The Yōkai's rise to power: The Saga of Mistress Centipede
Chapter VI - New Strength
Mistress Centipede was new born.
"AHHH... Such power... Such joy..."
She propped herself up on the ground with all six of her arms. Her fingers were already eating into the earth, softened by the rain, like claws and her head almost touched the ground. An indescribable pain throbbed in every one of her innumerable legs, as well as in all the rest of her long body, triggered by the jewel. But she did not care. Mistress Centipede accepted this pain and ignored it. Once her body had fully digested the jewel, no one would be able to stop her. That had not been the case in the fight earlier against the half-demon, but now Mistress Centipede's new appearance was testimony to her transformation and the resulting new strength.
"At last... my power is complete!"
Her partially humanoid appearance was now completely gone. Her skin glowed as her body changed. The skin was now pink, with large grey patches randomly scattered on it that seemed to grow larger and larger. The pink receded more and more while the grey parts gradually took over. The bone structure of her face was brought to the fore - nose and lips of hers were now completely absent, while the most striking and characteristic feature were two large, glowing red eyes that shone menacingly in the night. The centipede's long pointed teeth were now visible and had taken on a pale yellow hue while her long tongue had found its way out of her oral cavity through her teeths.
Mistress Centipede's new form appeared bestial and grotesque. The demoness had previously terrified the inhabitants of this land and caused sleepless nights. People everywhere feared her, but her new self would take this fear to a new level. No one - demon or simple human - would now dare to stand in her way. Except one... She straightened her upper body and looked in the direction from which she had come. Her large body left a definite, unmistakable trail.
"That impertinent child is following me... Just as I expected."
Her voice trembled. Suddenly she winced.
"Ugh."
Her body was now trembling too. The disturbing rattle and clatter of countless segments of her long body cut through the silence of the forest.
"My body still hasn't fully digested the Jewel."
The Sacred Jewel was not just like any artifact; it was pure spiritual energy. It may have had no consciousness, like humans or demons, but it still seemed to possess a will of some kind, which was expressed through the jewel's reaction to certain individuals who wished to usurp its power. In Mistress Centipede's case, it seemed that the jewel - even now that it was in the centipede's body - still wanted to resist her. But her greed for its power was great - great enough that this artifact wont be able to resist her for long. She possessed the necessary mental strength and endurance to break the jewel's resistance. She was sure of that. It was only a matter of time - time she did not have apparently. Inuyasha was on her tail, getting closer and closer...
"Uhhhh."
A loud whimper escaped her throat, followed by more rattling and clattering.
"I can't fight this child and the jewel at the same time."
Mistress Centipede could take flight until she had fully absorbed the power of the jewel. Surprisingly, despite her huge body, she could move very fast. This had already been experienced by the girl she had chased and from whose belly she had torn the jewel. But she knew that the jewel would definitely make her escape difficult. The pain that throbbed in her body would slow her down and restrict her movements. But each additional moment that passed made her stronger - increasing her chances of victory against the Hanyō. She could likewise try to hide from him to gain time; she had a very striking, conspicuous outer appearance that rarely went unnoticed, but the dominant green of her body could hide her well from enemies amidst tall grass or dense tree canopies. Furthermore, she also had the option of burrowing into the ground to hide from Inuyasha underground, but she was sure that this brat would track her down in her hiding place. She had already experienced more than a few times that this guy had incredible abilities for a half-demon. She couldn't underestimate him again. She would need every advantage she could get - and if she had completely digested the jewel by the time they met again, he wouldn't stand a chance anyway. Escape, therefore, seemed to her the best option. Another rattle and clatter, followed by a hum of endless, pointy, bony legs vibrated the earth beneath her - and Mistress Centipede's massive body started to move.
Inuyasha's nose twitched.
"Forget it, nasty hag - don't think you can escape me with the jewel!"
The white-haired boy ran with long, wide strides between the myriad trees of the forest. To outsiders, it seemed as if he was floating above the forest floor. His gaze fell upwards. The grey rainy cloud cover was slowly disappearing and Inuyasha noticed that the sun had already risen; morning was breaking. Inuyasha ran faster.
