This had been Horitake's goal all along: to force Zohakuten to appear, so he could challenge the entity and brutally slaughter it!
Hearing Horitake's words, the Demon of Hatred, clinging to his final breath, was struck with terror.
"How... how do you know about my trump card!?"
"I know what I want to know. There are very few secrets in this world that remain hidden from me. Naturally, your petty tricks and your final cards were all within my expectations."
The Demon of Hatred fell into true despair. There was no hope left. As is often the case in moments of absolute hopelessness, his emotions twisted into pure rage and resentment. He bared his fangs and claws at Horitake, screaming ferociously:
"Lord Muzan will not let you get away with this! Lord Muzan will definitely kill you! You can never defeat us demons! We..."
"Alright, alright. It seems you have nothing of value left to say. Let's end this."
With that, Horitake activated the Heavenly Thunder Breathing.
A massive surge of purple current flowed along the blade of Weiguang, dumping its entire payload of electricity into the remnant of the Demon of Hatred's body.
How could the demon withstand such power? Amidst spasms and screams, what little remained of his body was blasted into dust and nothingness by the overwhelming high-voltage pressure!
One of Hantengu's five great clones was officially declared dead!
When the Demon of Hatred was eliminated, the Cowardly Demon—the main body—reacted instantly.
As the core of Hantengu, having one-fifth of his soul obliterated caused him immense pain.
In Jigoro's grip, the tiny Hantengu began to whimper and shriek miserably. His body twitched violently, while tears and snot streamed down his face. He looked utterly pathetic.
Jigoro, who had been watching the battle, understood immediately.
"It seems that Horitake destroying one of the clones has inflicted significant damage on the main body as well."
The Cowardly Demon's form and behavior were perfectly suited for feigning pitifulness.
Zenitsu, sitting on the branch next to him, watched the wailing demon and seemed to struggle with his conscience.
He opened his mouth to speak, but initially, no words came out.
Zenitsu's expression could not hide the truth from Jigoro. The old master looked at his student and asked:
"Zenitsu, do you feel that this demon is a bit too pitiful? Do you feel that your senior brother's methods are perhaps too cruel?"
Although he felt he shouldn't think that way, Zenitsu was an honest child. He nodded his head pitifully.
Jigoro sighed.
The boy had a kind heart, but kindness had to be applied at the right time and to the right subjects, didn't it?
Jigoro began to teach by example, offering earnest guidance:
"Zenitsu, this demon in my hand is named Hantengu. He is Upper Rank Four of the Twelve Kizuki, making him one of the most powerful demons in the world today!
He has lived for approximately two hundred years.
In those two hundred years, do you know how many humans he has eaten?"
Zenitsu shook his head honestly, indicating he didn't know.
"I don't know the exact number either, but we can estimate.
For a demon as powerful as him, eating humans is as common as eating a daily meal.
Let's assume he eats, on average, one person a day. In one year, that would be over three hundred people!
And since he has lived for around two hundred years... if you do the math, this demon has likely devoured tens of thousands of people!
Tens of thousands! Tens of thousands of innocent lives, all buried in his gullet! To call his crimes 'heinous' is an understatement!
Zenitsu, do you still pity him now?"
Hearing his grandfather present the cold, hard facts and data, Zenitsu turned pale with fright. He shook his head violently, like a rattle drum.
"I don't pity him! I don't think he's pitiful at all anymore! He deserves exactly what he's getting! Big Brother is teaching him a good lesson! He should be taught a lesson like this!"
Jigoro nodded with satisfaction.
"Zenitsu, that is the logic of the world.
Kindness is a virtue, and having compassion for others is good. But compassion must be distinguished by the subject and the person receiving it.
If the opponent is an irredeemable monster like this, there is absolutely no need to show them mercy! Furthermore, we must eradicate evil completely! Only then can we do right by the spirits of those innocent victims in heaven!
Zenitsu, you will encounter many enemies in the future.
Some enemies will be outwardly ferocious, and you will feel no guilt in cutting off their heads.
But some enemies may try to confuse you by pretending to be pitiful or kind.
You must never let your heart soften. A moment of softness can lead to a lifetime of regret."
It was unclear how much Zenitsu truly absorbed, but the boy nodded solemnly, indicating he understood.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, after Horitake finished off the Demon of Hatred, the fusion of the remaining four clones was nearly complete.
It was called a fusion, but in reality, it was consumption and absorption.
While Horitake was busy killing the Demon of Hatred, Sekido (Anger) had staggered into action. He found Karaku, Urogi, and Aizetsu one by one, crushing their bodies and swallowing them into his own.
Urogi and Aizetsu were already half-dead and offered no reaction to being crushed and devoured.
Karaku was somewhat reluctant, but he knew that under the circumstances, he had to obey. Unwillingly, he allowed himself to be absorbed by Sekido.
By the time Horitake finished the Demon of Hatred, Sekido had finished absorbing the other three.
Four demons in one. When such power gathered in a single body, the explosive strength it produced was truly extraordinary.
having absorbed the three clones, Sekido's condition improved drastically. He revealed a cruel, terrifying smile as the flesh and blood on his body surged and began to transform.
Gurgle, squelch. The flesh writhed and grew.
Soon, the transformation was complete, and a new entity appeared!
This new demon had a very imposing appearance.
Although he retained the image of a handsome young boy with dark hair, he was now clad in strange armor. On his back, he carried a ring of Raijin drums, each inscribed with the kanji for "Hatred" (憎), and in his hands, he held S-shaped drumsticks.
This newly emerged demon was Hantengu's strongest combat form: Zohakuten.
Because Zohakuten had absorbed the various emotions of the other clones, with "Hatred" as the dominant core, his personality was arrogant, cruel, malicious, and utterly unreasonable.
He held the S-shaped drumsticks in his hands, glaring furiously at Horitake standing across from him.
"You... you bastard...
Not only did you harm my other selves, but you also held the main body hostage and even harmed the Demon of Hatred!
You are truly a scoundrel who bullies the weak!"
Hearing this, Horitake couldn't help but let out a cold sneer.
In the original story, Zohakuten had said something similar to Tanjiro.
Tanjiro might have had the patience to debate morality with Zohakuten, but Horitake had no such inclination.
Looking at Zohakuten, Horitake's expression turned icy.
"So, I bully the weak. And?"
Zohakuten froze.
"You..."
"You what? The survival of the fittest is the fundamental law of nature!
When you faced those humans before, because they were weaker than you, you either ate them or slaughtered them. If that wasn't bullying the weak, then what was it?
By the same logic, right now, you are weaker than me. Therefore, I can destroy you and torture you. Is there a problem?
No, there is no problem!"
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