Chapter 25: Technology is the Future for Ordinary Mortals

"Foolish humans, do you really think you can kill me with mere fire?"

Regardless of the reactions from Akitoki Hojo and the others on the hillside, Yura of the Demon Hair, trapped like a turtle in a jar, remained calm for the moment. Even as the entire hilltop roared with flames, she felt no panic. For one, the wildfire had not yet spread to the gorge where she was hiding. For another, Yura was confident; her true form was not like ordinary hair and possessed significantly greater heat resistance.

Furthermore...

Channeling the demonic energy that had not yet fully recovered, she condensed a new human form. She then concealed the skull and comb that housed her true form within her body. Looking around, Yura wore a mocking smile.

"Do you really think I don't have legs, or that I would be foolish enough to stay put and wait for the flames to consume me?"

Indeed, Yura had no intention of waiting for the encroaching fire. Even though her nest, made of countless skulls, had decent defenses, why remain on the defensive when she could take the initiative? The hilltop was not particularly large, and since the Hojo army had surrounded it, didn't that mean the entire perimeter was a potential breakout point? By finding a weak spot and charging out, she could not only inflict casualties on the hateful humans but perhaps even devour the very army that had humiliated her the previous night.

Clever and quick to judge the situation, Yura acted immediately. She manipulated a massive amount of hair to form a protective shield and tested the intensity of the surrounding flames. Seeing that the fire only slowly singed the outer layers of her hair, she laughed.

"Just as I thought."

Assured that the fire could not destroy her hair quickly, she felt relieved. "This is different from that night."

With renewed confidence, she wrapped herself in her hair. Boldly selecting a direction, she charged straight toward the forest where she imagined the Hojo army was stationed.

"Lord Akitoki, can the demon really be burned to death?"

At the edge of the forest, Kagome watched the raging inferno. After a moment of awe, a question occurred to her. While wildfire was formidable against humans, they were facing a demon. Could the conventional logic applied to humans hold true for a demon? What if the fire failed to kill it, and the demon broke through?

"Do not worry." Akitoki Hojo was confident. He knew that the previous night, oil mixed with sugar had been able to burn away large areas of Yura's hair, proving that conventional human weapons could harm a demon's true form. Now, with even more potent additives in the oil, the fire would cling to her like maggots eating into bone. How could Yura remain unscathed, especially when she was not at full strength? Having been thwarted once already, and facing repeated weakening, even if she did manage to charge out, how much power would she have left?

"Is that so?" Kagome looked at the confident Akitoki and fell silent. She turned her gaze back, joining Inuyasha and the others in watching the fire, which began to change as more special projectiles landed.

"Damn it, I've been tricked!"

At first, Yura had navigated the flames with only minor discomfort. But as she moved, she sensed something wrong. The temperature of the fire had risen far beyond its initial intensity. Within her field of vision, the surrounding rocks were cracking, and the soil beneath her feet was melting into liquid. As for the hair wrapping her body, the speed at which she could produce new hair could no longer keep up with the rate at which it was being incinerated.

"Should I retreat?"

By the time Yura realized the danger, she was caught in a dilemma. If she pushed forward, she might not have enough combat power left to break out. If she retreated, she would simply be waiting for death amidst the growing inferno.

"I'll risk it!"

She gritted her teeth. She refused to accept this fate. If she was going to die either way, she might as well gamble. She was, after all, a demon with a human form—a mid-to-high-tier player among her kind. She refused to believe she could be defeated by a group of humans!

With no other choice, she steeled herself and accelerated through the flames. As it happened, Yura was truly unlucky. As the first humanoid demon to appear in this world, her fortune was at an all-time low. As she ran, a special projectile from the Hojo army landed squarely on her head. In an instant, the gift Akitoki had prepared for the Takeda and Imagawa armies was fully enjoyed by Yura.

"What is this!"

Struck by the canister, Yura felt imminent doom. She had expected simple oil, something she could flick or roll off. After all, the surroundings were already full of fire. But this...

"It's actually drilling into my defensive shield?"

Horrified, she stared as the flames burned through her hair and reached her true form in mere breaths. In her centuries of life, she had never seen such a thing from humans.

"A monk? A priest? A shrine maiden? It couldn't be demon fire! Which lowly half-demon possesses such fire?"

The yellow flames, distinct from ordinary fire, had already scorched her human form. Yura was terrified. She tried everything, but she could not shake off these flames that clung to her like maggots. She tried to swat them with her hair, but the hair vanished the moment it touched the fire. She rolled on the ground, but the fire remained unaffected. Finally, she tried to extinguish it with a hand infused with demonic power, but the yellow flames spread instantly to her hand and anything else it touched.

It was truly like demon fire—it was burrowing into her very body! If she had a flesh-and-blood body, these yellow flames would have exposed her bones in seconds.

"Akitoki Hojo! Hojo army!"

With a wail of infinite resentment, like the cry of a dying cuckoo, Yura screamed at the sky. She felt nothing but hatred. She had only come to snatch the Shikon Jewel. How could she have encountered such an unreasonable human lord?

The scream was so loud that the Hojo army at the edge of the forest heard it. Just hearing such a pained sound made them feel a sliver of Yura's agony. They looked at Akitoki Hojo and his "special projectiles" with newfound awe.

"Not bad."

Akitoki lowered his head, hiding the smile on his face—a smile inappropriate for the occasion. "Using the soaking method to obtain white phosphorus, using sugar to raise the temperature... My classic 'beggar-version' incendiary bomb. The effect on humans goes without saying, but it seems demons are quite susceptible to it as well."

"Heh heh heh."

Muttering to himself, Akitoki waited quietly for the result, already considering whether this tactic would be enough to deal with the eldest son of the Great Dog Demon who was soon to arrive.