Chapter 35 - The Shikon Jewel? Goodbye, Suiko!
Renji summarized the things he could currently fuse into his sword.
Corpse miasma and corpse poison—according to Zombie Renji, these had the effect of inhibiting regeneration and applying debuffs. However, it seemed they no longer had the power to turn others into zombies.
A trace of spiritual energy could suppress the corpse poison, and when infused into a weapon, it could inflict great damage on creatures like demons and ghosts.
Adding to that the Sacred Tree he was about to search for, combining these three powers, Renji felt that would be enough for now.
If, later on, he could have the sword consume a Devil Fruit—specifically one meant for weapons—then the blade would truly be complete.
"Toutousai, I've pretty much figured out the materials. I'll bring them to you later. Besides those, you'll also need one of my fangs, right?"
"Master Bai Yasha, your demonic energy is also required. Once it's infused, the sword will feel much more natural in your hands."
During the forging process, Renji's demonic energy would be imbued into the weapon, forming a unique connection between the sword and its wielder, making it more attuned to use.
Toutousai patiently explained this to Renji, though he was also curious what kinds of materials Renji would gather for forging this demon blade.
"I understand. I'll come find you again soon."
"Yes, Master Bai Yasha."
With that, Toutousai no longer paid Renji any mind and lowered his head to continue working on a new weapon.
Recently, the Dog Demon Tribe had gone to war with the Leopard Cat Tribe. He had to rush production. The weapons didn't need to be perfect, but they couldn't be too shabby either.
He wasn't in the mood to invite Renji to stay for tea.
After leaving, Renji immediately headed out to retrieve the Sacred Tree. Its location wasn't hard to find—most people knew of its existence, as it had been around for many years.
Renji held high hopes for the Sacred Tree.
Wells crafted from the Sacred Tree could naturally make any demon thrown inside vanish, and it also had time-traveling capabilities—though it required the Shikon Jewel as a medium. It could also seal time.
Most astonishing of all was how this tree had managed to survive for so long.
It looked like a treasure, and yet very few demons or even humans had tried to claim it.
Maybe because they didn't understand its true power?
But truthfully, even Renji didn't know whether the Sacred Tree truly had these effects. He wasn't even sure how to fuse the Sacred Tree into his sword. Was he supposed to craft a peach wood sword or something?
As Renji pondered his next steps, he suddenly looked up sharply.
Not far ahead, a figure was approaching—but the person seemed completely unaware of Renji's presence.
"What pure demonic energy…"
"An onmyoji?"
Renji looked up at the newcomer. A young boy was trailing behind him.
"Ah, demon, how about we just go our separate ways?"
The onmyoji looked up. The wind lifted the covering of his hat, revealing a handsome and gentle face. But something about it instinctively disgusted Renji.
It was as if he detested this person's very existence.
And besides—
What was that "go our separate ways"?!
Last time, the miko didn't attack him. Now this onmyoji wasn't attacking either.
Suiko had the power to kill him. But if Renji didn't want to fight, she couldn't kill him either. Thanks to the Goro Goro no Mi, he could escape at any time. He also had the Mangekyō. In terms of raw power, Suiko was definitely stronger, but with all his strange abilities, who could say who would win?
"Shouldn't onmyoji be in Heian-kyo? What are you doing in a tiny mountain village like this?"
He was already very close to the village where the Sacred Tree was located.
Onmyoji like this simply didn't appear in such places.
In this era, onmyoji stood apart from samurai, monks, and mikos—they were in a league of their own.
Only nobles could afford to employ onmyoji, and even then, they were extremely rare.
Anyone capable of becoming an onmyoji was without exception a one-in-a-million genius.
Renji could feel it—even though the man hadn't shown any hostility, his strength far surpassed Suiko's.
"Just needed a little break. Staying in Heian-kyo all the time gets dull. Well then, demon, we'll be going."
With that, the man and his attendant vanished from sight.
"That look he gave me before leaving…"
Renji had been fully prepared for a fight, but the man simply walked away.
And that meaningful glance he threw back before leaving made Renji feel uneasy.
As expected, he still needed to get stronger. When he first reached the level of a first-rate demon, Renji had been quite pleased with himself. In the demon world, his talent was already considered exceptional—even Sesshōmaru lagged behind him.
But after leaving, first Suiko and now this onmyoji had shown him that this era wasn't the same as the Inuyasha era. Back then, maybe he could've been smug, but not anymore!
This world could no longer be viewed through the fixed storyline of Inuyasha.
With that, Renji turned his gaze toward the nearby village—where the Sacred Tree was located.
He needed to forge his weapon as soon as possible and then take part in the Leopard Cat Tribe's war.
"Master, why didn't you attack just now?"
After leaving, the boy looked at Seimei. That demon's demonic energy had been so pure—it was a perfect target. Capturing him wouldn't have been difficult.
In the demon world, powerful demons didn't necessarily have pure demonic energy. In fact, those with pure energy were rare. The boy also knew Seimei had a plan, one that required precisely this kind of demon.
"It's not time yet."
Seimei shook his head and glanced back in the direction where they'd just encountered Renji, a smile on his face. "This trip has been quite fruitful. I not only met a suitable miko, but even found the right demon. I was thinking, if I couldn't find a suitable one, I'd have to settle for using a horde of lesser demons to make an imperfect one instead."
Abe no Seimei was actually a bit pleased. Acting on a whim had helped him find ideal candidates.
"So you'll keep raising him a bit longer?"
The boy asked curiously, "Aren't you worried that demon might die?"
"That guy is probably Inu no Taisho's son, right? Originally, I wanted to use Inu no Taisho himself, but his demonic power is too strong—it might suppress the spirit inside. His son, on the other hand, is perfect. But if he dies… then that's just fate."
