Episode 150 - The Light that Leads to the Saint
The Saint's arrow is troubling - especially for Kagome and Inuyasha. Only one individual can wield the power to destroy Hakudoshi’s barrier: Kikyo. Although Inuyasha is torn between hope and denial, Kagome‘s heart is frozen by certainty Hiriji-sama must be Kikyo. The team continues their journey to Hiriji-sama’s town were they hope to end the mystery of the ‘saint’ and Abi-Hime’s reign of terror. In a cave near Hiriji-sama’s town, townsfolk huddle inside a protective barrier created by the saint. One of the Saint’s young assistants, a young girl, tries to keep the people calm inside the shield. Outside, Abi-Hime wages an all-out assault. Flaming demonic birds hurl themselves at the barrier, ferociously pecking and clawing, terrifying the villages within. Hijiri-sama arrives driving away Abi-Hime with a single, powerful arrow that incinerates scores of birds. When Inuyasha and the others arrive later, they find a killing field filled with charred bird carcasses. Kagome is first to ask the villagers - “where is the Saint?” They tell her the Saint has gone to find and destroy the bird’s nest. Turning to Inuyasha, Kagome asks him if they should follow. The request disturbs Inuyasha: if the enigmatic ‘saint’ is Kikyo, why hasn’t she revealed herself to him? Inuyasha asks Kagome if she’s all right with pursuing the Saint in case it’s Kikyo. She wants to know what he’ll do if it is Kikyo. Inuyasha admits he doesn’t know. Regardless of the Saint's identity, the team still has a job to do - locate and kill the demon birds. Someone else wants to find the Saint, too. Hakudoshi. As the demon child heals his devastated body, Kagura observes and plans. Elsewhere, Kaede’s village receives two odd visitors. Kaede and two village men catch the Saint's two peculiar young assistants taking soil from Kikyo’s grave. The theft of the soil stirs up a grim memory for Kaede -- there can only be one reason for them to take such a thing … Following the Saint's trail, the team notices an abundance of yokai. The demons seem to be headed in the same direction they are. Further into their journey, Kagome takes notice of something sparkling in the distance and Inuyasha confirms it’s a waterfall. The waves of the ubiquitous yokai rush towards the shimmering water, but are destroyed by a powerful spirit arrow shot from the woods near the falls. The angry demons turn their attention to the team and attack. Inuyasha places Kagome in the protection of Sango and Miroku, facing the demonic horde alone. As he prepares to blow away the onslaught with Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha wonders what he’ll do if the Saint is Kikyo. He quickly vanquishes his opponents and dashes off into the woods, determined to find Hiriji-sama and solve the puzzle. Inuyasha’s search stops cold - his path blocked by an imposing female figure on horseback: the Saint. Startled, Inuyasha tensely demands the silent, shrouded rider to show him her face. The two young girls with the Saint tell Inuyasha that the miasma has affected their mistress so badly she is weak and cannot speak. Only her soul can fight but that too, is fading quickly. Certain the veiled person before him is Kikyo, Inuyasha rushes towards her. As he draws near, Hiriji-sama is ripped apart by familiar blades. The Saint's decapitated head has a familiar face -- Kikyo. Horrified, Inuyasha grabs for Hiriji-sama as her body dissolves. Nothing is left of her but a small paper doll; the Saint was a shikigama puppet. A well-known laugh taunts him and, looking up, he spots Kagura. Naraku has dispatched the wind sorceress to locate Kikyo. She was also deceived by Kikyo’s ruse. It does confirm one thing to Kagura’s satisfaction - Naraku’s greatest opponent still lives. Sango, Miroku and Kagome continue to battle the swarming yokai who share their path. While Sango and Miroku fight the creatures, Kagome spots Kikyo’s soul collectors. They beacon her to follow them. The creatures lead Kagome through a barrier and to the edge of a small pool beneath the waterfall she spotted earlier. There, beneath the surface of the pool, lies Kikyo.
