Chapter 13

"Brat, I was willing to spare your life out of respect for our shared heritage as demons, but since you don't know your place, you'll serve as the nourishment for my evolution.

"You should feel honored, for you will become a part of my power. The world is just beginning to change, and once I consume you, I will surely secure a place in the upcoming era of demons."

Yōdō slowly emerged from the ruins, looking at the rat demon who could speak human language, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and then a hint of disdain appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"A bully like you, who preys on the weak, actually hopes to become a great demon?

"Although the law of the jungle is a hard rule among demons, your attitude just a few minutes ago was quite different."

It was undeniable that he had just slaughtered a large number of low-level rat demons. Although his demon power had been restored through low-quality demon crystals, Yōdō had indeed not expended much demon power.

However, the physical exhaustion was real. In terms of physical strength, he was inferior to the opponent, and his demon power was not as strong.

"If I want to win, I can only rely on combat awareness and combat skills, right?"

Yōdō wiped the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth and then charged forward fearlessly. The Oni bloodline within him boiled, and surprisingly, Yōdō did not feel a trace of fear, only a full heart of fighting spirit!

Actually, there was another way to turn the tide, which was the skill called "Half-Oni Transformation" that Yōdō possessed.

By using this skill, the Oni bloodline in Yōdō's body would be fully activated in a short time, allowing him to temporarily transcend his "half-demon" status and become a full demon.

Moreover, both his physical attributes and demon power would be explosively enhanced in a short time.

However, Yōdō really didn't want to use this skill unless absolutely necessary. Although the power increase was significant, the side effects were also considerable.

Yōdō had used it once before, and during that time, he lost all consciousness. When he woke up, he was lying in a pool of blood, surrounded by the severed limbs and gruesome remains of his enemies.

As for how they died, Yōdō had no idea, as he had no memory of what happened in between.

Furthermore, after using the "Half-Oni Transformation" skill just that once, Yōdō had to stay in bed for three days, during which his demon power was completely drained.

In short, this was a skill that inflicted a thousand injuries on the enemy but also eight hundred on oneself. If possible, Yōdō would rather not use it, as he didn't know if it would lead to serious consequences.

Yōdō gripped his sword with both hands, assuming the starting stance of swordsmanship. As the rat demon charged, a crescent-shaped slash whistled out.

However, this slash, which could leave deep grooves in concrete, was easily shattered by the rat demon's sharp teeth when it reached the rat demon king.

The purple crescent slash, in the mouth of the opponent, was like a glass vase, easily shattered into countless pieces.

"My speed is not as fast as that rat's. Although closing the combat range is dangerous, if I want to win, I have to try."

Yōdō quickly thought about feasible combat strategies. The rat demon's speed was indeed fast, and its large size gave it a sufficient attack range.

However, a large size was not always an advantage. As long as he could get close enough, Yōdō could leverage his smaller size to attack the rat demon's blind spots.

Of course, he had seen the rat demon's sharp teeth that could easily shatter his slashes. If he was not careful, even his half-demon body could not withstand a bite.

Seeing that Yōdō did not flee but instead charged forward, the rat demon showed a human-like sneer.

Then, the massive body stood upright, using its full weight to slam its two front limbs heavily on the ground.

The impact caused the ground to shake, and a crack quickly spread to Yōdō's position.

Yōdō lost his balance for a moment due to the ground's shaking, but then he kicked the ground, leaping directly in front of the rat demon!

"Clang——!"

The sound of hard objects colliding echoed, and sparks flew in the darkness.

This was the sound of Yōdō's demon sword, Kishin, colliding with the rat demon's long, sharp teeth. Although the teeth were sharp enough to shatter pure demon power slashes, Yōdō's sword was not inferior. This blow was a stalemate, with the rat demon relying on its physical advantage and Yōdō on the inertia of his fall.

After the clash, as Yōdō's feet touched the ground, a tail whip capable of tearing the air came at him instantly.

The tail, like a steel whip, had not even reached him, but Yōdō's cheeks were already stung by the wind blade.

"The same move won't work on a Saint Fighter... Ah, spit, on this cool guy."

With a nimble flip, Yōdō not only avoided the rat demon's tail but also jumped onto it and began running up the rat demon's tail.

"Damn insect! You dare not face me head-on and resort to these petty tricks."

The rat demon let out a pained roar, as it felt an attack on its posterior.

Wanting to catch the half-demon who was jumping around on its body, the rat demon awkwardly discovered that, due to its large size, it could not reach its back.

"Screech——!" Another loud pained groan echoed in the darkness, and the creature making the sound was undoubtedly the rat demon.

At this moment, Yōdō was on the rat demon's back, stabbing wildly with his sword, causing a large amount of blood to spurt out, even splattering Yōdō.

"Are you satisfied with this acupuncture service? How about trying a scraping service next?"

The "acupuncture" was the repeated stabbing with the long sword, and the "scraping" was the wild slashes.

However, for the rat demon's large size, Yōdō's long sword was not much different from a toothpick.

But even a toothpick can kill if used enough! Just like now, the rat demon king was clearly bleeding heavily from the continuous attacks on its back.

Pitifully, despite its far superior demon power and physical strength, the rat demon king's formidable power was now useless, as the half-demon was like a parasite, moving around on its body.

"Damn brat, if you have the guts, come down and face me. Aren't the Oni the proudest and most arrogant of all?

"Now you resort to such tricks, aren't you ashamed of disgracing your Oni clan?"

Due to the intense pain from its back, the rat demon king kept crashing into buildings on both sides to shake off Yōdō.

The surrounding dilapidated buildings, which didn't even need to be demolished, were all reduced to ruins by the rat demon king's brute force!

Yōdō's long sword was completely embedded in the rat demon king's back. Due to the rat demon king's thrashing, he also suffered considerable damage.

However, compared to the rat demon, Yōdō's condition was much better. After all, the rat demon was bleeding heavily, and such reckless thrashing would not wear Yōdō down.