Chapter 26: The Enemy Is Humiliated, I Shall Strip Him Bare

As time passed, the hillside where Yura of the Hair had been hiding gradually transformed into exactly what the onlookers had described: a volcano flowing with molten lava. The hill, located not far from Kaede’s Village, no longer bore any resemblance to the lush, wooded terrain it had once been. Everywhere the eye could see, thick smoke billowed into the sky, and crimson lava, bubbling with ominous gases, spread across the landscape.

Pale-faced, Kagome now truly believed the words of Akitoki Hojo. She was not alone; the Hojo samurai, who had been in a state of fanaticism earlier, were struck by the same awe and terror as the commoners.

"My Lord! This!"

Never had Akitoki felt more certain that the Hojo army was destined to become the masters of the land. Faced with such a cataclysmic force of their own creation, the light in Mitsuhide Akechi’s eyes shone as brightly as the sun. Overcome with uncontrollable emotion, he stepped forward, dropped to his knees, and once again offered his deep, unwavering loyalty to Akitoki. To the Hojo army, possessing such overwhelming power, demons were nothing more than trivialities.

"Rise, Mitsuhide. We have yet to see the final outcome."

Akitoki stroked the hilt of his sword. He hoped that Yura of the Hair had simply perished under the white phosphorus incendiary bombs, preferably burned until not a single bone remained. However, demons were symbols of the miraculous and the unknown. Without a sufficient number of samples to reference, Akitoki refused to celebrate prematurely—a move he believed would only invite bad luck.

"My Lord, I cannot imagine any demon capable of withstanding such an attack."

While Akitoki remained cautious, Mitsuhide and the others, having witnessed the majesty of future technology for the first time, were filled with confidence. Despite the hubris in his words, Mitsuhide looked toward the sea of flames with a fervent gaze.

"Alas, I hope you are right."

Not wanting to dampen his men’s spirits or exaggerate the enemy’s strength, Akitoki turned to look at Kagome beside him. The girl from the future was staring intently into the distance, her eyes flickering—it was unclear whether she was stunned by the sea of fire or trying to discern Yura’s demonic aura.

"Lord Akitoki!"

Suddenly, fearing exactly what she had dreaded, Kagome gasped and covered her mouth. As the girl’s voice rang out, perhaps by fate's design, Yura of the Hair—who had chosen a random direction to break through—happened to emerge directly in front of Akitoki and his army.

The demoness who burst from the flames was a pitiful sight. Her beauty, which had once been enough to distract one from her monstrous nature, was completely gone. Her hair was incinerated, and her limbs were riddled with charred craters where flames still flickered. Her appearance was so hideous that it defied the grotesque depictions found in Japanese folklore. Within the large holes in her body, the skull and comb that housed her true form were clearly visible.

"How disgusting!"
"A foul demon!"
"A monster!"

The villagers erupted in chaos at the sight of the creature, which resembled a vengeful rakshasa. Even the battle-hardened Hojo samurai, were it not for the constraints of military discipline, would have wavered and retreated in the face of such a terrifying monstrosity.

"My Lord!"

Wishing he could strike himself for his earlier arrogance, Mitsuhide realized his words had been an ill omen. Drawing his sword, he prepared to step forward and slay the weakened demon to atone for his error.

"Akitoki Hojo! Hojo Army!"

Yura of the Hair, having encountered her nemesis, was consumed by hatred. Knowing her end was near, and perhaps hoping to drag her enemies down with her, she abandoned her elegant lady-like facade. Succumbing to raw, bestial instinct, she launched a desperate, final suicidal charge.

"Protect my Lord!"

Without hesitation, Mitsuhide—unwilling to let this cornered beast threaten Akitoki—shouted the command. With his blade drawn, he and the first group of samurai to react clashed with the demon.

"Kagome, can you do what you did last night?"

Akitoki took a bow and quiver from his guard as he spoke.

"Huh?"

Kagome, having clearly misunderstood his request, blushed as Akitoki moved to her side.

"What? Last night?"

Inuyasha, hearing their exchange, felt as troubled as Elder Kaede; he no longer had the heart to watch the wretched Yura.

Akitoki drew his bow, his eyes fixed on his men as they were sent flying by the demon. Calculating the wind speed, the trajectory, and the arc of his shot, he smiled.

"I mean the time you channeled your spiritual power into my sword last night. Could you trouble yourself to channel it into my bow and arrow this time? Without sufficiently powerful spiritual energy, relying solely on mortal strength to kill this demon would result in unnecessary sacrifices."

"Oh, oh, oh. I understand."

Suddenly realizing his intent, Kagome nodded, her face flushed with embarrassment. She reached around Akitoki’s waist and placed her small hands on the arrow. Recalling the sensation of channeling her power into the blade, she focused, allowing the spiritual energy inherited from Kikyo to flow through her and into the arrow, which glinted coldly in the sunlight.

"Why must you stand in such a posture?"

Inuyasha, overcome by a strange, jealous frustration, glared at Akitoki and Kagome, who looked as if they were pressed together as one. His normally dull mind suddenly became exceptionally sharp. "Why couldn't you just stand next to each other? Why must you stand like that?"

He gnashed his teeth in confusion. Elder Kaede turned her head away, unable to bear the sight, though she silently agreed with Inuyasha’s point.

Ignoring them, Kagome poured every ounce of her strength into the arrow. Once she had no more to give, she whispered into Akitoki’s ear. Akitoki acted without hesitation, releasing the bowstring. In an instant, an arrow imbued with pure, holy power streaked through the air. It struck true, embedding itself firmly into the chest of the charging demon.

"Impossible!"

Yura’s momentum was halted. She had held back in her fight against Mitsuhide, saving her strength to kill Akitoki, only to find the final step toward victory an insurmountable chasm. She looked down slowly at her red comb, protected by the skull, as it was purified into ash by the spiritual energy.

"I hate you all!"

With a wail of resentment, Yura of the Hair vanished into the void.

"The enemy is defeated!"

Akitoki held his bow high in one hand and raised Kagome’s hand in the other. He shouted the traditional declaration of victory, proclaiming the triumph of the Hojo army.

"Ooh!"

Countless men raised their blades, roaring in response to their lord’s declaration of victory.