Black Flash

Shuten-dōji swung his sake gourd again.

Gilded liquid poured from its mouth, forming countless tiny droplets in midair. They hung in dense ranks like soldiers awaiting orders. He pointed forward with one of his six arms.

The droplets shot out.

Like a torrential downpour.

Kashimo wove through the rain of sake. He darted left, dodged right, lunged forward, leaned back. Every drop skimmed his clothes before falling into the golden river of sake behind him, sending up tiny ripples.

But he did not retreat.

He was advancing.

Charging toward Shuten-dōji.

A grin spread across Shuten-dōji's face. Before it could fully form-

Bang!

The sake that had swept past Kashimo suddenly exploded.

These were no ordinary explosions. Every bursting droplet scattered into countless smaller fragments, filling the air and leaving nowhere to hide. Golden mist erupted around Kashimo, engulfing him completely.

Shuten-dōji's grin deepened for an instant.

Then froze.

"Huh?"

A muffled sound of disbelief escaped his throat.

The thick smoke cleared.

Kashimo stood a few steps away, white smoke rising from his skin, which had been corroded into a pitted mess. But that was all. The cursed technique that should have penetrated to his very marrow and assimilated him had only damaged his skin.

Reverse Cursed Technique was already at work, healing the corroded skin at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"I only learned this recently."

Kashimo raised his head and grinned.

"Falling Blossom Emotion."

The instant the words left his mouth, he was already in front of Shuten-dōji.

Too fast.

So fast that Shuten-dōji had no time to react.

A jab slammed squarely into his abdomen. Wrapped in the power of lightning, the fist struck hard enough to shake all six of his arms.

Before he could regain his balance-

A blade flashed.

The Soul-Devouring Blade swept upward, its pitch-black edge slicing across the right side of his body.

Shhk-

Two arms were severed at their roots, tumbling through the air as they fell. Purplish-black blood gushed from the stumps, splashing all over Kashimo.

But he did not dodge.

Because a massive fist had already smashed into his face.

Bam!

The punch landed solidly. Kashimo was sent flying sideways, tumbling several times in midair before crashing into the golden river of sake and sending up a spray.

His hair had come completely loose.

His long, pale turquoise hair spilled down, blood-soaked strands clinging to his cheeks and neck, whipping wildly in the wind as he moved. Moonlight filtered through the cracks in the shattered domain, illuminating his blood-smeared face.

He licked the blood trickling from his nose.

The rusty tang spread across his tongue.

Who was the last person to push me to the brink?

Gojo Arashi?

Probably not. That fight was a blast, but it hadn't pushed me that far.

Can't remember.

Kashimo stood in the golden river of sake, his hair disheveled and his entire body covered in blood. He stared at the towering figure before him, still standing despite losing two arms, and at the twisted expression on that hideous demonic face.

Doesn't matter.

All he felt was-

An excitement that knew no bounds.

He dropped the Soul-Devouring Blade. It sank into the golden sake, leaving only a length of black hilt exposed. With both hands free, he wrapped lightning around his legs, and the ground beneath his feet exploded.

Bam!

He charged toward Shuten-dōji again.

No blade, no cursed technique-just a body blazing with lightning and a clenched fist.

He drove a punch into his opponent's jaw.

Boom-!

Shuten-dōji's head snapped back, his enormous body staggering backward. The punch blackened his vision and rattled every fang in his mouth.

And that punch-

Had injected more electric charge than any before it.

But Shuten-dōji gave him no chance to catch his breath.

One of his intact arms extended, all five fingers curling inward as he aimed his palm at Kashimo. Golden sake converged from every direction, compressing and condensing furiously before his palm into a fist-sized orb. Strange ripples shimmered across its surface, while something seemed to churn and boil within.

"Liquor Burst."

Shuten-dōji softly uttered the name.

The next instant, the liquid orb exploded.

This was no ordinary explosion. It was the release of the sake itself after extreme compression, an omnidirectional blast with every drop carrying cursed energy. Golden light swallowed everything. Shock waves spread in all directions, splitting the ground, sending the river of sake surging backward, and shredding even the air.

Kashimo was swallowed whole.

Shhk-!

The piercing sound of flesh bursting rang out.

His upper body was nearly blown apart. His chest, abdomen, and shoulders were covered in wounds deep enough to expose bone. Ribs protruded through torn flesh, and his organs were faintly visible amid the blood. Blood gushed out like a fountain, splashing into the golden sake and spreading into a dark red stain.

But he did not fall.

His blue-green eyes still shone.

Brilliantly.

Kashimo stood where he was, his body a mangled mass of flesh, only his eyes still shining. He studied the six-armed Demon King before him, his mind racing.

So that's how it works.

The cursed technique is limited to "Assimilation," but he fires it in a way similar to Blood Manipulation.

He simply replaces blood with sake made from cursed energy.

With an ability like that, he could create his own army of monsters in any era. And that's not even counting his domain or the other moves he hasn't used yet.

In terms of the cursed technique's capabilities...

Kashimo slowly raised his hand and clenched his fist.

He might have the edge.

But in terms of cursed energy properties...

I, Kashimo, have the absolute advantage.

He pushed off, shattering the ground beneath his feet.

That mangled figure charged toward Shuten-dōji once more.

He threw a punch.

At the instant his fist made contact, the delay before the impact of his cursed energy narrowed to within 0.000001 seconds.

Black and red light burst forth.

"Black Flash!"