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Chapter 153: Shizuka Marikawa: Actually, I'm Quite Strong Too
Among the Twelve Kizuki, the seat of Upper Rank 4 held a very specific prestige. Both demons who held the title, Hantengu and his successor Nakime, possessed outrageously overpowered Blood Demon Arts.
Nakime needed no introduction. As the undisputed MVP for the demon faction during the final Infinity Castle arc, her ability allowed her absolute control over the extradimensional fortress. She could open portals anywhere in the outside world and instantly teleport targets into her domain. It was somewhat similar to Knov's "Hide and Seek" Nen ability in Hunter x Hunter, but vastly more absurd. She could freely manipulate the castle's layout and even apply area-of-effect buffs to weaker demons, artificially boosting their strength to Lower Rank levels. Her support capabilities arguably eclipsed even Yushiro's.
The demon currently in front of him, Hantengu, was equally broken. While most demons possessed one, perhaps two, Blood Demon Arts, Hantengu commanded no less than five.
First were the four emotion clones: Sekido (Anger), Karaku (Pleasure), Aizetsu (Sorrow), and Urogi (Joy). They wielded lightning, wind, piercing spear shockwaves, and sonic blasts, respectively.
When those four merged, they formed the ultimate clone, Zohakuten (Hatred). Not only could Zohakuten utilize the abilities of all four base clones simultaneously, but he also possessed his own unique art—the power to summon and manipulate colossal wooden dragons, reminiscent of Hashirama Senju's Wood Release in Naruto.
And even after splitting his power into these devastating clones, Hantengu's main body retained an impossibly dense physical durability. When standard Nichirin Swords struck his neck, it was the blades that shattered, not his flesh. In the original timeline, even after Nezuko used her Blood Demon Art to ignite Tanjiro's blade, turning it into a pseudo-Crimson Red Sword, and Tanjiro unleashed the full power of Sun Breathing, they still couldn't decapitate the main body.
That battle had been a desperate scramble involving the Crimson Red Sword, Sun Breathing, Genya's demon-consumption abilities, the newly developed combined forms of Sun and Thunder Breathing, and the timely delivery of a new sword by Muichiro Tokito. They had stacked every possible buff, and yet, they were entirely stonewalled by Hantengu.
In the end, it was only the imminent threat of sunrise and Tanjiro pushing past his limits to unlock the Transparent World that allowed him to finally spot and sever the main body's neck. And even then, as the head crumbled in the sunlight, fans debated whether the sword strike had killed him, or if the sun simply finished the job.
None of that mattered right now. Because the stronger Hantengu's Blood Demon Arts were, the more excited Suyan became. The payout for this harvest was going to be astronomical.
He glanced down at Hantengu's main body, still tightly bound by the chains. The demon's eyes were brimming with tears, his hands covering his face in exactly the same pathetic manner as before. But the illusion was shattered. Hantengu wasn't making a sound, his tiny body trembling violently in absolute terror. He was terrified of drawing Suyan's attention and suffering the agony of the Crimson Red flames again.
Sensing Suyan's gaze, the main body jolted, shivering even more violently.
The corner of Suyan's mouth quirked up. He knew the main body's neck was tough enough to snap swords, but he wasn't worried in the slightest about him escaping. It was impossible. The demon couldn't even handle his basic fiery chains; there was zero chance of him breaking free now that Suyan had reinforced the metal with Enhancement Nen.
"You want him back? Then come and get him!"
Suyan planted his foot firmly on Hantengu's back. He looked up at the four furious clones, hooked an index finger in a universally arrogant gesture, and taunted them.
As the physical embodiment of anger, Sekido instantly exploded with wrath. His eyes burned a bright crimson, and his face turned ashen. He raised his Khakkhara and slammed it violently into the earth.
Instantly, his entire body was engulfed in dense, crackling electricity. Blue and red lightning intertwined, shooting outward like a nest of berserk, mechanical vipers. The deafening crackle of voltage tore through the air as the lightning surged directly toward Suyan.
"Bring it on."
Facing the terrifying barrage, Suyan looked completely relaxed. He casually coated his right hand with a thin layer of Ten, stepping into the path of the incoming lightning and delivering a light, dismissive slap.
Smack.
The hyper-lethal, high-voltage assault was effortlessly swatted aside, scattering into harmless sparks like water droplets splashing against a stone.
"He… he blocked it?!"
Tamayo's jaw dropped. The elegant, aristocratic composure she maintained seemed to shatter alongside the dissipated lightning.
