Demon Slayer: Seraph of Radiance

The clash of weapons rang out as sparks flew from the grinding of axe blade against war scythe.

Kawanishi could feel that his opponent's strength was no less than his own. The only reason he managed to repel the attacker earlier was because his iron hand was harder, giving him a slight advantage.

Meanwhile, his body continued sizzling under the corrosive effect of the purple mist. But his regenerative power was fast—while the mist wore down his surface hardness, it couldn't truly harm him.

Suddenly, the war scythe was yanked back, its hooked blade still locked with Black Cutter as the attacker tried to snatch the weapon away.

Kawanishi bent his knees, lowering his center of gravity. With tremendous force, his feet crushed the ground, sinking deep into the earth while his grip on Black Cutter held steady, unshakable.

The two weapons remained interlocked as both sides exerted their full strength, muscles trembling, bones creaking under the tension.

Neither could overpower the other.

Finally, an opponent whose raw strength rivals mine… Kawanishi thought.

When he had fought Meiko, he was much weaker and had been easily overpowered. Later enemies couldn't match his current strength.

But this one… this is interesting.

After a ten-second stalemate, both of Kawanishi's arms trembled under the strain, the clash grinding on with neither side relenting.

If that's how you want it…

"Flaming Wings: Scorching Feathers!"

White-hot light burst into winged shapes as a dozen flaming feathers shot toward his opponent, aimed to force him into retreat.

The trajectory of the feathers was cunning—unless his opponent let go and dodged, he would be struck.

Kawanishi even deliberately targeted vulnerable spots like the eyes, ears, and groin.

Since his body feels quite tough, I'll aim for the softest places.

Surprisingly though, the attacker indeed released his grip to evade—but at the same time, dozens of kunai coated in dense, almost liquid-like black-purple mist shot toward Kawanishi from all directions.

They too targeted his eyes, ears—and, much to Kawanishi's growing fury, three were aimed at his groin.

"..."

(_)

Rage instantly boiled over:

"You despicable little bastard!"

(╬◣д◢)

He thinks exactly like me! Kawanishi realized.

Both combatants released their weapons and leapt back simultaneously, escaping the purple mist's range.

The kunai and flaming feathers struck nothing but air, while both Black Cutter and the war scythe clattered heavily to the ground.

Kawanishi summoned his six wings and whipped up a powerful wind toward the purple fog.

But though the wind howled, the dense mist barely stirred—it passed straight through, only rattling the trees beyond.

Then, the scattered mist began to stir.

As if manipulated by invisible hands, it spiraled inward rapidly, condensing around the attacker's body like a second skin.

Now, Kawanishi finally saw his opponent clearly. During their earlier fight inside the mist, he'd kept his eyes shut and only glimpsed the attacker's back.

The man wore a crying-face mask, revealing only blood-red eyes. His black tattered robe clung to his thin but sturdy frame, and his disheveled mid-length white hair swayed as he moved.

A thick metal chain, as wide as a child's arm, was coiled multiple times around his right arm. One end of the chain was gripped in his hand; the other connected to the war scythe on the ground.

Ah… the weapon is chained. That's why…

With a yank, the chain went taut, pulling the locked war scythe back into his hand.

The masked attacker glanced provocatively at Kawanishi before tossing Black Cutter back toward him and gesturing with a hooked finger.

Kawanishi couldn't read his expression beneath the mask or guess his thoughts.

As Black Cutter flew toward him, Kawanishi instinctively caught it—but two kunai coated in thick purple mist shot out from behind the weapon, aiming for his eyes.

Copying my trick, huh? Kawanishi smirked, snatching both kunai midair with his iron hand.

The moment the mist-coated kunai touched his skin, a searing burn flared up, accompanied by sizzling sounds. The sticky, fluid-like mist was even more corrosive than before, leaving his palm red and hot. But it couldn't penetrate deeply enough to bleed.

With a thought, Kawanishi neutralized the burn completely.

He weighed Black Cutter in his hand and grinned:

"Come, let's settle this head-on."

Let's see how you handle this!

Before his opponent could respond, Kawanishi stomped the ground hard. Spiderweb cracks spread as he shot forward like lightning.

The attacker remained silent, allowing purple mist to coil around his war scythe like venomous snakes, the hooked blade gleaming like fangs.

Thin tendrils of purple mist spread faintly around him—not enough to corrode, but enough to help sense the battlefield and avoid illusions.

Black Cutter swept horizontally toward his opponent's neck.

Yet the attacker ignored the slash, raising his scythe upward instead.

Kawanishi's forward form vanished—a feint. His real body descended from above, bringing Black Cutter crashing down. But the attacker saw through it and blocked.

Kawanishi sneered and poured all his power into the blow.

"Black Cutter: Severing Blade!"

His arm muscles bulged unnaturally, twisting into spiral cords as veins squirmed like worms beneath his skin.

This was a burst technique Kawanishi had learned from Matsushita.

The weight and speed behind Black Cutter doubled instantly, crashing down on the attacker's war scythe.

Clang!

Beneath the crying mask, panic flashed in the attacker's eyes.

The sudden increase in force overwhelmed him; their strength had originally been even, but unlike Kawanishi, the attacker had no burst technique.

With a sickening crunch, his arm bones cracked and dislocated.

Kawanishi pressed his advantage, adding even more force.

Boom!

The axe cleaved down toward the attacker's skull. In desperation, he shifted his scythe just enough to deflect the angle.

Still, Black Cutter tore through the dense mist and sank deep into his shoulder.

The axe blade was only slightly stained with rust from the clash.

Kawanishi shook his head:

"In the end, it's no different. You only delayed the inevitable."

(End of Chapter)