Thanks to Freelance for the scans.

Chapter 459

Inuyasha makes no progress us the steps of Mount Azusa, but then sees Kagome falling from the sky. He catches her and notes that she has the bow. Kagome realizes she was fighting an illusion. She’s happy that Inuyasha came for her, but noticing some of Naraku’s webs shooting down from the sky, she urges they hurry. At the base of the mountain, Kouga, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou-chan wait with the injured Kikyou. They sense Naraku, but only Kikyou can see she’s been captured by his webs. As she’s being pulled up, Miroku grabs her and only then notices the thick strands of webs. Now he’s entangled with Kikyou.

Inuyasha and Kagome come to the base of the mountain and find the group gone. Indeed, the group are all entangled in Naraku’s webs. Kikyou asks why Kouga wasn’t able to flee the webs with his speed. Kouga finds that amusing and upon reminding the audience about Kikyou’s plan for his shards, she states that she’s tainted with Naraku’s spider webs and cannot purify his shards. Her only hope is Kohaku’s shard.

The webs disband and the group false before Naraku, who now has Kikyou. He taunts her about recent events, leading Miroku to bluff using the Kazaana. Kouga decides he’ll kill Naraku, which leads to more taunts about Kouga’s legs. Kikyou wonders why Naraku chose this place to battle while Kagome and Inuyasha are in hot pursuit of the group.

Chapter 460

Kouga battles Naraku while Miroku urges caution until Inuyasha and Kagome find them. Kouga avoids Naraku’s attempts to capture him and annoys Kikyou because he could be pointlessly killed. She then notices that Kouga’s shards are being purified by a powerful force, leading her to wonder if this is the will of Midoriko. This gives Kikyou a new opportunity to strike. Naraku taunts Kikyou again, but seems surprised at her warning that Inuyasha and Kagome are on approach. She knows that Naraku moved the battle away from Mount Azusa because Kagome had broken free of his webs.

Meanwhile, Kagome tells Inuyasha of her experiences on the mountain. She acknowledges that Kikyou has changed from when she was resurrected and just hated Kagome. Kagome acknowledges that she must be angry with herself based on those experiences, but Inuyasha states that because she still wanted to save Kikyou, her heart is strong.

Naraku questions Kikyou why she thinks Kagome has broken free. Because of the spiderwebs that connect Kikyou to Naraku, she knows Kagome is not at the end of any thread. Kouga presses his attacks on Naraku which generates a vast shouki cloud. Kouga’s legs no longer move and he’s captured by Naraku. Kikyou silently hopes Naraku will touch the shards and be purified via her power as well as Midoriko. She silently urges Inuyasha to hurry while Naraku’s tendrils go for the shards. Naraku has a reaction to touching the shard and Kouga breaks free.

Naraku uses a modified multi-spiked claw-arm to pierce Kikyou in many places an hold her up. Naraku had been able to use the webs that connected them to sense her hatred of him and her connection to Inuyasha. He tells her she will die in the arms of the one she hates, but Inuyasha arrives on the scene.

Chapter 461

Inuyasha attacks Naraku while Kagome prepares to use the new bow to shoot Kikyou with her final arrow and purify her. A look from Kikyou waves Kagome off while Kouga, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou-chan arrive at her side. Kagome notices that the shards in his legs are being purified, which is likely why Naraku couldn’t consume Kouga. Inuyasha continues attacking and produces the Dragon-Scaled Tessaiga. Inuyasha sees a youketsu and cuts is, removing a piece of the crystal arm of Naraku. But the arm immediately regenerates and as Naraku begins to taunt Inuyasha, the arm swells and explodes, revealing a dark chasm. Kouga decides to launch an attack and Kagome can see Naraku’s Shikon no Tama. Kagome tells Inuyasha, and seeing himself at a disadvantage, Naraku drops Kikyou, leading Inuyasha to abandon his attack and save her.

Naraku takes advantage of the situation to close up his body, so Kouga launches an attack. Kouga knows his purified shards can purify Naraku and it annoys him to do what Midoriko wants. As he approaches, Kagome notices something wrong and yells for Kouga-kun to stop his attack.

Chapter 462

Ginta and Hakkaku from Kouga’s yourouzoku are talking bold about how Kouga can’t do anything without them, but when they sense Naraku, they aren’t so brave, but shakily go to where Kouga is. Meanwhile Kouga, in mid-attack, has been warned by Kagome too late to avoid being captured by Naraku. Kikyou tells Inuyasha to save Kouga while Kouga decides to attack while being held. Kagome notices that parts of Naraku that touched Kouga’s shards were purified, but Naraku encloses Kouga. This leads Miroku to attack, backed up by Sango as he unleashes his Kazaana. Naraku unleashes shouki, but Miroku’s Kazaana helps Kouga and he unleashes his Goraishi attack. At the same time, Inuyasha attacks, causing some damage to Naraku.

Miroku notes the shouki wound around his Kazaana has spread while Inuyasha comes to rescue Kouga. Unfortunately, Kouga cannot flee because he’s being consumed by Naraku. Kagome desperately looks for where Naraku has the Shikon no Tama because Kouga’s shards are being polluted. She looks to Kikyou for help, but the unconscious miko cannot help. Instead, Kagome notices something more wrong with Kikyou.

Thoughts

Well, it certainly was surprising to see Kouga being consumed. I doubt Takahashi-sensei would actually kill him, but one never knows. She’s killed others. Beyond that, its hard to know what she’ll do since she has to keep Naraku alive and sans the completed Shikon no Tama.