"Wait... Wait!"
Positioning themselves along a narrow road while using various kinds of objects as improvised barricades, dozens of men armed with strange objects resembling sticks aim forward.
These "sticks" are absolutely recognizable to anyone from the "present day." Certainly not with complete accuracy, but that elongated and deadly shape brings to mind memories of a musket.
And they certainly were, what those men carry are black powder firearms brought directly by merchants from beyond the sea, which have already claimed an enormous number of lives on Japanese soil.
"So you're not running away anymore?"
"Aim!"
"More of those little sticks, nya? They're completely useless against your strength, nya."
Letting out a "nya" that does not seem to have anything to do with his appearance, literally being a two-meter-tall cat man with bulging muscles and a scar over his right eye, he continues forward with confident steps.
Apparently he had already encountered other men armed with muskets, although he seems to have the wrong idea since these do not depend on the user's physical strength. Perhaps he encountered unloaded muskets that were used as clubs?
"Ready... No-"
"Fire!"
*Boom* *Boom* *Boom*
Together with the fierce roar resembling thunder or an explosion, a thick cloud of dark smoke rises from the muskets' metal barrels, silencing both the surroundings and the mind of the cat man who had been advancing confidently.
Seeing the latter, certainly a clean and complete victory against a superior being, the soldiers do not celebrate or rejoice, but instead immediately begin reloading their muskets with trembling hands... But luck is not on their side.
From the high rooftops, narrow alleys, and deep shadows, several anthropomorphic cat figures of different colors appear. They had been drawn by the sudden noise, seeing one of their fighters fallen and now entering attack mode.
"M... Lord Touma."
"Aim!"
"Nya, amusing human~"
"FIRE!"
*Boom* *Boom* *Boom*
Only those who managed to reload in such a short time fire toward the anthropomorphic cats, although they are smarter than the previous one and dodge the bullets by moving to the side before everything happens.
Such a thing was possible thanks to their supernatural senses, far superior to those of humans, and because they were already on guard against muskets. So when they noticed the weapons being aimed at them, they simply moved away from where the stick was pointing before anything could happen.
"H... How did they-"
"Hahaha, after them, brothers!"
"Nyaa!"
Jumping on top of the defenseless men standing before them, the anthropomorphic cats use all kinds of tools to turn the humans into mere sacrificial lambs. Swords, kunai, supernatural arts, and fists—in just a few seconds the entire road is plunged into suffocating silence.
What happened before was an incredibly swift subjugation, but that scene is not only taking place here. The entire castle is rapidly being taken over by the anthropomorphic cats and their main leader on the battlefield.
The latter calmly stands atop the castle roof while watching his troops fight below, not showing the slightest interest in moving or acting directly. By the way, this man's appearance is almost completely human, except that he has a cat's tail and ears, making it clear that he is a powerful demon.
"Idiot humans, they can't see a trap even if it falls on top of them. But it was to be expected, Big Sister is very smart."
Twisting his dark features into a flattering smile as he remembers the plan orchestrated by his older sister, which consisted of attacking the opposing side and starting a civil war among humans, he lets out a loud laugh that makes his dark muscles tremble.
The latter can be observed because he wears only short leather pants, leaving his entire upper body and muscular chest exposed, giving off an impression of great confidence.
"Still, it's better this way. Otherwise, how could we gather the sacrifices so easily? Bah, it's time to- Um, what's that?"
Raising his brown eyes toward the sky while placing one hand over his forehead just below his short black hair, he easily spots a huge golden bird that seems to be flying in circles.
...Elsewhere...
"I've finished the reconnaissance, you can go down now."
Looking away from the walled city stretching beneath her, currently in the midst of a fierce battle, the shrine maiden with long black hair taps the golden bird's back with her straw sandal.
That action causes the supernatural beast to let out a powerful screech, changing direction and tilting its body forward, shifting from smooth flight into a steep dive toward the city wall.
On those reinforced walls, the action had ended quite some time ago, leaving behind only fallen human bodies and overturned braziers, showing that the battlefield had long since shifted into the city itself.
"Those are..."
"Cats?"
"Yes, they're damned cats, Kikyo."
Answering the doubtful words coming from the shrine maiden, who had already jumped down from his back, Asahiko returns to his human form before grabbing his head and beginning to curse the enemies swarming beneath the walls.
It really was one of the problems caused by Inuyasha! The one with the leopard cats following the bigger cat called Oyokata, who had been killed by... Ahh, none of that matters! What matters is that-
"He's coming."
"Uh, who?"
"The pearl fragment."
Pointing with her pale finger toward the humanoid figure jumping from one rooftop to another and rapidly approaching, Kikyo calmly takes an arrow from her quiver before drawing the string of her longbow.
With her archery skills it would be truly easy to bring down such an overconfident enemy. He advances across open ground without any concrete defensive measure, but... perhaps Asahiko's current state is a little interesting.
"What am I looking at here, a fox and... the reanimated corpse of a shrine maiden? What terrible taste you must have to-"
"We have to kill him."
"I completely agree."
