Obanai Iguro shot a sidelong glance at Tendo, gripping the broken table leg in his hand with barely restrained bloodlust. If not for the enemy before them, he would have absolutely beaten the crap out of him.
Why the hell are you provoking the enemy while pointing at me?!
The next instant, Tendo transformed into a streak of crimson-gold lightning, charging straight at the skeleton, leaving behind only an unrepentant remark.
"Don't mind me, just diverting its attention!"
"Tch, you bastard!" Obanai cursed at Tendo.
The moment Tendo closed in on the skeleton, he unleashed five crimson-gold slashes at an imperceptible speed. The strikes connected seamlessly, forming a larger lightning-shaped slash right before the skeleton.
Breath of Thunder, Second Form: Rice Spirit.
As thunder roared, the skeleton remained unfazed. Its spine-like bone whip coiled around it, deflecting Tendo's attack.
At the same time, a ghastly, emaciated fist shot straight for Tendo's face, the sheer force of the punch pressing down on him like a suffocating weight.
A sharp crack split the air as an invisible whirlwind tore past Tendo's cheek, leaving deep fissures in the ground behind him.
This was the skeleton's Blood Demon Art: Wind Fist.
After a brief exchange, Tendo distanced himself from the skeleton. This demon was strong—but that only excited him more. Only formidable enemies could spur true growth.
Besides, this thing was Shinobu's sworn enemy. That alone made him want to kill it even more.
"I take back what I said earlier. You're worth devouring!" Seeing Tendo evade its Wind Fist in an instant, the skeleton regarded him with newfound interest. It was time to get serious.
"Good. That just makes me want to kill you even more!"
Tendo's gaze burned like molten lava, his fighting spirit surging.
Breath of Thunder, Third Form: Thunder Swarm.
With a single step, the ground beneath him shattered. The next second, debris scattered as Tendo vanished—only to reappear in a blur of motion.
He circled the skeleton at blinding speed, leaving behind undulating waves of crimson-gold lightning wherever he passed.
Holy hell…
This freak is ridiculously strong!
Is this guy really the same age as me?!
Obanai tossed aside the shattered remains of the wooden table—now barely a quarter of its original size—his mind swirling with emotions.
This level of combat was beyond his reach. It only fueled his desire to grow stronger, to surpass Tendo, to slay even more demons.
In the blink of an eye, the rolling thunder and Tendo's rapid movements formed a prison of lightning, steadily closing in on the skeleton.
At the same time, relentless high-temperature slashes rained down on the skeleton, an unending waltz of destruction.
The skeleton smirked disdainfully. Gripping one end of its spine-whip, it swung wildly, even sparing a taunt.
"Interesting, human brat!"
The bone whip accelerated, faster and faster—until, in an instant, a cocoon of wind clashed against the crimson-gold lightning.The clanging sounds echoed continuously, like a stirring symphony. Blades flashed, whips lashed, and sparks from metal collisions scattered through the air like fireworks blooming in the night sky.
The battle between the man and the demon was too fast to follow. Suddenly, the white wind cocoon burst apart, and the black-horned demon lunged straight at Tendo.
Unfortunately, it didn't land a hit. Tendo dodged with his sharp reflexes.
However, under such a dense barrage of Blade Winds, his body was covered in bloody gashes, his clothes torn to shreds, leaving him in a sorry state.
The white-boned demon wasn't faring much better either—its body was riddled with charred sword wounds, clearly much deeper than Tendo's injuries.
In this exchange, it was at a disadvantage.
The scent of blood spread, and the demon twitched its nose, immediately perking up with exhilaration. Rare Blood—and a premium grade at that.
What an unexpected windfall.
Not far away, Shinobu Kocho witnessed everything. Seeing the wounds on Tendo's body, her anger subsided considerably.
To Tendo, she was just a stranger. They had only spent a few hours together—so why would he go this far for her?
"Tendo, I don't—"
Shinobu's lips trembled slightly. She regretted it. She didn't want to drag others into her vendetta, much less see him get hurt because of it.
"Shinobu, I'm fine! Just wait—I'll avenge you!"
Tendo Kazama cut Shinobu off and charged at the white-boned demon again.
Idiot!
The demon cursed inwardly. It was a demon—the biggest difference between demons and humans was their regenerative abilities. Even if this guy was strong, his stamina wasn't infinite.
How foolish. He could've easily escaped.
The next second, its pupils trembled violently—because the wounds on Tendo's body had already scabbed over.
Is this guy a demon too?
A fellow kin?
The demon was baffled. How could a human possibly have such regenerative abilities?
In that split second of hesitation, Tendo leaped high into the air like a crimson-gold meteor. From his center, countless crimson-gold slashes erupted outward.
Breath of Thunder, Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash.
In an instant, Blade Winds pierced through the demon's body, blood splattering everywhere.
By the time the demon regained its senses, Tendo was already behind it—and its limbs had been severed, flying off in different directions.
But its spine snake moved on its own. Using the last of its strength, the demon aimed for Tendo's heart. With half its body gone, it grinned victoriously.
I win!
In the end, he was just an arrogant brat—how dare he turn his back on his enemy?
Just as it thought everything was over, a broken wooden table came crashing down from above, smashing into splinters. The spine snake was crushed once more.
"Useless! All you do is eat and show off!"
Obanai grumbled, dusting off his hands before kicking the limbless demon away.
Tendo glanced at Obanai and grinned cheekily.
"Well, I knew you had my back!"
"Next time, just go die, huh?!" Obanai snapped, turning his head away.
The demon's limbs were slowly regenerating—but because it hadn't eaten a human in a month, its stamina was nearly depleted, drastically weakening its recovery.
Otherwise, it would never have lost to some brat.
It had only itself to blame for being too picky with its food. Truly, being a picky eater was a bad habit.Tendo drove his blade straight into the skeleton Demon's heart, dealing a grievous wound. He patted its jaw mockingly and taunted:
"Young Demon, next time make sure you're well-fed before going out!"
"But there won't be a next time!"
"Human, why don't you cut off my neck?"
As the skeleton Demon finished speaking, five flashes of blade light streaked through the air. Its barely regenerated limbs were severed once more, and its body was split cleanly in two.
Now completely crippled, it wouldn't recover anytime soon.
Demon blood splattered across Tendo's forehead, slowly trickling down to stain half his face crimson. Under the silver moonlight, he looked rather terrifying.
He didn't answer, merely gripping his sword as he walked step by step toward the Kocho sisters.
Normally, he would have immediately beheaded the Demon. But today was different.
Because its enemy was right here. Everything Tendo had done was so Shinobu could personally take revenge. At least then, she might find some peace in her heart.
He slowly approached Shinobu Kocho and offered her the gleaming, bloodstained blade in his hand. A brilliant smile bloomed across his face as he said gently:
"Come take your revenge!"