Chapter 133: Kuchisake-onna
At the sight of those two beautiful figures cut out against the mountain path, Kaigaku swallowed without realizing it.
’Fuck... They’re smoking hot!’
The one on the left had a voluptuous figure and a presence as serene as a calm sea. She wore a kimono white as snow that paired perfectly with her albino hair, accentuating every last detail of her sinful silhouette.
The one on the right was a bit shorter and looked considerably more youthful. The same snow-white hair, the same kimono, the same crystalline skin. Only her eyes sparkled with an extra glimmer of liveliness.
They were Ivy and Pearl.
One had only to gaze at those faces and those bodies to understand that the two village girls he’d slept with were nothing next to them.
And just as he was about to speak to them, he frowned.
...Something was off.
He breathed in deeply and, in an instant, his expression turned to ice.
"You two are demons?"
Since their transformation was recent, Ivy and Pearl still gave off a certain demonic presence, something quite different from the concealed state Tamayo had mastered.
A cold smile crept to the corners of Kaigaku’s mouth as he drew his sword.
"Heh... The nerve on you two, blocking my path so close to Headquarters! Your fate just turned miserable the moment you crossed me."
But in the face of that obvious killing intent, the two of them remained utterly unmoved.
"Lord Kaigaku." Ivy gave a slight bow. "Our master wishes to see you. Please, come with us."
Kaigaku arched an eyebrow. "Your master?"
Pearl smiled. "Our master is the Pillar of Demons, Marcus-sama."
"The Pillar of Demons!?"
Kaigaku froze. But he quickly let out a mocking laugh. "Even assuming he really did send you, what does that matter? I’m a Kinoe-rank slayer. Not even a Pillar can give me orders!"
Of course he’d heard of the famous "Pillar of Demons." Some young kid, a newcomer who’d apparently been promoted to Pillar thanks to his bizarre ability to devour Demon Techniques.
Why!?
He, Kaigaku, had spent years working himself to the bone in the Corps. He was Kinoe-rank, the first disciple of the former and most powerful Thunder Pillar, the rightful successor of Thunder Breathing. And even so... he hadn’t managed to climb any higher.
Why did some random brat become a Pillar just for having a weird ability!?
In short, he’d held a grudge against that Pillar of Demons for a long time.
What’s more, he’d found out that the moron was friends with that pathetic Zenitsu.
’GODDAMMIT!’
Just thinking about how that good-for-nothing, who’d barely been able to learn a single Form of Thunder Breathing and had still gotten into the Corps, made his guts churn.
A waste of a person he’d always trampled on and humiliated as he pleased. A coward who lived clinging to his tears. What right did he have to join the Corps!?
And that decrepit old man, his master! ’I was the older brother.’ Why the hell had he handed that idiot the golden haori that rightfully represented Thunder Breathing? All they gave him was a blue garment. And why!? Just because Zenitsu was weak? Because he was a crybaby? The favoritism was obvious.
"A Pillar nobody’s ever heard of presumes to give me orders, and he doesn’t even bother to show his own face." Kaigaku spat on the ground with a sneer of contempt. "Who the fuck does he think he is?"
At hearing such words, without the slightest trace of respect, the smile vanished from Ivy’s face and her voice went cold all at once.
"So you don’t intend to cooperate?"
"Cooperate? Of course I do." Kaigaku gave a mocking snort. "Bring me a written order from the Master and I’ll cooperate gladly."
He pointed the tip of his sword at them.
"But without that order, you’d better get out of my sight while I’m still in a good mood. Because otherwise..." A ferocious smile twisted his lips. "Don’t blame me if I treat you like any other demon."
"How arrogant!" Ivy looked at him with icy eyes. "Cut me, if you dare!"
"Heh." Kaigaku laughed scornfully. "A pair of nobody she-demons, and you think you’re a big deal? Do you really believe you’ll intimidate me just because your master’s got your back? No proof, no justification, no rank, and you still dare to block my path. Even if I kill you right here, not even this Marcus guy would have grounds to complain! And while I’m at it, I’ll see just how real the famed Pillar of Demons’ strength is."
"I’m done with you!" Ivy couldn’t take it anymore.
An incredibly fine thread shot out at full speed, straight at Kaigaku’s face.
But he, the mocking smile still on his lips, simply raised his sword to cut it.
Clang!
The metallic clash rang out along the path. And his smile froze.
How was it possible? A simple thread... and he couldn’t cut it?
He lowered his gaze to his Nichirin in disbelief. Sparks sprayed from the point where the blade met the thread. And yet, the thread remained intact.
"This... this is impossible!" Sweat began to bead on his forehead.
He breathed in deep and started executing his technique at full speed. Thunder Breathing, Second Form...
But before he could counterattack, the thread that an instant ago had offered such rigid resistance suddenly lost all its strength. The hardness of steel wire vanished, and in its place the thread became a pliable cord that took advantage of the very momentum of Kaigaku’s swing to coil itself around the Nichirin.
At once, a second thread flew toward him.
With no time to think, Kaigaku raised his sword to block it. But the weapon no longer answered him: the first thread had it completely jammed.
And the next second...
Slash!
Blood and flesh burst from Kaigaku’s mouth.
"AAAAHH!!!"
His mouth tore open in a colossal, grotesque, monstrous way.
Two enormous wounds had crossed his face. From cheek to cheek, the thread had ripped his lips open with a clean brutality. It had even sliced off a piece of his tongue!
And yet, the two beautiful girls didn’t so much as blink.
Pearl murmured with a certain resignation: "Watch your strength, don’t go killing him!"
"Marcus-sama said that if he had a good attitude, we should bring him in right away. But that if his attitude was bad, we should cut off his arms and legs and bring him in anyway."
"I know that..." Pearl brought a hand to her forehead. "But that’s exactly why I’m telling you to be careful! A moment ago you almost lopped his head off."
Ivy glanced at Kaigaku, with that face that now brought to mind the woman from the tale of the slit mouth, and stuck out her tongue. "Oops..."
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