"What? What is this? How did I do that?"
Shinichi was equally astonished by his own performance. Being able to dodge so nimbly while poisoned was simply unbelievable, and these evasive actions were almost all subconscious reactions.
Every time Karasuma black tongue attacked, Shinichi seemed to anticipate it in advance.
"If that's the case, then let's try to counterattack!" Shinichi muttered softly.
Swish!
A cold glint flashed from the claws at his fingertips.
Whoosh!
Karasuma black tongue brushed past Shinichi ear again.
Taking advantage of this brief pause, Shinichi arched his claws and slashed down fiercely.
Clang!!
As expected, the clash between the claws and the black tongue produced a metallic sound.
The battle between the two Demons left countless cracks and shattered rocks on the ground, rumbling and raising clouds of dust.
The sound of metal clashing and sparks flying was continuous.
As time passed, Karasuma grew angrier and angrier and Shinichi also felt his body becoming increasingly sluggish.
He was about to collapse.
Since becoming a Demon, he had been in a state of extreme hunger because he had never eaten meat, and the toll of the battle was too great.
He was about to give up.
"Damn it!! You arrogant bastard!" Karasuma limbs bulged with muscle and with a Bang! his body shot toward Shinichi like a cannonball.
Boom!!
Shinichi easily dodged, but the ground beneath his feet was also smashed into a large crater.
"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard! Bastard! Brat! You've really pissed me off!" Karasuma suddenly retracted his black tongue, and his jaw rapidly swelled up like a balloon.
Danger!
Shinichi brain issued a warning, but his body, weakened by hunger couldn't keep up with his brain reaction.
By the time Shinichi wanted to dodge, it was already too late.
"Blood Demon Art: Tongue Poison Dance!" Karasuma suddenly opened his massive mouth and with a splatter, A large cloud of black mist surged out with several black tongues writhing like venomous snakes within the mist.
Ssshh! Ssshh! Ssshh!
Shinichi body was instantly pierced by several black tongues and the black mist invaded his body.
"Damn it!"
Intense pain immediately erupted from the wounds, and his skin turned a dark bluish-green from the poison.
"Heh heh heh, you arrogant brat, finally caught, huh? Why don't you run now?" The black tongues coiled tightly around Shinichi body.
Due to his weakness, the speed of his wound recovery had significantly decreased, and dark red blood dripped continuously from his body.
Karasuma bound Shinichi in front of himself and mocked him.
"Go to hell, monster!" Shinichi spat directly in Karasuma's face.
"Monster? Heh, calling me a monster? Aren't you a monster too? Don't think that just because you haven't eaten humans yet, you can still consider yourself human! A Demon is a Demon. You can't resist your own nature. Humans are just our food!
I really don't understand why that person would turn someone like you into a Demon, someone who still feels pity for humans. Am I wrong? When you saw those human corpses, I saw the pity and anger in your eyes. Heh, I originally wanted to make you accept the fact that you're a Demon, but now, I've changed my mind."
A cruel smile spread across Karasuma face.
Perhaps Karasuma had initially intended to lure Shinichi back onto the "Demon Path," but after the recent battle, he regretted it.
Shinichi talent was so overwhelming that it made Karasuma heart tremble.
Shinichi, who had never consumed a human, had forced Karasuma to use his Blood Demon Art.
If Shinichi were to consume enough humans, how strong would he become?
He might even rise to become one of the Twelve Kizuki serving that great being!
Whether it was to prevent Shinichi future retaliation or to eliminate a potential rival in advance, Karasuma had truly intended to kill Shinichi.
Shinichi struggled with great effort, but Karasuma black tongue, as unyielding as steel, bound him tightly.
Combined with Karasuma poison, even moving a finger was now extremely difficult for him.
Perhaps due to the effects of Karasuma poison, while Shinichi body was paralyzed, his mind was unusually alert.
Shinichi brain was racing
'What is the Blood Demon Art?'
'This guy clearly shouted it earlier. Judging by the name, is it a special skill only Demons can use? But I don't seem to have such an ability.'
'Why is that? Could it be that one must reach a certain level of strength to possess the Blood Demon Art?'
'But how does one grow stronger?'
'For a Demon, is the only way... to consume humans?'
Shinichi pondered, and soon he realized he had hit a dead end.
