CHAPTER 106: CHAPTER 106: SECOND STRIKE (BONUS CHAPTER)

In the forest, blades sliced through the air, their chaotic edges carving through every inch of space.

Sosuke felt like a scumbag trying to survive in a tight spot, constantly on the verge of crashing and burning.

He felt like a lone boat adrift in a vast ocean, on the verge of capsizing at any moment.

Clutching his Hammer-Sword, he darted back and forth, dodging between the razor-sharp blades.

This couldn’t continue.

Prolonged defense inevitably leads to defeat!

And he couldn’t rely on demons having any physical limits; experience had proven their stamina was boundless.

Under this relentless assault, his own stamina would inevitably dwindle. Sooner or later, a single careless mistake could cost him his life.

"I have to break this stalemate!"

He flipped backward violently, narrowly avoiding the Demon’s sweeping kick—or rather, what could barely be called a kick.

After all, it was a massive bone blade formed from her transformed legs. Given its horizontal sweep, the term "kick" seemed reasonably accurate.

As he leaped back, he braced his legs against a tree, propelling himself through the air toward the Demon.

He had been observing her for a long time.

In her current form, her weakness lay directly above her head.

Leaping through the air, his breathing shifted as he prepared to unleash the First Form.

But then he heard the female Demon hiss and shriek, "Ugly... ugly!"

The bone blades in her legs suddenly plunged into the ground. With a surge of force, her entire upper body was wrenched free from the earth.

The bone blades erupting from her elbows were razor-sharp. Her body spun violently, whirling in a circular motion like a rapidly rotating gear.

Sosuke, who had been hurtling through the air, now found himself charging straight toward this whirling gear!

"I’m going to die!"

Veins bulged on Sosuke’s forehead as the unexpected turn of events sent his mind reeling.

He desperately tried to clear his mind, but reality proved that while a sudden burst of power might save your life once, it couldn’t save you forever.

In that instant, Sosuke’s mind went blank, unable to find any weakness or opening.

Forced to improvise, he gritted his teeth and hurled his iron hammer forward.

*Clang! Clang!*

Two dull thuds, like stones being fed into a meat grinder, immediately erupted into a cacophony of grinding and splintering.

Sosuke felt an immense force slam into the iron hammer, the impact reverberating through his body. He was flung forward and to the left, sent hurtling through the air.

In that instant, the weight in his hand vanished.

The hammer had been pulverized into fragments. Springs scattered wildly, mingling with the iron shards, creating a storm of metal debris that filled the sky.

Only the Nichirin Blade in his hand remained, its crimson edge gleaming like the scorching sun.

Mid-air, Sosuke barely managed to glance back. The Oni had already turned, the bone blades on her elbows retracting silently as two new blades erupted from her palms.

The crossed blades were already closing in from behind.

As soon as he landed, he would be sliced into pieces before he even had time to react!

The danger was far from over!

*Breathe!*

Sweat beaded on Sosuke’s forehead as he instantly shifted his breathing rhythm.

The Nichirin Blade in his hand spun violently!

*Sun Breathing—Third Form: Comet’s Dance!!!*

This attack was originally meant to be executed with a hammer, but with the hammer shattered, he had no choice but to rely on his Nichirin Blade.

The blade stirred the air, and for a split second, a brilliant light seemed to erupt. As his body flowed through the motions, the trajectory of his fall was violently twisted.

Suddenly, Sosuke flipped over, facing the sky, and slashed upward with all his might.

The blade light flew into the void, but the immense force of the strike slammed him downward, sending him plummeting at breakneck speed!

The Demon’s crossed blades grazed his head and toes.

Sosuke curled into a tight ball between the two blades, narrowly escaping death once again!

Yet Sosuke dared not relax his mind for even a fraction of a second. The moment the blades grazed past, he twisted his body to land smoothly, his feet touching the ground in an instant.

But he paused only for a heartbeat before leaping into the air again.

The Demon’s crossed blades were now extended, leaving her unable to retract them or alter her sword’s trajectory. This was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.

Mid-air, Sosuke raised his Nichirin Blade like a hammer, unleashing a sudden burst of blade light!

*Sun Breathing—Second Form: Rising Sun Transformation!*

Executing a hammer technique with his Nichirin Blade, Sosuke’s hands instantly felt as if they were dragging a massive iron hammer. The blade seemed to gain the weight of a thousand tons, slashing diagonally downward with overwhelming force!

What should have been a crushing blow from a hammerhead, when applied to the blade, effortlessly pierced the Demon’s skin. Blood erupted in a crimson spray as the blade sliced through her flesh as easily as cutting through tofu, sweeping across her body in a single, swift motion!

The Demon before him was suddenly split diagonally in two, her upper torso slowly collapsing to the ground.

A trace of confusion lingered on her face, but Sosuke gave her no quarter. Before her body could even hit the ground, his sword’s momentum shifted again!

*Sun Breathing—Third Form: Comet’s Dance!*

The blade light swept horizontally, his body guided by the sword’s momentum, barely maintaining his mid-air position. The Nichirin Blade hurtled toward the Demon’s neck.

Red light blazed in the Demon’s eyes as she suddenly roared, "Ugly!"

With that roar, her fangs erupted into jagged, blade-like teeth, transforming her mouth into a maw of razor-sharp blades.

She whipped her head around, lunging to bite down on Sosuke’s Nichirin Blade.

Sosuke’s brow furrowed slightly. He had no intention of letting the Demon’s teeth seize his blade.

With a swift motion, he angled the Nichirin Blade downward. The blade, originally aimed for her neck, now slashed downward with brutal force.

The Demon’s arm instantly severed and fell to the ground.

Simultaneously, the Demon’s bisected body and Sosuke landed on the ground.

The moment Sosuke’s toes touched the ground, a piercing pain shot through his heart. Ignoring the nature of his injury, he immediately pushed off with his feet, leaping backward.

With a *clang*, a bone blade that had fallen from the sky pierced the spot where he had been standing.

The Demon missed her strike, only to see Sosuke return to the attack.

As he charged, he roared, "Is that all you have? Such ugly swordsmanship!"

"This humble self... of course possesses beautiful swordsmanship!"

Red light blazed in the Demon’s eyes as she let out a beast-like roar, her remaining left hand slashing violently.

Simultaneously, she cried out, "Breath of the Moon—Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy!"

"Here it comes!"

Sosuke’s eyes lit up. Amidst the Demon’s flawed swordsmanship, he suddenly closed the distance and swung his blade in a sweeping arc!

The blade light flashed horizontally, slicing directly across the Demon’s neck.

She froze for a moment, her crimson eyes staring at Sosuke in disbelief. "Why... why did you see through my beautiful swordsmanship?"

Before she could finish her sentence, her grotesque Demon Head, filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth, flew off into the air!