Jyu seemed to have lost his mind to fight Meito. Meito kept stepping forward toward Jyu, while Jyu himself kept stepping backwards to get away. For him, retreating was the only option now, because he still didn't know what kind of power that cursed demon possessed.
Jyu could only observe every step Meito took, hoping to find a single clue about his strength or weakness. There was one suspicious thing—every Karakura, including Alber's troops, who passed by Meito always covered their noses, then a few seconds later coughed violently.
"Armpit smell!"
"Is that really his power? What kind of ability are you using? That's disgusting!"
Jyu began to suspect that Meito's power was his armpit stench. Not long after, Jyu inhaled the sharp odor that severely disturbed his sense of smell. Reflexively, he tightly covered his nose. Kuma did the same, even looking like he was about to vomit.
"It stinks so bad..." Before Jyu could finish speaking, his consciousness wavered slightly. Suddenly, his vision blurred, as if he were about to faint.
Jyu immediately carried Kuma and jumped backwards to distance himself from Meito. Once he got away, his body gradually recovered, and his awareness returned to normal.
"Well, do you like the smell?" said Meito while laughing out loud.
Jyu stayed silent, but his expression showed disgust.
Actually, for someone from the outskirts like him, the smell of armpits was something he encountered often. It was as if Jyu had grown accustomed to people who didn't care about body odor. Their armpits were always damp and emitted a strong stench that could make anyone faint just by inhaling it.
For Jyu, there had never been a solution to deal with this, because they were all poor. For wealthy people, it was easy to handle—buy deodorant to keep their armpits dry all day.
From this, an idea to fight Meito emerged. Jyu thought about giving deodorant to that demon—but how?
"Kuma! Smash the floor with your power. But don't use your strongest punch, I'll need that strength later to defeat Meito!"
"Grrr"
Kuma moved swiftly, leaping high before striking the floor.
BLARRR!!!
Instantly, the demon palace floor shattered, causing anyone standing on it to lose their balance and fall. Jyu immediately took action, slashing every piece of debris scattered around. In an instant, thick dust rose into the air.
Then Jyu tore a part of his robe and wrapped it around his nose to block Meito's armpit smell.
"Wait here, Kuma. It's your turn after this."
"Let's move."
Jyu dashed forward to attack Meito. The cloud of dust successfully masked the stench. This situation benefited Jyu, allowing him to move freely without the fear of fainting from that disgusting odor.
Jyu also grabbed a handful of sand from the broken floor debris. Quickly, he slipped behind Meito.
Meanwhile, Meito was busy dealing with dust in his eyes while trying to stand again after losing his footing. But it was too late—he didn't realize that Jyu was already behind him, ready to strike.
Jyu immediately pressed the handful of dust in his hand into Meito's armpit. The dust served as a deodorant, preventing the smell from spreading. His move worked—slowly, but surely, the stench faded away.
"What are you doing, you idiot?!" shouted Meito, furious at Jyu's action.
"Argh! This is absolutely disgusting. You're the worst demon I've ever met!"
Jyu grabbed Meito's arm, pulled him with force, and threw him toward Kuma. Meito was launched into the air with considerable strength.
"Kuma! Finish him!"
Kuma immediately ran and leapt to attack Meito. Death would be inevitable if Meito took Kuma's punch directly. They faced each other, and Kuma had already launched his strike toward Meito's body.
"You think you can kill me that easily?!" Meito snapped.
Surprisingly, Meito spun his body to dodge Kuma's attack. His effort succeeded—he moved swiftly to the side, avoiding the blow.
However, the attack was not over. Kuma managed to deceive Meito by paralyzing his imagination. Now Meito felt as if he hadn't survived—his body was destroyed, and he screamed in agony.
Meito crashed hard onto the floor of the demon palace. Jyu didn't waste this opportunity—he sprinted forward and stabbed the cursed demon from behind. His black sword pierced through Meito's back and came out through his chest.
At last, Meito regained his awareness—but it was too late. This time, the pain was real. Jyu's blade had pierced his chest. He was dying.
Jyu smiled in satisfaction after defeating the Arabai. But he quickly turned around to chase Sizhi. Kuma followed closely behind him.
Sizhi had been carefully observing Jyu and Meito's battle. She sat calmly on the throne, with Spyder appearing beside her. She had truly been waiting for Jyu to arrive for a fight.
"My grandfather said that peace in the Darkent realm and the human world can only be achieved if Kuma dies."
Those words instantly enraged Jyu, especially remembering how long they had been friends. The deception of an Alber now shattered the memories they shared.
"Have you forgotten our mission when we entered the Darkent realm?"
Jyu was now very close to Sizhi. He slowly walked up the stairs toward the royal throne.
"No! I haven't forgotten our mission. But I no longer trust you. People from the outskirts like you can't be trusted—you always bring destruction."
"Watch your words!"
Now Jyu and Sizhi stood face to face, less than three meters apart.
"We may be from the outskirts, but at least we've never taken anyone's life. We have dignity that you cannot look down on like that. My mission now is to break Kuma's curse—help me, Sizhi!"
"I'm on my grandfather's side now. My enemy is Master Jenna. She's the one behind all this. She wants the interdimensional portal to open so she can consume as many mystical creatures as possible. That way, she can stay young forever."
It couldn't be denied that Master Jenna remained youthful—still very beautiful despite her old age. But the secret behind her power was still unknown to many.
"I don't have time to argue with you anymore. Help me now—show me where Kuma's relief is. You must have explored this place already. You definitely know where it is!"
Sizhi turned her face away. "Our goals are different now. My goal is to kill Kuma."
Jyu was furious upon hearing those words.
"Have you lost your humanity? Don't you feel anything seeing so many people die, eaten by demons?"
Jyu fell silent, his body trembling before he finally spoke again with a firm voice.
"I don't care who's right. But please, give me a clue about where Kuma's curse is. If the dimensional portal isn't closed soon, more humans will die."
"If you truly want to kill Kuma, then kill me—and Kuma—after the dimensional portal is closed."