Demon Realm – Death Valley
"Hahaha! Die!"
Kurobane Ren's eyes burned with savage malice. He crossed his arms, and the twin blades jutting from his elbows tore through the air as they slashed toward the airborne Son Gohan.
But Gohan moved as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
He twisted in midair, turning to face Ren. White ki flared around both hands, and with ruthless precision, he clamped his palms down on both blades.
Szzzt.
"That's impossible. No, it's absolutely impossible!"
Ren's eyes nearly popped out.
"He caught my blades with his bare hands!"
"Impossible?"
Gohan's smile was cold.
"Ever had your blades snapped before?"
His arms tensed.
Rip!!
"AAAH!"
Ren's scream echoed across the valley.
The elbow blades were torn clean off.
Clang!
Gohan tossed the broken blades onto the ground. They hit with a sharp metallic ring.
"Growing your bones out this far is honestly sick," Gohan added with a sneer.
"Bone growth my ass!"
Ren's face twisted in agony.
"It hurts! Shibata-dono, kill him! Kill him!"
"Die!"
Shibata roared, fury exploding from his eyes.
He gathered energy in both hands and fired a black orb straight at Gohan.
Gohan turned his head slightly, eyes flaring.
Two thin beams flashed out and detonated the orb midair.
"If that's all you've got, then you can die."
Gohan's voice turned murderous.
"The Blade Demon Clan won't let you live!"
Shibata snarled, trying to threaten him.
"Heh. Threatening me?"
Boom!
Gohan's body flickered.
He appeared where Shibata stood.
And Shibata became nothing more than a burst of flesh and blood, scattered into the air like gore-mist.
Gohan had started to like this method.
Ramming people apart with his body.
Maybe it was something buried deep in Saiyan blood, something violent and feral, but he found himself enjoying it.
Blood pouring over him, warm liquid sliding across his skin like gentle hands.
"Shibata-dono!"
Ren went berserk, screaming toward the sky.
"You bastard! You bastard! You deserve to die!"
But he was already badly wounded, unable to fight.
For the Blade Demon Clan, the core of their combat strength was their blades.
Second Heaven
"Die!"
The Blood Demon Clan leader shot up from his seat, rage boiling as he prepared to descend to the valley and personally kill Gohan.
"Old bloodsucker, don't even think about it."
The War Demon Clan leader stepped in front of him instantly.
"That kid caught my eye."
"You're really going to oppose me for some lowborn trash?"
The Blood Demon leader's eyes blazed.
The War Demon leader snorted.
"You and I have been at each other for ages. Anything that makes you miserable makes me feel great."
"What, you think I can't throw punches anymore? I might not be able to kill you, but beating you up is easy."
It was true.
Blood Demons struggled to break a War Demon's defense, and War Demons found it hard to kill Blood Demons at the root.
But in raw combat strength, War Demons still held the edge.
If they fought, the Blood Demon leader wouldn't die, but he would lose face.
"Fine. Fine!"
The Blood Demon leader's smile was furious.
"Bloodku!"
"Yes!"
A Blood Demon stepped forward from behind him.
"Spread the order. Put that kid on our clan's kill list."
"Whoever kills him, I will personally reward."
"Understood!"
Bloodku vanished, racing back toward the Blood Demon territory.
The War Demon leader wasn't about to fall behind.
"Gunkai!"
"Yes!"
A towering figure stepped out from the War Demon side.
"Send the order. No matter who encounters that kid, protect him."
"Even if it costs your life."
"Understood!"
Gunkai disappeared as well.
"So you're doing this to spite me."
The Blood Demon leader snarled.
The War Demon leader grinned, satisfied.
"I already told you. If you're angry, I'm happy."
"Hmph."
The Blood Demon leader returned to his seat, face dark.
"Three days are up."
The War Demon leader's voice thundered through the First Heaven.
"Barrier, rise!"
A circular barrier sealed Death Valley completely.
The real slaughter officially began.
Back to Death Valley
Gohan had no idea his actions had nearly sparked a war between two major clans.
He was simply walking toward Kurobane Ren, step by step.
Ren's twisted face turned into pure terror.
"Spare me!"
"Spare my life! I'm the Blade Demon Clan's genius. I can't die here!"
Gohan laughed softly.
"A dead genius isn't a genius anymore."
"If I can kill you, that means I'm stronger."
Boom!
His fist slammed into Ren's head.
With a muffled crack, white brain matter sprayed out.
Ren's body stiffened.
Then collapsed.
The Blade Demon Clan's most talented heir, the one everyone had pinned their hopes on, died just like that in Death Valley.
Gohan frowned.
"These opponents are pathetic."
"They're not giving me any real combat experience."
Then he turned and headed toward where the crowd was thicker.
Blade Demon Clan Territory
"Clan Head! Bad news! Bad news!"
A voice rushed into the hall.
"What are you panicking for?"
The Blade Demon Clan Head snapped.
"Clan Head… the Blood Demon Clan sent word…"
The messenger hesitated, trembling, unable to force out the truth.
He feared the Clan Head would take his anger out on him.
"What word?"
"Did my son pass the selection?"
"No. That can't be right. The barrier only just went up…"
A chill crawled up the Clan Head's spine.
The messenger's cold sweat poured down.
Thud!
He dropped to his knees.
"To hell with it. If I die, I die."
"Clan Head… Bloodku-sama reported that Young Master Ren… died in Death Valley."
Boom!
Killing intent erupted from the Clan Head like a pillar of blood-red storm.
The entire Blade Demon Clan territory shook under his fury.
"What happened?"
"The Clan Head exploded!"
"Did something happen to the Young Master?"
"No way. With Shibata-dono there, who could kill Ren?"
"Shibata-dono isn't Blade Demon, but he's top ten in our clan in strength."
"Is the selection trial really that brutal?"
"Who knows… thank goodness I didn't go…"
Whispers exploded everywhere.
Back in the main hall, the Blade Demon Clan Head's voice was colder than ice.
"Ren… is dead?"
"Yes… Bloodku-sama's message said so…"
The messenger shook uncontrollably.
"Get out."
"Get out of my sight!"
The messenger vanished in relief the instant he was dismissed.
The Clan Head's breathing grew heavy, ragged.
Grief twisted into something sharper.
Something murderous.
"My son…"
"Ren… I will avenge you."
Then his eyes narrowed, and the hatred spread wider.
"Blood Demon Clan."
"This is what you meant by 'just going through the motions'?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------