In Black Wolf Fang’s disbelieving gaze, Kawagishi’s body wavered as he slowly rose to his feet. Behind his once headless form, a pair of brilliant, pure-white wings spread wide, each with a span of over three meters. The wings quivered gently—as if celebrating a rebirth.

  Black Wolf Fang turned his eyes to the head he held in his hand, noticing that Kawagishi was also staring back at him.

  “It can’t be… How could a newly born demon possibly wield Blood Demon Art?”

  “I was praised by that master for my talent,” Black Wolf Fang fumed. “He even promised that if I mastered Blood Demon Art, I’d earn the title of Lower Moon Six and be allowed to follow at his side. And now… you, a newborn demon who wouldn’t even dare feast on a human, are using Blood Demon Art so swiftly!”

  “How dare you!” Black Wolf Fang seethed with jealousy before erupting, “Blood Demon Art: Blade Prison!”

  In an instant, a bizarrely shaped slashing sword reappeared in his hand. His eyes turned blood red, and even the six claw marks on either side of his face glowed crimson. In his frenzy, a maddened Black Wolf Fang hurled Kawagishi’s head forward and raised his sword high. With the slicing sound of the wind, he swung it down in a swift, deadly arc—intending to let Kawagishi experience the agony of his head being split in two.

  But then, a lethal sensation surged beside him, striking his back of the head and his heart—an ominous feeling reminiscent of the fatal dread one faces when a demon is exposed to sunlight. It was as if every cell in his body screamed for him to dodge. With no other option, Black Wolf Fang abandoned his attack, rolling away in a clumsy attempt to escape the unseen onslaught.

  Once he was clear of danger and had regained his composure, Black Wolf Fang glanced back. There, he saw Kawagishi’s body gently cradling his own head against the nape of his neck. In an instant, flesh and blood stitched themselves together, and Kawagishi became whole once more.

  “The feeling of having my head reattached… it’s amazing,” Kawagishi murmured.

  Turning his gaze to the wall, Black Wolf Fang noticed two white feathers—glowing with intense heat—embedded in the stone. They were slowly dissipating. He realized that the deadly sensation had emanated from these feathers.

  Now bewildered, Black Wolf Fang suppressed his violent urge and asked, “What is the nature of your Blood Demon Art? Why does it give me the sensation of facing the sun?”

  Kawagishi answered calmly, “What does that have to do with you? Weren’t you so proud a moment ago? Now, do you expect me to wallow in despair again?”

  Though his voice remained steady, even Kawagishi himself couldn’t fathom what was happening.

  He had intended to use the Fire God Dance Breathing Technique to dramatically boost his physical abilities—then suddenly break free from your grasp. But while practicing the Fire God Dance, my body began to change in a way I never expected. Perhaps when a demon’s body uses a human breathing method, it creates unexpected variations. Two mysterious masses of energy—intrinsically connected to my blood—started to swell and multiply with every breath. They gathered on either side of my back, just above the scapula and near the spine.

  Then, in one breathtaking moment, those enormous, magnificent white wings burst forth through my back, emerging in a proud, soaring display. I knew instantly that this was my Blood Demon Art——Scorching Feather.

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  At that moment, an eerie silence fell between Black Wolf Fang and Kawagishi. On one hand, Black Wolf Fang stared at Kawagishi’s Blood Demon Art with growing doubt—he couldn’t help but notice that the wings emerging from Kawagishi’s back looked as if they were composed of sunlight itself. Feeling the deadly threat emanating from those brilliant, white wings, Black Wolf Fang dared not make a move.

  Meanwhile, Kawagishi was curiously exploring his newfound wings. He reached out to touch one of the brilliant white plumes, only to find it scorchingly hot—his fingertip quickly turning blackened as if burned.

  "My Blood Demon Art… could it be that I can’t even distinguish friend from foe?" he wondered.

  "Why am I getting burned?" he murmured.

  For now, it seemed that these wings—though born of his own Blood Demon Art—could not be handled carelessly, as they too would inflict burns. Even though they were as natural to him as his own arms and legs, these brilliant wings were surprisingly agile and full of life, not the rigid appendages one might expect. He attempted to flap them, but unfortunately, after a few awkward, wobbling lifts of only a few centimeters, he nearly toppled over. Lacking any real experience in flight, even with wings he now possessed, he simply couldn’t soar.

  "I never imagined that what people in my past life so desperately craved—growing enormous wings to fly without any contraptions—might actually come true after I became a demon," Kawagishi thought. Still, he believed that one day he would indeed take flight into the sky.

  Watching Kawagishi flail his wings clumsily, Black Wolf Fang suddenly had a flash of insight.

  "His wings... they’re absolutely linked to sunlight. If I can tell that master about this…" he mused excitedly.

  "Haha, that master would be overjoyed—maybe even reward me with a bounty of blood to make me even stronger."

  "Perhaps, I could even rise to the rank of Upper Moon One—above all other demons."

  So many things ran through Black Wolf Fang’s mind that he couldn’t help but become increasingly excited.

  "Little demon, just wait until your old man Black Wolf Fang comes back—I’ll bypass you this time."

  Kawagishi frowned in confusion, "Huh?"

  He never expected Black Wolf Fang to try to run away.

  No sooner had Black Wolf Fang uttered those words than he turned on his heel and sprinted off without hesitation—he didn’t want to tangle with Kawagishi any further. Right now, his most urgent task was to report to that master the astonishing news that this newborn demon now possessed wings imbued with the properties of sunlight.

  Kawagishi couldn’t quite understand what was happening; he only saw Black Wolf Fang’s face alternating between shades of green and white, and finally contorting into a sickening, hysterical smile.

  "What are you running for?" Kawagishi called after him, and, without thinking, he started chasing after Black Wolf Fang.

  Though he wasn’t sure what had just occurred, Kawagishi knew that preventing the enemy from achieving his goal would only play to his own advantage.

  But after only a couple of steps, the fleeing Black Wolf Fang returned, his face now twisted in furious rage.

  "Hey! You run this way and that—are you indecisive? What exactly do you want to do?"

  This demon, who had just moments ago exerted such tremendous pressure on Kawagishi, now seemed downright foolish.

  Clenching his fangs in frustration, Black Wolf Fang spat, "If it weren’t for the fact that dawn’s light has already crept over the horizon, I wouldn’t be running back and forth like this..."

  Kawagishi suddenly understood.

  While he was entangled with Black Wolf Fang in the bear’s den, the sun, hidden beneath the cover of night, had quietly begun to rise—its light and heat now spreading across the landscape.

  "So now, you have nowhere to run—no escape route."

  In an instant, the atmosphere between Black Wolf Fang and Kawagishi turned lethal. When two demons clash, at least one must suffer injury; tonight, only one demon would leave this cave.

  "Run away? Do you underestimate me?" Black Wolf Fang roared, huffing out coarse breaths, his eyes wild with fury.

  Moments ago, he had so easily decapitated and dismembered his opponent, and now—having awakened his Blood Demon Art—he thought he could easily subdue me?

  I, Black Wolf Fang, have fought demons and Demon Slayers for decades; countless fools—both human and demon—have perished at my hands.

  "Little demon, even if your Blood Demon Art is extraordinary, I’m not afraid of you.

  If that’s the case, then let me be even more troublesome—I'll rip your limbs from your body once again and personally take you to that master."