Chapter 20: Chapter 19
{Tsurui Forest 2:00AM}
As I swiftly closed the distance between me and the demons, the pleasure demon, uchiwa fan resting against his own neck, expressed genuine surprise. "Oh, you're still alive," he uttered, in a laid back manner. In one seamless motion, he swung down his Uchiwa again, aiming to strike me. With lightning reflexes, I drove my nichirin blade into the ground, anchoring myself.
The gusty wind roared around us, but just as quickly as it had begun, it ceased. In that brief respite, I spotted the rage demon coming at me from behind. He thrust his staff toward me, as he yelled in unmatched fury "Die".
I yanked my onyx blade from the ground, meeting the staff head-on in a clash of steel against steel. But I saw that the rage demon started producing lightning from his staff and it was about to reach my blade.
Seizing the moment, I made a calculated decision. Dropping my onyx blade to the ground, I watched as it absorbed the coursing lightning, the blade itself becoming a conduit for the crackling power.
The demon's surprise was palpable, his eyes widening in disbelief. In one fluid motion, I drew my white blade, its steel gleaming with the moonlight above. In a voice barely above a whisper, I said in a relaxed manner, "Constellation Breathing Tenth Form: Capricorn Sea Goat." The technique flowed through me, every movement an intricate dance guided by the stars.
Before the two demons could comprehend what was happening, it was too late. With precise and fluid strikes, I severed the anger demon's head, then swiftly turned my attention to the pleasure demon. In a matter of heartbeats, both had fallen, their heads rolling to the ground.
Yet, the eerie cycle continued. From the severed necks, new bodies sprouted, and from the lifeless forms, new heads emerged. This time, the demons bore blue and yellow eyes. The blue-eyed demon, clad in a somber black kimono, brandished a spear. Etched onto his tongue was the kanji for sorrow. The yellow-eyed demon sported avian feathers, the kanji for happiness imprinted on his tongue.
As the quartet of demons, with their twisted horns and youthfully menacing appearances, closed in around me, my mind raced with strategies. There had to be a way to break this cycle, to slay them no demon was immortal.
But as I was thinking of a plan a sudden noise interrupted my thoughts, a joyful voice pierced the air, exclaiming, "Oh, this is going to be fun!" It was the happiness demon. His companion, the sorrow demon, chimed in, "This battle is bound to be dreadfully dull," his voice dripping with despondency as he deftly maneuvered his spear.
With resolve, I located my onyx blade, the electrical charge now dissipated. In a sudden surge, the happiness demon flew at me, talons aimed at my face. Swiftly, I intercepted the attack with my white blade. "Don't avert your gaze; the real fun's about to begin," he warned, his mouth opening wide in a shriek that threatened to rupture eardrums. Anticipating the deafening wave of sound, I mustered all my strength to redirect the talons and swiftly darted away from the four demons.
In an instant, both the sorrow demon and the pleasure demon closed in on my flanks, weapons poised for a strike. Reacting swiftly, I deflected the spear—its tip dangerously close—then drove it into the ground. Using it as a makeshift pivot, I executed a backflip over the pleasure demon, severing his head once more. As he regenerated, he exclaimed, "You did it again." In a relaxed voice.
"So they don't divide into two more," I thought inwardly. "This must be a blood demon art, that can make clones each with their distinct abilities. All I need to do is slay the main body." My resolve surged, I had a plan now. Though first I needed my onyx blade.
"Don't look away from us," the rage demon seethed, his voice brimming with fury as he pounded the ground with his staff, once again sending surges of lightning coursing through the earth. Swiftly, I executed a deft backdash, my voice steady as I intoned, "Constellation Breathing Seventh Form: Libra Balance of Swords." With precision, I vaulted onto a nearby tree branch, concealing myself before the demons could ascertain my location. Leap by leap, I propelled myself from one tree to the next, each jump an effortless blur in the wind.
From behind, the pleasure demon said in a somewhat frustrated tone, "Enough of this," and unleashed powerful sweeps of his Uchiwa, conjuring gusts of wind in an attempt to dislodge my platforms. The happiness demon followed the pleasure demon's lead, employing ear-piercing screams to shake my footholds. Meanwhile, the sorrow and anger demons stationed themselves next to my onyx blade, having deduced I probably needed it since I had looked at it a few times during our fight. Yet, regardless of how many trees succumbed to their efforts, I pressed on, seamlessly transitioning to fresh perches. My form became an indistinct streak to the four demons.
Then, spurred by earlier pushes, I accelerated to a velocity almost beyond my own control. Propelling myself from a tree trunk, I broke the tree itself and materialized above both the sorrow and anger demons, and did a downward slash my white blade cleaving them cleanly in two. Swiftly, I retrieved my onyx blade from the ground, intending to embark on my search for the main body.
However, before I could set this plan in motion, the avian demon stood before me, a broad grin etched across his face as he declared, "Found you." And before I knew it the other three demons also surrounded me I scratched the back of my head with my right hand blade still in hand I said in a stoic voice "Ah shit, here we go again".
As all four of them closed in on me simultaneously, my X-ray vision kicked into overdrive. I could anticipate their moves, but their combined might presented a formidable challenge, even for someone like me. I thought of using a new form but I didn't know how effective it would be against demons especially ones in the upper rank. Nevertheless, I knew I had to attempt it.
Releasing my two blades, they plummeted towards the earth. In that critical moment, I observed all four demons redirecting their focus to my descending weapons. They drew nearer, poised to strike, spear, staff, uchiwa and talons all decimeters away from impaling me. With a quiet determination, I murmured, "Constellation Breathing Sixth Form: Virgo Feint," and clapped my hands with all my strength.
The ground quaked and ruptured around me. Trees and their roots were sent flying in all directions as though an explosion had erupted. The four demons crumpled to their knees, incapacitated. I stood there, catching my breath for a few precious moments, saying, "That takes a lot of breathing."
I retrieved my two blades, sheathing my white one. I set forth to locate the main body, hoping it was in close proximity. As I started running however I failed to notice even with my X-ray vision that the anger demon was starting to wake up something that would make slaying upper rank 4 much harder than I initially thought it would be.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Joanjudo
Joanjudo Welp I will try to upload one more chapter today marking the end of Hantengu also just in case someone hasn’t seen it vote in chapter 19 if you want more character development or more investigation and fight scenes, your choice. With more character development you will get a little longer story but a little less action packed and the other way around for the second option a little shorter but more action packed I love this choice to you my dear readers. Also give me power stones since I start exams this Thursday and my endorphins are gonna go down with all the studying lol.
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