Chapter 111: Hantengu
An emaciated frame, an aged and withered face, and a grotesque, swollen protrusion bulging between a pair of curved demon horns. Its eyes were rolled so far back into its skull that only the blood-crimson sclera remained visible. Every movement it made was trembling and unsteady, looking as though a single gust of wind would scatter its frail bones into dust.
Yet, it was exactly this pathetic-looking creature that had slipped into the courtyard without making a single sound.
With just one glance, Akira confirmed the intruder's identity.
Upper Rank Four, Hantengu.
Following Gyokko's death, Muzan had drastically increased the pressure on the remaining Upper Ranks. Driven by the Demon Lord's wrath, Hantengu—a creature naturally gifted at erasing his own presence—had been forced out of the shadows to scout for information.
Tonight, while creeping past a dead-end alley in Asakusa, the demon had sensed a subtle distortion in the environment. Because he was a master of concealing his own aura, Hantengu was hyper-sensitive to the auras of others. Lingering on a seemingly ordinary brick wall was the incredibly faint, almost imperceptible scent of a demon.
Driven by a cautious curiosity, he reached out a trembling, clawed hand to test the brickwork. His fingers slipped right through. The wall was a fake.
Stepping through the Blood Demon Art illusion, Hantengu entered the hidden courtyard, bringing him face-to-face with Akira.
"Kanae, take them and go!"
Shouting without taking his eyes off the intruder, Akira locked his gaze on the frail figure slowly rising to its feet.
Even though the demon before him was practically radiating openings, Akira kept his blade sheathed.
Kanae didn't hesitate. Though she didn't fully grasp the severity of the situation yet, she trusted Akira's judgment implicitly. Moving in a blur of motion, she grabbed Tamayo and Yushiro, hoisting one under each arm, and vaulted over the courtyard wall into the night.
The reason Akira held his ground without striking was simple: he needed to stall.
Right now, he had not yet mastered the Transparent World, nor did he possess a sense of smell on par with Tanjiro's. He had absolutely no way to locate Hantengu's true, mouse-sized main body. Striking down this frail vessel would only trigger the demon's cloning mechanism, escalating the fight into a chaotic brawl against multiple Upper Rank-level threats.
He refused to waste his stamina on a futile battle. He only needed to buy enough time for Kanae to carry the others to a safe distance. Once they were clear, he would find his own window to escape.
However, while Akira wanted to stall, Hantengu had other plans.
The demon recognized the swordsman's face.
This was the Hashira who had slaughtered Gyokko. Muzan had extracted the memory from Gyokko's dying moments and forcefully projected Akira's face into the minds of every Upper Rank, accompanied by a strict execution order.
Realizing his target was standing right in front of him, Hantengu abandoned his cowardly facade and seized the initiative.
His emaciated frame rapidly expanded, muscles bulging and knitting together with sickening crunches. The withered, aged face smoothed out into the sharp features of a young man, and the grotesque lump on his head melted away. The entire demon underwent a violent rejuvenation. In his eyes, the kanji for 'Upper Rank'and'Four'carved themselves into the irises. Floating menacingly behind his back was a ring of wooden taiko drums, each bearing the kanji for'Hate'.
Hantengu had bypassed his emotional clones entirely, manifesting his strongest form right from the start—Zohakuten.
Seeing the demon summon his ultimate trump card without a second of hesitation, Akira's lips twitched into a helpless half-smile. 'Well, so much for taking it easy.'
Zohakuten offered no villainous monologue. The instant his transformation completed, he raised a wooden mallet and struck the drums behind his back.
DOOM!
The deep, resonant shockwave shattered the earth. Five massive, serpentine wooden dragons erupted from the soil, their jagged maws tearing the small courtyard to absolute splinters. The violent upheaval instantly shattered the remnants of Yushiro's illusion, exposing the ruined property to the cool night air.
"Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form: Dragons Glide."
Knowing he couldn't permanently kill the opponent tonight, Akira abandoned all offensive intent. Golden lightning flared around his blade as he became a blur of defensive strikes, parrying and slicing through the lunging wooden maws.
The density of the wood was absurd. It was significantly harder to cut than the grotesque, fleshy tentacles Gyokko had weaponized. Even with Akira's vastly improved physical strength, deflecting the barrage sent heavy, jarring vibrations up his arms.
Before Akira could catch his breath, Zohakuten raised his mallet and struck the drums a second time.
This time, the heavy beat was accompanied by an ear-splitting crack of thunder.
Channeling the ability of the Anger clone, Zohakuten unleashed a devastating bolt of lightning with terrifying speed and amplified power. The flash was so blindingly fast that Akira didn't even have a fraction of a second to evade. The golden-blue electricity slammed directly into his chest.
While his own mastery over Thunder Breathing prevented any severe internal damage, the sheer voltage sent a violent, tingling numbness cascading through his nervous system. His muscles locked up, rendering his movements sluggish.
