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"I see how it is."
Smiling pleasantly, Nura Rihan said, "Our guest wants to borrow the power of the Nura Clan to help you track down the yokai that devoured you, isn't that right?"
Akio's expression stiffened for a moment at having his goal so easily laid bare. A flicker of embarrassment crossed his face, but he forced it down almost instantly.
Tch. Still not thick-skinned enough.
That tiny slip didn't escape Rihan or the others around him.
"So you came here planning to use us to do your dirty work," the Headless Demon scoffed, irritation clear in his voice. "And you've got the nerve to act all high and mighty while you're at it? You really don't take the Nura Clan seriously, do you."
Akio didn't bother hiding anything anymore. "Since I was eaten by a yokai not long ago, I can't help but hold a grudge against your kind. I admit that's not exactly fair. But… I still want your clan's help to track that monster down."
"And why the hell should we?" the Headless Demon snapped, his annoyance mirrored by the other yokai nearby.
A human had barged into the Nura Clan's base. He was here to ask a favor, yet spoke with the arrogance of a man issuing commands. Anyone would find that unbearable.
Akio spread his hands casually, answering, "If you want to know why… I suppose it's because I'm stronger than you."
"Arrogant bastard."
The Headless Demon's fury finally boiled over. He lunged like an arrow loosed from a bow, intent on tearing Akio apart and proving just how terrifying the Nura Clan could be.
Bang!
The very next moment, he was sent flying back even faster than he had attacked. If Rihan hadn't grabbed him mid-air, the Headless Demon would've smashed straight through the building behind them.
The sudden reversal sent a ripple of shock through every yokai present.
The Headless Demon wasn't weak—on the contrary, he was among the strongest fighters here. Yet he hadn't even survived a single exchange.
Most of them hadn't even seen how he was beaten.
Now he lay unconscious in Rihan's arms, face pale.
Rihan's expression darkened instantly. His right eye snapped open, blazing with fury, and a crushing wave of demonic energy poured from his body. Malice and killing intent thickened the air until even breathing became difficult.
All the yokai knew at once: the Supreme Commander was truly enraged.
Fixing his burning gaze on Akio, Rihan drew his blade with slow deliberation.
"Our guest," he said coldly, "really does think nothing of the Nura Clan."
"You're not wrong," Akio replied with a nod. "I don't."
The words had barely left his mouth when an overwhelming flood of radiant power exploded from him, sweeping across the entire compound.
Rihan's demonic aura vanished like frost under spring sunlight, dissolved in an instant. The yokai around him buckled as the light pressed down on them, unable to move. The weaker ones collapsed where they stood, unconscious before they even hit the ground.
Only the stronger yokai managed to resist, and even they looked like fragile boats caught in a raging storm, ready to capsize at any moment.
"Commander!"
"Supreme Commander!"
Rihan stared in disbelief at the fallen bodies of his comrades. These were the warriors who had made the Nura Clan the most powerful yokai organization in all of Japan, crushing rival factions until their dominance was unquestioned.
Yet here, in their very own stronghold, they were on the verge of annihilation.
What kind of sick joke was this?
"All of you, behind me!"
Rihan roared, releasing every ounce of power he had to shield his subordinates from the crushing force of Akio's light. It barely held—but it was enough to buy them a chance.
The surviving yokai staggered to his side, gathering behind their leader.
"Demon Binding!" Rihan shouted, his teeth gritted.
The yokai immediately understood. One after another, they poured their strength into him, wrapping his body in their power.
His aura surged like a volcano erupting, rising higher and higher in an instant. This was his secret weapon—his ultimate technique.
As a half-yokai, Rihan had inherited the Nura Clan's signature illusions, but to make up for his hybrid nature, he had forged a technique of his own: Demon Binding. By fusing the strength of his comrades with his own, he could break past his limits and step into an entirely new realm.
It was Demon Binding that had allowed him to lead the Nura Clan through the chaos of war and build it into Japan's largest yokai syndicate.
Countless powerful enemies had fallen to this very technique.
And now, facing Akio, he drew in more power than ever before—far more than was safe. Normally he would never dare. Too much borrowed strength risked driving him berserk. But right now, he had no choice.
His demonic aura shot into the sky, blotting out the sun. Day turned to night in the blink of an eye.
Then he inhaled sharply, pulling all that darkness back into himself, and the light of day returned.
The power raging inside him was unprecedented. For the first time, he felt truly invincible—yet at the same time, the agony was unbearable, as if his body might split apart. He knew if he didn't release this power immediately, it would tear him to pieces.
With a roar, Rihan swung his blade, unleashing the gathered might in a single earth-shattering strike.
The force of it hurtled toward Akio like the wrath of the heavens. If it landed, it wouldn't just cut through Ukiyoe Town—half of Tokyo might be cleaved in two.
But Akio… merely raised a single finger.
And in that instant, the devastating attack unraveled, dissolving into nothing.
As if it had never existed at all.
"..."
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