Update (March 2021): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 60: The Bakuryūha
Recap:
Ever since the battle with Goskinki, Inuyasha has been experiencing double trouble from a repaired but heavier version of his sword Tessaiga, and the awakened demon ego in his mixed blood. He's already transformed a few times, each instant more dangerous than the last...Fearing he may eventually lose his sense of self and hurt the ones he cares about, Inuyasha seeks help from Tōtōsai, who informs him that the weight change of Tessaiga is reflecting the rank of power between him and his father before.
To change this imbalance, a dragon demon by name of Ryūkotsusei must be defeated.
With Myōga as his guide, Inuyasha eventually enters the mountainous valley where the colossal monster lays dormant...Unfortunately, Naraku had already caught wind of the half-demon's plans, and sends a demon puppet copy of himself to corrode away the demon dog claw acting as the lock on Ryūkotsusei, freeing them once more!
While Inuyasha begins his somewhat unintended battle against the giant dragon demon, his friends eventually meet up with Tōtōsai and learn of the silverette's whereabouts. Noticing that the atmosphere of the distant valley was shifting towards darkness, they all set out to find Inuyasha and help...
By the time they got there, Inuyasha had already taken a severe beating from Ryūkotsusei, and was on the verge of death!...Which means his inner demon will be threatening to take over.
Now...
As the barely alive Inuyasha continues to lay on the ground, Ryūkotsusei comments,
"Ha, so you're still hanging on. I'll put an end to your misery."
Letting out a laugh, the dragon demon begins closing in, brushing their body against Tessaiga...just as the red-clad youth's pulsates a strange energy again, and a spectral wind billows through his silver hair...
"Inuyasha! Can yeu hear me?! Come on, wake up!...Inuyashaaa!"
...His body stirs, and with barely any control over his consciousness, he mutters Coraline's name as his eyes open to reveal the demon red/cyan...A similar energy borders him, and the change isn't unnoticed by Ryūkotsusei.
"Mmh? The aura that surrounds him is entirely transformed..."
(...Slap)
With a feral growl, Inuyasha pushes himself up on his hands, and stands to look at the dragon demon with a glare and grinding teeth...
"Haha, his demon blood has awakened. So be it...This shall prove to be entertaining."
The half-demon only snarls and readies his claws, an act Miroku wouldn't miss.
"Oh no, Inuyasha's already transformed!"
Said silverette springs at Ryūkotsusei, and manages to cut the other across his neck!...But even with the small victory, Coraline was more concerned about her friend becoming a vicious fighter once again.
"No, Inuyasha! Don' figh' this way; ge' the Tessaiga and battle as you!"
He pays her no mind and snarls, baring his claws once more...Tōtōsai wonders,
What will you do now? If you battle Ryūkotsusei with those claws, you may come out of this alive...
You may be the victor...but the Tessaiga will not become lighter for you.
Inuyasha lands a few more attacks, and laughs menacingly as he touches the ground once more...
"Don't be so sure of yourself, Little Man."
(Pow, BOOM)
Ryūkotsusei chuckles, thinking he destroyed Inuyasha...
"Raaaahhhh!"
(SLASH)
However, the dog demon suddenly jumps at him and lands a successful cut, slamming the other into the valley side!...As the body drags over the ground, Tessaiga springs back to a stand. Sango and Miroku each comment on the strength:
"Amazing!"
"The demon is huge, but he went right for him!"
Coraline and Freeman each ask,
"Does tha' mean it's over?"
"Is Ryūkotsusei dead?"
...Tōtōsai then sighs,
"Let's retreat," a suggestion the girl riding with him isn't pleased by.
"What?! Why in th' hell should we do tha'?"
"Isn't it obvious? Inuyasha has chosen to fight as a demon."
The sword-smith directs Mōmō to turn around and make way for a safer location...
But Coraline wasn't going to take this action lying down.
"Are yeu seriously abandonin' him?! What kind'a loyalty do you have?!"
Besa isn't too far behind:
"This is cowardly!"
But the flea demon tries to defend Tōtōsai's decision.