Abe no Seimei had deep faith in destiny. He had already calculated everything.
At the appointed time and place, everything would come together. If Renji died then, it would be fate. He wouldn't intervene to change it.
"Then… is this still the perfect jewel you've been seeking, Master?"
"Life is never perfect to begin with."
Abe no Seimei shook his head. The Shikon Jewel… Of course, if perfection were possible, he would want it. But unfortunately, life was never that perfect.
He didn't have to stubbornly pursue perfection.
Meeting Renji this time was already a stroke of luck. If, later on, Renji and Suiko could both become parts of his Shikon Jewel, that would be ideal. But if not—having Suiko alone was enough.
Finding a suitable miko was no simple task.
At the Sacred Tree.
Renji gazed at the woman ahead of him, a flicker of surprise flashing in his eyes.
He had thought that after their meeting by the lake, they would never cross paths again.
But fate seemed to enjoy playing tricks on him—he had run into Suiko once more.
Sensing something, Suiko turned her head to look at Renji.
"Demon?"
A hint of surprise passed over her calm face. Then, as if something came to mind, a quick blush flashed across her cheeks before her expression returned to normal.
Renji glanced at Suiko. Off to the side, Kirara had already risen to her feet, watching Renji warily.
Clearly, she had taken Renji to be someone tailing them.
Otherwise, the timing was far too much of a coincidence.
Renji said nothing. He looked toward the Sacred Tree, then leapt up, snapped off one of its branches, and prepared to leave.
But the moment he took the branch, he furrowed his brow. The branch seemed to have lost its magic the moment it was broken—now it just looked like an ordinary piece of wood.
"Branches from the Sacred Tree lose their original properties once broken off—unless they're preserved by special means."
"You knew?"
Renji turned to look at Suiko. He hadn't intended to get involved with her too much.
This miko's fate was tied to many of his future chances at draws.
But Suiko's words piqued his curiosity.
He had indeed been wondering about this on his way here.
Why had no one ever tried to claim the Sacred Tree?
Sure, maybe not everyone understood its properties, but there had to be someone who did. If so, surely it would've been chopped down and taken away by now—yet the tree remained.
Now, after breaking a branch himself, he'd seen not only how the tree quickly recovered, but also how the branch in his hand lost its power.
"I thought you were mute."
Suiko muttered to herself. She'd felt a bit awkward just now. No matter how strong her heart was, after what happened last time, it wasn't easy to face him calmly.
But Renji's indifferent—or rather dismissive—attitude made her feel something unfamiliar.
That was why she had suddenly spoken up to warn him.
She wanted to see whether Renji, when faced with a problem and knowing she had the solution, would continue to walk away—or ask her for help.
And as she expected, Renji asked.
"I know. But why should I tell you?"
Was this really Suiko?
A flicker of confusion crossed Renji's eyes. There hadn't been much detail about Suiko's personality in the original story.
He had always imagined she was probably similar to Kikyo.
"I need to use a batch of Sacred Tree branches to build a well. If you help carry them over, I'll give you a branch properly preserved with the Sacred Tree's power before you leave."
Suiko laid out her terms. This straightforward girl was unexpectedly easy to talk to.
Renji had been about to leave. Rather than get into a discussion with a woman about what he should do, he would've preferred to just walk away.
He wasn't going to obey a woman over something like this. He was the young lord of the Castle of the Dog. When had he ever done manual labor?
But now that she had offered a clear trade—help her, and she would give him something in return—he suddenly felt as if he'd been maneuvered.
He really had been planning to leave. He wasn't here to haul firewood.
But now that he was here, if he just left like that… something felt off.
"Just move it over?"
He looked at the pile of wood. Hm, not that much—he could handle it in one go.
"And help me dig the well. That way I'll save a lot of time."
Suiko's eyes lit up. The branch itself wasn't hard to deal with, but having help meant saving time.
She planned to use the Sacred Tree to build the Bone-Eater's Well.
Lately, the village had been plagued by many demons. Although many had been eliminated, demon corpses—whether left in piles or buried—still emitted demonic energy.
That demonic energy would attract more demons.
It was a vicious cycle.
So Suiko intended to use the Sacred Tree's wood to build the Bone-Eater's Well. Then, the bodies of slain demons could be thrown in. With the Sacred Tree's power, they would slowly vanish, solving the villagers' problem.
"Then it's settled. Let's get started—it's our deal!"
Mm.
Calling it a "deal" somehow made it sound better.
Renji gave Suiko a surprised look. Did this woman know what he was thinking?
It was just moving some branches—not a big deal. And since he couldn't solve the Sacred Tree issue alone, this trade was the only way to get Suiko's help.
"You need this much wood just to build a well?"
Renji had already made four trips. The wood was piled high, but Suiko was still unsatisfied.
"Because this well is special."
She then explained its purpose to Renji. After hearing it all, Renji finally understood—they were building the Bone-Eater's Well!
No wonder it was so powerful in the original story, even tied to the Shikon Jewel. So Suiko was the one behind it all?
Come to think of it, no normal person could've made a well like that.
After all the wood had been moved and the framework set up, Suiko began channeling her spiritual power into the Sacred Tree wood. A dazzling white light radiated from her, and her hair floated upward in the glow.
Renji could feel a chilling surge of spiritual energy. No wonder this woman could fight off so many demons for so long—just standing beside her, her power made his skin crawl.
As for Suiko, bathed in holy light, she now seemed to carry some kind of divine aura.
No wonder certain men were so obsessed with specific character types...
(End of Chapter)
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