Crossover: A Different Inuyasha

Meanwhile, some people who were not strong enough and had no one to support them had a gleam in their eyes.

It wasn't until the old hag Li Tao nudged the toad with her elbow that the toad snapped out of its disbelief.

With a push of his short, fat legs, he almost rolled off his seat and rushed toward the platform in two quick steps.

He knelt down on the platform with a thud, placed his hands on the stone slab, and kowtowed heavily.

"I was originally just a country bumpkin, living a muddled and aimless life."

The toad reminisced about its past, realizing that its life only gained color after being captured by Inuyasha and made his lackey.

"I am able to stand here thanks to Lord Inuyasha's guidance! It was you who gave me the opportunity to step onto the national stage and become a person with power!"

As Jiujiu Toad spoke, it raised its head, its eyes glistening with tears, like two warmed pebbles in the lamplight.

"From this day forward, I swear to follow Lord Inuyasha to the death—I will never betray this kindness!"

"You are the sun of the East!"

Inuyasha looked at the toad lying at his feet, used his power to lift it up, and then turned to the faces below the stage, some quiet and some craning their necks, and his voice slowly spread out.

"In the seven years of the Eastern Kingdom, all you have seen is the expansion of the land and the overflowing of granaries—"

"But do you know who promoted land reclamation? Who planned irrigation canals, measured fields, counted the population, and encouraged childbirth?"

"It's the Nine-Nine Toad!"

"Without him, there would be no granaries in Seongei, no supply lines in Rashomon, and no foundation for the elderly to have support, children to be cared for, and 400,000 people to live and work in peace and contentment in the East."

Inuyasha's voice deepened, "Therefore, this second Spirit Armor is awarded to those who have made outstanding contributions to pioneering new lands and establishing systems!"

"At the same time, I appoint you as the Lord of Shanjian Capital, in charge of all the affairs of the Eastern Kingdom!"

"I will obey your command, sir!"

The toad bowed down again, and when it raised its head, its eyes were filled with a burning crimson light.

Inuyasha nodded slightly, said no more, and opened his palms upward.

A deep blue flame ignited, seeping from the lines of the palm, like a flower awakened from slumber, unfurling each petal.

The eyes of the crowd below turned toward them, filled with awe and curiosity.

Many of them witnessed the commotion when Sesshomaru awakened his spirit form.

The demonic power surged to the heavens, like a god or a demon—this was the first time I had ever witnessed Inuyasha using his azure flames to help someone awaken their spirit armor.

Unlike the magic crystal he gave Sesshomaru last time, this time he planned to use the Azure Flame, which had evolved once and possessed greater power and could transform into pure magic essence, to awaken the manifestation of their souls.

Before the world, tell them unmistakably that only he can awaken the spirit armor, only he can bestow it!

He is the only God of the new world!

Amidst Chunlan's fear and longing, and in the expectant and excited eyes of Jiujiu Toad, Azure Flame merged into their bodies, igniting their souls!

Meanwhile, in the shrine's backyard.

In a room filled with flowers, Kikyo slowly opened her eyes.

Her vision went from blurry to clear, like a thin mist being slowly blown away.

The first thing you see is a bright red, festive ceiling—crimson silk hangs down from the beams, and paper-cut "囍" characters gleam warmly in the candlelight.

A faint fragrance floated in the air, delicate and elegant, a scent she liked.

Kikyo blinked.

Thoughts after a long slumber are like turbulent water in a pond, slowly settling and clarifying.

Memories surfaced like fragments: gray mist, spider lilies, Inuyasha, a bright blue sun, and then a warm hand enveloped her consciousness, enveloping everything in a comfortably soothing darkness.

It's like being in that person's arms, not having to think about anything.

Kikyo opened her mouth, her voice initially soft, like a dream touching the edge of reality.

But the word "dog" had barely left his lips when the last syllable hardened, like the sound of a blade scraping against stone, carrying a hint of sorrow and hatred that had been repeatedly torn apart and was already intertwined with love.

"...Inuyasha."

Chapter 76 The Priestess's Sorrow and Shame, Naraku's Predicament

After calling his name, Kikyo seemed to have exhausted all her strength, her chest rising and falling slightly.

But when she tried to sit up, she found that her limbs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

The priestess tried to raise her arm, her joints twitched, but all she got in return was a weak, trembling tremor before she quickly fell back onto the mattress.

'wrong.'

This is not ordinary weakness.

Is it a seal?

Kikyo frowned and began to channel her spiritual power. At the same time, a warm power rose from within her body.

Like a lit ember, it expanded the moment she awakened her spiritual power, swallowing up all the newly emerged spiritual power.

"That flame... Inuyasha!"

Kikyo's eyes were clouded, and she chose to try again. The azure flames rose once more, and this time even her physical strength was somewhat consumed, like a fire snake coiled in her body, neither biting nor burning her.

However, she was not allowed to use any power beyond "living".

She could only lie there, breathe, and keep her eyes open to remain conscious.

"Inuyasha, you chose to imprison me instead of killing me, is it for the Shikon Jewel?"

Kikyo lay on the flower-strewn bed, her breathing steady and shallow. Her gaze fell on the "囍" (double happiness) character on the ceiling, a complex look flashing across her eyes—who was getting married?

"Me? Heh."

