurry up and find a cave to take shelter from the rain, had to stop."

Before her stood a stern-faced priestess, dressed in a dignified white shrine maiden's robes, blocking her path. The priestess had clearly left no room for negotiation; her voice was chillingly cold: "Why?"

"She sensed it after she left that town after exorcising the demon, and Kikyo also went to that town. At that time, Kikyo was only a few hundred meters away from her and from Shirogane Miyuki."

"A shrine maiden needs special spells to discover an ordinary person, but if the person is someone she has seen before, someone with powerful spiritual or demonic energy, then..."

"At great distances, it will automatically detect the other party's spiritual and demonic power, and thus discover their whereabouts."

"That's exactly why Tsubaki made the condition that 'no one should approach within ten miles of Miyuki.' Wherever she is, Miyuki will be there, so Kikyo just needs to avoid her after she spots her."

"And although she said 'ten miles,' she wasn't actually that strict. In reality, it only needed to be more than five miles away."

"However, Kikyo, who broke the agreement without permission, had already invaded the area within a mile radius at that time. If it weren't for the different directions, but rather on a plain or grassland, Shirogane Miyuki could have seen her at a glance at that distance."

"Why tear up the treaty? Why not fulfill the promises? Why resort to such tactics?"

"With repeated questioning, Tsubaki's anger intensified, and she was on the verge of exploding."

Kikyo looked at her face, thought for a while, and then remembered their conversation from before.

Her expression was calm, and she said in a very composed and peaceful manner, "I haven't made any agreement, and I have no intention of having any feelings for that man named Yu Xing. You don't need to be so wary."

"How could Tsubaki believe that... And regardless of whether Kikyo was telling the truth or not, the fact that she entered within five miles of her and Shirogane Miyuki without refuting it is undeniable."

"This involves the suspicion of stealing a man, and it also tramples on her, the shrine maiden Tsubaki, treating her as nothing."

"If she doesn't fight back after all this, what reputation does she have left?"

"You're forcing me to kill you!!"

"Gathering all my spiritual power, I strike Kikyo together with the strongest shikigami I've contracted with."

"Tsubaki had no intention of killing anyone. She only planned to injure Kikyo and disfigure her, to teach this woman a lesson while ensuring she would never have the right to steal a man again."

"Chun's talent and spiritual power are second only to the young people of this era. It's like a raging torrent, with the force of an unstoppable natural disaster, about to crash into the mountains."

"but…"

"It's true that Tsubaki is the second most important young person of this era, while Kikyo is the most important young person of this era. However, what Tsubaki doesn't know is..."

"Kikyo is not only the number one among young people of this era, she is also the number one among all spiritual beings of this era!"

"Whether young or old, male or female, monks, exorcists, sorcerers, shrine maidens—if all these branches were to come together and all the strong were to compete for the title of strongest, then without a doubt…"

"Kikyo is now the undisputed strongest human!!"

"In the history of this world, there have been humans stronger than Kikyo, there may even be more than one, but unfortunately, the shrine maiden Tsubaki does not belong to that category."

""boom!!""

"Therefore, when Kikyo raised her hand without any fluctuation and gently swung her bow, the attack that had gathered a large amount of the priestess Tsubaki's spiritual power was like an egg hitting a stone, and was instantly annihilated."

"Just as a broken egg splatters its yolk, some of the force was reflected back at the shrine maiden Tsubaki, causing a backlash against her."

"A clear, extremely unsightly mark appeared on her face, which was the mark she had intended to inflict on Kikyo."

"...Ah, ah!?"

"Tsubaki stood motionless, her pupils contracted sharply, as if she hadn't reacted at all, unable to believe the fact—unable to believe that she was so much weaker than Kikyo, and that she had been disfigured."

"She shakily raised her hand to touch her cheek, then froze, her heart stopping."

"Even without a mirror, she could understand what had happened just by touch."

““Platycodon, platycodon…” Tsubaki murmured softly, her voice trembling.

"Accompanied by thunder and lightning, her voice grew louder and louder, her tone more and more grief-stricken, 'Kikyo, Kikyo... Kikyo ahhhhhhh!!'"

"But it doesn't matter what happens to her."

"Her sarcasm, her oppression, her attacks, her pathetic state—none of these stirred Kikyo's emotions... She simply watched calmly as the shrine maiden Tsubaki buried her face in her hands, wept bitterly, and knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face."

"Kikyo, a priestess who is like a saint, unmoved by external gains or losses."

"...Although it's quite obvious that Kikyo is now purer and more holy than she is fifty years later, and possesses a more transcendent temperament and mindset, but..."

At the Kousaka residence, Kirino Kousaka frowned, racking her brains to come up with a description: "Why do I feel a little horrified? Kikyo-neechan doesn't feel like a human being to me now; she feels more like a doll. Is it just my imagination?"

Kyosuke Kosaka shook his head. "No, this isn't just your imagination, because I think so too."

If Kousaka Kyosuke saw Kikyo now, he thought he would be amazed by her beauty and adore her immensely, praising her to the skies.

But he first saw Kikyo fifty years in the future, and then saw Kikyo in the present.

Fifty years later, Kikyo will hide the Soul-Slaying Insects so as not to frighten Shirogane Miyuki, an ordinary person, and she will show a genuine smile when the children in the village like her and surround her.

