Chapter 62: The Appearance of the World Tree Spirit

Time?

What the departing Tsubaki had said did indeed make sense; in fact, Hojo Akitoki was well aware of this reality.

Just as she had put it, human strength has its limits.

He had so many matters to handle both inside and out. Under normal circumstances, the time he could allocate to spiritual power cultivation was severely stretched.

And yet, his time was fundamentally insufficient.

Based on the knowledge preserved in his memory, the entire timeline of Inuyasha spanned, at the absolute maximum, no more than three years.

Even shorter, perhaps!

After all, who knows what grade Kagome was in when she first arrived in this Sengoku era?

However, the end point was definite—shortly after Kagome finished her graduation exams, the entire tale of Inuyasha would draw to a close.

Within such a brief and tight timeframe, to acquire strength capable of rivaling the Great Dog Demon...

No, strength capable of rivaling Sesshomaru!

With a deep and heavy gaze fixed upon the Shikon Jewel on the tray before him—purified by Tsubaki—Hojo Akitoki clenched his fists, knowing full well that his current pace of cultivation was far from enough.

Even with the golden finger of relentless effort at his disposal!

When all was said and done, how could the accumulation of the Great Dog Demon's bloodline, spanning perhaps a millennium, be offset by mere decades of hard work?

Besides, he was not a chosen miko...

And even for chosen ones like Tsubaki, Kikyo, and Midoriko, they each still required a period of growth and maturation.

"Must it ultimately come to this step?"

With a complex expression and an underlying struggle in his eyes, Hojo Akitoki was deeply reluctant to take this path.

Just as he had told the dark miko Tsubaki back in the Peach Blossom Immortal Land:

In all things, once there is a beginning, there will be a second time, dragging one ever deeper into the mire until there is no escape.

"Shikon Jewel fragment, you must have anticipated this very moment long ago, didn't you?"

Murmuring to himself, Hojo Akitoki slowly extended his hand toward it.

To gain sufficient strength in the shortest time possible, he had no choice but to attempt borrowing the power of the Shikon Jewel fragment.

"Fortunately, this fragment has been purified by Tsubaki; theoretically, the corrupting influence of the Magatsuhi should be at its lowest ebb."

Having considered every angle, Hojo Akitoki was not one to hesitate overly long. Grasping the Shikon Jewel fragment, he anchored his mind and prepared himself to face any potential threat at a moment's notice.

Should it become absolutely necessary, he would choose to travel to the birthplace of the Shikon Jewel.

There still lingered the remnant soul of Midoriko, and with the combined powers of Unai and Tsubaki, they should be able to awaken her, thereby banishing any hidden backdoors the Magatsuhi might attempt to plant within him.

"This is!"

Suddenly, Hojo Akitoki’s mind jolted, and his pupils dilated slightly.

Clearly, he was still sitting safely within the great hall, firmly grasping the Shikon Jewel fragment in his hand.

Yet his consciousness—or rather, his soul—seemed to have arrived in a wondrous realm.

And Hojo Akitoki was certain of one thing: he recognized this place.

"The Era Tree? The Sacred Tree?"

Staring at the entity before him, which resembled the subterranean giant roots of the Deku Tree from *The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom*, and observing the glowing, sac-like spherical object enwrapped by those roots, Hojo Akitoki slowly stepped forward, attempting to examine it at closer range.

"Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon?"

This was the tale that unfolded after Inuyasha and his companions defeated Naraku—the adventures of the daughters of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha.

When the Shikon Jewel vanished, the seven-colored rainbow pearls manifested in this world, possessing powers comparable to the Shikon Jewel itself, and centered around these seven pearls stood the formidable adversary Kirinmaru, drawing three half-demon maidens into a thrilling and perilous battle.

Within that narrative, the Sacred Tree—upon which Inuyasha had been sealed by Kikyo—also occupied a significant portion of the plot.

In short, the Sacred Tree was renamed the Era Tree, possessing the ability to traverse time and harboring a tree spirit of its own.

In certain aspects, it felt like a nod to Norse mythology.

"You have arrived, an anomaly in time."

While Hojo Akitoki was organizing his thoughts and observing the Era Tree, an ethereal and distant voice echoed. Right before his eyes, a beautiful figure emerged from within that glowing orb.

