Karaku furiously denounced Horitake, screaming that he simply wasn't human. Since when did a Demon Slayer engage in a fistfight with a demon? And to make matters worse, how did he actually win?!
Horitake stood his ground, thought about it carefully for a moment, and then nodded.
"Hmm, I think you have a point. In that case, let's stop brawling. I'll take my weapon back."
As soon as he spoke, Horitake raised his hand, purple lightning flickering across his palm.
At the same time, Majesty, which was lying some distance away, began to crackle with matching violet electricity.
Through the power of electromagnetic attraction, the two were drawn together. Majesty levitated into the air, hilt forward and blade trailing, and flew rapidly into Horitake's waiting hand.
Horitake caught Majesty effortlessly, his grip tightening around the hilt.
He ran his fingers lightly along the flat of the blade, feeling the cold, refined steel of his treasured sword. A satisfied smile crossed his lips.
Instantly, Horitake's entire aura shifted.
Although he seemed quieter, the air around him grew heavy with a sensation of extreme danger.
Sekido, Karaku, and Hatred looked at Horitake now and felt as though they were facing a completely different enemy.
If the bare-handed Horitake was like a pair of heavy, thick boxing gloves, then Horitake holding Majesty was like those same gloves fitted with titanium spikes.
The danger he radiated before had been oppressive; the danger he radiated now was lethal—the kind that promised instant annihilation.
The three demon clones immediately felt a pit form in their stomachs.
So this is the Heavenly Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps? This is the strongman who defeated Akaza?
Hatred scrambled to his feet, watching Horitake nervously. He then turned to Sekido and Karaku and unleashed a torrent of abuse:
"What are you two staring at?! Hurry up and let the other two out! There is absolutely no way the three of us can beat him alone!"
Sekido and Karaku snapped out of it and stood up, activating their Blood Demon Art.
Squelch, squelch.
With a sickening churning sound, the bodies of Sekido and Karaku began to split. Two new clones rapidly took shape and emerged.
These two new demons resembled Sekido and Karaku in appearance—young men with black hair and twin horns—but the emotions they embodied were entirely different.
One of the new clones wore a face full of joyous, cheerful smiles. He had wings sprouting from his back, his lower body was that of a bird of prey with sharp talons, and he was effectively a harpy-like creature. The character for "Joy" was engraved on his tongue.
This demon clone was named Urogi (Joy).
The other new clone had a permanent frown, his face etched with misery, looking as if someone owed him hundreds of dollars. In his hands, he gripped a spear with a cross-shaped tip, a weapon that clearly wasn't for show.
This demon clone was named Aizetsu (Sorrow).
With this, all the clones that Hantengu could create through division had appeared. They lined up in a row facing Horitake:
Aizetsu, Sekido, Karaku, Urogi, and Hatred.
Looking at the array of demon clones, Horitake chuckled.
"Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Pleasure, and Hatred... the whole set is here. Not bad, not bad at all. Now I can really let loose! Who wants to go first? or will you all come at once? It makes no difference to me."
Of course we're coming at once!
Did he think they would use "wheel tactics" and wait for him to pick them off one by one?
The demon clones all had the same thought simultaneously. Driven by an unspoken synergy, they began to coordinate their attack!
Urogi laughed heartily, spread his wings, and took to the sky, circling above to wait for an opening.
Karaku was the second to act. Laughing loudly, he raised his leaf fan and swung it violently at Horitake!
Instantly, a gale-force wind roared to life, sweeping toward Horitake's body.
Horitake maintained his stance, his feet planted firmly on the ground. He allowed the fierce wind to batter him, remaining immovable as a mountain. He merely squinted slightly to keep his vision clear amidst the chaotic currents.
At the same time, the other two clones made their move.
Aizetsu, wearing his mournful expression, hefted his cross-spear and charged straight at Horitake.
Sekido unleashed his speed, flashing behind Horitake in the blink of an eye.
One in front and one behind—a pincer attack. Simultaneously, they activated their unique Blood Demon Arts!
Aizetsu thrust his cross-spear forward, unleashing several incredibly sharp shockwaves that tore through the air toward Horitake!
Sekido swung his khakkhara staff with full force, gathering a massive amount of electricity. From behind, a storm of thunder and lightning crashed toward Horitake's back.
Horitake, standing firm within the gale, tilted his head slightly. He looked genuinely interested.
"Not bad. You are Hantengu's clones, after all. That is some nice teamwork!
Heavenly Thunder Breathing: Second Form: Modified—Chidori Current!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Horitake unleashed his Heavenly Thunder.
In an instant, lightning flashed and thunder roared around him. Purple electricity condensed and flickered, accompanied by a sound like a thousand birds chirping in unison. The energy formed a dense electromagnetic net that covered the area around Horitake, creating an absolute defense!
The multiple sharp shockwaves from Aizetsu slammed into the intricate Chidori Current defense. They failed to break through, blocked completely by the wall of energy.
Aizetsu frowned, his expression becoming even more depressed.
The shockwaves he released could easily pierce through tough demon flesh. The fact that they couldn't break the opponent's defense at all was simply absurd!
And what of the lightning attack from behind?
It fared even worse than the shockwaves.
As mentioned before, the lightning Sekido generated was "Ordinary Thunder." When faced with true "Heavenly Thunder," it was like snow meeting the sun.
The bombardment of lightning struck the Chidori Current, but instead of causing damage, it was instantly dissolved and annihilated by the superior Heavenly Thunder!
It could be said that among Hantengu's clones, the one Horitake countered most effectively was Sekido, the one who controlled electricity.
Daring to play with lightning in front of me? You've truly met your master!
The pincer attack from Aizetsu and Sekido had failed completely. In this critical moment, another clone had to step up!
With a high-pitched screech, Horitake looked up.
It was Urogi, wings spread wide, launching an offensive from the sky.
Urogi's special Blood Demon Art allowed him to emit ultra-high-frequency destructive sound waves from his mouth. The power of these sonic screams ranged from causing dizziness to rupturing eardrums and knocking victims unconscious instantly.
At this moment, Urogi was using exactly that.
He opened his mouth wide and shrieked. A wave of high-decibel destruction bombarded Horitake from above, covering the entire area!
This type of attack was indeed rare, and undeniably dangerous.
Even with a physique as strong as Horitake's current body, taking a direct hit from these sound waves would likely cause him to lose focus for a moment.
In a battle between masters, a single moment of distraction could be fatal.
Therefore, Horitake had no intention of tanking the sonic attack.
He planned to meet force with force—to counter this attack using the exact same method!
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