After a long while, the corner of her mouth twitched, and she muttered a soft curse, her expression a mixture of a cold laugh and some other more complex emotion.

"...What a bastard."

Her thoughts drifted back to the past.

While he was still alive, in that small house in Kaede Village, Inuyasha leaned against the doorframe, flipping through an old book he had pulled out from somewhere, while gazing at himself.

“Back in mainland China, newlyweds’ rooms are covered with red ‘囍’ characters everywhere, which looks very festive.”

"Kikyo, do you like it?"

"If it's pretty, I'd like it."

She smiled and replied, continuing to wipe the arrows, her mind filled with Inuyasha's radiant smile, while her hands trembled slightly.

The priestess, who was supposed to dedicate her life to the world, was then filled with fear of her future with the half-demon.

"If only it had been back then... there wouldn't have been a back then."

Kikyo gave a self-deprecating laugh, her low spirits making her realize something was different.

'I still carry within me the vitality and warmth that only the living possess…'

'Inuyasha, what kind of evil magic did you use to revive me?'

She remembered Inuyasha walking towards her through a sea of ​​spider lilies in the underworld, and his seemingly random words—

"Platycodon, you can't have babies here."

Kikyo took it as an extremely frivolous and outrageous remark, and became even more furious.

But now, lying on the bed covered with flowers, with the character "囍" filling his eyes, that phrase suddenly carried a weight that made his heart clench.

Red silk, the character for "double happiness," fresh flowers, red candles—each item tells a story of a direction she is not yet ready to face.

'Inuyasha... still loves me?'

The moment the thought popped into her head, she suppressed it, like a tender sprout just emerging from the soil, which she herself covered with soil.

But the bud still managed to sprout from between my fingers, with an unyielding persistence.

'A sudden awakening, a prodigal son returning home?'

Kikyo closed her eyes and could feel something trembling slightly in her chest.

She tried to imagine the scenario: could she still be with Inuyasha?

Like before, walking side by side in the sunlight? This thought, like a stone thrown into deep water, rippled across her heart, spreading in waves, before she could even discern the shapes of the ripples—

No, that's not right.

Kikyo gathered her thoughts and banished that image from her mind.

The ripples shattered into a blurry expanse of light and shadow, which was then covered by another, harder layer that surged up.

'That half-demon approached me only for the Shikon Jewel.'

In the underworld, Kikyo honed this phrase, which she had recited countless times, as if she wanted to sharpen it further so that she could sever those inappropriate thoughts.

She cursed through gritted teeth.

"He's a big liar!"

"Big liar?"

A voice came from the doorway, carrying the sound of someone who had stumbled upon a good show.

Inuyasha passed through the barrier separating the inside from the outside, saying, "I said, Kikyo, who did I lie to?"

“Speaking ill of others behind their backs without evidence is not the behavior of a noble priestess.”

The silver-haired half-demon spoke as she walked towards the bed. Her footsteps seemed to pound on Kikyo's heart, making her nervous and at a loss.

'This is the enemy! The enemy!'

Kikyo kept repeating this in her heart, like beating a drum that was about to crack, trying to arm herself with a cold, hard shell.

She decided to take a hard line.

We must not let the half-demon look down on us.

But the moment she raised her eyes, Inuyasha stopped at the edge of the bed.

The candlelight flickered behind the half-demon, casting a golden-red halo around his silhouette—and then, his appearance began to change.

Her long, silvery-white hair turned black from the roots down, like the night falling from above and flowing down to the ends.

His golden eyes then became calm and deep, like two pebbles soaked in the night, losing the fierceness and sharpness that belonged to a demon, leaving only a warm and gentle black.

The contours of her face remained unchanged.

But the roguish arrogance that permeated his eyes and brows was smoothed out, revealing a human face beneath, with a youthful spirit yet a resolute face that had matured over time.

Kikyo was stunned.

This was the form she had seen countless times by the river in Maple Village, at dusk, and by the campfire—Inuyasha in human form.

That half-demon boy who loses all his demonic power on the night of the new moon, curls up beside her, and occasionally falls asleep leaning on her shoulder.

The sudden unfolding before her eyes caught her completely off guard, causing her to gasp for breath.

But before she could process the scene, the ink flowed back from the ends of his hair, the silver-white spread out again, and the gold shone brightly again. Then, demonic patterns appeared on his cheeks, neck, and wrists.

His eyes sank from gold to crimson, like two burning embers, exuding an almost primal and savage sense of oppression. His aura also suddenly deepened, becoming sharp and aggressive.

Monster form.

Kikyo's pupils contracted slightly. This was a side of Inuyasha she had never seen before—a demon's face without any disguise.

"you……"

Her voice caught in her throat for a moment, then, as if struck by a thought, she blurted out the question.

"You found the Shikon Jewel?"

Inuyasha curled the corners of his mouth slightly, with an innate arrogance, "The Shikon Jewel? That's something only the weak would covet."

Inuyasha, who forgets his roots when he becomes powerful, slowly leans down, his crimson eyes burning with intense aggression, staring at Kikyo, who appears exceptionally fragile on the bed due to her spiritual power being sealed, and kisses her lips without saying a word.

This woman only becomes docile when she is weak.

'It's a different feeling from Jieluo and Feng.' At first, I had the mindset of a scumbag.