"No, he's right! I'm afraid that if we stay here, Master Inuyasha may even come after us!"
"Myōga, not you too..."
"When Inuyasha transformed, he lost his sense of discrimination. There's no guarantee that you won't be his next victim."
Coraline forms a bitter frown and replies bluntly,
"Tha's just it: I already did figh' his demon ego a few days ago...However, i' was my own choice to stand agains' him t' be with him...just as this will be me choice. Myōga, run."
He looks at her in surprise, while she focuses on clapping a hand on the sword-smith's shoulder to get his attention.
"Le' me down now, Tōtōsai. I'm stayin' here."
"No, Coraline, you mustn't."
"Don't even star'. I know wha' you and everyone else will say...but I say devil to his transf'mations! Inuyasha's still Inuyasha, and I won't leave 'im while 'e's battling for his life!"
Everyone looks at her in awe and shock...before her brothers smile knowingly at her behaviour.
That's Cora for you: stands by her friends no matter what.
"I'll ask once more: please le' me down so I can be with him!"
"Alright, alright, if you're really that determined..."
...But just as Tōtōsai redirects Mōmō to the nearest rock ledge, the others come up on Kilala as Miroku notes,
"Wait a moment. Inuyasha's sure acting strange..."
The other dart their eyes back down below, and following their collective gaze...we see Inuyasha slowly make his way over to Tessaiga!
"Inuyasha..."
"Master Inuyasha!"
Sango comments in surprise,
"He's transformed, yet he's trying to pick up the Tessaiga!"
Freeman wonders,
"Maybe there's a shred of his consciousness still in control..."
Tōtōsai mentally questions,
Could it be...as Coraline said?
Another pulse of demonic energy pulsates through Inuyasha as his hand struggles to reach for his fallen blade...The smith who crafted the dog fang katana concludes,
There is no doubt: his soul is battling against the demon blood that rushes through his veins.
Said red-clad youth lets out a strained snarl, and Coraline calls down,
"Come on, Inuyasha! Yeu can make it; I know you can!"
(Sheen) I can see it: h's central core's glowin' a bit more brightly this time, so his real self is attemptin' to stay in charge...
Here's crossin' our fingers i' continues until h's hand reaches the hilt.
Ryūkotsusei turns to stare down at the struggling dog demon and says,
"Why, that, little...How dare he think he can conquer me!"
Just as Inuyasha was a few inches away from Tessaiga, the giant dragon demon releases another electric orb.
"Playtime is over!"
(Pow, BOOM)
The audience above cringes from the brightness of the blast, before looking down to see if their friend was alright...
That's when Shippō and Freeman spot it.
"Look; what's that?!"
"...Is that a barrier?...!"
Zooming down, we see Inuyasha is still alive, courtesy of a shield projected by his sword's sheath!
"The sheath of Tessaiga...! What's happening?"
Miroku replies to Sango just as perplexed,
"I dunno," but Tōtōsai recognizes the phenomenon.
"Ah-huh, the barrier of the sheath..."
The fox demon then remembers one of the last times that the Tessaiga's sheath was used to deflect enemy attacks.
"That's right: he used it once before against the Thunder Brothers."
Myōga nods,
"Precisely! He used the sheath to withstand the lightning attacks!"
Coraline and Besa sigh with relief,
"There's still hope," but Tōtōsai warns,
"Yes, but there will not be a second time. The sheath won't hold."
Ryūkotsusei makes the danger all the more clear upon his next charge.
"You cannot stop me with that! Now perish!"
(Pow)
"Oh no!"
"Not again!"
Miroku decides to step in with his own power...
"Wind Tunnel!"
(Whooooooooossssssssssshhhhhhhhhh...)
The black hole is released, and it takes hold of the lightning orb!
"Miroku!"
"Grryh, rrrgh...!"
It's too strong!
Though he isn't able to suck the attack into nothing, the monk barely manages to re-direct its path so it just misses Inuyasha by a hair!
(BOOM...)
The gingers of our group each comment,
"He divert'd it..."
"That was a close call..."
Panting a little, Miroku comments in a mix of surprise and a little frustration,
"I can't believe this: it took everything ounce of my strength just to slightly alter the path of that blast."
