Chapter 41: Sage Art - Devil Lance!
Kaito Shirogane's heart was pounding, a series of violent, convulsive beats. But the sensation wasn't unpleasant. On the contrary, it was a feeling of immense joy, born from successfully executing his plan in the face of extreme danger. That joy was far more potent than any dopamine rush, so intense that Kaito felt he was on the verge of losing emotional control. He laughed maniacally as he sprinted up the wildly flailing arm, charging toward the Hand Demon's main body.
In that moment, the Hand Demon's fear was magnified beyond measure.
This thing is a monster!
Overcome with terror, it instantly ceased its attack. It even began to self-mutilate, its numerous arms starting to beat against each other in a frenzy of flying flesh and blood as it shrieked in panic.
"Die!"
"Just die!"
"AAAAAH!"
Kaito's speed was incredible. He crossed over ten meters in the span of a breath. As a dozen arms smashed down toward him, his eyes darted back and forth, his body weaving and swaying. Not a single blow landed.
He formed his left hand into a blade, and a ripple of Hamon manifested. He plunged it deep into the giant arm in front of him.
The Hand Demon's wild thrashing had obscured its own vision. But the faint scent of a human told it that its target hadn't fled. After a few moments of fruitless flailing, its movements slowed. It saw nothing but its own mangled arms, which were slowly regenerating.
Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted from one of its arms. Its scalp prickled with fear. It saw the disgusting, muscular man in the pink robe hiding beneath one of its limbs. With a powerful rip of his hands, the man tore through the arm as the Hamon disintegrated it, and then he launched himself forward.
At this close range, the Hand Demon could see the horrifying smile on his face. It was the same joyful expression a demon wore as it pounced on a helpless human.
It was the joy of a successful hunt.
He is the hunter… and I… am the prey.
Overwhelmed by this immense fear, the Hand Demon shook its head, and dozens of new arms instantly sprouted from its body. It had pushed its [Blood Demon Art] to its absolute limit, its regenerative abilities now far stronger than ever before. A wall of arms, several meters thick, formed in front of its neck.
"With this defense, even if you're a Hashira, you can't kill me!" it roared, trying to bolster its own courage.
But Kaito leaped into the air. He raised his right hand, curling his thumb slightly while his other four fingers were held together, as hard and straight as a spearhead. A powerful ripple of Hamon once again flashed from his palm in time with the rhythm of his breathing.
The muscles in Kaito's right arm tensed so tightly that one could almost hear the great tendons of his body groaning. The terrifying pressure of several thousand pounds of force being compressed into a single arm caused the blood vessels on its surface to burst.
Then, as if a bowstring pulled to its absolute limit had been suddenly released…
VMMMM!
The air let out a low, deep hum.
Kaito's crimson-stained right arm vanished.
Stab!
[Sage Art - Devil Lance]!
The ultimate piercing technique of the master martial artist Kuroki Gensai revealed its fangs for the first time in the world of Demon Slayer.
A terrifying, penetrating force, infused with the sun-like power of Hamon, slammed into the Hand Demon's body. The torrent of power, carrying the searing heat of Hamon, instantly pierced through the demon's massive, ball-like torso.
POP!
The Hand Demon's pupils constricted. It mechanically turned its head and saw, behind it, a jet of ripple energy and force erupting from its back, carrying with it a spray of its own molten innards and flesh. The high temperature and searing heat of the sun spread uncontrollably throughout its body.
The agony in its soul instantly extinguished all its strength. Its Blood Demon Art fizzled out.
Thump.
Dozens of giant, grayish-blue arms fell limply to the ground like felled trees. The Hand Demon's massive body collapsed after them.
[You have killed the Lower Rank Candidate, the Hand Demon. You have gained 500 Dimensional Points.]
[Milestone Update: Demon Hunter (10/20)]
[Advancement Quest: Enemy's Flesh, My Strength updated. Detected Hand Demon's strength rating: Mortal-tier, Low. Do you wish to complete the quest with this kill?]
"Haaaah…"
Kaito exhaled a long breath. It was a cloud of white, superheated vapor that traveled over a meter before dissipating.
"No."
Kaito didn't need long to consider. When he had first seen the [Advancement Quest], he had already had his suspicions. Now, seeing this notification confirmed them. The quest itself wasn't difficult—he just needed to kill any [Mortal]-tier plot character in single combat. But the name of the quest was telling: Enemy's Flesh, My Strength. The strength of the enemy would affect the "nourishment" he received. A creature of the Hand Demon's level was not enough to satisfy him.
He knew that in certain ancient martial arts schools, he might now be considered a master of Overt Force, perhaps even Hidden Force. But he had only been through one mission. He was still just a [Paper]-tier Reincarnator. He had a long way to go. This Infinite Space truly did possess the ability to let one rapidly ascend to the supernatural. The only condition was… you had to survive.
Kaito didn't immediately deactivate his [Absolute Territory] state. While pushing his body beyond its limits placed a heavy burden on it, he wanted to try and understand the new evolution this state had just undergone.
Back in the real world, while he had never suppressed his desire to enter this state, he had rarely encountered a situation dangerous enough to make his heart pound to such an extent. Therefore, he actually hadn't used this state that others called "going insane" very often. Before entering the Infinite Space, he too had thought of it as a special kind of "illness" or perhaps a genetic trait. But the Nexus had judged this ability to be a special talent and had anchored it to [Absolute Territory] with 87% similarity.
[Absolute Territory] was a special power system from the world of King of Fighters. After a fighter threw a thousand, ten thousand punches, after pushing past extreme fatigue and pain to the point where an ordinary person would collapse, and then continuing to endure that pain and fatigue, they could finally break through their shackles. To completely master the power to push oneself beyond one's limits—that was [Absolute Territory]. After entering this state, not only would one's physical abilities be greatly enhanced, but their tolerance for pain and resistance to damage would also increase.
Kaito agreed that this power was quite similar to his "illness." But just now, in the battle with the Hand Demon, he had clearly felt himself evolving further. He had taken a great step forward within his so-called [Absolute Territory]. The muscle expansion, the change in his physique, the terrifying increase in power… this power was definitely not the next stage, [Ultimate Power]. Instead, it felt like his own unique talent was beginning to reveal its truest form.
Kaito wanted to investigate further. He used Hamon to begin sensing his body's condition, but suddenly, a gust of wind brought with it the scent of blood. Faint sounds of fighting were carried on that wind.
Kaito's eyes flashed. He took a single step, and with an explosion of power from his legs, he launched himself off the Hand Demon's dissolving corpse and landed on the top of a tree seven or eight meters high.
His hawk-like vision, aided by the moonlight, saw several figures in the distance. They were being pursued down the mountain by a pack of demons. This group was dressed in black uniforms, and the one leading them wore a white haori.
Kaito pushed off the treetop with his feet and leaped down, rushing toward them.
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Guys We cross the 1200 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 1300 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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