Multiple flashes of cold light silently split into two streams, slicing through the air with a chilling sharpness, simultaneously striking toward Kawanishi and Sayuki.
From Sayuki's direction, Kawanishi could see more clearly: she tilted her head slightly to dodge the one aimed at her head, but the rest embedded themselves into her body one after another, leaving only the tiny handles protruding from her skin.
Meanwhile, the other cold lights stabbed into Kawanishi's back — many even lodged into his flaming wings. His steel-hardened body could not withstand their piercing force, which easily broke through. A stinging pain shot through his body.
"Who's there?"
His mind dulled, his Heavenly Blade became difficult to wield, and his wings spread open again, but failed to behead Sayuki.
A few more cold flashes came flying toward him. Kawanishi spun around and grabbed them mid-air.
In his palm were several silver needles…
"Thorned Bind: Coiling Dragon!"
Kawanishi released his grip from Black Cleave. Sayuki's body too was paralyzed and struggled to move.
However, her eyes lit up as more than a dozen black thorny vines burst from the ground, coiling around Black Cleave's handle, pulling it free, and swiftly wrapping around her waist to pull her to safety.
The thorns pierced into Sayuki's flesh, quickly extracting the silver needles. As her injuries rapidly healed, Sayuki panted softly, watching Kawanishi from afar.
When Sayuki slipped away, Kawanishi managed to grab only one of her thorny vines, his reactions sluggish.
From the shadows of the bamboo grove, a hunched figure slowly emerged.
Upon seeing his face clearly, Kawanishi was stunned.
"Matsushita?"
Matsushita was an old man clad in loose garments, his wrinkled face framed by mostly gray-white hair with a few remaining black strands.
Kawanishi often saw him standing silently outside Takahashi's clinic at dusk. He never responded to others except for Takahashi, who would occasionally invite him inside for conversation. Aside from knowing his name, no one knew where Matsushita came from — most assumed he had mental issues.
Matsushita only appeared occasionally at night, so the locals had grown used to his strangeness.
At this moment, Kawanishi realized:
Only active at night… secretive… Matsushita was a demon all along.
But no one had ever gone missing or been killed in Taitō Town or nearby villages, so Kawanishi had never suspected him.
Suddenly, the silver needles in Kawanishi's hand turned to crimson ash, vanishing into his body.
"Ugh..."
A wave of weakness and numbness swept over him. Though the sharp pain disappeared, his strength dropped to almost nothing, his knees nearly buckling.
Because Sayuki had quickly removed her needles, she avoided much of the effect. Her true body hid while leaving behind an illusionary decoy, now scentless and undetectable.
Matsushita calmly looked at Kawanishi and spoke hoarsely:
"Did you know?"
"I seem to remember someone once telling me—never let others feel pain."
"So I will ensure you die painlessly."
While speaking, a small surgical knife appeared in Matsushita's hand. He gently wiped its spotless blade, which reflected his expressionless face.
Kawanishi responded, trying to stall for time as his body worked to purge the foreign energy:
"So it was you, Matsushita. Long time no see — do you remember me?"
Matsushita shook his head:
"I don't know you. Nor do I care who you are. But whoever stirs up trouble at the clinic — man or demon — will not escape me."
Before Kawanishi could speak further, Matsushita darted forward like a phantom, his surgical blade flashing.
Even before contact, Kawanishi could sense its terrifying sharpness — his iron-hard body likely couldn't block it.
Gritting his teeth, Kawanishi gathered air and activated his breathing technique:
"Hinokami Kagura!"
The burning pain from channeling his breath helped dispel the numbness and weakness. The invading energy rapidly retreated, and his strength recovered to about fifty percent.
"Scorching Feathers: Flaming Plume!"
He flung several burning feathers toward Matsushita, who nimbly dodged.
Kawanishi seized Black Cleave and struck toward Matsushita's neck in a fiery slash.
Clang!
To Kawanishi's shock, Matsushita's tiny surgical blade blocked Black Cleave's heavy strike, sparks flying as metal met metal.
The surgical blade twisted deftly, redirecting Black Cleave's momentum and following up with a thrust toward Kawanishi.
Instead of retreating, Kawanishi countered aggressively, using his iron hand to grab at Matsushita's head, intending to crush it.
But Matsushita evaded like a floating leaf, sidestepping with eerie grace.
While slipping by, his blade skimmed Kawanishi's iron hand — slicing easily through the steel-hard skin, even severing the underlying bone.
Matsushita slipped behind Kawanishi and launched another barrage of silver needles toward Sayuki, who hadn't yet fully recovered.
But Matsushita hadn't anticipated Sayuki's ability. The needles pierced her illusion, hitting bamboo and dirt instead.
He paused briefly in surprise, giving Kawanishi an opening to strike.
Kawanishi spun Black Cleave toward him once more.
Matsushita leapt onto the rotating blade, springing off it with a backflip to widen the distance.
Standing again, he glanced at Sayuki's unharmed illusion, frowning, then refocused on Kawanishi:
"I'll deal with you first."
Kawanishi's wounded hand rapidly regenerated. His strength now returned to about seventy percent, though the remaining foreign energy had become more stubborn.
This could get tricky…
I still can't locate Sayuki's true position. She's weak, but her blood demon art makes her nearly impossible to capture.
Matsushita's strength and speed rivaled Kawanishi's, but due to the earlier ambush, Kawanishi was at a disadvantage. He would have to rely on skillful techniques to close the gap.
With his scorching wings restored, Kawanishi decided to end this quickly and try to capture Sayuki again.
Black Cleave ripped through the air in a powerful lunge aimed at Matsushita's chest.
Kawanishi followed closely, spinning rapidly, his blazing wings slicing alongside him.
"Scorching Feathers: Rising Blade — Thunderstorm Slash!"
(End of Chapter)