Chapter 338

Harvesting Souls is the 338th chapter of the InuYasha manga.

Synopsis

 * Hakudōshi kills the Haku-demon, which feeds on the actual life-energy of humans.
 * Kōga fights with a demented demon after coming across many other demon corpses.

Summary

 * A group of samurai are traveling home, when they are suddenly devoured by a giant worm-like demon called the Haku-demon.
 * Kohaku is traveling with Hakudōshi. He has a flashback to a conversation with Kagura, where she explains that Naraku must have given the nulling stone to the infant. She gives Kohaku some crystals of demonic energy which she took from Gakusanjin. She explains how it will help in locating the infant. If the infant is killed, both Naraku and Hakudōshi should die. Hakudōshi spots lights on the horizon and says they're human lives. Lives that were harvested by the Haku-demon. Quickly, Hakudōshi catches up with the demon and cuts it in half, killing it. He instructs Kohaku to cut open its belly, but to be careful not to harm the contents. The demon's stomach is filled with shiny spheres, and Hakudōshi explains that it's the Haku, or 'life-force', which is what the Haku-demon feeds on. Hakudōshi snickers and wonders aloud. "Heh heh heh, so... what will I use them for?"
 * InuyashaChapter338KogaFacesTheFirstDementedDemon.jpgōga, (with Ginta & Hakkaku trailing behind him as usual) are running. The two subordinate wolf-demons stop and ask him if he notices anything weird, because they've been passing a lot of demon corpses. Kōga says that's why he's headed in a certain direction; the corpses ahead smell fresher, which means they're getting closer to the one who killed the demons to begin with. Though he doesn't know if Naraku's involved or not, Kōga is still on edge because it's the first lead they've had in a long time. A very disgusting looking demon starts to attack Kōga, and he wonders if the corpses of those demons have started to fuse together somehow. The wolf demon kicks the demon down, and Ginta & Hakkaku say this is their chance to run away. Admirably, Kōga says he has to stay and fight because they can't just leave a monster like this running around.
 * Inuyasha and the group have been wandering around with the crystallized demonic energy that Gakusanjin gave them, hoping to stumble upon the nulling stone. Miroku says Naraku has probably given the stone to The infant, in order to protect his heart. Inuyasha says that's what Kikyō said as well. Shippō asks Inuyasha if that's all that he and Kikyō talked about, and Kagome says that if that's all, they didn't have to sneak away. Sango and Miroku become uncomfortable from the tension between Kagome and Inuyasha. Then, Inuyasha smells demon corpses. On their way toward the source, Inuyasha & Kagome get into a squabble, but it's cut short when Kagome senses shikon shards. Not Kohaku's, but Kōga's.
 * Kōga continues to fight the demented demon, and when he finally slays it, orbs of light start to come out of it. Inuyasha and friends arrive just as he defeats it.