Kyōra

Kyōra (凶羅, Evil Mist) was a powerful demon and a member of the group known as the Four War Gods (Shitōshin). Many years ago, he and his comrades invaded the island of Hōraijima and devastated the population. Unable to defeat the Four War Gods, the island's priestess, Lady Kanade, sealed their power spheres inside a jeweled comb box. Unable to leave the island without their powers, the Four War Gods established themselves on Hōraijima.

The Four War Gods initiated a plan to regain their former power and escape from the island. However, they were opposed by many enemies, amongst them Lord Sesshōmaru. Having fought Sesshōmaru in the past, Kyōra was eager to face off with his nemesis once again. However, this would prove to be a fatal last encounter.

Invasion of Hōraijima
Many ages ago, the island of Hōraijima was a sanctuary for humans and demons alike. The two groups existed in harmony for many years and intermingled, giving rise to a sizeable population of half-demons. The existence of a half-demon community earned contempt from demons, so, to protect themselves, the people of Hōraijima created the powerful Cauldron of Resonance, which generated a time barrier that separated Hōraijima from the outside world. However, every 50 years the time barrier weakened, and the island reappeared, rendering it vulnerable to raids by demons. The Four War Gods were among the many demons which despised the people of Hōraijima, and one day decided to attack the island during its brief vulnerable period and annihilate its inhabitants.

The humans and demons of Hōraijima were no match for the Four War Gods, among whom was the demon Kyōra. The village became engulfed in flame and many villagers fell in battle. However, Kyōra and the other War Gods had neglected to kill the island priestess, Kanade. Lady Kanade was quite powerful, but not even she could defeat the combined power of the Four War Gods. In desperation, Lady Kanade was able to seal away the power spheres which granted the four demons their immense power inside a jeweled comb box. With this accomplished, Kanade leapt inside the Cauldron of Resonance, putting the box beyond the reach of any of the Four War Gods. With the island already conquered, Kyōra and the others established themselves temporarily on Hōraijima, until they could find a solution to their missing powers.

In time, the Four War Gods discovered that by throwing live half-demons into the Cauldron of Resonance, they could retrieve a portion of their powers trapped inside. In order to survive, the War Gods corrupted the Cauldron with their demonic energy and put their mark on each of the island's half-demons and established a powerful demonic barrier around the island. Anyone who carried the mark would be unable to pass outside the barrier. In this way, the Four War Gods were able to keep the half-demons enslaved, sacrificing them one by one whenever their powers needed rejuvenation. Nevertheless, this was a temporary solution at best, since the War Gods could never retrieve their full powers; furthermore, if they left the island, they would slowly fade away from a lack of demonic energy and die. In order to stay alive, the Four War Gods would have to remain on the island, where they could retain access to the Cauldron. Also, due to the slowing effect of the time barrier, the Four War Gods could minimize the amount of power they lost, meaning that they would only need to sacrifice a half-demon whenever the barrier itself weakened (e.g. every 50 years). But until they could retrieve the jeweled comb box from within the Cauldron, the Shitōshin would be trapped on the island forever.

Meeting Lord Sesshōmaru
Some 200 years before the Shitōshin's conflict with Inuyasha, Kyōra had a fateful encounter. When Hōraijima's barrier weakened, the Four War Gods would venture away from the island briefly, in order to wreak havoc before the barrier was restored. During one such excursion, Kyōra encountered a pair of demons, Kujaku and Saiten, who desired to defeat the Four War Gods, at the behest of the late Lord of the Western Lands, the Inu no Taishō. Kyōra was the first (and last) War God the duo encountered. Despite their efforts, Kyōra was easily able to defeat them and they were burned alive. Kyōra was indignant that the two demons were so weak, and yet acted so righteous. He consoled himself with the prospects of taking their weapons as his battle spoils. Kyōra would take Kujaku's fan for himself, while Saiten's Thunder Cannon would be given to his brother Jūra. No sooner had Kyōra defeated Kujaku and Saiten, however, than he was nearly struck by the light whip of Lord Sesshōmaru.

