Erioh hadn't expected the man before him to see through their secrets so easily and couldn't help but praise him. "Sharp eyes."
Then he admitted calmly: "In ancient times, our Kure Clan members borrowed seed from demon gods. After generations of effort, we succeeded. From that moment, the power of demon gods has resided in our bloodline. Unfortunately, this power is too strong. Human bodies are too fragile to wield it. So we invented Removal. Only when Removal reaches 100% can we use this power."
As he spoke, Erioh made no effort to hide his killing intent. It grew stronger and stronger, swelling wildly. Many members of Kure Clan Village, including Fusui, felt as if a blade pressed against their necks. It seemed that if they moved even slightly, their heads would be cut off. But they knew it was only an illusion. Their clan leader's killing intent was simply too overwhelming.
Kael also felt it, more deeply than anyone else. The others only sensed scraps of Erioh's killing intent. The true force was directed entirely at Kael. Yet Kael remained unafraid. His body was like a black hole, absorbing all killing intent. The Heavenly Demon Canon of Seven Emotions and Six Desires could absorb human desires, and killing intent was one of them. Once inside Kael, the killing intent became nourishment, making him stronger. That was the wonder of demonic arts.
Not only Erioh's killing intent, but also the fear, hatred, and anger of all Kure Clan members became Kael's nourishment, strengthening him further. Unfortunately, no one present understood this, not even Erioh.
Seeing his killing intent fail to affect Kael, Erioh grew more cautious. But his aura became even more terrifying.
"Though I don't know who you are, after what you've done today, I will never let you leave Kure Clan Village alive."
It was his declaration of intent to kill.
Kael laughed. "Don't speak so absolutely, old man. Do you think borrowing a bit of demon god power will let you defeat me? Don't make me laugh. A frog in a well can't comprehend the vast sky."
Erioh wasn't angered by Kael's contempt. Instead, a sinister smile spread across his face. "You know nothing of demon god power."
The next moment, he vanished. His body, aura, even footsteps disappeared completely.
Kael raised an eyebrow. Impressive. It was even more advanced than his own invisibility technique, hiding even his aura. He had truly vanished. No wonder this assassin clan had survived for 1,300 years.
"Too bad you also know nothing of my power." As he spoke, Kael's right hand shot out like lightning, grabbing at the void. A black-aura-covered old man was caught in his grip. It was Erioh, the clan leader.
He thought hiding his body, aura, and footsteps would let him approach and assassinate Kael. Too naive. When he vanished, Kael had cast a spell, creating a sensory field around himself. Anyone entering it would be detected. So when Erioh stepped into the field, he was no longer invisible. Unless he could remove himself from this layer of space and enter another, he couldn't hide. But such advanced techniques were beyond Kael—and certainly beyond Erioh.
"This… impossible!"
Erioh's neck was gripped tightly, his face full of disbelief. He had used this move to assassinate countless figures, defeating many foes. But now, his invincible technique was casually broken. He was shaken to his core.
"If this is all you can do, then die." Kael said coldly, preparing to crush his neck.
But just then, a sharp cry came from above. "Let go of Great-Grandfather!"
Kael looked up to see a girl descending from the sky, axe-style strike aimed at his head. It was fierce, but useless. Kael glared at her, releasing a wave of mana that froze her midair. She couldn't move.
He now saw her clearly. She was about his age, with straight black hair in hime style, eyes with the Kure Clan's black sclera and white pupils, and a graceful figure.
She was one of the few female characters in Kengan Ashura. Kure Karura. A prodigy who had raised her Removal to 85% in her teens. Given time, she would surely reach 100% and awaken demon god power. But now, she was too young, no match for Kael.
Seeing Karura restrained, Erioh's eyes widened. The black aura around him boiled like hot water. "Release her! Release Karura!"
At that moment, Kael felt Erioh straining desperately, forcing his body to unleash greater power. He also remembered—in the original story, Erioh was obsessed with his great-granddaughter. No wonder, after Kael caught Karura, he went mad, exhausting himself to fight.
But he still underestimated Kael. If Raian was an elephant, then Erioh was a tyrannosaurus. Yet even a tyrannosaurus was powerless against a mountain.
"Calm down."
Kael exhaled mana, effortlessly crushing Erioh's resistance.
But then, an accident occurred. A flash of blade light streaked past. Kael's arm, which was gripping Erioh, fell to the ground.