Chapter 15 – The Death of the Oni
Thump— Thump— Thump—
Akira's heartbeat pounded faster. Blood surged through his veins like a raging current. Every fiber of his body screamed with vitality—as if he were burning from the inside.
If someone measured his temperature now, it would've surely passed thirty-nine degrees Celsius.
"DIE, YOU BASTARD!"
Even with only one arm left, Watanabe Miki's ferocity didn't drop one bit.
But in Akira's eyes, she was full of openings. Every twitch, every stance, every breath she took was painted in glaring red—weak spots, all of them. She wasn't a threat anymore.
With a sharp shift of his stance, Akira dashed forward.
His katana gleamed—faintly wrapped in a flickering glow, like fire dancing on steel. And in the blink of an eye, he slashed.
The light of his blade cut through the dim apartment like a flash of lightning.
Watanabe Miki's body was torn apart.
Her remaining arm, both legs, and even her head were severed—flying in all directions like broken puppets.
Blood gushed and sprayed, turning the floor into a flooded crimson lake.
Scattered limbs, twisted flesh, a decapitated head—it all made the room resemble a horrific murder scene.
"Ugh—!"
Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't hold it in anymore.
She doubled over and vomited.
She had never witnessed anything this brutal in her life. The worst she'd ever done was gut a fish.
She'd never even killed a chicken.
Her mind and body rebelled instinctively at the grotesque display before her.
"You… bastard… why… why can you cut off my head…?"
A horrifying sound echoed.
The severed head—still drenched in blood, lying in a puddle—suddenly opened its mouth and screamed.
Its eyes were filled with hatred and raw fury.
This man—this human—had done this to her. Had humiliated her. Destroyed her.
"I told you," Akira replied coldly. "I'm just an ordinary swordsman. Nothing more."
"Liar! No mere swordsman could sever my neck! Who are you?!"
"That's something you should ask your master."
"M-My master…?"
"Yeah. The one who turned you into an oni. Maybe he can answer that for you."
"No… That's impossible! There's no way He—my Master—knows who you are!"
But in that instant, Akira's suspicion was confirmed.
There was no longer any doubt.
Kibutsuji Muzan existed in this world.
That alone explained everything—the demons, the transformations, the curse.
Meanwhile, Yukino, still struggling to calm her stomach and steady her mind, looked at Akira with wide, stunned eyes.
Was this woman truly no longer human?
What kind of being… could do something like this?
A god? A demon?
"So… your 'Master' is still the same coward, huh? Even now, he refuses to share his name. Embeds curses into your blood just to keep himself hidden. Pathetic."
"WHO ARE YOU?! How do you know all this?!"
Watanabe Miki was finally beginning to understand—her enemy wasn't just anyone.
He didn't just know about the existence of her master.
He knew about the blood curse.
A technique so secret that even most demons weren't aware of it.
This man… was dangerous.
"I don't waste my words on those who've already fallen into darkness."
Akira sighed softly.
If only he had a Nichirin Blade… this fight would've ended already.
But unfortunately, the sword in his hand was just a regular katana.
No matter.
Without hesitation, he drove the blade into Miki's severed head.
But even with steel piercing through her skull, she didn't die.
Akira glanced at the wall clock.
Eleven o'clock.
Still far from sunrise.
"Whoever you are… you can't kill me!" Miki cackled. "I'm an oni! Even if you cut me to pieces—I won't die!"
Slumped in a puddle of her own blood, her tone turned manic.
She'd realized something: Akira had no way to kill her.
And with that realization… her fear faded.
Even if her body was in shambles, time would eventually let her regenerate.
"You can't kill me, huh?"
Akira chuckled.
But his smile sent a chill down Miki's spine.
"Stop pretending! If you could kill me, you would've done it by now! Admit it—you can't!"
"If all I wanted was to kill you… it would be so simple."
"Hah! We oni are eternal! You humans will never understand what we are!"
"Eternal?" Akira scoffed. "You're nothing but sewer rats. You can't even stand in sunlight without turning to ash. That includes your precious Master. That coward."
"DON'T YOU DARE INSULT HIM! You don't know anything about Lord Muzan!"
"You're wrong. I know more than most of the demons he's ever created. His past. His present. Even his future. And all of it leads to the same conclusion…"
Akira stepped forward.
"He's nothing but a loser."
"You'll die for this! You'll regret mocking Lord Muzan!"
"He once murdered the doctor who saved his life—just because of his impatience. That mistake cursed him to become something neither man nor demon. And then, even in that form… he was nearly killed by a regular human."
Akira's voice lowered, darker now.
"He spent the rest of his life hiding in the shadows. And only crawled out again once his enemy died… of old age."
"No… that's not true… Lord Muzan would never—!"
Before Miki could finish her denial, a vision flickered in her mind.
Something buried deep within her cells. A memory that wasn't hers.
Fragments of someone else's past—of his past.
Even the tiniest amount of Muzan's blood carried traces of his memories.
"So whether it's him, or all the other demons like you… you'll always be rats in the dark. That's your truth."
"SHUT UP! Don't talk about Muzan-sama like that! He's not—"
Suddenly, her voice cut off.
Akira's eyes narrowed.
A rumbling, bubbling sound echoed from Miki's body.
Her skin started to swell. Veins bulged violently beneath the surface, pulsing with unnatural pressure.
The Blood Curse.
Anyone who received Muzan's blood… was bound to it.
Speak his name without permission. Reveal even the tiniest detail about him…
And your body would destroy itself.
"I'm loyal! I never meant to betray Lord Muzan! I—!"
BOOM!
Her body exploded.
Like a grotesque firework, chunks of flesh and gouts of blood rained across the room.
The walls were splattered. The air reeked of iron and rot.
Yukino immediately covered her mouth with both hands. Her eyes widened in horror. Her body trembled as nausea rose in her throat.
This scene was beyond anything she could handle.
Too violent.
Too real.
Too monstrous.
[Ding!]
[You have obtained 0.1% inheritance progression of the Template.]
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