Matsushita twisted his body to dodge the Black Cleaver, but the blazing blade wheel had already taken shape.
In an instant, the massive fiery wheel, spanning three meters in radius, roared toward him, splitting the bamboo stalks it touched cleanly in half. The wind stirred up by the wheel kicked up a storm of leaves and dust, and even the sheer whistling force of the spinning blade made Matsushita's eardrums throb with pain.
"What's happening... Why has his physical strength recovered so much?"
The silver needles he had used—condensed by his Blood Demon Art—were meant to severely weaken Kawanishi's body, inducing paralysis and fatigue.
Yet Kawanishi now moved far stronger than before, recovering at a rate Matsushita hadn't expected.
Matsushita plucked four silver needles from his fingers. Instead of throwing them, he stabbed them into his own shoulders and elbows.
Immediately, his gaunt arms bulged grotesquely, muscles writhing unnaturally like living creatures, twisting into a bizarre spiral.
The fiery blade wheel roared toward him. Matsushita focused intensely, his compressed muscles springing out like tightly wound coils, his scalpel darting forth like a flash of light, even surpassing the speed of the spinning blade.
The scalpel shot into the blade wheel, deftly weaving through its spinning arcs toward Kawanishi's neck. With such sharpness, it would surely sever his throat if it landed.
Yet when the scalpel sliced across Kawanishi's neck, it met nothing but air. It sailed harmlessly past, cutting down several bamboo stalks behind him.
Matsushita frowned.
"What...?"
The fiery wheel and its terrifying force vanished, as if they had never existed. The bamboo and disturbed earth returned to their undisturbed state.
Then, from the corner of his eye, Matsushita glimpsed a flash of fiery light.
A chill brushed his neck. Without pain or warning, Matsushita's head toppled from his body, which collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
On the other side, the blazing blade wheel reappeared, revealing the surrounding scene—a battlefield now strewn in chaos.
"What struck me was an illusion. The real attack came from the other side..."
"And now... I think I'm dying..."
As death closed in, a flood of memories from his human life surged into Matsushita's mind, rendering him briefly silent.
In his final moment, Matsushita managed a faint smile at Kawanishi.
"It doesn't hurt..."
The blazing wheel finally halted, revealing Kawanishi standing within. He looked at Matsushita and gently replied:
"Good. Then go peacefully."
Matsushita's body dissolved into black-red embers and was drawn into Kawanishi's luminous wings.
A tingling warmth spread throughout Kawanishi's body, as new energy coursed along his meridians, gathering at his back, eager to form new wings.
But Kawanishi refused.
This Blood Demon Art didn't suit him. He absorbed most of the energy, storing it to steadily strengthen his body, while redirecting a small portion into his sharpened fingertips.
Though not wielding Matsushita's full power, his fingertips now carried a trace of that paralyzing poison. While far weaker than Matsushita's original ability, they would still mildly numb and weaken enemies. More importantly, his piercing power had grown — his fingers could now penetrate even his own iron-like body, something previously impossible.
His reason was simple: he desired Satsuki's illusion-crafting ability far more than Matsushita's weakening art.
For Kawanishi, enhancing his raw strength mattered most. Depending on debuffing abilities didn't suit his fighting style.
Suddenly, his vision blurred as Satsuki's image appeared before him, gently caressing his cheek.
Kawanishi remained still — he knew this was merely an illusion.
Satsuki giggled:
"Onii-chan, even if you hurt me a thousand times, I still love you deeply."
"Aren't you going to thank me? How about a kiss?"
Indeed, Satsuki had just saved him. Kawanishi hadn't expected Matsushita's attack to pierce through Tōranrai. If not for Satsuki misleading Matsushita's aim, his neck would have been severed.
Her illusions had grown astonishingly lifelike — the light, the presence, even fooling a century-old demon like Matsushita, allowing Kawanishi to behead him with ease.
Kawanishi smiled warmly:
"Very well. Come to me in person."
"I'll spoil you properly."
Satsuki's illusion pecked his cheek before vanishing with a soft laugh.
"Onii-chan, I'll always follow you, even if you can't see me."
"Well... except when I get hungry. Then I'll go grab something to eat. But I'll always be nearby."
Kawanishi sighed softly. It seemed he wouldn't be able to catch her this time.
But just as he was about to give up, something shifted. His eyes narrowed as the scene distorted—an opportunity had arrived.
For in the shadows, Satsuki frowned as another consciousness emerged within her mind.
She tried to suppress it, but the will stubbornly surfaced.
Before him, her form wavered between illusion and reality. Kawanishi saw his opening.
Satsuki's face twisted in rage:
"What do you think you're doing? Get back inside! This body is mine!"
Her hair split down the middle, one side fading from black to golden, while one eye turned pink.
The golden hair and pink eye belonged to Sayuki.
Softly, Sayuki whispered:
"Satsuki, it's time to end this."
Satsuki snarled:
"What are you trying to do?!"
...
Satsuki tried to wield her Blood Demon Art, but each attempt was disrupted, causing her form to flicker as she slowly walked toward Kawanishi.
Sayuki seized control of her right hand, grasping his palm and savoring its warmth, while Satsuki desperately struggled to escape, unable to command the body.
Sayuki gazed up at Kawanishi:
"Onii-chan, let me merge with you. I'm ready."
Kawanishi replied softly:
"Then, Sayuki... become my wings."
He gently pierced her skin with his fingertip, drawing only a tiny drop of blood.
Though his Asahi Blade was swift, this extra step would ensure she felt no pain.
Sayuki only sensed slight numbness, her awareness already dulled.
Then the heavenly blade flashed. A brilliant white light engulfed Sayuki's neck, quickly spreading to her entire body.
She felt no pain — only a long-lost warmth.
Satsuki's black eyes glared with hatred, but soon the hatred faded, the last black iris turning pink.
The familiar golden hair fully reappeared, with not a trace of the black thorn-like strands remaining.
Sayuki smiled sweetly, her expression serene and full of quiet joy, her lips curved like a crescent moon.
She no longer cared about her physical death. What mattered was that her soul could remain with Kawanishi — that was enough.
Her body gradually turned to black-red ash, which surged entirely into Kawanishi without leaving a trace.
…
Under the moonlight, Kawanishi stood alone. After the chaos of battle, an eerie silence blanketed the area. Even insects and birds avoided the heavy demonic aura that lingered.
A warm energy gathered within him, surging toward his back.
This time, Kawanishi didn't resist but allowed Sayuki's power to take form.
Soon, a pair of slender, golden wings unfurled behind him, glistening softly beneath the moonlight.
The wings moved, curling forward to embrace Kawanishi, their feathers like Sayuki's gentle hands caressing his cheeks — ticklish, and warm.
In the faintest whisper, he heard Sayuki's delighted voice:
"Onii-chan, now I can protect you in my own way..."
(End of Chapter)