Kyōra was too quick and, taking up Kujaku's fan, dispersed Sesshōmaru's light whip. Kyōra assumed that this imposing figure was the "Sesshōmaru" that Saiten had mentioned in his dying breaths. Kyōra expressed eagerness in meeting the dog demon, as well as in fighting him. Nevertheless, Sesshōmaru treated Kyōra with cold disdain and conveyed his cynicism over Kyōra calling himself "a god". Kyōra assured Sesshōmaru that it was not unwarranted, and with that, leapt into battle. The skirmish lasted only a few seconds, as Sesshōmaru was able to put Kyōra out of action with one blow, causing him to burst into flames. Kyōra was by no means out of the picture, however, and his head floated out of the embers. He commended Sesshōmaru, espousing his surprise at the daiyōkai's strength, but rebuked him for underestimating the "power of a god". Sesshōmaru merely knocked Kyōra's head out of the way; nevertheless, this had only been a distraction. With Sesshōmaru's back turned, he was exposed to an attack by Kyōra's birds of fire, who administered the Mark of the Four War Gods. Kyōra marked Sesshōmaru knowing that he would come looking for revenge, ensuring that this battle would not be their last encounter.

Creating a Priestess
Around 150 years later, Sesshomaru's half-brother, Inuyasha and the priestess Kikyō investigated Hōraijima. By this time, all of the villagers had been killed or sacrificed except for six half-demon children. With their time (and sacrifices) running out, the Four War Gods decided it was time to try and get off the island. Seeing that Kikyō possessed strong spiritual power, they hatched a plan. While Inuyasha and Kikyō landed on the beach and spoke to the children, Kyōra sent in his birds of fire to attack. While they were distracted with this, however, Gōra wrapped his long tongue around Kikyō and began to suck her blood. Inuyasha stopped him, but the Shitōshin had obtained their primary objective. With that done, Ryūra marked Inuyasha, promising him that he would one day be their slave. Following this, the time barrier was restored and the island disappeared.

Behind the veil of the barrier, though, the Four War Gods went to work initiating their plan. Using the blood Gōra sucked from Kikyō, the Shitōshin used their magic to create an identical replica, with the intention of using it to free the jeweled comb box from the Cauldron of Resonance and break the seal on the box itself, releasing their power spheres in the process. In the meantime, the replica Kikyō was left to grow in a ball of fluid in one of Hōraijima's forests.

Reunion with Sesshōmaru
The next time the barrier weakened, the Four War Gods experienced a minor incident of rebellion occured when one of the half-demon children left on the island tried to escape. Somehow the child, Ai, never received the Mark of the Four War Gods. Despite their plan to regain their power being close to completion, the Shitōshin would not allow any of their half-demon thralls to slip through their grasp. Ryūra therefore sent Gōra to bring Ai back. The matter was not as simple as it seemed, however, as Inuyasha happened to be in the area again, and defeated Gōra. Kyōra was unsure on how they should proceed from this failure, but Ryūra assured him that Inuyasha would not escape from the island again.

Eventually, Inuyasha began his approach towards the island, with new allies, apparently hoping to finish what he had left unfinished 50 years ago. The Four War Gods were grateful because he foolishly decided to bring back the runnaway half-demon child.But more importantly, Lord Sesshōmaru was also in the area and Kyōra was eager to fight him once again. Jūra and Ryūra were keen on tackling Inuyasha's group as a warm-up, so Kyōra took this opportunity to slip away and set up a rematch between him and Sesshōmaru.

