Chapter 40: Berserk Battle
The ripples of Hamon energy surged through Kaito Shirogane's body, spreading from his palm in glowing circles, like a Buddha's halo.
The Hand Demon watched as the human it had just thrown dozens of meters into the air suddenly began to emit circles of light. It instinctively narrowed its eyes. Within that light was a power that terrified it.
What is that? Is it one of the Demon Slayer Corps' breathing techniques?
In the next moment, its massive arms were already soaring through the air, lunging to grab him. It was confident that once it got a grip, no matter how strong the human was, he would be crushed into a paste of blood and water.
Kaito felt the immense pressure of the giant hands rushing toward him, and his heart pounded even more fiercely. It felt as if every cell in his body was breathing, every pore opening from the intense stimulation, inhaling and exhaling a massive amount of "ki" with every movement.
[Hamon energy accumulation has increased. Your Energy attribute +1.]
Kaito paid no attention to the system notification. He simply unfurled his hand, which had been twisted to its absolute limit, and unleashed a terrifying burst of power that shattered his physical constraints in his [Absolute Territory] state. The ripple energy channeled through his palm went berserk, like a giant stone dropped into a placid lake, and a massive wave of Hamon was instantly generated.
[Sage Art - Rakshasa's Palm]!
The Hand Demon's giant palm was like a wall. Several of its arms lunged at once, like a nest of giant pythons fighting over a meal, completely obscuring Kaito's figure. The Hand Demon felt a moment of relief. Not even one of the so-called Hashira could have survived this attack!
BOOM!
Kaito's palm slammed into the grayish-blue giant hand in front of him. A terrifyingly absolute power erupted in an instant.
SQUELCH!
Like a hard, dry rag being instantly wrung out, the muscles on the grayish-blue hand began to contort. A massive spiral pattern appeared in the center of the palm and instantly shot down its length, twisting the ten-meter-long arm into a rope of flesh.
Even more terrifying was that a wave of ripple energy—with the exact same wavelength and properties as sunlight—was carried along with this force, instantly sinking into the twisted palm and spreading outwards.
SPLAT!
As if a rotten winter melon had been smashed from the outside, the Hand Demon's pupils constricted. Its powerful giant hand simply disintegrated in mid-air. It didn't even scatter into chunks of flesh but instead exploded like melting mud.
"AAAAAAH!"
The pain of being burned by the sun… the Hand Demon had only experienced it once in its entire life. It was an agony it never dared to touch again. And now, that same soul-searing torment had returned. It convulsed, all of its arms instinctively curling up, wrapping around its body until it had formed a massive, multi-meter-wide ball of flesh.
"It hurts! That's not a Nichirin Blade!"
The Hand Demon had been cut by Nichirin Blades before. It was certain that this power was something else entirely. And… it was only now that it realized this human probably wasn't from the Demon Slayer Corps at all. The man didn't even have a sword.
Since when could humans kill demons without a Nichirin Blade?!
Kaito's mouth stretched into a wide grin. His body was now radiating a faint aura of ki, and his hands were still swirling with ripple energy. By using the terrifying power of the Rakshasa's Palm, he had completely negated the momentum of his fall. He landed on the ground as softly as a cat.
The swelling of his muscles was far more pronounced than it had been at any point before. His frame now looked to be over 1.9 meters tall. The pink robe of Mercenary Tao was stretched taut over his powerful physique. The stark contrast between the muscular giant and the pink clothing only added to the Hand Demon's sense of absurdity.
"Hey! Who the hell are you?! Are you one of the new Lower Ranks that that man created?!" the Hand Demon rambled. When it had been weak, all it could do was harbor its hatred, hunting the boys in fox masks in the Final Selection arena on Mt. Fujikasane to take its revenge, using its words to provoke their fear and vent its own helpless rage. Even now, with the arena destroyed and the demons running rampant, it had kept this habit.
Kaito didn't answer. He just made a tsking sound and waggled his finger.
"Shut up, Hand Demon. Right now… I'm on a high."
Kaito theatrically lifted his left leg high into the air. He was different from the clown, Evans, who relied on agility. Evans's every move was as subtle as possible. But Kaito's was incomparably glorious. He was far better at fighting than Evans, far better at grasping the "momentum" of a battle.
He stomped his raised leg down.
BOOM!
The ground shook violently, and a web of cracks instantly spread out before the earth caved in. Kaito became a black shadow, shooting forward. His speed and power were completely inhuman.
The Hand Demon continued to ramble, trying to disrupt its opponent's focus. It was its standard strategy when it believed itself to be the weaker opponent. It knew that humans were just humans; no matter how strong they were, they always had a weakness, be it stamina or spirit. If it could just find it…
CRUNCH!
A terrifying force exploded from its front. The Hand Demon's pupils trembled. It saw a figure that seemed to be stretched and elongated by the air itself slam a fist into its defensive wall of arms.
It's fine. I have dozens of arms to defend myself. An attack like this can't…
"URK… GAH!"
A terribly piercing power blew through several meters of grayish-blue flesh and slammed into the Hand Demon's core. Its internal organs were instantly pulverized, and it sprayed a mouthful of blood. That soul-searing pain returned with a vengeance. It watched as the dozens of arms wrapped around its neck began to melt and decay. The fear of imminent death washed over it.
"AAAAAAH!"
The Hand Demon shrieked in terror, its voice cracking. But in its desperation, its dozens of arms began to whip outwards in every direction, spinning like a hurricane.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
The trees in the forest, whether they were small saplings or massive trunks that required a person to wrap their arms around, were instantly shattered and sent flying. The Hand Demon had become the eye of a terrifying storm.
In the instant the grayish-blue giant hands lashed out, Kaito's eyes trembled. The reason he could so perfectly capture another's movements and power, to the point that he could mimic them after seeing them only once, wasn't just due to his near-perfect muscle control. It was also because of his eyes.
Kaito's dynamic vision was exceptionally sharp. He could see the trajectory of a dragonfly's vibrating wings. This moment was no exception. Because of the sheer size of its muscles, the spiraling motion of the Hand Demon's massive arms as they whipped outwards was incredibly obvious.
Kaito spotted it immediately.
He leaped slightly into the air. His muscles became incredibly soft, and he held his hands up in a defensive posture, his core completely tensed.
[Niko Style - Redirection Kata - Weeping Willow]!
At this moment, Kaito didn't care what would happen if he failed. He didn't choose the safer option of dodging. Instead, he chose to meet the attack head-on.
WHIRRR!
The massive force struck. Kaito's hands were firm, but his arms were incredibly soft. In an instant, the immense power was twisted and redirected. He went with the flow, flipping and spinning, and was not sent flying. Instead, he used the momentum to land on one of the giant, whip-like arms as it swung past.
"Ha! Hahaha!"
In the midst of the raging hurricane, Kaito let out a wild, joyous laugh. His feet were like roots, planted firmly on the demon's arm.
The next moment, still laughing, he sprinted up the arm, charging straight for the Hand Demon's main body.
~~~
Guys We cross the 1100 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 1200 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
~~~
Every 5 new reviews = 2 extra chapters
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter