Episode Title:
The Mausoleum of Mount Azusa.
Episode Description:
Kikyo is able to partially heal Miroku by pouring some of her life force into him, though this causes her wound to reopen again. Naraku is forced to take Onigumo, his human heart, back in, gaining the abilities to spin spiderwebs. He manages to capture Kikyo, canceling out her purification powers and leaving her to be infected with his evil will. Inuyasha and Kagome end up entangled in the spiderwebs when trying to help Kikyo. Kagome sees a vision of the tragic parting between Inuyasha and Kikyo which took place fifty years prior. Kagome tries to use Kikyo's longbow to heal her, but the bowstring snaps due to the resulting defilement of the spiderwebs. Kikyo instructs Kagome to go to the Mausoleum of Mount Azusa to obtain a special longbow in order to save her life. Meanwhile, Byakuya finds Kohaku and poisons him with snakes, but leaves when Sesshormaru's group shows up to save Kohaku. Once reaching the mausoleum at the top of the sacred mountain, the spirit guardian, in the form of Kikyo, gives Kagome the longbow, but Kagome is tested when she tries to go back down, ending up dangled from a cliff. Kikyo appears to her and questions her desire to save Kikyo's life, but Kagome learns it was just an image of Kikyo created from her own insecurities. Kagome passes the test and obtains the sacred longbow of Mount Azusa, then falls into the abyss below the cliff. Naraku, realizing Kagome is now freed from the spiderwebs, plans to personally kill Kikyo in order to prevent her from being purified.
