"That kid's Blood Demon Art seems to be a ranged attack. I can't let him create distance—I need to close in."
Black Wolf Fang's body sank lower, then lower still, forming an almost ground-hugging posture before his legs kicked off the earth, sending him flying.
He shot toward Yuu like an arrow from a bow, skimming barely above the ground.
The moment Black Wolf Fang moved, Yuu understood his intention. He immediately retreated, beginning a deadly dance of evasion within the confined space of the bear cave.
With a mental command, the massive wings on Yuu's back spread wide, then snapped forward violently.
Dozens of detached from the wings, transforming into sharp, projectiles of energy, each carrying traces of sunlight energy that made Black Wolf Fang's heart race with fear.
But though alarmed, Black Wolf Fang wasn't truly afraid.
"Your Blood Demon Art might be strange, but it's useless if it can't hit me."
"Even if a few graze me, do you think they could kill me outright?"
Skimming the ground, Black Wolf Fang contorted his body like a boneless venomous snake, twisting and writhing to evade nearly all the.
Only one managed to pierce his shoulder, making him cry out in pain as if branded by hot iron, though the actual injury was minor.
The remaining struck the ground before slowly fading into nothingness.
Yuu fell silent. Black Wolf Fang had anticipated his ranged attacks from the moment he used.
Moreover, Black Wolf Fang's bizarre ground-hugging movement style severely limited's effectiveness—out of over sixty projectiles, only one had struck home, and even that missed vital areas.
Having lived decades as a demon, Black Wolf Fang had only been caught off-guard initially due to underestimating Yuu. Since then, he'd been thoroughly dominating their fight, practically grinding Yuu's face against the wall.
Now that Black Wolf Fang was fighting seriously, Yuu faced tremendous pressure despite having awakened a Blood Demon Art that countered demons.
" is effective against demons, but the energy cost is massive."
"I'm so hungry... it feels like countless insects are gnawing frantically inside my stomach..."
Transforming into a demon consumed energy. Regenerating consumed energy. And using Blood Demon Art consumed the most energy of all.
And Yuu... hadn't eaten a single bite of flesh since becoming a demon.
When he first awakened his Blood Demon Art, excitement had momentarily overshadowed his exhaustion.
But as the adrenaline faded, only bone-deep weakness remained.
That he could still fight Black Wolf Fang like this was purely due to sheer willpower.
Yuu remembered his father's final words: "Yuu, I'm entrusting Tanjiro and the others to you. As the eldest brother, you must take good care of them."
That's right. Tanjiro was still alive. He needed to protect him. He couldn't lose consciousness here. He had to fight.
Yuu took a deep breath. "Hinokami Kagura!"
Whether due to his changed physiology or its inherent nature, performing the Hinokami Kagura now brought excruciating pain, as if every muscle fiber was twisting and tearing, his body burning as if tossed into a torch.
But this agony bought him formidable strength, speed, and heightened combat spirit.
Perhaps the Hinokami Kagura was unlocking his potential, but his body simply couldn't handle it easily.
His wings beat fiercely. Though they couldn't make him fly, they greatly enhanced his speed as he charged directly at Black Wolf Fang.
He leaped, wings beating upward to generate downward force, combining with his falling momentum to deliver a devastating axe kick aimed at Black Wolf Fang's head.
Close-quarters combat? Yuu wasn't afraid of that either.
"Time to end this quickly."
A gleeful expression flashed across Black Wolf Fang's face. He slammed a hand against the ground, creating a small crater, then twisted his body sideways to evade Yuu's descending leg.
BOOM!
Yuu's leg struck the ground, cracking it instantly. Spiderweb fractures spread over two meters from the impact point.
Black Wolf Fang's blade immediately swept toward Yuu's right leg. Instead of dodging, Yuu extended sharp claws from his fingertips and slashed at Black Wolf Fang's shoulder.
SCHLICK!
The claws sank deep into Black Wolf Fang's shoulder before tearing downward, ripping his entire left arm clean off.
Meanwhile, Black Wolf Fang's blade severed Yuu's right leg, making him stagger and nearly collapse. He barely maintained balance by supporting himself with his right wing.
Without hesitation, Black Wolf Fang withdrew his blade the moment it cut through Yuu's leg and immediately swung it toward Yuu's torso. Yuu caught the blade edge with one hand, ignoring the blood gushing from his palm, while his other claw stabbed toward Black Wolf Fang's eyeball.
Black Wolf Fang twisted his head away, but still had one eye gouged out...
This was the brutal reality of demon versus demon combat—a chaotic storm of blood and flying limbs.
Their bodies quickly became tattered ruins, only to rapidly regenerate moments later.
Both demons sought to end the fight quickly, unconsciously adopting mutually destructive tactics. Now it was simply a matter of who would break first.
Yuu's expression grew increasingly strained, as if he could no longer contain his frustration. He roared in fury, "Bastard! If I hadn't wasted too much energy on earlier and you dodged most of them, I wouldn't be stuck in this stalemate! I'd have twisted your head off already!"
Black Wolf Fang laughed heartily. "Kid, you just awakened your Blood Demon Art and already you're using it recklessly? You think you're so powerful?"
"Why refuse to eat humans? They're so delicious. Just smell that corpse in the cave—how mouthwatering!"
"You're a demon now, yet you still dream of being human? There's no going back! Hahaha!"
Yuu bared his fangs and viciously tore a large chunk of flesh from Black Wolf Fang's remaining arm, then spat it aside. Simultaneously, Black Wolf Fang sliced open Yuu's abdomen, exposing the organs beneath.
Yet both demons seemed impervious to pain, only attacking each other to inflict maximum damage.
As they fought, Black Wolf Fang continued his verbal assault: "Don't think so highly of humans, and don't view demons as inherently evil."
"In the natural world, tiger sharks brutally hunt seals. Seals hunt penguins, tearing open their bellies to play with them before eating them after they die in agony. And penguins? They treat small fish the same way."
"Aren't humans equally cruel and merciless? They enjoy gutting their prey, even roasting them alive to make food!"
"Demons are simply the tiger sharks to humanity's seals. Eating humans is natural—it's all survival of the fittest, mere natural evolution."
"Since you've become a demon, follow your racial instincts. By not eating humans, you're just a freak—neither human nor demon. Humanity won't accept you, and demons will want you dead. You can never be human again! Hahaha!"
Black Wolf Fang sought to Yuu's resolve. In this deadlocked battle, whoever wavered first would immediately fall behind.
But Black Wolf Fang wasn't just spouting nonsense—these were principles he genuinely believed, giving his words powerful persuasive force.
Yuu remained silent. There was some truth to Black Wolf Fang's words, but... he was wrong about one thing.
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