Capítulo 68: 68. The Strongest Demon Till Now (4)
'I let down my guard.'
Kotaro clutched his neck and knelt down, feeling a burning pain. His vision, which was supposed to be perfect, now seemed hazy. It was obvious why he felt like that.
It was poison.
"Damn! You…"
"How does it feel, Demon Slayer?"
With a smirk on his face, Kamanue walked up to Kotaro, looking down at him with condescending eyes. Now, it felt good.
That pain in his eyes... it was nothing compared to the pain he felt from losing both of his arms. If he were still a normal demon, like he was in the past, he wouldn't have been able to regenerate his hands. Fortunately, his Demon Blood Arts were convenient, or else…
'I better kill him as fast as I can.'
How did he, as a demon, manage to come this far? Kamanue was cautious. He was prideful and ambitious, wanting to join the Twelve Kizuki, but he wasn't an idiot.
If a Hashira had come, he would have fled without hesitation. But when he found that a normal Demon Slayer was here, he laughed. How many such Demon Slayers has he eaten?
However, as the fight progressed… this human in front of him was not normal. More than that, Kamanue felt that this human was more dangerous than other Demon Slayers.
Why?
As a demon, he had his fair share of fights against Demon Slayers. All Demon Slayers wield a blade, designed to decapitate a demon's head, as it was the only way to kill a demon. The forms and types of blades might differ, but all Demon Slayers used them.
But this Demon Slayer… he wielded a staff. How could a staff kill a demon?! Blunt weapons aren't effective against demons unless one blows the entire head off the neck, but that's a different issue.
The unusual choice of weapon and now this unusual power… Kamanue instinctively felt that this human was dangerous. Moreover, that power, that energy he felt—it was very familiar to him.
"Sun."
The archenemy of demons. No demon, not even the Progenitor of demons, can stand against it. So, Kamanue discarded the idea of torture and decided to kill this Demon Slayer as fast as possible.
Now that his sneak attack using Demon Blood Arts had been perfect, this moment was the best chance for Kamanue to finish off this human.
"It's not me. It's time for your goodbye, Demon Slayer."
With a bloodthirsty smile, Kamanue lifted his leg and ready to stomp on the kneeling figure, wanting to smash Kotaro's head as if the head was nothing but a watermelon.
But…
"Heh! I got you."
A poison? And it worked? The demon was dreaming that it worked. Kotaro smirked as his act bought the demon near him.
"!!!"
"Eat this!"
The leg that was supposed to stomp Kotaro's head into pulp met a bare fist. Golden sparks formed all around the fist, and when it came in contact with the foot…
Sizzle!
"Arrrgh! It's melting! My leg is melting!"
"It's your end!"
Letting him go was not in Kotaro's mind. He pushed more force behind his fist and infused more Hamon, now forming golden ripples around it.
It was the ultimate move. It is…
[Hamon Overdrive]!
"Turn into ashes from my Hamon!"
The Hamon started to flow into the demon's leg, melting it in a matter of seconds. Now, it was Kotaro's surprise attack that took Kamanue off guard.
But…
"Demon Blood Arts – Nue Form: Monkey!"
Just as Hamon was about to creep up to the waist, suddenly, the demon's body exploded and the whole blood flowed out of the demon's body, forming a cauldron with Kamanue's whole body inside it. Before Kotaro could react, a new body emerged.
It was no longer a demon. It was a monkey. But what surprised Kotaro even more was the fact that the injured parts were all regrown, as if they weren't damaged at all.
"Shapeshifter…"
In an instant, Kotaro figured out the power of this demon. It was simple yet powerful—shapeshifting.
...
Shapeshifting.
Truthfully, many demons possessed such power. Take Kibutsuji Muzan himself as an example. He could turn himself into a child, a man, and even a lady, too beautiful for his own good.
Cough! Muzan could control his flesh and shift his shape into various forms. The same could be said for some other demons, such as Daki. She could also change her form, not to the extent Muzan could, but enough to hide her demonic look and work as an Oiran.
But this demon in front of him… he was on a whole other level. Kotaro doubted even Muzan could shapeshift to this extent.
This demon didn't just change his form to become a child or a lady; he could transform into animals!
Still, Kotaro understood why this demon could do it. The answer was simple. It was because this demon's shapeshifting ability derived from his Demon Blood Arts. It wasn't the normal shapeshifting other demons could do. Better to say, this demon isn't a shapeshifter but a transformer.
'Demon Blood Arts…'
Kotaro gritted his teeth. Damn! These Demon Blood Arts seriously exceeded his imagination. Shouldn't there be a limit? Why are so many fantasy world powers appearing in the form of Demon Blood Arts? One can manipulate ice, one can punch out shockwaves, and one can even control threads.
But still it makes sense. It can be logical.
A certain blond vampire can also manipulate ice using blood, though not as extensively as this world's ice user. Using blood, one can even create threads. And with enough strength, one can generate shockwaves. All of these abilities are still within the realm of logic.
But what about that Infinity Castle? How can it appear as someone's Demon Blood Arts? Just because you became a demon, you can freaking control a whole castle that is totally spatial?
And others abilities such as the ability to use pots to summon water or split oneself into several parts, each capable of wielding wind, thunder, and other elements—all of these seem completely illogical and more akin to fantasy world powers.
Phoo~
'Calm down, Kotaro. Now is not the time to be lost in anger. This demon seems to be able to transform into animals. But still…'
Kotaro stood up on his feet, patted his clothes, and twirled his staff in his left hand before facing the demon—no, the monkey—with a smile.
'… there should be a limit. What did he say? Nue Form – Monkey, right?'
If that's the case, then there should be other forms. How many forms? A snake, and now a monkey… what other animals could he shapeshift into? And Nue? It sounds like some mythological creature.
Don't tell me…
A smirk formed on his face. He looked at the demon, now a monkey, standing a bit farther away from him, gritting his teeth. There was anger, but alongside that, now there was also a trace of fear in him.
Was the demon trembling from fear or out of anger? Kotaro didn't know, but at least he knew the demon had lost his composure.
And if that's the case…
'Let's add fuel to the fire.'
"You… You can transform into forms of Nue, right?"
"!!!"
The look of shock on the demon's face said it all. Kotaro smiled even more. Nue? Who the hell knows about it?
"H-How did you know?"
But who cares? His words seemed to work on this demon.
===
A/N:
Is the chapter alright? If there's anything wrong, feel free to comment! Thanks to Brother Lunarian_King for pointing out some deficiencies. I want to make this story's details as faithful as possible to the original story, so if anything is lacking, just let me know.
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