"Since I can see them now, they're nothing to fear."
Having sensed the invisible boundaries surrounding him, Yohan no longer charged straight toward Yahaba. Instead, he began weaving through the space with bizarre, twisting movements.
From a distance, to Tamayo and the others, it looked as though he were evading something invisible.
"What's he doing?"
Tamayo's eyes narrowed as she watched closely. She began to realize that Yohan's actions were likely in response to Yahaba's Blood Demon Art. Recalling how Temari's trajectory had defied logic earlier, she felt a sudden jolt of clarity—she was starting to understand.
"Yushiro, use your BlindFold—now."
"Yes, Lady Tamayo," Yushiro responded immediately. His body had already healed, and he swiftly slapped a talisman into Tamayo's hand and another into Mitsuri's.
Blood Demon Art: BlindFold.
As Yushiro activated his Blood Demon Art, the talismans took effect. Suddenly, the web of invisible lines surrounding Yahaba became visible to all of them—strings of force like red veins floating in the air.
"These must be the source of his ability," Tamayo murmured, watching the strange arrows pulse around Yohan like a trap sprung mid-motion. She finally understood why Yohan had moved so oddly—he had been avoiding these "arrows."
"This man… is terrifyingly powerful," Tamayo whispered, in awe of the fact that Yohan had sensed and deciphered Yahaba's Blood Demon Art through sheer physical instinct—without the aid of Yushiro's magic.
"No! How could you possibly know!?"
Yahaba's voice trembled with fear as Yohan rapidly closed the distance between them.
Everything had been going perfectly. His trap had been set. The moment Yohan stepped into the boundary, Yahaba should have been in complete control of the battlefield. But Yohan had dodged everything.
Impossible! His Blood Demon Art had never been exposed before. There was no way Yohan could've known!
His heart raced in panic. He had made one critical error—too confident in his strategy, he had placed the bulk of his arrows into the trap, leaving his immediate vicinity exposed.
"There's nothing impossible about it," Yohan said coldly. "If you want someone to blame, blame yourself for being too weak."
He was already in front of Yahaba now. And with the words still hanging in the air, Yohan's iron fist came crashing down on Yahaba's head.
Boom!
It sounded like a watermelon splitting open.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Yahaba's body crumpled backward like a puppet with its strings cut.
It was over.
He wasn't dead—yet. But he was finished.
Though he and Susamaru had always boasted about being part of the Twelve Kizuki, in truth, they were not official members. True demons of that rank would not die from a crushed head. But for lesser ones like Yahaba, a destroyed brain meant total incapacitation.
Now he was nothing more than a helpless corpse awaiting the final blow.
Yohan turned away from Yahaba and looked back toward Susamaru.
"Now… it's your turn."
He hadn't forgotten the way she'd screamed behind him just moments ago. Even if she was a woman, that grotesque form with six pulsing arms was not Yohan's type.
"For the sake of world peace, I think it's time you died."
"Damn it! DAMN IT!"
"I won't go down as easily as Yahaba!"
Susamaru was frantic. With Yahaba down, she was now utterly alone. The mission Lord Muzan had assigned them was a failure, and there would be no mercy if she returned alive. She knew it better than anyone: to fail Lord Muzan was to die.
And so, if she was going to die, she would go down fighting.
"DIE, YOU DAMN HUMAN!!"
She completely snapped.
But without Yahaba's support, her power was just brute force—wild, unrefined, and without precision.
Yohan simply shattered each of her Temari balls with his bare fists, one after another.
"It's over."
And with that, he threw a single punch.
It hit her square in the chest and launched her like a cannonball into the thick trunk of a tree.
CRACK!
Leaves burst into the air as the tree trembled from the impact. Susamaru lay motionless beneath it, completely unconscious.
"Mitsuri, finish them off," Yohan said, turning away.
"Got it, Yohan!"
Mitsuri stepped forward, gripping her Nichirin blade tightly, and moved toward the bodies of the two demons.
Yohan didn't bother to look back.
He knew—just one slice of that blade, and it would all be over. Neither of them would be getting back up.
"Um… may I collect some of their blood?"
Tamayo spoke up suddenly, her voice small and hesitant.
"I—I mean, it's for research purposes," she quickly explained, clearly nervous. "Their blood contains traces of Kibutsuji Muzan's cells… I may be able to analyze it and discover something useful."
She was scared—clearly shaken by Yohan's overwhelming power. Though he had just saved them, Tamayo had no idea what he or Mitsuri were truly after.
She and Yushiro were in no position to resist. All they could do was hope that these two weren't enemies.
And pray they weren't monsters in human skin.
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