In a battle against an Upper Rank, a split-second of sluggishness was lethal.
Hot on the heels of the lightning strike came a localized hurricane. Zohakuten channeled the Wind clone's power, blasting a gale so forceful it ripped the remaining cobblestones from the earth and launched Akira directly into the air. Beneath him, the ground ruptured once more as several fresh wooden dragons spiraled upward, their jaws snapping shut to crush him in mid-air.
"Thunder Breathing, Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash!"
With no solid ground to launch from, Akira was forced to counterattack in the sky. He twisted his body, his blade sparking with intense static as he cleaved through the two nearest wooden dragons. Using the kinetic recoil of his own slashes, he shifted his trajectory just enough to evade the snapping jaws of the remaining wood constructs.
Before the dragons could recoil and strike again, Akira planted both boots firmly against the thick trunk of the nearest wooden beast, using it as a makeshift springboard.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."
During his brief moment airborne, Akira's sharp gaze had swept the surrounding cityscape. He noted that Kanae had successfully carried Tamayo and Yushiro several blocks away, and her Kasugai Crow was already circling back to guide him.
His objective was complete. Now, it was time to leave.
Dropping his center of gravity, Akira lowered his blade and locked his eyes on Zohakuten, projecting an powerful aura of killing intent. He coiled his leg muscles, making it look exactly as if he were charging up for a desperate, suicidal decapitation strike.
Zohakuten braced himself, raising his mallets to summon a defensive wall of wood.
Instead, Akira shot forward like a bolt of lightning, slammed the brakes at the very last millimeter, and delivered a heavy, mocking kick straight into Zohakuten's chest. Using the demon's stunned body as a launchpad, Akira re-engaged the First Form, his figure vanishing into a streak of golden light that shot over the rooftops.
"Nigerundayo—!" Akira's voice echoed cheerfully into the distance, fading into the night.
Zohakuten stumbled back from the kick, his eyes wide with sheer bewilderment. He stood amidst the pulverized ruins of the courtyard, staring blankly at the empty sky. The distant sounds of the city began to bleed back into the quiet night.
Letting out a low, frustrated grunt, the youthful demon's form began to melt and shrink, reverting back to the pathetic, trembling appearance of Hantengu. Without a single word, the frail demon slinked into the shadows and vanished.
He had absolutely no intention of giving chase. During their brief, explosive exchange, Akira hadn't sustained a single real injury. Zohakuten's lightning had been improved for instantaneous activation, sacrificing lethal voltage for a paralyzing effect meant to set up a combo. Yet, despite chaining his strongest attacks together, not only had he failed to kill the Hashira, but he had also been used as a literal stepping stone for the man's escape.
The naturally cowardly Hantengu wanted no part of a prolonged chase. Besides, tonight's encounter was merely an accident. Muzan's primary directive for him wasn't to wage war on the Demon Slayer Corps—it was to scour the nation for clues regarding the Blue Spider Lily.
A few blocks away.
After confirming that Hantengu's oppressive aura was nowhere behind him, Akira slowed his pace. He glanced down at his haori, wincing slightly at the scorched, blackened edges left by Zohakuten's lightning. Brushing off the soot, he handled the alleyways until he reached Kanae's position.
"Akira, are you injured?"
Seeing his slightly disheveled state and the scorch marks on his clothes, Kanae immediately stepped forward, her violet eyes scanning him with deep concern.
"I'm fine, just got zapped a little," Akira replied, offering a reassuring smile as he patted her shoulder.
"That demon..." Kanae began, her tone serious.
"That was Upper Rank Four," Akira explained, his expression sobering. "His Blood Demon Art revolves around summoning incredibly powerful clones. In terms of raw destructive output, he's definitely stronger than Gyokko, though not by an impossible margin. The real issue is his main body. It's tiny and hides exceptionally well. As long as you don't decapitate the main body, the clones are completely immortal. Since I couldn't track the main body in the dark, I just stalled for time and bailed."
"Upper Rank Four..." Tamayo murmured, her elegant features pale as she processed the identity of the monster that had just invaded her sanctuary.
"Let's not dwell on it right now," Akira said, turning to the demon doctor. "Since an Upper Rank has discovered this location, Asakusa is completely compromised. Miss Tamayo, do you have any other safe houses outside of this city?"
"I... unfortunately, no," Tamayo replied, shaking her head with a helpless sigh. "Because I have strictly confined my activities and research to the Asakusa area for the past few decades, all of my properties and equipment are located here."
Akira nodded, having expected as much. "In that case, it looks like I'll have to invite you to join the Demon Slayer Corps a little ahead of schedule."
Tamayo's eyes widened in surprise. "Is that really okay? Taking demons into the heart of the Corps..."
"We'll iron out the specifics later," Akira said, casting a watchful glance toward the sky as the first hints of dawn threatened to break. "For now, our priority is getting out of Asakusa."
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