Episode 122 - Powerful Banryu! The Mortal Combat in Mt. Hakurei
Sango’s quick-thinking saved she and Miroku from plummeting into Naraku’s pit; stabbing the Hiraikotsu into the crater’s wall Sango arrested their fall, but the trouble is far from over. The duo dangle precariously above an abattoir of discarded youkai body parts -- the remains of Naraku’s ‘reconstruction’. Descending to investigate the gruesome pit, Miroku and Sango discover pale, featureless, baby-like creatures swarming among the carcasses. Outside, Sessho-maru and Jaken succeed in beating back the stampede of fugitive youkai. Sessho-maru prepares to enter the mountain and continue his search for Naraku. Kikyo also destroyed her share of demons. Suspicious of Naraku’s motives, Kikyo also goes to investigate. Finally, Koga, Kagome, Shippo and Kirara arrive at the mountain. The scent trial Koga followed leads the four to a tunnel in the mountainside and they cautiously penetrate the dark, dangerous passage. Inside the heart of Mt. Hakurei the fight between Bankotsu and Inuyasha continues to rage. Bankotsu proves a formidable foe and Inuyasha suffers a relentless pounding from the Shichinin-tai. The vicious hammering buys time for Inuyasha to prepare his next assault. When Bankotsu readies the deathblow to his seemingly defeated opponent, Inuyasha surprises him, piercing Bankotsu’s throat and extracting three more jewel shards. Despite the setback, Bankotsu remains arrogant -- even after Inuyasha points out their death match is observed by a large group of youkai, just waiting in the shadows to attack the survivor. Bankotsu takes the information in stride: he never trusted Naraku and was prepared for such betrayal. Bankotsu is also prepared to kill anyone, or anything, in the way of his continued survival. The narcissistic warrior believes his hunger for life isn’t any different than that of the resurrected Hakushin, Kikyo, or even Inuyasha‘s broken seal. Inuyasha, however, sees a flawed comparison: Bankotsu is a selfish, cold-blooded killer motivated only by his greed for ’life’. Bankotsu agrees, and leaps for the discarded Banryuu. At the same time Inuyasha grabs Tetsusaiga, charging Bankotsu. Bankotsu however, rushes past Inuyasha, and starts butchering the lurking youkai. The Shichinin-tai slays 1,000 demons and, suddenly, the Banryuu pulses and glows with frightening new power. Unleashing a mammoth burst of energy, Bankotsu vaporizes the remaining youkai with the blade, and resumes his confrontation with Inuyasha. As he prepares to attack, Bankotsu explains Banryuu’s new power: the only way for a human like himself to possess supernatural strength was to empower an object, such as his weapon, Banryuu. After tasting the blood of 1,000 shogun, gaining power from the Shikon shards, and having just killed 1,000 demons, the Banryuu is transformed -- into a demon blade. Bankotsu unleashes a lethal blast of power at Inuyasha. However, now that he knows the Banryuu’s secret, Inuyasha counter attacks with the Bakuryuuha. The fireball is repelled and hurled back at Bankotsu, consuming him in an intense firestorm of energy. When the smoke clears Inuyasha is victorious. Bankotsu is vanquished, and what remains of him lays dying amid the rubble. But Inuyasha’s triumph is fleeting -- a tremor rocks the cavern and the ground softens, pulsing with a life of it’s own. Inuyasha fights, but is overwhelmed by pulsating ooze. Thick, choking tentacles rise up and coil around his body. The fleshy appendages shoot upwards, dragging the struggling Inuyasha. Changes inside the mountain effect others trapped inside its pulpy grasp. Sango and Miroku flee a tsunami of the ‘baby” creatures caused by surge of living “cave”. Elsewhere, Kagome and Koga race through the quaking cavern, but Koga is engulfed in a quagmire of the pulsing goo. Despite Kagome’s desperate efforts, Koga sinks out of sight. Certain Koga’s still alive, Kagome goes to the rescue, following Koga’s jewel-sign down the tunnel. Kagome and Shippo follow the passage to its end where they are reunited with Sango and Miroku. Another violent quake rocks the bowels of the cavern and, from deep within the pit, a writhing column of tentacle rockets up out of the darkness. Unconscious and locked in it’s crushing embrace is Inuyasha.
