Outside Death Valley, Demon Realm First Heaven
Several thousand Blade Demon warriors swarmed Son Gohan at once.
"135… 138… 200… 356…"
Gohan's counting only made him more excited.
With Whis sealing his divine power, it was like he'd loosened the chains on a terrifying demon god instead.
Gohan completely abandoned energy blasts.
He started to enjoy the raw, brutal sensation of fists meeting flesh.
The Blade Demon clan's "bone-blade growth" only caused a faint stinging pain. It couldn't pierce his defense at all.
And that tiny sting only drove him further into madness.
No madness, no enlightenment.
Rip boom boom boom boom!
Every punch he threw, every kick he landed, another Blade Demon warrior died.
At minimum, they died in pieces.
Some were even worse, just like their elder earlier vanishing into a mist of blood, leaving nothing behind.
By the time it got to the later numbers, Gohan couldn't be bothered counting anymore.
This time, the Blade Demon clan had practically brought everyone who could fight.
They left only the elderly, the weak, women, and children back home.
8,364 warriors in total.
And in just a few minutes, Gohan had slaughtered more than a thousand.
"Everyone together! Kill him!"
The Blade Demon warriors, whipped into a frenzy by the carnage, went mad too.
In the distance, the Blade Demon Clan Head who had been blasted away earlier kept his eyes locked on Gohan.
His right hand clenched into a fist.
A circular bone greatblade, nearly three meters long, extended from his arm.
He was waiting.
Searching.
For the slightest opening.
6500… 6000… 5800… 5500… 5300…
Their numbers dropped like a landslide.
Blood smeared across Gohan's face, flooding his eyes.
The packed crowd gave him no chance to wipe it away.
So his eyes shut on their own.
"Now!"
The Blade Demon Clan Head exploded forward.
The three-meter cleaver swung for Gohan's neck.
Gohan sensed danger.
His legs drove upward as he leapt.
Screeech!
That all-out strike finally broke through his flesh.
But Gohan avoided the kill.
The greatblade carved into his left shoulder.
It cut skin and muscle, but when it hit bone
It couldn't sink even a fraction deeper.
"Impossible!"
The Clan Head stared in disbelief.
No matter what, he couldn't accept that someone like this could exist in the First Heaven.
Smack!
Gohan's right hand coated in hot blood and white brain matter clamped onto the cleaver with a wet slap.
"Just bone overgrowth," he said coldly. "What's so impressive about that?"
Screeech
He slowly pulled the blade free from his flesh, then raised his hand high and chopped down
Clang!
The bone greatblade snapped.
"Bastard… it hurts AARGH!"
The Clan Head broke into a cold sweat from pain.
For the Blade Demon clan, their blades were like a dragon's reverse scale both their greatest strength and their fatal weakness.
"About time this ends."
Gohan flicked his hand. Flesh scraps, bone chips, and white mush flew off cleanly.
Then he wiped away the blood-crust that had nearly dried over his eyes.
The demon god opened his eyes.
A presence even more twisted and terrifying than demonic energy poured from him.
A gray haze covered the battlefield.
That aura was his power of death.
The Blade Demon warriors engulfed by it began to wither before anyone's eyes
Wrinkles spread.
Hair turned white.
Bones weakened.
Their blades dropped.
Limbs went limp.
And then they crumbled into ash.
"I won't accept this… I won't accept this!"
The Blade Demon Clan Head roared his final howl.
Death devoured their life force
And fed it back into Gohan.
His base combat power, already around 120 billion, surged by another 30 billion.
Even Gohan hadn't expected that.
In the wider universe, he'd never killed this many at once
And never by swallowing them whole with the power of death.
"So the power of death… has this kind of use too."
Gohan's heart leapt with genuine delight.
He looked up at the Demon Realm's dim sky and felt he'd come to the right place.
Here, he could go all out.
No restraints.
No consequences.
Clap clap clap!
"Good. Very good. Excellent."
The War Demon Clan leader applauded openly.
"Kid, if I'm not mistaken, that evil, terrifying aura of yours is a mutated form of demonic energy, isn't it?"
"Mutated demonic energy?" Gohan asked, confused.
"Hmph."
The Blood Demon Clan leader spoke, stiff-faced but strangely helpful.
"Demons are born with demonic energy. Some encounter rare chances fortunes, opportunities and their demonic energy mutates."
"Like mine: Blood Demon Qi. It allows rebirth from a drop of blood."
"Or that old War Demon's: War Demon Qi, which strengthens the body."
"I see."
Gohan secretly smiled.
Their misunderstanding was perfect.
No need to explain death power at all.
"Kid," the War Demon leader said, leaning forward, "what do you say?"
"War Demon Clan, or Blood Demon Clan?"
"With a body like yours, you clearly walk the path of physical power."
"War Demon Clan suits you."
"After the refinement pool, your body might double in strength. You'd be 'undying' in your tier, no one could touch you."
The Blood Demon leader snorted.
"Body strength alone means nothing if you can't survive."
"In the Demon Realm, survival is everything."
"My Blood Demon Clan offers immortality rebirth from a drop of blood."
"With your physique and our bloodline… your survival ability would skyrocket."
Gohan lowered his head in thought.
The two ancient demons fell silent, waiting.
Inside, Gohan was already decided.
If I didn't have the rules of Death and Life… I might actually choose the Blood Demon Clan.
Immortality sounds nice.
But it's still just power beneath the level of rules.
He raised his head slowly.
"Immortality does sound… tempting."
The War Demon leader's expression tightened.
The Blood Demon leader's eyes lit up.
"But…"
Gohan's voice sharpened.
"A demon should charge forward without hesitation."
"I like the feeling of crushing everything head-on."
"So I choose the War Demon Clan."
The expressions flipped instantly.
"Hahaha! Well said!"
The War Demon leader burst into joy.
"You little brat so you won't give me face?!"
The Blood Demon leader's face sank, murderous intent quietly brewing in his heart.
Then he turned, eyes cold, to the other nineteen survivors.
"And you? Choose."
One by one, voices rang out.
"I choose the Blood Demon Clan. Only living gives you hope!"
"Me too…"
"I choose Blood Demon Clan as well!"
Out of the nineteen, fifteen chose the Blood Demon Clan.
The War Demon leader looked genuinely surprised.
"I have to ask," he said calmly. "Why?"
One of the fifteen hesitated, then stepped forward and pointed at Gohan.
"After seeing him… I finally understood how hard it is to stay alive."
Gohan's massacre had carved a deep shadow into their hearts.
"Hahaha! So that's it."
The War Demon leader laughed, not angry at all.
"Old bloodsucker, you didn't lose this time either."
"Out of twenty, fifteen chose your Blood Demon Clan."
"Hmph!"
The Blood Demon leader waved his hand and carried the fifteen geniuses up to the Second Heaven.
The remaining four were clearly body-focused brutes tall, thick, muscle-knotted so choosing War Demon made sense.
The War Demon leader looked at Gohan.
"Kid. What's your name?"
"Clan Head," Gohan answered evenly. "Just call me Son Gohan."
"Good. Son Gohan."
"Come."
"I'll take you to the War Demon Clan's refinement pool."
"I hope the cleansing makes you even stronger."
With a wave of his hand, the War Demon leader lifted Gohan and the other four into the sky ascending to the Second Heaven.