Sango wonders aloud,
"How can Inuyasha hope to defeat him all on his own?"
Freeman shrugs,
"That's a good question...Hopefully, Miroku's interference bought him enough time to get his sword."
...
...
As the dust cloud settles, we see Inuyasha - bathed in a demonic red glow - reach out to take hold of his sword's hilt...Ryūkotsusei then notices,
His demon aura is dissipating...
After another minute or two, the energy disappears completely, and the half-demon glares up at the dragon as his eyes revert back to their normal hazel-gold, and the African purple stripes on his cheekbones fade away...
"Nobody dares to step on my sword and lives to tell about it! Ryūkotsusei, my Tessaiga is gonna take you down!"
The katana reverts to its true form...though their wielder found the weight continuing to act the role of a mild burden...
"You're so very weak. You can't even hold up your sword; pitiful."
"Laugh while you can, but I have my reasons for needing to use the Tessaiga to slay you!"
"Heh, this time I won't hold back for your sake! Hehehahaha..."
One of the dragon eyes gleams in anticipation of destroying the son of the one who first defeated him, and Inuyasha growls as he holds his sword up at the ready...
(Ba-bump...)
"Huh?"
Feeling a pulse from Tessaiga, he looks down...and sees that the blade is glowing an ethereal silver-white, highlighting the faint writing of some certain glyphs.
"Huh?!"
It's not my imagination; the Tessaiga is getting lighter!
...And those glyphs again...Tessaiga...what are you trying to tell me?
Everyone watching from above is in awe as they watch Inuyasha slowly and easily lift his weapon with a single appendage! Coraline and Besa call with excited smiles,
"Look: Inuyasha is ac'ully holdin' the sword up!"
"And with one hand!"
Tōtōsai calls back a touch irritably,
"I can see that!"
Back below, Inuyasha decides,
"Now's my chance to pierce through Ryūkotsusei's heart!"
He then sprints towards the dragon demon, who in turn shoots a lightning orb as a counter.
(Pow)
"Hrrraaahhh!"
(BOOM)
"You fool...Huh?!"
Unfortunately for the dragon demon, Inuyasha was able to leap through the lightning attack, before driving Tessaiga straight into the scar in their chest!
(JAB)
"Aaaaauggggghhhh!"
Our spectators up above gasp, and Ryūkotsusei lets out a strangled breath, while his wound spurs out blood...Inuyasha and Coraline think simultaneously,
I did it!
He pierced the dragon's hear'!
Miroku and Freeman wonder aloud,
"...Is he dead?"
"Is Ryūkotsusei no more?"
Inuyasha pushes and pulls his sword out of the wound, leaping to solid ground before finding himself staring at his blade in wonder, nearly trembling in excitement from this new turn.
"...So light..."
It used to be so heavy; now it feels like an extension of my hand!
...
...
Unfortunately, Ryūkotsusei is still among the living.
How dare use his sword against me...!
"You'll pay, Little Man!"
Rising off the ground, he then releases another lightning orb, and Inuyasha comments in disbelief while leaping and dodging,
"Hasn't that ugly thing keeled over yet?!"
(Pow, BOOM...)
Watching the silverette narrowly avoid another energy attack, Shippō exclaims,
"What a demon! Stabbed in the heart and he acts like nothing happened!"
Tōtōsai explains,
"Ryūkotsusei was a handful even for Inuyasha's father, remember? He won't die unless he's hacked into pieces."
Coraline thinks to herself in the spirit of comparison,
Just like tha' carrion crow tha' tried t' make off with th' jewel before it crumbled...
Ryūkotsusei quickly reverts to his routine of continuous lightning orb attacks, leaving Inuyasha little options other than running and dodging...He eventually finds an opening to leap down for a counterattack.
"Now it's my turn!"
(Clang)
But the dragon demon's iron-tough body holds out, and he slams the smaller half-dog demon into the rocky wall with his tail...The former chuckles mockingly at the lack of damage from the latter, while they in turn mentally curse while lifting himself to his feet,
Damn. His body's hard as rock!
