Episode 85 - Evil spirits rising, demon's severed head
The team is on the road again when they sense a demonic presence and Inuyasha charges off to investigate. Nearby a little old lady clashes with a demon weasel. The weasel has the old lady down for the count when Inuyasha intervenes, cutting down the demon a Sankon Tetsusou attack. Confused, the woman mistakes Inuyasha for the demon she fought and pelts him with the magic powder she was flinging at the demon weasel. Miroku arrives just in time to restrain Inuyasha from smacking her while she continues peppering Inuyasha with the ‘demon dust‘. Later, after the excitement dies down, the gang and the old lady sit and chat. She reveals she’s a retired exorcist and tells the gang she’s come out of retirement since lately, the demon-busting business has been excellent. She’s heard rumors of a great demon possessing a nearby town and that the citizens are eager to be rid of it. The exorcist is on her way there and the old gal invites the team to join her on the journey. If they come with her, they can make some quick yen eradicating demons. Inuyasha attempts to take the high road, staying true to the Shikon jewel hunt and search for Naraku, but he’s no match for Miroku who smells a profit. He‘s eager to exploit the situation for all it’s worth, so it‘s off to the “city of ghosts” to find the demon. The scene switches to nighttime, inside a palatial home. A noble-looking man transforms into a monster and brutally murders an innocent housemaid ... The next day, the exorcist and her ’team’ meet with a city official about the demon problem. In an aside to Inuyasha, Kagome admits she’s feeling really uncomfortable because she senses evil all around them. Inuyasha feels it too, as do Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara. The old lady states she doesn’t sense a thing. As the meeting continues, a litter bearing a corpse passes by the group. The official admits it is another victim of the demon and a casualty of the headman’s household. That evening as the exorcist exercises, Inuyasha and the rest begin to regret coming along. The evil presence in the town is very oppressive to them; they want to get rid of the ghost and leave until the headman’s daughter appears. She’s a beauty and Miroku is suddenly eager to exploit that situation for all it’s worth. Before Miroku has a chance to make his move, the palace is attacked by a gigantic demon head. The team springs into for action, confronting the creature in battle. After Inuyasha’s Kaze no Kizu attack fails to destroy the creature, Miroku determines it’s an apparition, and vaporizes it with a supercharged sutra. Although they may have annihilated the apparition, the city’s chief is still under the influence of evil. Miroku, Inuyasha and the exorcist go to investigate. They observe the chief in his room and confirm he’s got a demon problem. Back in the visitors quarters the old exorcist tests her demon dust on the ethnically supernatural folks. Shippo and Kirara react to the power; sneezing and Inuyasha makes the old woman chase him, unintentionally helping with her daily workout. A messenger from the Princess interrupts the fun. The Princess has requested Miroku to come and rid her father of his possession. Kagome and Sango wonder why just Miroku, but Miroku’s okay with the solo invitation. With a flourish and a packet of demon dust from the exorcist, Miroku leaves to meet the Princess. The Princess leads Miroku into an eerie underground chamber where they stop at the edge of a pit. When Miroku shines his lamp into the hole, he sees it is filled with skeletal remains. The Princess tells him that the bones are those of Miko and Priests who have tried to destroy the demon and failed. Back at the rooms, the gang is makes their own discovery -- that the headman has turned into a demon and has gone on a murderous rampage. Back at the pit, Miroku finds himself paralyzed, discovering too late that the Princess is the true demon. She informs him his friends won’t be coming to his rescue because they’re busy fighting the headman/demon back at the palace.
