Kawanishi stepped up to Royuna, gripped the glowing-hot haft of the Black Cleaver, and yanked it free—pulling the charred corpse off the wall with it.
With a flick of the blade, Royuna's body fell to the ground. Now free from the flames, the blackened surface of his skin and flesh began to flake away at a rapid pace.
He was regenerating.
Kawanishi murmured in his heart:
"Rest in peace."
As terrifying as demons were, they were also wretched, hollow creatures. He understood that feeling all too well.
He only wished that one day, this world would be free of demons.
Without hesitation, Kawanishi swung the Black Cleaver. One clean stroke—Royuna's head was severed.
From behind, Duko sneered, "So you ran over there just to chop his head off."
"You can't kill him. What's the point?"
But Duko's smug grin gradually froze.
In his eyes, Royuna's body wasn't regenerating—it was turning into black-red ash, vanishing into the wind.
Royuna—the demon he'd battled with for decades—was dead…
Kawanishi opened his Scorching Feather, absorbing a portion of the ash.
"Well? Was it meaningless?"
Sometimes the worst enemy wasn't a powerful opponent, but a teammate with the intelligence of a rock.
In truth, even if your enemy seemed to be doing something pointless, you should stop them. Whatever they were planning, it had to be to their advantage.
But Duko hadn't just failed to stop Kawanishi—he had paused to watch.
Royuna, a blood demon art user with abilities that complemented Duko's raw strength, was in fact equally matched with him.
And yet, because of Duko's blunder, he never even had the chance to use his blood demon art—dead before he could act. If not for that one "assist," Kawanishi would never have taken him down so easily.
Fate was cruel. Royuna likely never imagined he'd die so pathetically.
Duko roared in disbelief, "That axe—is it a Nichirin blade?!"
The question was disjointed, but Kawanishi understood—Duko was shocked that Royuna had actually been killed.
He grinned. "Thanks for the help, iron-brain. If you hadn't assisted, I couldn't have taken him out so cleanly."
With that, Kawanishi spread his four wings, ready to retreat. Duko was too tough—he couldn't cut him. He had no other options.
But Kawanishi had intentionally provoked Duko to keep him focused on the fight—hoping to lure him away from the townsfolk.
Unfortunately, it backfired.
Duko stood in place, his face shifting from pale to livid. But to Kawanishi's dismay, he calmed himself.
He had to—Kawanishi had shocked him too many times. Breathing techniques, a massive weapon akin to a Nichirin blade… He had to stay clear-headed, or risk death himself.
Then he noticed Kawanishi flying off—away from him. Clearly retreating.
"Yeah, I can't catch him, and he probably can't cut me either," Duko reasoned.
Now calm again, Duko gave up chasing. He turned and strode in the direction the townsfolk had fled. He needed to eat—more humans meant more strength. That way, he'd never be toyed with like today again…
Exactly the outcome Kawanishi feared most.
He hadn't expected Duko to let him go—and now, the brute was heading right for the helpless survivors.
They hadn't gotten far. The fight hadn't lasted long, and even with slow speed, Duko could easily catch them.
Kawanishi sighed in frustration.
Why couldn't he ever fight the kind of dumb villains you read about in books? The ones who lost it the second they were provoked?
Real combat had too many variables. The enemy never acted according to plan.
He exhaled sharply, wings flaring out again as he accelerated toward Duko.
With another powerful throw, he launched the Black Cleaver at Duko's head.
Hearing the whistle of air behind him, Duko spun around and swatted the axe aside. Kawanishi caught the returning weapon mid-air with practiced ease.
"What is your problem?" Duko asked, genuinely bewildered.
From his perspective, he'd just been happily eating people—then out of nowhere, Kawanishi attacked.
They were both demons. With so many humans to eat, why fight each other?
He had even let Kawanishi go.
But now Kawanishi had turned back, attacking again.
Duko was frustrated, confused, and furious all at once.
Kawanishi leveled the blade at him. "Head west. I won't stop you. Just go."
West—back the way Duko came. All that remained there were corpses. The survivors were fleeing east.
Duko hesitated, then realized something. "Wait... are you trying to protect those humans?"
Kawanishi said nothing, just pointed the cold edge of his axe at him.
Duko burst into laughter. "Ha! You want to protect humans? Our food?"
"What the hell are you?!"
"Ahahaha…"
"I won't just ignore you—I'll twist off a few heads while you watch. Then I'll enjoy a nice meal!"
He didn't get to finish.
Kawanishi's wings exploded into motion—he closed the gap in an instant.
Duko, unfazed, turned and charged toward the escaping townsfolk.
After all, Kawanishi couldn't hurt him. Better to eat.
But Kawanishi was faster. In just a few strides, he caught up and swung the Black Cleaver—not at Duko's neck, but at his column-thick legs.
He slammed the axe handle across Duko's shin and hooked the curved secondary blade behind the knee, trying to trip him.
But Duko was just too strong. Kawanishi couldn't even budge him.
Duko laughed while still running, "You can't hurt me. You can't stop me. Just watch as I kill them all."
"A demon protecting humans—what a joke…"
Gritting his teeth, Kawanishi flipped the Black Cleaver, used his wings for extra force, and leapt over three meters into the air—then swung the curved blade directly at Duko's eyes.
He didn't believe even Duko's eyes could be that tough.
But Duko had anticipated it. His massive hand flew up—not to strike, but to shield his face.
Sparks flew. Kawanishi pulled the axe back just in time to avoid being grabbed.
He kept attacking, blow after blow, but could only raise sparks—no real damage.
"What now? At this rate, he's going to catch up with them…"
Then, an idea struck him—a wicked one. Kawanishi's lips curled into a sly grin.
He didn't believe even Duko's that was made of steel.
Shameless? Maybe. But in battle, anything goes.
Landing on the ground, Kawanishi twisted the axe in his hands, didn't aim with the blade—he flipped the whole thing horizontally.
Then, with a full upward swing between Duko's legs, he smashed the flat of the Black Cleaver directly into the demon's groin.
"Neutering-Crushing Groin Cleaver!"
(End of Chapter)