"I warned you once before: that toy sword is useless!"
Inuyasha growls...before his nose picks up on an interesting scent.
"Huh? What's going on?...The scent of the Wind Scar..."
He looks down to see that the source of the demon wind shift is his own blade.
"The Wind Scar is twisting around the Tessaiga..."
While the half-demon looks a bit more closely, Ryūkotsusei calls down,
"You're a fool, Little Man," before charging his attack once more...
"(Smirk) Heh, Ryūkotsusei: you're in for a big surprise, because things are gonna be different now!"
(Pow)
"Ha! (Leap) Wind Scar!"
(SLASH)
The tri-claw energy collides with the lightning orb, before pushing it away entirely, leaving the dragon demon wide open.
"Waaaaarrrrgghhhhhhh!"
(Ka-POW)
Miroku and Sango comment from above,
"Look; the Wind Scar!"
"Amazing!"
Coraline smiles proudly and says,
"I knew he could do i'," and Shippō wonders,
"Does this mean he beat him?"
Besa looks down below as the dust cloud dissipates, and sees that Ryūkotsusei was down...but not in pieces.
Hm...
Meanwhile, Inuyasha comments on the Tessaiga's change in weight and power.
Not only did it get lighter, but now I can invoke the Wind Scar anytime I want!
"(Turn) Did you see that, Tōtōsai? I wasted that demon!"
"Well, I'll give you the credit you deserve...but it's too early to rest on your laurels."
He and Coraline look at the sword-smith confusingly...before Besa calls,
"Ryūkotsusei isn't in pieces yet! He might still be alive!"
(Rumble...)
The ground shakes, and Inuyasha turns to see the dragon demon lift himself up!
"...Is that your best? You disappoint me."
The half-demon grimaces, and Ryūkotsusei jeers,
"Did you think that dismal attempt would destroy me?"
Shippō asks aloud in frustration,
"What's with him, anyway?!"
His fellow redhead is also confused:
"Hi' with the Wind Scar, ye' no' even a scratch on the body! How is tha' even possible?!"
Freeman waves his fist and shouts in a childish sort of anger,
"That outta be illegal, sliding out of an attack like that!"
Tōtōsai comments,
"Yep. Don't say I didn't warn ya," as Ryūkotsusei says,
"I told you: my body is much harder than armor. Now it's my turn!"
He charges up his lightning orb attack, and his body begins to glow similarly...
"Uh oh, Inuyasha, you better get out of the way! He's serious!"
Said half-demon retorts back at Tōtōsai,
"So am I!...Huh?"
He then sees the glow around the dragon demon's body.
"...What's with that demonic aura?"
"Don't just stand there talking! Hurry up and run!"
"No chance! I'm confident that I can finish him off this time!"
"Just be glad that you can wield the Tessaiga now! Leave while you're ahead!"
Coraline calls down after Tōtōsai,
"Inuyasha...are yeu sure you want to continue?"
"You people just don't get it, do you? I've been waiting for this moment!"
The strengthening aura around Ryūkotsusei changes the gravity of his vicinity, causing numerous boulders to rise which evaporate from the power...The dragon demon then begins what may be the final charge, and Inuyasha adds,
"And besides, if I kill this thing, I'll surpass my old man in power."
He sprints towards Ryūkotsusei, who retorts,
"Speaking of him, why don't you go join him in Hell?!"
Miroku and Sango sense the deeper danger in this latest attack.
"It's huge!"
"We'll all get caught up in the blast. Kilala, move away!"
She heeds the slayer's order and takes the three on her back further away from the area, with Mōmō following her example...Ryūkotsusei releases the giant lightning orb, and it barrels at the charging Inuyasha, who in turn does not slow his speed.
"Hrrrrraaaaahhhhhhhh! (Leap) Hrh?"
I've never seen such a huge blast of demonic energy...
Watching from afar and knowing there was no turning back for her friend, Coraline decides to call down some support.
"You can do i', Inuyasha!"
The others look at her surprisingly as she calls again:
"Yeu can do it!"
Her brothers catch onto her cheering and join in.
