The artificial stream merged into the natural river, creating a fork in the water's path.
One route followed the natural current downstream, while the other required a push against the flow, heading upstream. If the female demon intended to continue her flight by water, she had to choose one of these two directions.
Which way did she go? Downstream or upstream?
Logic dictated that going downstream was the obvious choice—it was faster, requiring less effort for a quick escape. However, it wasn't beneath a demon to use reverse psychology to throw a pursuer off balance, choosing the more difficult upstream path simply because it was less expected.
Standing at the river's junction, Horitake needed to make a choice, and he needed to make it now.
Fortunately, he had a "cheat code": Spirit Vision.
This ability allowed him to perceive the unique, lingering traces of demonic energy left behind. With Spirit Vision active, the uncertainty vanished. He scanned the area meticulously and quickly determined that the demon's foul aura was trailing heavily downstream.
Just then, Shinobu caught up to him.
Horitake pointed toward the lower reaches of the river. "She went this way. I'm going ahead—keep up with me, Shinobu-san!"
The moment the words left his lips, Horitake's body crackled with violet lightning. He vanished in a blur, racing along the riverbank with explosive speed.
What Horitake failed to notice, however, was that Shinobu's condition was deteriorating once again.
The sudden, intense physical exertion of the chase had forced her muscles to work overtime, causing the lightning suppression Horitake had previously placed on her body to loosen its grip. The unnatural, feverish flush returned to her face, spreading across her porcelain skin.
She gritted her teeth, fighting the rising haze in her mind. She could still endure it. With a sharp intake of breath, she pushed forward, determined to keep her partner in sight.
Enveloped in arcs of purple electricity, Horitake sprinted another two kilometers in a single breath.
He couldn't help but marvel at the demon's aquatic speed. Even with the assistance of the current, her swimming pace was staggering—she was moving faster than a modern speedboat. Had it not been for the thickening trail of energy visible through his Spirit Vision, he might have doubted he was even heading in the right direction.
Wait. There!
As Horitake closed the gap, his vision pierced through the churning water. Beneath the surface, a large, dark shadow was carving through the waves with predatory efficiency.
He was gaining on her. The closer he got, the clearer the silhouette became—a grotesque fusion of human and monster.
It was her.
Having confirmed his target, Horitake felt no need for mercy. He unleashed his lightning. With a deafening roar that shattered the night's silence, a violent surge of violet electricity was hurled into the water, striking directly at the fleeing mermaid demon.
The high-voltage current turned the river into a deathtrap. Countless fish were jolted into the air, their silver scales glinting under the moon as water erupted in chaotic sprays.
The mermaid demon never saw it coming.
Her greatest pride was her ability to move undetected through the waterways; she had never imagined that a human could actually track her, let alone strike her from the shore. Caught completely off guard, she took the full brunt of the electric surge.
Much like before, the agony was too much to bear. Her jaw unhinged in a silent scream as she was blasted out of the water. Her massive tail thrashed uselessly in the air, her body suspended for a fleeting second in the moonlight.
Horitake didn't give her a moment to breathe. Seizing the opportunity while she was airborne, he launched himself forward and delivered a devastating flying kick.
BOOM!
The impact sent the mermaid demon spiraling through the air like a discarded ragdoll.
They were now in the outskirts of the town, where the riverbanks gave way to a vast, empty wilderness. Under the cold glow of the moon, there wasn't a soul in sight. The demon crashed heavily into the dry earth, skidding across the dirt.
She lay there like a fish out of water, gasping and thrashing in a pathetic, agonizing struggle. It was a miserable sight. Having been shocked by Horitake's lightning three times and taking a full-force kick to the ribs, an ordinary demon would have been near death.
Horitake landed lightly beside her, his eyes cold as he observed her state.
Now that she was on land, her fish tail automatically split once more, morphing back into two human legs. It seemed his assessment was correct—she was a bizarre, amphibious freak.
Seeing the demon attempt to crawl away, Horitake's annoyance flared. He flicked his wrist, sending another arc of lightning dancing across her skin, jolting her into a fresh fit of screams.
The third shock was the breaking point. Her body collapsed into a state of total paralysis, unable to regenerate or move. Wisps of acrid smoke rose from her scorched skin as she lay there, her eyes glazed and vacant, her limbs twitching occasionally in involuntary spasms.
Shinobu finally arrived, landing softly next to Horitake.
Gazing down at the wretched creature, Horitake spoke in a voice as cold as ice.
"They say if you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. But I truly didn't expect to almost trip over a common demon like you."
He narrowed his eyes. "I blame myself for being careless, but your little trick was admittedly well-timed. To think you almost ruined my sterling record. Did you really think I'd let you escape? My reputation isn't something I'd let a creature like you tarnish."
The demon tried to look up at him with a "pitiful" expression, hoping to stir some shred of mercy. Horitake's response was a swift, brutal kick that shattered her femur.
"Stop playing dead," he snapped. "I ask, you answer."
The sudden, agonizing snap of her bone forced a shrill cry from the demon's throat. She clutched her mangled leg, looking at the man before her with the kind of pure, unadulterated terror one might reserve for a primordial devil.
"What... what do you want to know?" she rasped.
Horitake's expression remained frozen, his aura oppressive. "In the last two days, did you kidnap another child? A boy, thirteen or fourteen years old, with distinct gold-and-red hair?"
The description was specific enough that the demon recognized him instantly. "Oh... you mean that little brat!?"
"So he was taken by you," Horitake noted. "Tell me. Where is he? And why didn't you shove him into the cold storage with the other one?"
The demon went silent. She clutched her leg, her eyes shifting as she weighed her options. She wasn't entirely stupid; realizing that Horitake wanted the boy, she attempted to use that information as leverage. Her silence was a gamble—a silent demand for a bargain.
Her thought process was transparent: I'll tell you where the brat is, but only if you promise to let me live.
Horitake saw through her instantly.
Hah. You're in my hands and you think you're in a position to negotiate? You're dreaming.
His patience, already frayed by the aphrodisiac mist and the chase, finally snapped. He reached down, his hand clamping onto the demon's head like a vice.
Then, he began his "Electroshock Therapy."
In simpler terms, it was torture.
Vicious, high-voltage lightning began to pour into the demon's skull. The current surged through her body, forcing her eyes to roll back into her head. Saliva leaked from the corners of her mouth as she shrieked and thrashed in mindless agony.
Horitake's control over his element was surgical. He manipulated the electricity to avoid causing lethal damage to her vitals, instead focusing the entire charge on stimulating her nerve endings. He amplified her pain tenfold, turning every fiber of her being into a conduit for pure, unmitigated suffering.
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