A person's adventure was always lonely.
Although he had Paimon with him back then, the little companion was only there to watch. When it came to actual combat, he had always relied on himself.
Before setting off, Su Han restocked the manga supply.
Among them, both the Fate series and Inuyasha had reached their finales.
Naruto had also released brand-new chapters, making it a huge treat.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Paladin series was steadily progressing.
It probably wouldn't be long before new chapters were released.
As the three of them walked along the road, Paimon was extremely interested in the story of Inuyasha and kept chattering with one question after another.
Since she had been traveling all this time,
she had never been able to read anything beyond Volume Two.
"I never expected the story in Volume Three to turn out like this. Ryūkotsusei is so powerful. Just looking at him feels oppressive. I never imagined he was Inuyasha's father's killer."
After defeating Ryūkotsusei, Tessaiga's power grew even stronger.
However, the appearance of the Dark Priestess gradually uncovered the secrets from fifty years ago.
The birth of Onigumo also allowed Paimon to understand how Naraku came into existence.
"So he was originally just a human. But how can a human become that powerful? Are half-demons really that amazing..."
"Yes. That's simply how the world of Inuyasha is set up."
Su Han smiled faintly.
Paimon looked up in confusion and asked, "If that's the case, then what's the point of pure-blooded demons? Wouldn't they all become much stronger if they had children with humans?"
"It's different, Paimon. Pure demon bloodlines produce greater power. Half-demons possess exceptional talent, but they lack the tempering of their hearts."
Lumine's words struck at the core of the story.
Taken as a whole, Inuyasha was the tale of a couple's journey.
More importantly, it was about confronting Naraku, the scum of humanity.
He was also the inner demon that both Inuyasha and Kagome had to overcome. If they could not defeat him, separation was inevitable.
Only unwavering conviction could overcome everything.
The later story introduced the creator of the Shikon Jewel, the priestess Midoriko.
Compared to Kikyo, she was even stronger and far more terrifying.
However, Lumine had a question.
Looking at the manga, she asked Su Han, "When Midoriko was fighting, someone was secretly watching from the shadows. Does that mean someone interfered behind the scenes with the creation of the Shikon Jewel?"
"That's right. You didn't misunderstand."
Su Han admitted it without hesitation.
That little red spider had actually been foreshadowing planted by the author, but it was never addressed before the series ended.
Lumine fell into thought.
Looking back over the entire manga, conspiracies seemed to lurk everywhere.
She had originally believed the Shikon Jewel was a naturally existing object. She never expected it to have been created through the sacrifice of a priestess.
The entire process was unimaginably cruel.
Although countless demons had perished,
the world's strongest priestess had also been dragged into destruction.
It was heartbreaking.
Midoriko's death.
The conspiracy of the red spider.
The history of the Demon Slayer Clan.
Everything was revealed, yet the story was still far from over.
It wasn't just Paimon wondering.
Countless readers were also curious about what kind of existence that red spider demon really was.
The following volume sent everyone to the dangerous Mount Hakurei.
The Band of Seven also made their appearances one after another.
Among them, the final shard of the Shikon Jewel was actually hidden within the graveyard world opened by the Black Pearl.
But getting there was incredibly difficult.
The key required to open the entrance had already completely shattered.
Opening it again would require an enormous price.
The reunion between Kikyo and Inuyasha was another heartbreaking moment.
Kagome or Kikyo.
It truly was an impossible choice.
Inside the graveyard, the brothers Inuyasha and Sesshomaru once again clashed in a fierce battle.
In the end, Inuyasha emerged victorious.
The following story concluded the Mount Hakurei arc.
No matter how holy a person might seem,
they were still only human.
This arc focused heavily on portraying the human heart.
After that came the grand finale.
The ending revealed a tremendous amount of information, including the relationship between Sesshomaru and Rin, as well as Sango and Miroku finally understanding their own hearts.
Finally came Inuyasha's Meidō power.
After following the story all the way to this point,
Paimon's heart ached when she saw Kikyo die among the flowers.
"Why do such wonderful people always end up with such tragic fates? Kikyo was so kind, so adorable, so sacred. It hurts so much..."
The little one's eyes had turned red.
She tugged at Su Han's sleeve, wanting an answer.
Lumine comforted her.
"Come on. This was also a fitting ending for Kikyo. At least the two of them finally confirmed each other's feelings. At least they truly belonged to one another once."