The sheer destructive power behind Sekido's enraged attack was something she could feel vividly from her safe distance. If she had been the target, she wouldn't have been able to dodge. Her only option would be to face-tank it and rely entirely on her demonic regeneration to survive.
But the most terrifying part was that Suyan hadn't just blocked it—he had done so with casual, insulting ease. He hadn't used a Nichirin Sword; he had deflected it with his bare, seemingly fragile human hand.
And more confusingly, Suyan seemed to know exactly how this Upper Rank operated. He caught him like a rat in a trap right away, yet intentionally provoked him into spawning these four terrifyingly powerful clones.
Could it be…? Tamayo's heart skipped a beat as a sudden realization dawned on her. She turned her head, staring at Suyan in sheer disbelief.
"That's right," a lazy voice chimed in from beside her.
Shizuka's sudden comment instantly drew Tamayo's attention.
"You mean…?" Tamayo shifted her gaze to the sleepy-eyed blonde beauty next to her.
"Yep." Shizuka nodded, confirming Tamayo's theory. "Little Suyan did it on purpose. He caught that guy, then deliberately forced him to split into stronger versions of himself. Didn't he tell you earlier? He's using this 'little rat' to show you exactly how strong he is. It's a bit of a hassle, sure, but if he just killed him instantly, you wouldn't really understand his true power, would you?"
"But…" Tamayo clasped her hands nervously over her chest, genuine worry flooding her features.
Isn't he afraid of making a fatal mistake? she wanted to say. This was an Upper Rank, a tier of demon that hadn't suffered a recorded casualty in centuries!
Before she could voice her concerns, a soft, pale hand rested gently on her shoulder. Tamayo looked up, swallowing her words. It was Shizuka. Her golden eyes were perfectly calm, entirely devoid of the anxiety Tamayo was feeling. It was as if she were watching her partner perform a mundane household chore.
"Relax," Shizuka said softly. "After all, Little Suyan is really, really strong."
Slowly, the absolute tranquility radiating from Shizuka began to infect Tamayo, easing the knot of dread in her chest. She decided to trust them.
However, before she could turn her attention back to the battlefield, Yushiro's furious roar shattered the calm.
"You ugly woman! Who gave you permission to lay your filthy hands on Lady Tamayo's divine body?!"
Veins bulged on Yushiro's forehead as he lunged forward, his hand reaching out to violently shove Shizuka away.
Seeing this, Tamayo immediately scolded him. "Yushiro! Stop it!"
Under normal circumstances, Yushiro's obsessive jealousy was just rude. But now, in the presence of an Upper Rank, acting like a petulant child was beyond foolish. Tamayo was genuinely angry at him.
The next second, Yushiro vanished.
Tamayo froze. Her immediate assumption was that one of Hantengu's clones had launched a blindingly fast attack and obliterated him. Panic gripped her as she frantically scanned the area, desperately searching for any trace of her assistant.
Then, she noticed Shizuka's posture. While one hand was still resting gently on Tamayo's shoulder, her other hand was suspended in the air, extended in a casual follow-through motion.
"Sorry about that. You see, I'm already spoken for," Shizuka said, offering an apologetic shrug. She stuck her tongue out playfully. "I really don't like it when men other than Little Suyan try to touch me. Oh, I forgot to mention… I'm actually quite strong too."
Tamayo stared blankly at the seemingly harmless blonde woman.
Quite strong? This was absurdly, incomprehensibly strong! She hadn't even seen Shizuka move, and Yushiro was just… gone.
Exhaling a shaky breath, Tamayo followed the trajectory of Shizuka's extended hand. Her eyes landed on the exterior wall of her own mansion. Imprinted deeply into the wood and plaster was a perfect, blood-splattered silhouette of a human body.
There was no doubt about it; that hole was caused by Yushiro being swatted through the air like a bothersome fly.
Only when she saw Yushiro slowly groaning and pulling himself out of the crater did her heart finally settle back into her chest. As long as he was alive, his demonic regeneration would handle the rest.
Tamayo turned her gaze back to the deceptively harmless woman beside her. If even this seemingly delicate woman was this monstrously powerful… what about Suyan, who clearly took the lead in their dynamic?
For the first time, a faint flicker of hope ignited within her. Perhaps this man truly could rival Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Just then, she felt a light poke on her back.
"Um…" Shizuka raised her hand, her voice suddenly timid. "I kinda broke your wall… You aren't going to make me pay for it, are you?"
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