Hearing Fanma Lingyun's analysis, Tanjiro spoke slowly, "If that Evil Demon's goal is to avenge Miss Suzune, then it will definitely continue to create Evil Demon puppets that resemble her to assassinate Miss Kaori."
"Exactly!"
Fanma Lingyun's eyes lit up. Tanjiro's words had sparked a bold idea in his mind.
"That's it! We can use Kaori as bait to attract the Evil Demon's attention! As long as we have her in our hands, I doubt the demon won't show up!"
Looking at Kaori, Fanma Lingyun smiled faintly, thinking to himself: This plan is simply perfect!
However, in stark contrast to his excitement and composure, Kaori was a thousand times unwilling the moment she heard Fanma Lingyun wanted to use her as bait. She shook her head repeatedly, crying out in protest.
"No! I won't be bait! I'll be killed... I will definitely be killed by that Evil Demon!"
"This is a calamity of your own making, isn't it? You, and that other woman before—if you hadn't joined forces to bully Suzune, would we be dealing with this mess today? Take some responsibility! And besides..."
Before his voice had even faded, Fanma Lingyun yanked Kaori up from the bed. His gaze shifted to the tightly closed wooden window, his tone vigilant.
"Besides, it's too late for you to refuse now. The Evil Demon is already here."
Bang!
Just as he finished speaking, a piercing sound of breaking wind suddenly erupted. In an instant, a stream of dark green liquid smashed through the hotel's wooden window and slammed heavily onto the bedboards, splashing in all directions!
It was a highly corrosive poison, acting like concentrated sulfuric acid, instantly eating away the wood of the bed and the surrounding bedding.
Fortunately, Fanma Lingyun had pulled Kaori off the bed just in time; otherwise, she would have been reduced to a pile of white bones by now.
"Give me back my life... give me back my life... all of you deserve to die!"
At that moment, "Suzune's" voice suddenly drifted in from outside the window. Immediately after, they saw "it" slowly crawling in through the hole created by the acid blast.
"Ahhh!!!"
"Is this... Miss Suzune?"
Seeing "Suzune's" current appearance, Tanjiro was struck with astonishment, while Kaori was scared pale, screaming incessantly as she scrambled to hide behind Fanma Lingyun.
It was no wonder they were so terrified, for "Suzune" now looked vastly different from before.
Her muscles had expanded unnaturally. The originally slender body had become somewhat bloated, her entire frame swelling in size.
Her once delicate, scallion-like fingers had transformed into ten sharp bone blades, sharp enough to slice through iron like mud. A forceful swing would undoubtedly pierce through steel with ease!
Her entire body was covered in a layer of pitch-black exoskeleton, protecting her like armor. Behind her was a tail resembling that of a venomous scorpion, its stinger dripping drops of dark green poison—drip, drip.
Clearly, the highly corrosive venom from earlier had been sprayed from that scorpion-shaped tail.
Her face had undergone a horrific change. Originally a beautiful ghost, she had become exceptionally ugly, appearing as though she had been doused in concentrated sulfuric acid. Her face was pitted and scarred all over.
Those crimson eyes stared unblinkingly at Kaori.
Kaori, clinging tightly to Fanma Lingyun's arm, said in a trembling voice, "That face... that face... that is exactly what Suzune looked like after she was disfigured by the sulfuric acid."
"Roar!!!"
Suddenly, "Suzune" opened her bloody maw wide and let out a beast-like roar. She then grinned, revealing a ferocious, terrifying smile.
"Miss Kaori, long time no see..."
"Do you think I look pretty now? I must be very pretty, right?!"
"But don't worry, I'll soon make you just as pretty as I am!"
"I won't let a single one of the people who hurt me get away."
Boom!
Abruptly, "Suzune" leapt into the air, waving her sharp bone blades to stab at Kaori's skull, seemingly intending to pierce right through her brain.
However, Fanma Lingyun moved just as suddenly. He drew his Nichirin Heavy Sword in the nick of time, thrusting it towards "Suzune's" incoming bone blades.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As the weapons clashed, a powerful current of air instantly burst forth, blowing Tanjiro's hair into a mess.
Feeling the fierce wind battering his face, Tanjiro was dumbstruck.
Is this the strength of a top-tier expert? To be able to generate such powerful airflow... just how much physical strength do those two possess? And... Big Brother Fanma actually has the upper hand?
"Tanjiro, don't just stand there dazing off! Hurry up and evacuate the people in the hotel, and take this troublesome woman out with you!"
"R-Right..."
Tanjiro quickly stood up, pulled Kaori out of the room, and began evacuating the guests in the hotel.
Seeing Kaori about to escape, "Suzune" frantically swung the bone blades on both arms toward Fanma Lingyun's eyes.
The sharp wind whistled. Relying on his superhuman sense of touch, Fanma Lingyun could clearly feel the menacing gale battering his eyes.
But his reaction speed was fast—or rather, "Suzune's" speed was nothing special in his eyes!
As "Suzune's" bone blades struck, Fanma Lingyun tilted his head slightly, calmly dodging the fatal blow. He then deflected the blades to the side with a tremor of his sword, finally thrusting toward its throat.
However, "Suzune's" reaction was also quick. Seeing the Nichirin Heavy Sword descending from above, it hurriedly used a bare-handed blade catch maneuver, forcibly catching Fanma Lingyun's Nichirin Heavy Sword.
But what it didn't expect was the sheer magnitude of Fanma Lingyun's strength. The moment it caught the heavy sword, the terrifying power on the blade instantly shattered the bone blades on its arms.
Fortunately, it used the force of that monstrous strength to retreat backward, smashing into the room's wall to barely maintain a distance from Fanma Lingyun.
"The combat power of this puppet has improved quite a bit. The puppets you created the previous two times weren't this formidable. or is this your true strength?"
Fanma Lingyun frowned. He could clearly feel that the "Suzune" before him far exceeded the previous ones in strength, speed, and killing intent.
"Who exactly are you? The Miss Suzune before my eyes is just a mass-produced puppet of yours, isn't she?"
"You figured it out?"
"Suzune" spoke slowly in a hoarse, low voice. "That's right, this is indeed not my main body, but a Heart Demon Puppet created using my Blood Demon Art.
"Perhaps you don't know yet, but I am the Berserk Demon of the Mind. I can materialize things from within the heart.
"And my heart is full of Suzune! Suzune is my entire world! Such a gentle Suzune was actually killed by those sluts... I will not forgive them!
"As for you, since you want to protect those sluts, then you can go to hell too!"
"Blood Demon Art: Manifestation of the Heart Demon!"
"Roar! Roar!"
Suddenly, "Suzune"—or rather, the Heart Demon Puppet—threw its head back and howled. The broken bone blades restored themselves in an instant, and the muscles on its arms grew even thicker, capable of unleashing even greater power.
Two more long, slender scorpion tails grew from its back, the three tails dancing wildly like spirit snakes.
Looking at the puppet before him, Fanma Lingyun suddenly spoke, "You said you are the Berserk Demon of the Mind, and you can materialize the things in your heart. And your heart is full of this girl named Suzune, right?"
"Correct!"
"So, in your heart... is this ugly appearance what Suzune looks like?"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]