If Kikyo had not died there,
where could she have gone?
She was already someone who had died.
A departed soul.
She had already done more than enough.
Stopping here was the ending she deserved.
It was time for Kikyo to rest in peace.
Otherwise,
how could Kagome have continued living?
This wasn't a harem manga.
It would never end with everyone staying together.
Otherwise, it would have been an insult to both Kikyo and Kagome.
Kikyo was an excellent character, but she also possessed her own pride and flaws.
Her excessive kindness was her greatest weakness.
Just like Tushan Honghong in Fox Spirit Matchmaker.
The stronger someone was, and the stronger their sense of justice became,
the easier it was for them to become trapped by obsession.
Ironically, those with just a little selfishness often found happiness in the end.
Kikyo died.
Kagura died.
Kanna died.
One heartbreaking scene followed another,
catching everyone completely off guard.
Paimon was utterly devastated.
She angrily jumped up, grabbed Su Han's clothes, and shouted,
"You're so heartless! Why did they all have to die? Couldn't you have let them live?"
Although Kanna and her sister had caused everyone plenty of trouble before,
they had never done it willingly.
Everything was because of Naraku.
If they disobeyed him,
they would have been killed.
Su Han replied helplessly,
"But you also know, Paimon. At their core, Kanna and Kagura are both parts of Naraku. Even if they separated from him, they were still doomed."
They all shared the same origin.
Once Naraku perished,
they would naturally be affected as well.
Because of that,
perhaps this truly was the best ending the sisters could have hoped for.
"I know... but it's still so sad."
Watching Kagura slowly stumble into the field of flowers before finally collapsing to her knees,
the scene was heartbreaking.
Paimon even wanted to hug her,
even if she couldn't do anything else.
Kagura.
The Wind Envoy.
She had been born yearning for freedom.
In the end, disappearing with the wind was the freedom she had always sought.
What comforted Paimon was that Kagura met the one she loved most at the very end.
Sesshomaru.
"I'm sorry... You must have thought it was Naraku. I'm really sorry..."
Kneeling on the ground,
Kagura's eyes flashed with joy,
though sorrow remained stronger.
Being able to see the person she loved before dying was enough.
It was just unfortunate that she was in such a miserable state,
unable to move her body at all.
"I knew it was you."
Just four words.
They deeply touched Kagura's despairing heart.
She suddenly looked up.
Sesshomaru let out a quiet sigh.
"Even Tenseiga can't save you?"
Kagura's body was fundamentally different from an ordinary person's.
She had been created by Naraku using demon flesh.
Now, her body had been completely corroded by miasma.
On top of that,
she possessed no true soul of her own.
Even if Sesshomaru wanted to save her,
how could he save someone without a soul?
It was an unsolvable dead end.
"So... you're leaving?"
Flower petals drifted into the air.
Sesshomaru knew the time for parting had come.
The sharpness in his eyes had long since disappeared.
Only tenderness remained.
What he didn't realize was that the immense demonic power he had unleashed while fighting that demon had appeared precisely because he wanted to save someone.
The heart.
That was what the Azure Cloud Tengu Clan truly sought.
Sesshomaru's emotional awakening also laid the foundation for the power he would awaken later.
"Yes... this is enough."
Before dying,
being able to see the person she loved come specifically for her.
That alone was enough.
She had no regrets.
Afterward, Inuyasha and the others finally arrived.
Seeing the bloodstains on the ground,
everyone revealed sorrowful expressions.
The final battle soon began.
The battlefield itself was astonishing.
Everyone fought inside Naraku's body.
During the battle,
the Shikon Jewel finally revealed its true purpose.
It sought a new priestess and a new demon.
Naraku had already been completely defeated.
His final wish,
however,
was to obtain Kagome.
Within that underworld,
Inuyasha could not find Kagome and could only slash wildly with his sword.
Kagome also could not find Inuyasha,
while the spirit within the Shikon Jewel continued trying to manipulate her.
What was the true wish?
Only in the end did Kagome remember the meaning of her entire journey.
"Shikon Jewel, my wish is... disappear forever!"
Boom!
A world-shaking explosion erupted.
The Shikon Jewel fulfilled the true wish.
Or rather,
this had always been the only way to break its curse.
Everyone had desires.
