Meanwhile, perched high upon a tree branch, Kuwajima Jigoro and Zenitsu watched the fierce battle unfolding in the distance. Witnessing a combat so terrifying that three separate demon clones couldn't find an opening to intervene, they were left utterly tongue-tied.
Zenitsu, the poor child, was frightened into a daze. He couldn't help but ask, trembling:
"Grandpa... is this Big Brother's true strength?"
Jigoro wasn't entirely sure himself.
"Err... I suppose so. Or perhaps your senior brother hasn't even used his full power yet? After all, this Hantengu is Upper Rank Four, but the one your senior brother defeated before, Akaza, was Upper Rank Three!"
"You mean Big Brother isn't even fighting seriously yet!?"
"I can't be certain, but he definitely hasn't displayed his truest, most complete strength! That much I can guarantee! This kid's power... he has far surpassed me. The student has outstripped the master; he's done truly well."
Jigoro held Hantengu's main body—the tiny, cowardly demon—in his hand. Watching the intense battle and seeing Horitake navigate it with apparent ease, he fell silent.
He had to be silent; his jaw had been wrenched off, so he physically couldn't speak.
But even if he could, Hantengu would have had nothing to say.
He realized it too: Horitake might truly not have begun to fight seriously yet. The man's strength was simply terrifying. The odds of victory today were devastatingly low.
It's over. It's over. I'm going to die here today!
If only he could actively contact Lord Muzan. To save his own life, he would have begged Lord Muzan for rescue without hesitation!
Back on the battlefield, the human and the two demons had exchanged hundreds of blows in just a few short minutes. Horitake decided it was about enough.
Despite the apparent intensity of the clash, he had essentially been testing the true capabilities of Sekido and Aizetsu.
And in those few minutes, the test was complete.
According to Horitake's estimation, the strength of these clones was merely average—frankly unworthy of the prestigious title of Upper Rank Four.
Then again, they were merely offshoots of Hantengu, not the main body. It was normal for them to lack the full might of the Upper Rank. Horitake estimated that even if these two combined, they would barely scrape together half of Hantengu's total power.
Since the testing phase was over, it was time to end this deadlock.
Between Sekido (Anger) and Aizetsu (Sorrow), who should he eliminate first?
Naturally, one picks the softest persimmon to squeeze first!
Sekido might not have been the "softest" in terms of raw durability, but his abilities were most heavily countered by Horitake.
Horitake dodged a shockwave from Aizetsu and delivered a heavy kick that sent the sorrowful demon flying. In that split second, within a square inch of space, he locked eyes with Sekido, smiled faintly, and made his move.
"Heavenly Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Raikiri (Lightning Cutter)!"
A massive surge of purple lightning flashed and roared, manifesting across the surface of Horitake's body.
Under Horitake's absolute control, the ferocious electricity instantly converged, compressing onto the blade of Weiguang. The Nichirin blade was transformed into a condensed edge of violet light—the Raikiri.
Gazing at Sekido with palpable killing intent, Horitake charged forward with the Raikiri blade!
Compared to the boisterous chirping of the Chidori, the silent, focused hum of the Raikiri possessed a far greater intimidation factor.
For reasons he couldn't explain, the moment Sekido saw the purple lightning blade in Horitake's hand, his scalp went numb, and a chill shot down his spine.
Danger!
This move is too dangerous! I must dodge it at all costs!
But could he dodge simply because he wanted to?
Just how fast was Horitake?
In a literal flash, Horitake appeared directly in front of Sekido, the Raikiri slashing down toward him!
Sekido's soul nearly left his body. Dodging was impossible. In this critical moment, his only option was to block head-on, hoping against hope to withstand the strike!
Sekido held nothing but his khakkhara staff. Without thinking, he swung the staff up with both hands to block, simultaneously flooding it with his own electricity, hoping the lightning would provide some measure of defense.
He had made a grave error.
Previously, Sekido had noticed that his lightning dissolved like snow meeting fire when faced with Horitake's "Heavenly Thunder." He knew this.
But in the panic of the moment, that fact slipped his mind.
The Raikiri collided with the lightning-wreathed staff.
Faced with the Heavenly Thunder, the mortal lightning on the staff instantly dissipated and collapsed.
In that instant, the metal staff became incredibly fragile.
Horitake, gripping the Raikiri, drove the blade downward with all his might. The staff Sekido used for defense was sliced clean through!
Snap!
Watching his weapon break, Sekido knew he was finished.
He knew there was no way out. Too late to dodge, too late to flee. All he could do was desperately lean back, praying to minimize the damage.
Squelch!
Horitake's Raikiri sliced open Sekido's stomach with terrifying smoothness!
It wasn't just blood or flesh that flew from Sekido's belly, but a pile of large and small intestines mingled with the gore!
Horitake had gutted him with a single slash—a rare sight indeed!
At that moment, whether it was the victim Sekido or the other four clones who were too far away to help, their faces turned ghastly pale. They screamed internally: Disaster!
However, the true horror had not yet begun.
From the start, Horitake had made his intentions clear: he wasn't just going to kill them; he was going to slaughter them sadistically.
The fierce battle just now? That wasn't torture.
This was torture.
Horitake laughed aloud. Extending his empty left hand, he actually grabbed a section of the intestine spilling out of Sekido's stomach! Then, planting a foot on Sekido's chest, he kicked the demon away!
Sekido flew backward like a kite with a cut string!
No, he looked exactly like a kite!
He flew backward with tremendous speed, and as he flew, a long length of intestine was pulled from his open belly—like the string of a kite.
And the other end of this macabre "string" was gripped firmly in Horitake's hand.
As a result, after Sekido flew a certain distance, the slack in the intestine ran out. He was nearly disemboweled completely, almost having his stomach yanked out along with the guts.
Ultimately, the stomach stayed put, but the connective tissue between the stomach and the intestine snapped with a sickening pop.
Sekido crashed to the ground, while his long, trailing intestine remained in Horitake's grip, dragging on the floor.
Brutal enough? Sadistic enough?
Not yet.
Horitake hadn't vented his anger fully. His next move was even more twisted.
gripping the end of the intestine, Horitake began to swing the long, bloody organ in circles above his head, spinning it like a rope.
Like a cowboy from the Wild West, Horitake swung the gut a few times in the air before lashing it out toward Aizetsu, who was standing nearby, frozen in shock!
Truly, Aizetsu was stupefied.
And not just Aizetsu. Urogi in the sky, the Hatred Demon, and even Karaku were struck dumb.
It wasn't that they had never seen such brutality before, but they had never seen such brutality inflicted upon themselves.
Specifically, seeing this happen to one of their fellow clones was equivalent to feeling it happen to their own bodies!
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