While Kikyo from fifty years ago was not entirely devoid of humanity, her divinity far outweighed her humanity; otherwise, she wouldn't have been completely indifferent to the shrine maiden Tsubaki.

This kind of bellflower, rather than a person, is probably more like something else.

"This kind of bellflower is perfect, pure, and beautiful, and I would like it... However, comparing the two, I definitely prefer the bellflower fifty years from now to the bellflower I like now."

With a slight sigh, she made this assessment.

This assessment is not unique to the Kousaka siblings, but rather reflects the general opinion of people from all three worlds, including Chiku's Earth side.

525. Tsubaki's decisive battle with Kikyo, the femme fatale, Miyuki Shirogane.

Currently, Kikyo didn't actually appear much fifty years ago.

Logically speaking, apart from Hachiman Hikigaya, who has a keen eye for talent, most people wouldn't be able to tell what state she's in right now.

But before him was Reinhard, whose mind and soul had reached the level of a saint, and after him was Kikyo, who would smile for children fifty years later.

By directly comparing these two templates, it's not hard to see what level of artistry Kikyo achieved fifty years ago.

It is sacred, pure, and flawless... This is certainly good.

However, if these traits overshadow or even surpass the person "Kikyo," then that would be very bad.

In summary, it's a very simple sentence.

The bellflower was good fifty years ago, but it's even better fifty years later.

Therefore, everyone is overwhelmingly in favor of Kikyo fifty years later.

However, at the Nakano family home, the five Nakano sisters were not thinking about "which Kikyo is better" at all... They were now secretly fighting each other to the bitter end, each of them gritting their teeth.

They were all on the verge of exasperation.

Because of the obstruction of her plastic sisters, even after so long, they still haven't been able to take advantage of Futaro. How can they stand it?

As the infighting intensifies, it is almost brewing an irreconcilable rift that could lead the five sisters to an irreparable state.

At that moment, Miss Chun's fate served as a stark reminder of what was to come.

Rivalry leads to disfigurement, and the victim reaps what they sow... In reality, it's like throwing sulfuric acid in someone's face or stabbing them with a kitchen knife.

This caused the four sisters, who were entangled in a tangled mess, to stop fighting temporarily, calm down, and then fight again later.

They didn't want themselves or their sisters to end up like that; after all, it was too much.

The four sisters looked at each other, letting out a wry smile. Having pulled back from the brink, they realized just how dangerous their situation had been.

Ichika sighed, "It's all thanks to Miss Tsubaki."

“Yes, that’s right.” Nino nodded.

Miku and Yotsuba tentatively said, "Then let's..."

"Of course we must repay this great kindness and give our full support to Miss Tsubaki in successfully acquiring the Silver Miyuki!"

The four sisters, who had temporarily ceased hostilities, reached a consensus and began to passionately support the weak, pitiful, and helpless Miss Tsubaki.

"The world was pitch black, and only when a flash of lightning occasionally streaked across the sky could Kikyo see clearly the expression of resentment on the face of the shrine maiden Tsubaki, whose eyes were bloodshot."

"Kikyo, Kikyo, ha, ha ha ha ha ha... I curse you, I curse you!"

"Using all her spiritual power, the shrine maiden Tsubaki, tears streaming down her face, roared: 'If you dare to fall in love, if you dare to love a man, especially if you covet Shirogane Miyuki, then you are very likely to die a violent death—you will die a violent death, hahahahaha!!'"

"Her spiritual power combined with hatred, transforming into a tangible curse that, like a maggot clinging to a bone, flew over and firmly attached itself to Kikyo's body and mind."

"Kikyo could have dispersed it, but she saw the curse as harmless and therefore didn't want to waste her spiritual power on defense."

She remained completely unmoved, with only one unwavering thought in her mind: "Falling in love? How could I, Kikyo, possibly fall in love with anyone?"

Thinking this, she turned and left without looking back, never glancing again at the defeated opponent who had inexplicably come looking for trouble.

"The rain poured down... Under the curtain of rain, Tsubaki, dressed in a white shrine maiden outfit, quietly watched Kikyo's retreating figure until she completely disappeared."

"Wa ...

"Her curse had worked, and she wanted to laugh wildly, but when she touched her no longer flawless face, tears and wails just wouldn't stop."

"...At this moment, is Tsubaki feeling regret, resentment, or fear?"

"Even she, who was crying, couldn't explain it clearly."

"..."

Alone, Kikyo's eyelids drooped, and she looked somewhat melancholy after watching the farce come to an end.

She did remember; something like that had indeed happened fifty years ago. However, she had been resurrected, and a part of her soul remained within Kagome's body, so she had forgotten everything before.

So, who benefited from this farce fifty years ago?

Is it the disfigured shrine maiden Tsubaki? Is it the one who ultimately met a tragic end? Or is it Shirogane Miyuki, who sincerely prays for his Tsubaki-san at the shrine?

Everyone is a victim.

Kikyo remained silent. She didn't hate the shrine maiden Tsubaki. Although Tsubaki had placed a love curse on her, in reality, based on the comparison of their spiritual power, Tsubaki's curse wouldn't have much effect on her.