Chapter 318

The River of Blood is the 318th chapter of the InuYasha manga.

Summary

 * Naraku, along with Inuyasha's group, ride a river of blood which takes them to the borderland between this world and the afterlife.
 * Kagura tells Sesshōmaru about another pathway to the borderland.
 * Inuyasha is attacked by a stranger who is housed in the skeleton of his father.

Synopsis

 * Naraku cuts off Tekkei's head, creating a river of blood which flows out from the steel fowl's neck. Naraku descends into the river, telling Inuyasha's group they shouldn't just stand there; the river will dry up all too quickly. The river will act as the pathway to the borderland. Myōga tells Inuyasha not to go, because once they get to the borderland they'll have no way to get back to this world. Miroku says that the same principle applies to Naraku, so they don't have the luxury to think about it right now. As they ride down the river of blood, Shippō sees wailing faces in the blood. They're the trapped souls of all the people who were killed by the demon birds and bear a grudge toward Tekkei for their deaths. Sango is nauseated by how many people died just so Naraku could get his hands on a single shard of the jewel.
 * Sesshōmaru comes upon Tekkei's beheaded corpse. He smells a massive amount of blood, but it seems it's all gone. Kagura appears and says that he's too late; this entrance has already opened and closed. Jaken yells at the sorceress with suspicion, as she's been showing up around Sesshōmaru a lot lately. Sesshōmaru asks Kagura what she means. Kagura explains that it's a pathway to the borderland between this world and the afterlife, and that Inuyasha and Naraku have already gone through. Since she said "this entrance", she implied that there are other ways to get there, so Sesshōmaru asks her what she's hiding. Kagura says she knows of another gateway, but that even Sesshōmaru might not be able to pass through it alive.
 * Inuyasha and friends see a light at the end of the river, and arrive at the borderland. Miroku, Sango, and Shippō are all amazed when they see the gargantuan skeleton of Inuyasha's father. Inuyasha and Kagome ride on a vulture skeleton, while the others are on Kirara. Inuyasha asks Kagome if she can sense the shard so they can get it before Naraku. The half-demon thinks that knowing Naraku, he'll probably hide until Kagome finds the shard.
 * Suddenly glittering spears shoot out from the giant skeleton's stomach. Inuyasha uses his Tessaiga to deflect the spears away from the group. Myōga says that they're spears made out of diamond, the hardest of all minerals. Miroku doesn't sense Naraku's aura, so who is responsible for the diamond spears? Kagome says she senses the jewel shard; it's inside Inuyasha's father.
 * A voice speaks, coming from inside Inuyasha's father's grave. He asks them if they're dead, and they say no. The voice responds "Then you are grave-robbers, who seek the Shikon shard?" Inuyasha asks the voice "Who are you?"