Human nature has its dark side—this cannot be denied. Even saints are not free from shadowy thoughts.
But it is those glimmers of goodness in human nature that truly matter—the sacred brilliance that must not be overlooked.
Kindness, perseverance, courage, loyalty, compassion, resilience…
These countless virtues shine like stars scattered across the night sky, dazzling and radiant, driving back the darkness.
And demons—twisted in soul—are the embodiment of greed, cruelty, violence, selfishness, and lies…
They are stripped of all goodness, leaving only deep, absolute malice. That malice becomes a demon.
"Three parts humanity not yet learned, seven parts beast already ingrained."
"You, a chaos-born, wicked creature driven purely by beastly instinct—what right do you have to speak of morality, of human bonds, of the laws of nature?"
Black Fang: "......…"
You're a damn demon too—do you really think you're still human?
But Kawanishi did believe himself human. His body may be that of a demon, but his heart was human still. His blade would never be raised except against man-eating demons.
Black Fang was now boiling with fury. Seven parts beast? Demons were far superior to humans—how dare this runt compare him to a wild animal?
"There's an opening!"
Kawanishi immediately sensed the shift in Black Fang. In combat, emotion was fatal. Rage, fear—either could get you killed.
Only cold, rational attacks, calm defense, and precise judgment led to victory.
"Radiant Feather: Skyward Blade!"
Throughout their close-quarters fight, Kawanishi had never used his radiant feathers offensively—only for speed and leverage. Not because he couldn't, but because he chose not to.
He'd been lulling Black Fang into underestimating the feathers, waiting for this one perfect moment—for Black Fang to let his guard down.
In battle, Kawanishi became like a machine—icy, emotionless. Though he brawled with wild fury, exchanging wounds, inside, he remained completely composed.
There was another way to use his feathers, but if he'd revealed it too soon, Black Fang would've simply dodged. Even serious injuries didn't mean much to a demon.
So Kawanishi waited for a clean, decisive strike—one that could turn the tide in a single blow.
He pretended to be furious, just to convince Black Fang he was out of energy.
And it worked.
The Hinokami Kagura had already pushed Kawanishi's bones to the limit, creaking under strain. If Black Fang had stayed cautious just a little longer, the fight would've ended very differently.
But the moment had come.
Blinded by rage, Black Fang finally let his guard down.
Before, even while trading injuries, Black Fang had always been watching Kawanishi's wings. The second they moved, he'd back off.
But now, he went all in—claws slashing at Kawanishi's throat, no hesitation, no defense.
His sharp fingers pierced deep into Kawanishi's neck. Pain exploded. Black Fang's eyes gleamed as he prepared to tear it open.
Then suddenly—a flash of white light.
On instinct, Black Fang raised his blade to block—but he was too slow, too weak. The sword was split apart with ease.
He barely managed to tilt his head aside—but something scorched through him. His body felt like it had been set ablaze. His claws lost all strength, slipping from Kawanishi's neck.
"You… weren't out of energy?"
Kawanishi, voice raspy from the torn throat, replied hoarsely, "That was a lie, of course."
"Idiot. You fell for it three times."
"If we were evenly matched… you'd have died three times over."
Just speaking made blood bubble from his mouth. Kawanishi stopped talking and simply looked at Black Fang with cold, unreadable eyes.
From Black Fang's left shoulder to his right hip, a faint white line shimmered.
Kawanishi gave a light push—and Black Fang's body split in two, falling limply to the ground.
The enormous wound was charred black. No blood flowed. This was the high-temperature burn effect of the radiant feathers.
A moment ago, when Black Fang grabbed his neck, Kawanishi had silently raised his wings like a great blade behind him.
The feathered edge compressed into a single, sharp arc—like a three-meter scythe—and came slashing straight down.
Black Fang's reflexes saved his head, but not his body. The fight was already over.
He tried to regenerate, pouring all his strength into mending his body. But being cleaved in half wasn't something a demon could fix so easily.
And the sun-like energy in the feathers made it even worse—agonizing and slow, interfering with his regeneration.
Supporting himself with one arm, Black Fang clawed toward his sword, desperate to buy time.
But Kawanishi had learned his lesson—he didn't give his enemy the chance.
The white feathers descended again—this time toward Black Fang's neck.
Too injured to resist, Black Fang couldn't even lift his weapon. The radiant feather sliced clean through his throat.
His body froze. The strength drained away completely.
He began to dissolve—his body turning to black-and-red ash, drifting up into the air.
"…This feeling… Am I dying?"
"No sunlight… no Nichirin Blade… so why am I dying?"
"This newborn demon's radiant feathers… they carry the same power as a Nichirin Blade…"
"But why… why don't I feel pain? Why does this feel warm, like sunlight from when I was human…"
"So that's what sunlight felt like… I'd forgotten it for so long. No wonder he is so obsessed with it…"
"I remember now… I remember why I stayed in that little town all this time…"
"I'm sorry, Nanako… in the end, I never got to see you again…"
In Kawanishi's astonished gaze, Black Fang turned to ash and vanished. He had no idea what had just happened.
"What… just happened?"
"My Blood Demon Art… these radiant wings… they can actually kill a demon?"
"This is incredible. I thought only sunlight could kill demons. But I'm a demon, and sunlight's fatal to me… that made things complicated. But now—I actually have a weapon that can kill demons."
At that moment, Kawanishi was still unaware of the existence of Nichirin Blades.
Suddenly, from the wings behind him came a strange, primal urge—an instinctive hunger, not unlike craving food.
Startled, Kawanishi followed the impulse.
In the blink of an eye, the wings began to emit a suction force.
The black-red ash that was once Black Fang rushed toward the wings like swallows returning to the nest—completely absorbed.
Kawanishi's eyes went wide.
"Whoa, hey! Stop eating random stuff!"
"That was a demon—what if you get poisoned?!"
But then, the radiant wings began to glow.
And with that glow, a surge of sorrowful memories poured into Kawanishi's mind…
(End of Chapter)