"Yeah, you can do it!"
"Go, Inuyasha! Destroy that monster!"
Tōtōsai wasn't as hopeful:
"The fool!"
In order to destroy Ryūkotsusei's rock-hard body, Inuyasha must summon the Backlash Wave.
He doesn't stand a chance...
Inuyasha's POV
"I can't avoid it!"
"Hehahaha, you cannot escape me now!"
As I continue my trajectory towards the giant orb...I then hear Coraline and her brothers, cheering for me.
"You can do i', Inuyasha!...Yeu can do it!"
"Yeah, you can do it!"
"Go, Inuyasha! Destroy that monster!"
Coraline...Freeman...Besa...They're behind me for this.
...I can't let them down...I can't let her down!
"That leaves one choice...I've gotta cut through it!"
Letting out a war-cry, I hit the attack dead-on...just as two whirlpools of power appear!
No POV
Everyone else above sees the change, Sango exclaiming,
"Look; what is that?!"
"Hm? It can't be...!"
Coraline looks at Tōtōsai...before widening her eyes and asking with bated breath,
"...Is tha'...?"
"Incredible...That's the Backlash Wave."
Inside the whirlpools, Inuyasha senses the Wind Scar becoming more powerful.
I see it: I need to cut through that smouldering spot with my Wind Scar...!
"Right, about, (swing) HERE!"
(SLASH)
The Wind Scar flies, pushing Ryūkotsusei's power straight back at him!
"What?! His sword has taken control of my energy blast!"
The current of wind and power hits the dragon demon, causing small cyclones to form...
"IMPOSSIBLE! THIS CANNOT BE!"
The cyclones curve and shoot at Ryūkotsusei, slashing and hacking his body! The higher audience is in awe, Coraline included.
"Amazing! Tessaiga's aura is actin' as a counter agen' to Ryūkotsusei's!"
"THIS CAN'T, BE...! G-GYAAAH!"
His neck is then split, and the cyclones finish the rest of his body off, reducing him to a head.
"AAH, MY BODY! HE SLASHED MY INVINCIBLE, ROCK-HARD BODY!"
(BOOM)
And with one more blast, the colossal Ryūkotsusei is no more, the fallen pieces slowly evaporating to rubble and dust...
The sky brightens, and we find Inuyasha fixed in a shocked state over being alive and the power he unleashed.
What happened?
...That was totally different from all the other Wind Scars!
"Inuyasha!"
"Huh? (Turn) Coraline..."
The rest of the group lands on the ground, and Shippō bounds over to the victorious dog demon.
"Inuyasha! You did it! (Hops atop his shoulder) There's not hide nor hair left of that Ryūkotsusei!"
Coraline comes over to congratulate the silverette was well.
"That was incredible! How th' hell did yeu tap into tha' power?"
"Uuh, who, me?"
Myōga hops up onto Inuyasha's nose to give his compliments.
"Very impressive, Master Inuyasha! I knew from the start you had the strength to defeat him!"
The fox demon comments with a frown,
"We had to practically drag him back here," and Freeman goes as far as scolding,
"Don't go makin' praises you didn't believe in before, ya spineless old timer!"
The flea turns and hops onto Freeman's shoulder to start an argument with the younger male, leaving the arriving Besa to facepalm at them both...Meanwhile, Inuyasha walks up to the sword-smith, seemingly enlightened.
"I understand now, Tōtōsai."
"Hm?"
But, then he slaps Tōtōsai on the back a bit too hard, causing the other to fall over while he compliments with a smile,
"You know, you're more generous then I gave you credit for! Hehaha, what did you do to the Tessaiga, anyway? It's much better than before!"
"Wait a minute...You used the technique without realizing?"
"Huh?"
"(Stands up) The Tessaiga's Ultimate Technique: Bakuryūha, or Backlash Wave."
"...Bakuryūha? The Backlash Wave? Huh?"
Coraline steps up beside Inuyasha:
"Wait, so tha' was th' Bakuryūha?!"
"Precisely. Let me explain: it uses the enemy's demonic energy, ensnaring it with the Wind Scar and reversing the flow."
