A murderous glint flashed through Duko's eyes as blood-red fury filled his gaze. With a roar, he leapt into the air, clearing dozens of meters in a single bound, and brought a massive fist crashing down toward Kawanishi.
Kawanishi's pupils shrank. The pressure radiating from Duko was intense.
This grotesque demon stood over three meters tall. Kawanishi barely reached the demon's chest, and that wasn't even the terrifying part—Duko wasn't just tall, he was built like a monster. His body rippled with bulging muscles, sinew coiled like cables beneath a steel sheen.
Standing before him was like facing a small giant forged from iron and bone.
Even Duko's fist alone was nearly half Kawanishi's size.
"If that hits me, I'm getting pancaked like a melon rind…"
Kawanishi sucked in a sharp breath. His legs tensed, wings swept forward, and his whole body launched backward to avoid the attack.
Boom!
Duko's punch smashed into the ground with earth-shaking force. Kawanishi staggered from the shockwave and glanced over—Duko had left a crater in the earth where his fist struck.
Duko pulled his hand free and gave Kawanishi a twisted smile.
"In a few moments, I'm going to beat you to death with these sledgehammer fists of mine."
Kawanishi paused midair, recognizing the oddly familiar phrasing. He couldn't help but reply:
"Is that so? I wouldn't mind dying to your fists… or better yet, beating you to death with mine."
He'd been cautious at first, but after exchanging a blow, Kawanishi felt less tense.
Duko had enormous strength and size—but clearly lacked agility.
And in a world where power alone wasn't enough, speed was king.
Kawanishi was much faster.
"Scorching Feather: Burning Plume!"
With a flicker of will, four flaming feathers shot out from his wings.
Duko didn't dodge. Instead, he reached out with one massive hand and grabbed all four in his palm, crushing them effortlessly into cinders.
He looked mildly surprised at the lack of resistance, then sneered. "I expected it to hurt at least a little. But nothing? That weak?"
"Is this all your attack can do? Can it even scratch my skin?"
He opened his hand, letting the ashes fall to the ground, and gestured mockingly for Kawanishi to look.
Kawanishi glanced down. Sure enough, the black-blue palm had only the faintest scorch marks on the surface. This demon's defense and strength were absurd.
But Kawanishi just smirked and tilted his head toward the burning wall—toward Royuna.
Duko instinctively followed his gaze.
Amid the orange blaze, a small plume of brilliant crimson stood out sharply.
One of Kawanishi's flaming feathers was embedded directly between Royuna's eyebrows, glowing faintly.
Royuna, who had been thrashing and howling seconds ago, had gone still. His body blackened rapidly in the flames.
He had been regenerating faster than the fire could burn him, despite being pinned. Kawanishi had worried that before his fight with Duko ended, Royuna might escape—turning the tide against him in a two-on-one.
So the four feathers he fired earlier were just a distraction—lightweight, harmless bluffs. In the moment Duko caught them, Kawanishi had secretly launched a fifth, faster, and far stronger feather straight at Royuna.
His real target all along had been to cripple Royuna.
Each flaming feather from Scorching Feather carried a trace of spiritual power, a demon-slaying essence. Though not much, a direct strike to the brain—on top of constant burning—was enough to knock Royuna out of the fight.
"He's not dead yet. But once the fire dies down, he might start regenerating again. Still, that should buy enough time to end this battle—win or lose."
Duko realized Kawanishi's trick and flew into a rage. He didn't care for Royuna—but he hated being fooled.
Whether human or demon, no one enjoyed being made a fool of.
He pounded his chest with both fists, thump-thump-thump, like a wild beast.
"You think I ignored Royuna because I didn't notice? I just wanted to kill him by myself!"
He and Royuna had a long-standing rivalry—no friendship, just tension. Seeing Royuna roasted and impaled had actually pleased him. He had no intention of helping him.
Besides, Duko had absolute confidence in his own power.
Kawanishi, meanwhile, prepared to go all out.
He exhaled once, then drew in a deep breath.
Breathing Style: "Hinokami Kagura!" (Fire God Dance)
The blue veins on his body swelled to twice their size, throbbing as if about to burst.
To any observer, Kawanishi now looked like he was radiating overwhelming power—energy churned violently beneath his skin.
That tearing pain returned, but it was weaker than before. He could maintain the breathing technique longer now.
And he could feel it—his saturated energy reserves rapidly depleting, converting into his own raw strength.
The power granted by Hinokami Kagura, once temporary, was being absorbed into his body, becoming permanent. Becoming his power.
Duko furrowed his thick brows, his cask-sized forehead tensing.
"…Breathing technique?"
Over a century of life had brought Duko into battle with many Demon Slayers. He'd killed more than a few.
But his body was so tough that even Nichirin Blades couldn't pierce his neck.
Still—he had once come terrifyingly close to death.
That time, a swordsman had used a strange, rhythmic breathing pattern paired with a peculiar sword style. His blade's power suddenly surged and managed to slice halfway through Duko's neck.
Luckily, only halfway. Before he was decapitated, Duko had crushed every bone in the man's body with a single hand.
But he never forgot the fear—and never forgot the breathing technique.
"Scorching Feather: Heavenward Blade!"
Flaming feathers locked into place, forming a massive blazing sword. Kawanishi stomped forward, rust-colored wings flaring behind him, and charged head-on.
Duko saw him coming and actually smiled. What he hated most were slippery enemies who darted around like fleas.
He prided himself on his strength and defense. Speed, not so much.
As Kawanishi entered range, Duko swung a punch straight at him. The air pressure alone sent Kawanishi's hair whipping wildly.
Those fists were huge. Kawanishi had no intention of taking even one head-on.
He ducked low, slipping under the punch, and spun the Heavenward Blade around—swinging for Duko's elbow joint.
He aimed to sever the demon's forearm.
If this monster's body was that durable, it stood to reason that his regeneration would also be slower than normal.
But Kawanishi's hope was short-lived.
He hit—hard. But it was like striking iron.
Even enhanced by Hinokami Kagura, he couldn't make a dent.
"Even after amplifying my strength with Hinokami Kagura, I still can't cut him?"
The impact felt like his blade had hit stone—powerful, but useless.
When Heavenward Blade struck Duko's elbow, it sparked violently, flames scattering—but the blade didn't penetrate. It barely scratched the surface.
The situation was growing dire.
(End of Chapter)