"Say whatever you want. My view won't change."
Facing Choso's rage, Kenjaku only smiled lightly as the water wrapped around his left hand tightened around him.
Even Yuji's mix of cursed energy and raw strength couldn't break through that flowing water. Choso, who relied on Blood Manipulation, had even less of a chance.
"Divergent Fist!"
Yuji only froze for a moment before regaining focus, his cursed energy-wrapped fist shooting forward again.
Whether those people died because of him or not didn't matter right now. What he wanted was to fight alongside his brother and defeat the man in front of them.
Regret or pain could wait until after victory.
'I'm already someone who's meant to die anyway… then I'll make myself as useful as possible!'
"Honestly, what should I even say about you two…"
Kenjaku released Choso's fist and bent his body backward at nearly ninety degrees, slipping cleanly through the gap between their attacks.
One had no technique, and the other used a flawed Blood Manipulation, yet without overwhelming strength, they repeated the same simple attacks again and again.
The two he had created were truly disappointing.
"God Feeding Art: Divine Descent, Special Grade Imaginary Vengeful Cursed Spirit, Terracotta Warrior."
He formed a hand sign. The black feathers on his right arm disappeared, replaced by an arm covered in armor.
This was the shikigami that the grandson of the Kiyomaru clan head had summoned at the cost of his life before dying, but in Kenjaku's hands, it was used with ease.
Heavy power. Strong offense and defense.
That was the advantage of the Terracotta Warrior.
And since he was only using its arm instead of the full body, its usual slow movement was no longer a problem.
Boom!
Kenjaku twisted his body and leaped forward, his right fist smashing toward Yuji's chest.
'So hard… and so strong!'
Yuji reacted instantly and tried to block, but the force behind that punch made his eyes widen in shock. This was completely different from before.
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking came from Yuji's arms. Even through his guard, the remaining force traveled into his chest.
He spat out a mouthful of blood as his body was thrown backward.
Boom!
At the same time, Choso, filled with fury, swung his fist toward Kenjaku's head.
"I've said it many times. Blood Manipulation is useless against me."
Nothing changed.
Umibōzu's ability could greatly reduce impact, and the moment they made contact, the cold seawater rapidly cooled Choso's fist, slowing the flow of his blood.
Moreover, as the "father" of the Death Painting Wombs, Kenjaku had no fear of the toxic blood inside Choso's body.
"Me too!"
While Kenjaku looked at his brother with disdain, Yuji, who had been sent flying earlier, forced himself to steady his footing mid-fall. Blood covered his mouth, yet his eyes remained as firm as ever.
"Black Flash!"
This time, he didn't use the delayed strike of Divergent Fist. He went straight for his strongest move.
A distorted flash of space slammed into Kenjaku's right hand.
"Ahhh!"
The two brothers shouted together as they pushed forward with all their strength.
Yet even this combined attack only forced their opponent to take a few steps back.
"God Feeding—"
"Stop him!"
Just as Kenjaku began forming hand signs, the brothers rushed forward simultaneously, trying to interrupt him. They had already figured out part of his technique.
Judging by his arms, it was some kind of summoning or possession of specific body parts, and the names he called out seemed to be legendary entities. If he kept switching abilities like that, it would be troublesome.
Boom!
But facing two against one, Kenjaku changed tactics.
Instead of forcing the hand seal, he slammed his hand into the ground, then ripped up a thick slab of earth dozens of centimeters deep, wrapped it in cursed energy, and flung it at them like a blanket.
Meanwhile, as he stepped back, he completed another hand sign.
"God Feeding Art: Divine Descent, Special Grade Cursed Spirit, Mahito."
The traits of Umibōzu vanished from his left arm, but strangely, Mahito's usual stitched marks did not appear either.
Boom!
By then, the two had already shattered the obstacle and charged straight at him, their cursed energy-wrapped fists aiming for his face from both sides.
But Kenjaku moved.
With a light step, he retreated in an instant, dodging both attacks, then surged forward again as both fists slammed into their stomachs.
The brothers were blasted backward together, crashing onto the stairs.
"He suddenly got faster…"
Getting back up, the two noticed something off about the previous attack.
When Kenjaku's left hand returned to normal, their eyes dropped to his feet.
His shoes… were in tatters.
"Not bad observation."
Kenjaku didn't care about their gaze. He lifted his pant leg and shook off what remained of his footwear, revealing a pair of hooves.
Yes. He had used Mahito's ability on his own legs, reshaping them to boost his mobility and attack power.
He didn't want to reveal too many of his trump cards here.
"Is that the one Nanami-sensei mentioned… the one who can alter souls?!"
Though he had never actually met Mahito, Yuji reacted quickly. Weren't those transfigured humans the same as before? This man could even alter himself…
"Failure. Disappear."
Cursed energy gathered around Kenjaku's hooves.
In an instant, he appeared right in front of them, so fast that neither brother could react.
Boom!
The armored right fist of the Terracotta Warrior smashed into Choso's face, distorting space. That punch triggered a Black Flash.
"Cho—"
Yuji tried to help his brother, but Kenjaku lifted his leg. That hoof transformed into a spiked club and slammed into Yuji's waist.
"Pfft!"
Blood sprayed into the air.
In just one exchange, both brothers were heavily injured.
"You bastard!"
Dazed from the blow, Choso ignored the blood pouring from his nose and mouth. As his body swayed, blood surged wildly into his arm.
Right before collapsing, he twisted his body and threw one last punch at Kenjaku.
He would never allow anyone… to bully his little brother.
However, Kenjaku was almost completely unharmed throughout the battle. And with his legs transformed into hooves, his speed was already close to the speed of sound.
There was no way Choso's furious punch could hit him.
As expected, it missed.
Boom!
The spiked club that had struck Yuji earlier twisted midair and smashed into Choso again, kicking him away.
"I told you already. You two are really boring."
Kenjaku glanced at Yuji, half-kneeling and clutching his stomach as blood kept spilling out, then at Choso, whose body trembled as he collapsed on the ground.
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