"Kikyo?"

The name slipped from his lips, tinged with a sense of inevitability. Narrowing his eyes, Hojo Akitoki pondered why such a transformation had occurred.

Furthermore, the "anomaly in time" undoubtedly referred to him, but how could the Era Tree possibly know that?

And why had it appeared ahead of schedule?

"Kikyo?"

"Indeed, the miko who once sealed Inuyasha onto my trunk with an arrow bore that very name."

"I have merely borrowed a trace of the miko's lingering consciousness from that arrow to manifest in the form you see before you now."

"Because I judged that communicating with you would be somewhat smoother this way, anomaly in time."

Just as it had explained to the daughters of Inuyasha, the Era Tree offered the same explanation to Hojo Akitoki.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, Era Tree."

Possessing good situational awareness and knowing what attitude to adopt under the circumstances, Hojo Akitoki offered a respectful bow.

Seeing that the Kikyo manifestation of the Era Tree showed no hostility, and knowing full well that its sudden appearance could not be without purpose, Hojo Akitoki dispensed with the pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"May I ask if Your Majesty has brought me here because there is something you require me to do?"

"Anomaly in time, you are clever."

Perhaps the Era Tree had not expected Hojo Akitoki to be so straightforward, yet its expression did not betray anger. On the contrary, it seemed to harbor a trace of appreciation for his pragmatism.

"Your very existence has caused a tremor in time—you, who should never have appeared in this world and at this epoch."

"You have inadvertently accelerated the descent of the Latter Day of the Law. Therefore, having disrupted the established destiny, you must set right the timelines and the worlds."

"The Latter Day of the Law? Wasn't that what Kirinmaru sought to bring about in the future?"

"Because of me..."

Hojo Akitoki lowered his head in thought; this rationale of cause and effect was not difficult to comprehend.

According to the normal timeline, in Kagome's future, demons no longer existed.

Yet in the Sengoku era, the lands of Hinomoto were truly crawling with demons.

Calculated by the lifespans of demons, at the very least, Sesshomaru theoretically ought to live long enough to witness the future era where Kagome lived.

Kirinmaru, and that celestial portent of Mars...

He was indeed a variable that should never have existed.

"Understood."

He gave a brisk verbal assent. In truth, even if Hojo Akitoki had been unwilling, what could he have done?

At present, he possessed no means to resist the Era Tree; perhaps once he returned to his physical body and summoned Tsubaki and the others, things might be different?

Thus, it was better to agree for now and see what path the entity intended to lay out.

Proceeding by staying still and observing changes is never a wrong strategy.

"Very well, you are indeed reasonable."

Continuing with Kikyo's face and voice, the Era Tree seemed far less sapient than one might have imagined.

Its demeanor inexplicably gave Hojo Akitoki the impression of a rudimentary, pre-programmed NPC designed to deliver predetermined reactions based on the player's choices.

"Through the Bone-Eater Well, you shall be transported to various worlds. Within those realms, according to your own will, guide them toward the correct paths."

"In time, the timelines and the worlds will grant you positive feedback."

"And when you have steered all timelines and worlds toward their correct courses..."

"At that time, you shall also obtain everything you desire."

"Of course, you need not fear the passage of time; the moment you step into the Bone-Eater Well, time will cease to affect you."

"Only when you step out of the Bone-Eater Well and return to this realm will time resume its flow."

After delivering a rather mystical monologue, acting ever more like an NPC handing out quests to a player, the Kikyo-avatar of the Era Tree raised her hand and pointed toward Hojo Akitoki.

When Hojo Akitoki regained his senses, what met his eyes once more was the palace he had constructed outside Odawara Castle, where he had been all along.

"Someone come!"

His brows tightly locked, Hojo Akitoki immediately called for his attendants.

"How much time has passed since Miko Tsubaki left?"

"And summon Miko Tsubaki, the eminent monk Unai, and the dark miko Tsubaki to me at once."

He needed to ascertain how much time had passed for him in the realm of the Era Tree, and whether that entity had tampered with him in any way.

Staring at the Shikon Jewel fragment, which was still emitting a brilliant radiance, Hojo Akitoki remained profoundly puzzled.

How on earth had a fragment of the Shikon Jewel become entangled with the spirit of the Era Tree?