“This little demon’s Blood Demon Art seems to be a ranged attack. I can’t let him create distance—I must engage him up close.”

  Bck Wolf Fang lowered his body almost to the ground, assuming a bizarre, low-slung stance, then forcefully kicked off the ground, sending a shower of loose stones flying. In a fsh, he shot forward like an arrow, skimming the earth as he charged at Kawagishi.

  The moment Bck Wolf Fang moved, Kawagishi immediately grasped his intent and rapidly retreated. Within the cramped space of the bear’s den, the two began a fierce, evasive duel.

  At that instant, Kawagishi focused his will, and the enormous, brilliant white wings on his back spread out even further before he suddenly snapped them forward. Dozens of “Scorching Feathers” separated from his wings, transforming into razor-sharp energy feathers composed of pure, white light—each one carrying an intensity of sor energy that made Bck Wolf Fang’s heart skip a beat.

  Yet, despite the daunting dispy, Bck Wolf Fang remained unfazed. “No matter how devious your Blood Demon Art is, if you can’t nd a hit, it won’t do you any good.”“Even if you manage to scratch me, can you really kill me that way?”

  Moving low along the ground, Bck Wolf Fang twisted and contorted like a boneless venomous snake, evading almost every energy feather. Only one Scorching Feather managed to impale his shoulder, searing his flesh as if branded by a red-hot iron—eliciting a pained cry from him, though the wound wasn’t severe. The other feathers struck the ground and gradually dissolved into nothingness.

  Kawagishi fell silent for a moment. He’d anticipated that Bck Wolf Fang’s attack would include such a ranged element, and his opponent’s serpentine, ground-hugging movements only served to reduce the effective range of his Scorching Feathers. Out of nearly sixty unched, only one struck Bck Wolf Fang—and even that one missed any vital target.

  Having lived for decades, Bck Wolf Fang had initially looked down on Kawagishi’s cunning sneak attack. But once the fight truly began, he swiftly shifted to dominating Kawagishi—resorting to brutal blows and even smming Kawagishi’s face against the wall repeatedly. Even after awakening his own Blood Demon Art to counter demons, Bck Wolf Fang still felt enormous pressure from Kawagishi’s relentless assault.

  “Scorching Feathers are effective against demons, but they drain a lot of energy,” Bck Wolf Fang grumbled, his voice tinged with hunger. “I’m starving—my stomach feels as if countless insects are gnawing at it…”

  Becoming a demon drains energy, as does repairing one’s body, and using Blood Demon Art is an especially heavy energy drain. Up to now, Kawagishi hadn’t even tasted a morsel of meat. When he first acquired his Blood Demon Art, he was so excited that he momentarily forgot about his fatigue. But once the thrill wore off, all that remained was a bone-deep weakness.

  It was only through sheer force of will that Kawagishi had managed to hold his own against Bck Wolf Fang. He recalled the words his father had imparted before Tanjuro died: “Kawagishi, if anything happens to your brother or anyone else, you must take care of them as the eldest.”Yes—Kawagishi was still alive, and he had to protect him. He couldn’t afford to lose consciousness; he had to fight.

  Kawagishi took a deep, determined breath, “Fire God Dance!”Whether it was due to a change in his body’s structure or his innate nature, as he invoked the Fire God Dance Breathing Technique, searing pain shot through him—as if every muscle fiber were twisting and breaking, as if he were being thrown into a bzing torch. Yet this agony unleashed a surge of formidable strength, speed, and a fierce fighting spirit. Perhaps the Fire God Dance had truly awakened his tent potential, even if his body wasn’t easily able to bear the strain.

  Though his brilliant white wings couldn’t yet grant him flight, their powerful fpping greatly enhanced his speed, propelling him straight toward Bck Wolf Fang. Kawagishi leaped into the air, his Scorching Feathers whipping upward in a frenzied burst that generated a downward force. Using the momentum of his descent, Kawagishi brought his heavy leg down like a battle-axe aimed at Bck Wolf Fang’s head.