To this end, Kyōra attacked a shrine on the other side of the bay from Hōraijima. A group of humans had gone their to seek sanctuary, knowing that the Four War Gods wreaked havoc whenever the island of Hōraijima appeared among the mists. Kyōra decided he would lure Sessōmaru to his location by creating as much havoc as possible. He appeared atop the village temple, frightening the gathered villagers and informing them that they would all soon be destroyed. Kyōra set the shrine's tree a blaze from a lightening strike created by his demonic aura. Laughing at their helplessness, Kyōra watched in amusement as the humans attempted in vain to escape their plight. Nevertheless, Kyōra attacked them with his birds of fire, setting them ablaze, as well as the shrine itself from his mere presense. As he looked on his work with satisfaction, one of his flaming birds were suddenly cut apart by a sword stike. Turning to see who it was, Kyōra discovered Lord Sesshōmaru emerging from the shadows of the nearby forest. Kyōra himself was delighted, and informed Lord Sesshōmaru that he had long awaited their rematch.

Taking little time for small talk, which Sesshōmaru would not likely have partaken in anyway, Kyōra wasted no time in getting their battle started. Having learned from their last encounter, he opened with a blast of his Crimson Demon Fan, engulfing Sesshōmaru in a vortex of heat and flame. Kyōra allowed himself to impressed with his own skill, but it was premature. To Kyōra's surprise, Sesshōmaru ripped apart the flaming cyclone with a blast of his demonic aura. He then charged at the War God with his sword, Tōkijin. Kyōra deftly dodged each of the thrusts and slashes, expanding his wings and taking flight. Kyōra congratulated Sesshōmaru on breaking through his attack so easily, remarking on how he "would expect nothing less from Lord Sesshōmaru." Gathering his birds of fire around him, Kyōra braced himself for the next phase. However, Sesshōmaru's next attack was more than he expected, as Sesshōmaru did not possess Tōkijin the first time they had faced off. Slicing several attacking birds, Sesshōmaru withdrew a short distance away, then turned towards Kyōra, unleashing his Dragon Strike move. Kyōra was taken aback, and tried to steer clear of it, but ended up being consumed by the blast. Nevertheless, Kyōra was left astonished once again by Sesshōmaru's skill. As his body began to break away into flame, Kyōra invited Lord Sesshōmaru to Hōraijima, where they could "cross swords again". Sesshōmaru was incredulous, but Kyōra assured his opponent that he would have no say in the matter, so long as he bore the Mark of the Four War Gods, and with that, Kyōra disintegrated, to later reform on Hōraijima, leaving behind a disgruntled and dissatisfied Sesshōmaru.

Power Restored
Meanwhile, Inuyasha and his group had survived their skirmish with Ryūra and Jūra, and had begone investigating the village. The Four War Gods decided to let them be, since they were no threat and could not leave, as Inuyasha bore the Mark as well as the rest of the half-demons, but the War Gods were also running low on power. For this reason, the Cauldron of Resonance called out for a sacrifice, and the eldest half-demon from the village, Asagi, dutifully reported to the Cauldron. Soon, she was sacrificed and they were summarily rejuvenated. Jūra was not satisfied, however, and was impatient for the return of his sphere. Recognizing that only 5 of the children were left, Kyōra suggested that they initiate the final phase of their plan, and retrieve their true power. Ryūra agreed that it was almost time to release the priestess. However, it was not until Ryūra sensed that the jeweled comb box had been removed from the Cauldron, that she was sent to fulfill her mission.

Within very little time, the false Kikyō returned with the box. Kyōra congratulated her and Jūra urged her to break the seal on the box, to which she began to comply. At that moment, though, Inuyasha arrived calling out to "Kikyō" to stop. The Four War Gods leapt into action, coming in between the two so that the hanyō could not interfere. Ryūra and Kyōra explained to Inuyasha that this Kikyō was just a replica, created to release their power spheres, Jūra began to grow even more impatient, and ordered the priestess to hurry up. No sooner had this been said, than the seal was finally undone, and the power spheres of the Shitōshin returned to foreheads of their respective owners. Kyōra experienced an intense feeling of euphoria at the return of his power, lamenting that it had been "far too long". The Shitōshin then turned on Inuyasha with their new power, Jūra blasting him with the Thunder Cannon and Kyōra attacking with his birds of fire. The hanyō landed on a beach below and barely survived an energy blast from Gōra. After this he became preoccupied fighting the replica Kikyō. The Shitōshin were eager to leave the island, but Jūra suggested that before they do so, they should kill the remaining villagers. They all agreed, but Kyōra knew that Sesshōmaru had finally followed him onto Hōraijima, and headed to the Cauldron of Resonance to wait for him.

