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MANGA CHAP. 547 - CUTTING MEIDOU

OUR STORY: Chapter opens with Inuyasha's volley of Meidou crescent blades striking Naraku. They have a devastating effect, slicing up Naraku and the spiderweb of tentacles anchoring him. Naraku loses his anchors and everything but his head and torso. The large Naraku-sphere body that's been serving as the arena for this battle shakes and rumbles. Naraku is stunned by the damage he's taken from this one attack, and dismayed to find his spiderweb of tentacles was so easily cut apart. Kagome looks up at Naraku and senses the Shikon Jewel is still a distinct presence within Naraku. She nocks an arrow and draws her bow, thinking if she can hit Naraku it'll be all over. But before she can get off her shot, Naraku causes an earthquake where she's standing. Her footing tears away from under her, exposing deadly spears of Naraku-stuff. Inuyasha snatches Kagome out of immediate danger. Above them, Naraku starts regenerating himself. He says their attacks are futile because he can regenerate endlessly. Inuyasha retorts that he'll just have to keep chopping up Naraku endlessly.

In the outside world, Totosai remarks that the Meidou Zangetsouha has changed. Myoga the flea asks if that means Inuyasha has made the Meidou his own. Totosai says it does. He says Sesshomaru developed it as a huge single circle to dispatch his enemies directly to Hell. He says this reflected the Meidou's nurture through Tenseiga, a sword that can't cut, and Sesshomaru's natural preferences. He says successful use of the Meidou requires that the wielder, his sword and the Meidou technique must act as one integrated unity, and in Inu's case this integration started with the fact that Tessaiga is a sword that cuts.

Back inside Naraku's arena, Naraku is busy regenerating himself, extending tentacles to form a new web to anchor himself solidly in this world. Inu yells that he'll cut through Naraku's tentacles and his indestructibility, and sever the bonds of fate that have tied him to Naraku and the Shikon Jewel. He attacks Naraku again with his Meidou blades, slicing Naraku's torso and remaining tentacles to tatters, leaving only his neck and head. One of the body bits contains the jewel. But Naraku still isn't done. The surface that Inu and Kagome have been standing on convulses in another terrible earthquake as volcanoes of toxic shouki erupt around them.

Down where Miroku and Sango have been waiting to die, the floor and walls crack open and from the cracks there's a flow of deadly liquid shouki. Miroku picks Sango up in his arms, knowing that if she's bathed in any more shouki, she will die immediately. She whispers that she wants him to take her with him. But Miroku has no intention of dying now, not when he has a chance to save Sango. Miroku carries her away from the shouki, which burns his feet as he walks through pools of the foul stuff. Miroku declares that he's not going to let Sango die, that he wants her to survive.

Scene changes to a view of Jaken, who's startled as Naraku's great body starts in to shaking, cracking and thumping. Shouki starts flowing from a crack and Jaken jumps out of the way. He wonders why he came since he's been alone virtually the whole time he's been in here. Scene changes again to a view of Sesshomaru studying the spears of Naraku-stuff blocking his path to Naraku's inner sanctum. Kohaku and Rin are behind him on Ah-Un. The whole area cracks and rumbles, and Kohaku warns that the shouki is getting stronger. Sesshomaru senses something important has happened on the other side of this obstacle and figures Inuyasha must have cornered Naraku. Sesshomaru wants to get over there. He thinks he wants to personally escort Naraku to his death. He draws his new sword Bakusaiga and slashes the wall of spears standing between him and his goal. They dissolve away in an instant, opening up the pathway.

Byakuya is nearby, returning to Naraku. Although Byakuya's missing right arm regenerated when Naraku restored the damage he took from Kagome's arrow, the minion's body now shows damage that's like a faint reflection of the massive trauma that Naraku has undergone. But Byakuya's body still hangs together, unlike his master's. He senses a big change in the great Naraku-body and thinks this must mean Sesshomaru finally has used his Bakusaiga. He recalls that Bakusaiga continues its destruction even after an enemy is cut, and that the destruction extends to anyone who absorbs a tainted piece. Back outside, Kaede and a group of villagers observe a giant crater that's opened up in Naraku's black body, and the cracks that are extending outward from it. Kaede notes ominously that Naraku's body is beginning to break apart.

Back inside Naraku, Jaken is desperately trying to find safety from the shouki erupting from the walls and floor around him. As he dodges a shouki fountain, Jaken spots Sesshomaru. Jaken is overjoyed to be reunited with his master once more. Jaken's face shines with sheer happiness as he runs to intercept Sesshomaru. But Sesshomaru is intent on getting to Naraku as fast as he can and has no time for half-pint hero Jaken. He kicks Jaken aside, knocking him over toward Kohaku, who pulls Jaken onto Ah-Un's back. Kohaku asks where Jaken has been. Jaken tells him to be quiet.

Within Naraku's inner sanctum, Inu and Kagome hear a weird new noise echoing from the floor and walls. Inu recogizes it as the sound of Bakusaiga's destruction and realizes Sesshomaru is drawing near. He also realizes another important thing - with Bakusaiga being used, Naraku can't regenerate any more. He says this to Naraku, but Naraku replies that his enemies still can't win because his destruction won't cause the Shikon jewel to disappear. Close by, Byakuya staggers onward despite all the new damage he's suffered, bringing to his creator the one-shot Meidou he's captured... THE END (^_*)