บท 71: 71. The Strongest Demon Till Now (7)
The figure in front of him was anything but demon-like. Ultimate Form – Nue, as Kamanue called it, was truly the Nue itself:
The Japanese Chimera—with the face of a monkey, limbs of a tiger, the stomach of a tanuki, and the tail of a snake. It was as if someone had dropped multiple animals into a cauldron and mixed them to create something entirely new.
That's how it looked now.
Roar!
Despite having a monkey face, the roar came from a tiger. The sound echoed through the mountains, showing one thing: this fight wasn't going to be easy. And…
Whoosh!
… It began.
Despite being huge, the Nue's speed was no less than before. Not only was it a demon, which gave it superhuman abilities, but the animal traits added only enhanced its performance. And because of that…
'Damn! It dodges all of my attacks!'
As fast as the Nue was, Kotaro wasn't lacking either. With [Hamon Steps], high-speed was no problem for him. He just had to take care with his toes, making sure they didn't burn from the heavy concentration of Hamon infused into them. Using the repellent properties, Kotaro matched the speed, attacking the Nue from all angles with his staff. Since this was the ultimate form, it meant if he defeated it, the game would be over.
So, Kotaro attacked, hoping to strike and infuse Hamon into it. Even if it wasn't a one-shot, each hit would cause irreplaceable damage, and when it piled up, it would turn the Nue into ashes. But the Nue seemed to know that too.
Each of Kotaro's strikes, it dodged nimbly, despite its massive form, utilizing those monkey reflexes. Having tiger limbs gave huge support—tigers are highly skilled hunters of the animal kingdom, built for short bursts of speed. In short distances, tigers can reach up to 30-40 mph, giving them explosive speed and reaction time.
And using this, the Nue dodged Kotaro's staff attacks coming toward it. The ones from trickier angles, it blocked with its claws.
Claws are, after all, made from dead cells, so Hamon can be transmitted through them, but it doesn't melt them like undead flesh. In this fast-paced battle, where countless strikes were exchanged within seconds, the contact time between the Hamon-infused staff and the claws was too brief, making it hard for the Hamon to reach the limbs and deal damage.
Ting! Ting!
Kotaro wielded the staff skillfully, using his body's motion to support his strikes. He hit the Nue with every type of attack—stabs, strikes—but the Nue dodged or blocked each one with little damage.
"This isn't working at all."
For the first time, Kotaro felt a bit anxious. No matter how he attacked, the Nue was safe and sound. Kotaro used [Hamon Steps] to push himself backward, trying to put some distance between them to think of a new strategy. But just because he needed time didn't mean the enemy would give it, right?
[Ultimate Form – Nue: Tiger Dash]!
Whoosh!
The Nue's figure vanished in a flash, reappearing behind Kotaro. Before he could respond…
Boom!
The paw struck him with incredible force, flinging him meters back, crashing him through multiple trees.
Cough!
The impact made Kotaro cough up blood and cry out in pain. No matter how strong he was, Kotaro was still human. His Hamon might be threatening to demons, but a demon's attacks were just as deadly to him. One powerful strike—whether from him or the demon—could end everything.
"D-Damn. It really hurts."
How did I miss that? The Nue had been moving quickly before, but this was far too fast, even for him to react.
When someone moves quickly, how does one see it?
The answer: they adapt to it.
Inexperienced fighters often close their eyes and swing their fists aimlessly. But professional fighters can see and predict moves, dodging accordingly, though there's a limit to what humans can handle.
But here, Breathing Style exists, giving humans superhuman abilities, even enhanced vision. With experience, their eyes adapt to a demon's speed, making it possible to react.
Kotaro had learned the same way; his eyes adapted to speed with experience. But still, someone could always exceed it.
And this time, it was this demon, Kamanue in his Nue form, exceeding it. The Nue's overall speed wasn't abnormal. But that [Tiger Dash] was inexplicably fast. Moreover, the move was too…
"Silent."
That's right.
It was silent.
Kotaro hadn't even realized it was coming until the huge paw struck him, sending him crashing into the trees. Shouldn't there have been some sound when it moved?
The more Kotaro thought, the more confused he became. But his enemy wasn't waiting. One successful attack would, of course, be followed by another.
[Tiger Dash]!
The Nue came again, and as soon as it disappeared from his sight, Kotaro swung his staff behind him, hoping to hit it. But…
Roar!
Boom!
The Nue attacked from above instead. In the nick of time, Kotaro managed to move his head a bit, miraculously avoiding a blow to the skull. His life would have ended there and then. His skull was safe, but…
"Shit!"
The claws had gouged into his cheek, slashing down to his chest, leaving three bloody gashes from cheek to chest.
"Arrrgh!!"
[Hamon: Heal]
As fast as he could, Kotaro redirected his Hamon to the wound, trying to heal it quickly. It didn't heal instantly, but the bleeding stopped, and he let out a sigh of relief.
Then, Kotaro looked at the Nue, which stared at its paw, a slight smoke coming from it because of the damage from the brief contact with him.
The [Hamon Mode] not only enhances him and but also harms the enemy if it made contact. Still, the damage was minor, barely worth noting.
'Damn! Just give me a demon that can be beaten with a single punch! Why am I fighting a monster like this?!'
For the first time, Kotaro genuinely wished he were up against a no-name demon that could be taken down in one hit.
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