  In close combat, Kawagishi felt no fear. “We must end this quickly,” he resolved.

  A smile of grim satisfaction crossed Bck Wolf Fang’s face as he forcefully pounded the ground with his hand, creating a crater. Then, twisting his body to the side, he evaded Kawagishi’s powerful leg strike.“Thud!”Kawagishi’s kick struck the ground with such force that the impact cracked the surface, and spiderweb-like fissures—over two meters in diameter—spread out from the point of contact.

  Bck Wolf Fang’s sshing sword came straight down toward Kawagishi’s right leg. Kawagishi didn’t try to dodge; instead, his fingertips extended sharp cws that lunged for Bck Wolf Fang’s shoulder.

  “Ssshh—”The cws pierced into Bck Wolf Fang’s shoulder and then tore viciously, ripping off his left arm in one savage motion. At the same time, Bck Wolf Fang’s sword cleaved through Kawagishi’s right leg, causing him to stagger and nearly colpse. Desperately, Kawagishi braced himself by pnting his right wing against the ground to regain his bance.

  Without any hesitation, Bck Wolf Fang immediately withdrew his sshing sword and swung it again toward Kawagishi’s waist and abdomen. In response, Kawagishi grabbed the edge of the bde with one hand—even as blood flowed profusely—and with his other hand, he drove his cwed fingers toward Bck Wolf Fang’s eye. Bck Wolf Fang twisted his head to evade, yet still ended up with one eye impaled.

  Such was the brutal nature of demon-on-demon combat: blood and severed limbs flew as bodies were torn apart only to be rapidly mended. Both combatants were determined to end the fight as quickly as possible, trading injury for injury in a desperate contest of endurance.

  Kawagishi’s face darkened with grim determination as he roared, “You bastard! If it weren’t for these Scorching Feathers draining so much energy—if I hadn’t wasted them earlier when you dodged—I’d have already torn your head off!”

  Bck Wolf Fang ughed harshly. “Little demon, you’ve only just begun to master Blood Demon Art, yet you recklessly overuse it. Do you really think you’re that formidable?”

  “Why don’t you just eat people?” Kawagishi retorted. “There’s plenty of human flesh around—you should smell that corpse in the cave; doesn’t it smell delicious?”

  “Trying to remain human, are you? That’s impossible,” Bck Wolf Fang sneered, “Once you become a demon, you can never go back. You’re nothing but an aberration—humans will reject you, and even demons will hunt you down. You’ll never be human again, haha!”

  In a fit of rage, Kawagishi bared his fangs and viciously tore a huge chunk of flesh from Bck Wolf Fang’s arm, then spat it aside. Simultaneously, Bck Wolf Fang’s bde sliced into Kawagishi’s abdomen, exposing his inner organs. Yet at this moment, neither demon seemed to feel pain—they attacked each other relentlessly, trading injury for injury.

  While they fought, Bck Wolf Fang taunted, “Don’t think so highly of humans, and don’t cast us demons as the ultimate vilins. Out in the wild, tiger sharks brutally hunt seals, and seals in turn prey on penguins—tearing open a penguin’s belly, pying with it until it dies in agony before devouring it. And yet, penguins treat small fish with the same ferocity.”

  He continued, “Humans, too, are ruthless—carving their prey open, sometimes even roasting them alive. And as for us demons, we’re like tiger sharks among humans. Feeding on people is only natural—it’s the w of survival, nature’s own evolution.”

  “Since you’ve become a demon, embrace your true nature. If you refuse to eat humans, you’re nothing more than a half-breed—a misfit. Humans won’t tolerate you, and demons will want you dead. You can’t be human, little demon, haha!”

  Bck Wolf Fang meant to shake Kawagishi’s resolve with his words. In a battle as fierce and tense as this, the one whose heart wavers falls immediately behind. And Bck Wolf Fang’s words carried weight—he truly believed in them, and they had a powerful effect.

  Kawagishi fell silent. Though Bck Wolf Fang’s argument wasn’t without merit, there was one point that was incorrect..