Everyone experienced confusion and fear.
The Shikon Jewel preyed upon exactly those weaknesses,
constantly tempting Kagome.
But once someone saw through its scheme,
its ending had already been decided.
After the battle ended,
Kagome was forcibly returned to five hundred years in the future.
Across the vast land,
only Inuyasha's furious roar and unwilling cries remained.
Fortunately,
longing that endured would always receive an answer.
The manga ended there.
Paimon finished it with a bright smile.
Although the story had broken her heart countless times,
it had been an incredible manga.
Meanwhile,
in Sumeru,
while waiting for the Doctor's research,
Scaramouche secretly received a package.
"You people from the Akademiya... what's this?"
He was effectively an idle guest here.
Thanks to the Grand Sage's orders,
Scaramouche was free to move throughout Sumeru City.
Still,
someone suddenly delivering something to him naturally made him cautious.
The ordinary-looking scholar took out a note.
It bore the emblem of the manga shop.
Scaramouche immediately understood.
It was something that man had sent.
"Fine. You can leave."
"Yes."
The scholar nodded respectfully before disappearing into the crowd.
Watching him leave,
Scaramouche couldn't help feeling how terrifying Su Han truly was.
Exactly how many informants had he planted throughout this city?
Even Scaramouche himself couldn't investigate them all.
Had he not known about the existence of the Den Den Mushi,
he would have believed everyone was living under that man's surveillance.
"Let's see what you've sent me."
Opening the box,
he found several manga volumes,
along with a glowing azure sphere.
This was...
The manga was Naruto.
At first glance,
nothing seemed unusual.
But since Su Han had gone through the trouble of sending it,
he decided to read it.
After all,
he had nothing better to do lately.
The story continued from the events in Inazuma.
After rescuing the Kazekage,
Naruto fought Orochimaru.
The battle was astonishing,
and the true secret of the Jinchūriki was finally revealed.
What was a weapon?
What was battle?
However,
Scaramouche knew this was not Su Han's true purpose,
so he continued reading to find out what the man really wanted.
The end of Volume Five
featured Asuma's death.
The terrifying strength of the immortal duo was fully displayed.
At the beginning of Volume Eight,
Naruto developed a new technique,
the Rasenshuriken.
Strategy.
Schemes.
Intelligence.
Every battle was immensely satisfying.
Volume Nine then shifted to the story of the Three-Tails.
However,
none of those events seemed important.
In the end,
Tobi and the demolition expert emerged victorious.
What surprised Scaramouche most
was that the seemingly invincible Orochimaru had actually died at Sasuke's hands.
That was unexpected.
But from that moment onward,
no one could stop Sasuke's rise.
He not only defeated Deidara,
but also survived an unbelievably terrifying self-destruction.
Volume Ten finally caught Scaramouche's full attention.
Jiraiya had actually reached into the domain of the gods.
Sage Mode fascinated him,
but what interested him even more
were those strange eyes.
The Rinnegan.
He knew some of Su Han's secrets.
He also knew Su Han possessed many treasures from the manga.
So...
Did Su Han also possess the Rinnegan?
Scaramouche couldn't help wondering.
Volumes Eleven and Twelve had only been released a few days ago.
After Jiraiya's death,
Naruto went to train in the land of the sages.
Sasuke killed his older brother.
Yet the truth left everyone sighing.
The revenge he had devoted his life to
had been nothing more than a lie.
Just as Tobi had said,
"If he had truly wanted to kill you, you'd have been dead long ago."
At that moment,
Scaramouche felt as though he understood something.
"So... this is your reminder to me? That revenge itself is an illusion."
He narrowed his eyes,
snorted softly,
and continued reading.
Sasuke went to the Hidden Cloud Village.
He barely defeated the Eight-Tails,
only to discover that it had merely been a substitute.
The irony was almost laughable.
The final volume,
however,
captured Scaramouche's complete attention.
The Six Paths attacked the Hidden Leaf Village.
The battle scenes were, as always, spectacular.
Yet the hidden information within them
made him smell conspiracy.
The manga repeatedly emphasized that if an eye technique did not belong to its owner,
the eyes could never be deactivated.
Did that mean...
Nagato had also received the Rinnegan through transplantation?
Thinking about it that way,
it truly was a dark joke.
Revenge.
Dreams.
From the very beginning,
they had all been lies.