"So i' uses an opponent's strength agains' them."
"(Nod) The Wind Scar and the demon's energy blast become one like whirlpools. In other words, the enemy is simultaneously blasted by the Wind Scar, and by his own demonic aura...Anyway, that's the theory. The trick is how to discern precisely where to cut through the blast of energy, and his aura must be much stronger than his enemy's for the technique to succeed."
Coraline turns to smile proudly at Inuyasha:
"Well tha' I have no doubts abou'. No enemy has ever come close to snuffin' out the aura he carries...You've really done somethin' amazing today, Inuyasha."
"You think so? All I did back there was use my instincts and follow my nose."
Tōtōsai was surprised by the show of modesty:
He's surpassed mere theory...Perhaps he's destined for greater things then I imagined...
Besa folds his arms and comments to Freeman,
"I guess sometimes Brawn and Brain go in hand simultaneously for Inuyasha, eh brother?"
"Heheh, yeah, no kidding..."
Miroku then says to the dog demon,
"Inuyasha, it appears that it won't be so hard to wield the Tessaiga in battle."
"Keh, it's more than that. Heheheh, watch, (leap) this!"
Inuyasha then swings his blade down:
"Here goes, nothing!"
(SLASH)
And with hardly half the effort he needed previously, he cuts through a giant peak with the Wind Scar effortlessly! The monk mutters the name of the technique in surprise, and the half-demon turns to say with a smug smirk,
"What'd I tell ya? I can now invoke the Wind Scar anytime I want."
Inuyasha then goes on a showboating spree, showing off his newly easy wield of Tessaiga...Tōtōsai and his bull companion begin fleeing from the area as Sango and Miroku comment irritably,
"Hey, we get your point already!"
"That's not the kind of thing you wanna be flinging around like some kind of toy!"
Coraline's POV
I watch Inuyasha hop around flinging his sword and unleashing his Wind Scar all willy-nilly, like a kid playing with a new pogo stick.
"Ach, (facepalm) eejit..."
One of the claw-shaped attacks slices through a part of the cliff wall...and I feel a small pulse of energy a few seconds after.
"Hm?"
I turn to squint my eyes at the spot for a minute, and see a gleam of light like a...crystal!
"Hh! Could tha', be...?"
I glance over at the others, making sure they were distracted, before discreetly making my way over to the rock wall...I look down, and widen my eyes when I see a quartz-like jewel in the shape of a heart!
A Seven Ligh' Crystal!
...So this is wha' Bill mean' when I would soon be near one.
I reach out and grab the crystal to sneak into my jeans pocket.
I'll need t' figure ou' a more secure place to store this later...
Well, one down...an' one to go.
I turn back to watch Inuyasha slow to a stop, and smile amusingly at his antics.
He can be such'a bucklepper sometimes...but I suppose tha's one of the things I love abou' him.
Still, can't let 'im ge' a big head.
No POV
Inuyasha pauses his action to wave his sword a bit while gloating,
"Haha, there's nobody who can beat me now! I dare anyone to stop me!"
"Oh really~? Chall'nge accepted!"
He flinches to a halt, and turns to see Coraline giving him an evil smirk while the twins mutter with nervous smiles,
"Ooh boy..."
"He's in for it now..."
"...Sit Boy!"
(Gleam, wham)
"Gah!"
And for the first time in a while, the young Croft uses the subjugation beads on the half-dog demon, sending him face-down into the ground. Miroku comments while glancing down at Inuyasha's fallen form,
"One victory and he thinks he's invincible..."
Sango and Shippō agree:
"I'll say. Such a simpleton..."
"Not to mention a showoff..."
Inuyasha groans,
"Coraline had to say it..."
Besa and Freeman come over to gently pat him on the back with exasperated smiles.
"You should'a quit the showboating while you were ahead, my friend."
"Yeah. Just remember that there's nothing scarier in this world than girls."
...Tōtōsai watches from above, and changes his earlier thought.
"Nope. He's still a roughen, alright. (Shakes head) Let's go."
And with one final moo, Mōmō carts their caretaker away back to the volcanic mountainside.