Rematch atop the Cauldron
Eventually, Sesshōmaru dutifully appeared to challenge Kyōra at the base of the Cauldron. He was obviously ready to do battle, immeditately drawing his Tōkijin. Kyōra informed him that he would gladly be his opponent, and charged his power, drawing flames from the now-broken Cauldron to burst all around him. The battle was fiercer and longer than any they had had before. Kyōra and Sesshōmaru both exchanged blows at close range, and Kyōra proved adept at blocking or dodging all that were directed at him. Sesshōmaru was just as capable of dispelling his birds of fire as he had been during their last encounter. Kyōra dodged more of his blows and then came down hard on the ground, which ended up blasting a large chunk off of the bridge they had been standing on.

Kyōra used this opening to engage Sesshōmaru in some conversation, asking him if he found their duel as exciting as he did, recognizing that they were both kindred spirits. Sesshōmaru expressed his cold disapproval of such a concept, and leapt into attack. Kyōra dodged this and landed on top of Sesshōmaru's hand, grabbing it and discharging electricity from his aura. Whilst upside-down, Kyōra explained to Sesshōmaru that they both felt joy while fighting, and that they felt alive while killing. When Kyōra asked him where they differed, Sesshōmaru flatly commanded him not to compare the two of them, calling Kyōra "lowly yōkai trash." He then threw Kyōra off of his hand, but he came right back to cross his weapon with Lord Sesshōmaru's. Jumping above Sesshōmaru's next attack, Kyōra leapt down from their high perch, landing in a stream below and narrowly dodging a dive thrust from Sesshōmaru. As he flew through the air, Kyōra launched his Crimson Demon Fan attack, to little effect. As he landed on top of the Cauldron once again, his attack began to set the entire landscape aflame. Kyōra once again asked Sesshōmaru to tell him how they were different, and Sesshōmaru refused to explain anything, claiming that Kyōra was "not even worth [his] breath."

With that said, Sessōmaru unleashed his Dragon Strike, which passed over Kyōra without any damage. He then plunged his sword into the ground, which caused three gashes to move across the ground to the base of the Cauldron where Kyōra was standing, with a discharge of yōki. Kyōra was amused that his attack was apparently so ineffective, and taunted Sesshōmaru, asking him if that was the best he had to offer. Immediately after this, Kyōra was consumed in a beam of Tōkijin's demonic energy, which had been gathering within the Cauldron after Sesshōmaru's attack. Kyōra screamed out in pain as he gradually disintegrated into nothing. As the Cauldron itself exploded, all that was left of Kyōra was his power sphere, which, giving off a demonic aura in the shape of a phoenix, flew up into the sky.

Shitōshin's Last Stand
Kyōra was the first of the Shitōshin to be defeated, and eventually Inuyasha and his friends defeated the rest, as Sesshōmaru had only come to fulfill his personal vendetta against Kyōra (even though the Shitōshin's barrier was still intact and he bore their mark, Sesshōmaru was nevertheless able to leave anyway, the barrier apparently having no effect on him). Once all of the Four War Gods had been defeated, their Spheres of Power survived each of their individual deaths, combining to form a large, monstrous demon, which Gōra's shell and the faces of the other three War Gods. Ryūra's personality seemed to be the most dominant, as his face was the frontmost one, and he was the only member of the Shitōshin to speak after their recombination. Kyōra did very little, except to use his fire to prevent Miroku from using his Wind Tunnel. Inuyasha proved ineffective against the combined power of the Shitōshin, but just when victory seemed near, Kagome combined her sacred arrow with Inuyasha's Adamant Barrage. This proved too much, and with their combined body destroyed, the Shitōshin disappeared from the world forever.