The body Gyokko took such pride in was sliced apart in an instant without the slightest resistance, separating his upper body from the pot beneath his abdomen.
"Aaaah!!!"
With a scream, his upper body fell to the ground, waves of searing pain washing over him.
Gyokko immediately tried to regenerate, only to discover that he could not.
My perfect body... this guy cut through it so easily...
Gyokko had always taken pride in his body, believing its form to be the most perfect in the world. Refined inside his pot over many years, it was harder than diamond, yet what had just happened shattered his confidence in an instant.
Fear rose in his heart, sweeping away all the delight and amusement he had felt upon encountering Chiba Yo.
Chiba Yo frowned after delivering his strike. Through the Transparent World, he had seen Gyokko preparing to pull his body back as he attacked, so he had aimed his slash fairly low.
He had wanted to sever Gyokko's connection to his pot, while also hoping to catch his neck as he pulled back inside.
But Chiba Yo had overestimated Gyokko's speed. Although Gyokko had reacted, he had retracted into his pot too slowly, leaving Chiba Yo's strike to land just above his abdomen.
Chiba Yo did not dwell on it. He twisted, adjusted his stance, and swiftly slashed at Gyokko's neck again.
"Blood Demon Art! Ten Thousand..."
Seeing this, Gyokko did not dare underestimate him any longer and immediately tried to use his Blood Demon Art to defend himself and counterattack.
But before he could even produce his pots, the crimson Nichirin Blade had already swept through his neck.
"...Gliding Slime-Fish!"
Only then did Gyokko finish shouting the name of his technique, but Chiba Yo had already severed his head.
Gyokko produced