"Blood Demon Art — Piercing Tongue Laceration!"
From the mouths in the demon's palms, the tongues sprouted rows of hideous, needle-like spikes, then lashed toward Hakuji once again.
"Soryu Technique — Destructive Death: Air Type!"
Hakuji struck at the incoming tongues with bursts of concentrated fist-force.
But this time, instead of shattering, the tongues absorbed the impact like springs, dispersing the force and continuing their assault.
Hakuji crossed his arms, batting the tongues aside, then charged straight at the demon for close-range combat.
"Soryu Technique — Destructive Death: Leg Type — Crown Splitter!"
He planted both hands on the ground and launched a devastating upward kick, aimed directly at the demon's head.
The kick connected cleanly. With explosive force, the demon was hurled backward, slamming into the massive Buddha statue behind it.
The statue shattered, collapsing alongside the demon onto the ground.
Seizing the chance to finish it, Hakuji prepared to unleash another Blood Demon Art—when suddenly his body froze. His veins crawled with an unbearable itching, like ants swarming beneath his skin.
"What—what's happening? Why can't I move?!"
The demon staggered up from the rubble, the dent in its skull already knitting back into shape.
"You touched the spikes on my tongues. They're laced with a potent toxin—one even demons cannot resist."
Hakuji glanced at his arms in shock. Earlier, when he had shoved the tongues aside, the spikes had punctured his skin. Now tiny pinprick wounds marked his forearms.
Brushing the dust from its body, the demon looked down at him coldly.
"Next, I'll savor the taste of you—my food."
As the monster loomed closer, Koyuki's fear for her husband overcame her hesitation. She raised her hand.
"Blood Demon Art — Hollowed Jade Ice!"
Inside the ruined temple, delicate snowflakes began to drift, then fused into an intricate ice wall between Hakuji and the demon.
The demon blinked in surprise as the cold flakes melted on its face.
"A second newborn demon who wields a Blood Demon Art?"
That brief reprieve gave Hakuji just enough time to purge the toxin from his body. He regained his movement, eyes blazing.
"Soryu Technique — Destructive Death: Leg Type — Meteor Thousand Wheels!"
His feet whirled with turbulent energy as he dashed in, his kicks cascading like a storm of meteors—unpredictable, ferocious, unrelenting.
The demon barely managed to shield itself, but the force broke through its guard. Another crushing kick smashed into its skull.
Its head twisted grotesquely, spinning several times like a screw before its eyes rolled back and its body toppled.
"We… we did it?!"
Overjoyed, Hakuji embraced Koyuki. But when he turned proudly to Yosuke, he found no change at all in his expression.
"I'll remind you of one thing," Yosuke said flatly. "Demons can only be killed by Nichirin blades, sunlight, or wisteria. Ordinary wounds, no matter how severe, cannot kill them."
Hakuji's eyes widened. Behind him, the demon stirred. Its twisted head rotated back into place, and it rose again.
Mistaking Yosuke for another newborn demon who had concealed his aura, the creature sneered.
"He's right. We are ultimate beings. That level of damage doesn't even count as an injury."
Hakuji clenched his fists, surging forward to attack again—
"Blood Demon Art — Ghostly Resonance!"
The demon's clothes tore apart, revealing a gigantic mouth stretched across its abdomen. From within it erupted a hideous sound wave that rattled their skulls.
Both Hakuji and Koyuki collapsed to their knees, clutching their heads in agony. Blood trickled from their ears, and the world around them fell silent—hearing lost.
The demon's grin widened.
"I'm the one most likely to become a Lower Moon—one of Muzan-sama's personal Twelve Kizuki. And you think newborn demons like you could kill me? Don't delude yourselves!"
Yosuke, watching from the sidelines, pondered silently.
"So Muzan has already begun forming the Twelve Kizuki? If Akaza never rises to Upper Three in this future, then… who will take his place?"
Despite the deafening silence in his own ears, Hakuji pulled himself in front of Koyuki, shielding her. His eyes were resolute.
"I swore I'd keep getting stronger. There's no way I'll fall here. The stronger you are, the more I burn with excitement! If I can't kill you… then I'll grind you into pulp and see if you still survive!"
"Soryu Technique — Destructive Death: Annihilation!"
Veins bulged on his forehead as his body flared with blue fighting aura. He hurled a fist charged with pure destruction.
The raging torrent of energy obliterated what remained of the temple, sending the whole structure crashing down.
Facing that overwhelming strike, the demon unleashed its own ultimate art.
"Blood Demon Art — Devour!"
Its entire body warped into a massive gaping maw, engulfing Hakuji whole.
But the triumph was short-lived. The demon's eyes went wide with disbelief.
It looked down—its gut-mouth was gone. In its place yawned a massive hole torn clear through its torso. Even its spine had been shattered.
The demon collapsed like a broken sack of flesh.
Hakuji pounded its body again and again, reducing everything but its head to formless pulp, just as he had sworn.
Yet the demon only cackled.
"Pointless! I cannot die! No matter how much you destroy me, I'll regenerate!"
"—Koyuki!" Hakuji shouted.
She immediately understood, rushing to his side and pressing her hand to the demon's head.
"Blood Demon Art — Prism Ice Seal!"
Frost engulfed both its head and ruined body, sealing it into solid ice. Hakuji dragged the frozen creature outside and sneered,
"Dawn isn't far. Let's see if you still laugh when the sun rises."
In the demon's terrified eyes, Hakuji and Koyuki vanished from view.
Back inside, they returned to Yosuke. He looked at Hakuji with teasing eyes.
"Well? Any thoughts?"
Hakuji stared at his fists, clenching them tight. His voice trembled with frustration.
"I'm still not strong enough. I have to keep growing stronger—until no one can ever stand against me!"
Yosuke began to encourage him.
"Don't be discouraged. For someone who's only just become a demon, your strength is already—"
But before he could finish, Koyuki threw her arms around Hakuji.
"I believe in you, my husband. You'll achieve it."
Yosuke rolled his eyes hard.
Clearly, his words weren't needed here at all.
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