If his assumption was correct, was his only hope now to consume human flesh and grow stronger?
However, Karasuma clearly wouldn't give him another chance to consume humans.
Shinichi could sense the killing intent in Karasuma, but why hadn't Karasumaacted yet?
Soon, Karasuma himself answered Shinichi question.
"It's quite difficult for one Demon to kill another. Aside from the swords of the Demon Slayer Corps, there's only the sun. Heh, the sun" Karasuma cackled eerily, then crawled back to the wooden hut on all fours.
Another black tongue extended from his mouth, coiling around the mangled corpse on the hut's floor. It seemed this wicked Demon wasn't yet satisfied.
There were still a few hours until dawn, and Karasuma planned to find a place to properly deal with his "Kin."
Hiding in a dark cave, gnawing on human flesh while watching his "Kin" wail and turn to ash under the sunlight—just the thought of it was thrilling.
Woof! Woof!
The sudden barking of a dog interrupted Karasuma reverie.
Coming back to his senses, Karasuma found a small Shiba Inu standing in front of him, baring its teeth and barking furiously.
"Where did this mangy mutt come from?"
Without a second thought, Karasuma raised a claw to crush the Shiba Inu, but to his surprise, the small dog suddenly leaped up and bit down hard on Karasuma long black tongue.
"Ow!! That hurts!" Karasuma let out a howl of pain and the black tongue binding Shinichi immediately retracted, thrashing wildly to shake off the Shiba Inu clinging to it.
The little Shiba Inu, Maru-ni, tumbled across the ground several times before rolling to a stop beside Shinichi.
It quickly regained its footing, standing on all fours, and continued to bark fiercely at Karasuma, its throat occasionally emitting low, rumbling growls.
"How is this possible? A dog actually hurt me? No! There's something wrong with this dog!" Karasuma face darkened as he glared at Maru-ni.
Soon, he noticed something unusual.
The little Shiba Inu body wasn't normal—beneath its glossy fur were well-defined muscles, and its claws and teeth gleamed with a sharp, cold light.
Most importantly, its eyes glowed with a red light, emitting a familiar aura.
"What! How did this dog become a Demon?! Has that lord gone mad?" Karasuma couldn't help but curse.
But Maru-ni, now transformed into a Demon, didn't care what Karasuma was thinking.
It only knew that the ugly monster in front of it had hurt its master!
That's right!
Master!
The little Shiba Inu turned around and barked anxiously next to Shinichi ear.
But Shinichi is unconscious, his body completely motionless.
"Damn it! Whatever you are, you're going down with this brat!" Karasuma roared, opening his huge mouth as two black tongues shot out.
Maru-ni bared its teeth and, in an effort to protect its master, lunged at Karasuma.
Although Maru-ni was brave, it was no match for Karasuma.
Even biting down with all its strength on Karasuma tongue only caused him pain without inflicting any real damage.
Soon, Maru-ni was caught by Karasuma black tongues, and its spine was brutally crushed.
Hearing Maru-ni's painful whimpers, Karasuma grinned widely.
"Beasts are just beasts. Looks like it had some connection with that brat. Perfect, they can keep each other company on the road to the underworld..."
Squelch!
Before Karasuma could finish his sentence, he felt a sudden numbness in his tongue.
Foul-smelling blood gushed out like a fountain from the severed part of his tongue.
Splat!
The severed half of the black tongue fell to the ground, writhing and twitching madly.
"That... that's my tongue?" Karasuma brain momentarily short-circuited, but soon, excruciating pain confirmed that it was indeed his own tongue.
"Ah!!! My tongue!"
Opening his right hand, Shinichi flicked off the sticky, foul-smelling blood and looked expressionlessly at the howling Karasuma.
"Bastard! Bastard! Do you know how much effort I put into growing these tongues? It took me ten years to grow four tongues! Damn it! Damn it! You're going to die!" Karasuma was furious.
"Blood Demon Art: Tongue Poison Dance - Full Power!!"
Shinichi current state was a bit strange.
One of his eyes glowed with a bluish-green light.
Facing the incoming Tongue Poison Dance, Shinichi showed no intention of dodging.
Instead, he arched his body, raised his arms, crossed them in front of him, slightly opened his mouth to reveal sharp fangs, and whispered.
"Blood Demon Art: Raging Blood!"