Looking into each other's eyes for only a brief moment, both arrive at the same conclusion despite following different lines of thought. Kikyo wants blood because he insulted her current state, while Asahiko may have read far too much between the lines for his own good.
Setting aside that misunderstanding experienced only by Asahiko, the latter prepares to attack and consequently unsheathes Clouded Fang, but before he can act something... unexpected happens.
"Wait, wait, hold on a second!"
"What? Are you surrendering now or-. Wow, wait, don't attack him, we're talking!"
"Tsk, what a waste of time."
Clicking her tongue while slightly furrowing her brow, Kikyo easily brushes aside Asahiko's hand, who had stopped her shot by grabbing her arm, before directing her gaze toward the strange cat yokai below.
And that description of strange is not merely her opinion, the cat yokai is actually doing something strange, which is... pulling out a stack of pamphlets and reading them?
"Let's see, let's see... White hair, dog ears... Magenta lines on the face, golden eyes... Good, you're not Inuyasha or Sesshōmaru! I can fight you according to Big Sister!"
"See, I told you! I told you this was one of Inuyasha's problems!"
"Do you want a prize?"
"Well, depending on what that prize is I can ta-"
Turning around to look at the stoic face of Kikyo, who had just made him an interesting "offer," Asahiko smiles gently and slowly approaches her, although everyone knows he is not going to do anything.
Fortunately for everyone present, especially Asahiko, who was about to embarrass himself if he backed down once again, a dull noise attracts both his and Kikyo's attention. That sound comes from the cat yokai clapping his fists together, who then points at them with wide-open eyes.
"Ah, so you're actually companions of Inu no Taisho's son! Good, then I can't fight you."
"No, no, let's fight to the death until only one remains!"
"No, if I do that, Big Sister Toran will get angry and I don't want that to happen, so... Seismic Movement!"
Driving his powerful bronze hands into the ground as easily as if it were a joke, the cat yokai pulls the earth upward as though it were a radish, unleashing a cone-shaped wave of earth that quickly reaches the city's wall foundations.
Because of that, the collapse of the wall becomes inevitable, since without the foundations to support the weight of the structure, the entire section where both Asahiko and Kikyo are standing collapses instantly.
*Boooom*
Together with the collapse, a massive cloud of dust and chunks of rock spreads through the surroundings, plunging the area into absolute darkness for a few moments.
That is obviously taken advantage of by its creator, the cat yokai, who does not hesitate and immediately runs away from the area at full speed before either of his two enemies, Asahiko or Kikyo, can even react.
"Damn dirty trickster! He attacks while talking and then runs away on top of that, he doesn't have a shred of honor!"
Making a slash before himself with Clouded Fang after securing Kikyo during the collapse and landing on the ground, Asahiko becomes furious upon noticing that no one is standing before them anymore.
The cowardly cat had escaped after recognizing his face, knowing he was Inuyasha's friend! Perhaps now he'll be placed in the same group as those two albino brothers. They're going after him!
"...He's already gone."
"Don't tell me~"
"I was talking about the fragment's detection range."
"...Ahh, right, I had the radar beside me! Fine, if destiny wants it, then I'll do it! I'll beat up those cats and the albino brothers too!"
Raising his fist toward the sky while his blue eyes burn with a brilliant flame, Asahiko sheathes Clouded Fang and looks over the chaotic surroundings... Yes, he has no intention of taking responsibility for any of this.
...Elsewhere...
"We only managed to take some of the sacrifices we had up above, Lord Shuran."
Maintaining his hold on the fragile human slung over his shoulder, an anthropomorphic cat wearing armor speaks with the leader of them all.
This leader is obviously the one who fought against Asahiko and Kikyo, although they did not actually exchange even a single blow, but it still counts as a confrontation.
"Agh, Big Sister Toran is going to get angry. But she said not to fight Inu no Taisho's sons or their companions, so I suppose it's fine?"
"In fact, brother."
Stopping the circles he had been drawing in the dirt with a branch he found nearby, Shuran raises his gaze from the ground and looks at the illusory young woman standing before him.
That figure is clearly humanoid and female, the curves of her body leave no room for doubt, but everything else is simply indistinguishable.
"It was the right choice. Fighting them could have alerted that woman... Better to remain unnoticed until our lord returns to life."
"It won't be much longer, right?"
"Less than expected thanks to the pearl fragments, but even so, souls and flesh are still necessary... That sword almost completely devoured our lord's physical body."
Filled with static for a few moments, so much that the indistinguishable figure almost seems to disappear, she finally overcomes it and stabilizes herself.
"The sword... That sword... I think I just saw it."
"Impossible. According to what we know, Steel Fang ended up in the hands of the younger son, Inuyasha. While Sacred Fang is in the hands of the elder son, Sesshōmaru, and neither of those two has that sword."
"Perhaps he had another son?"
"Perhaps... We'd better inform Big Sister just in case, that sword is a real problem."
Fragmenting into countless colorful flower petals, the indistinguishable female figure disappears completely, leaving behind only a confused Shuran.