"This guy's strength... has actually reached this level!"
A trace of disbelief crossed Sesshomaru's cold face as he stared intently at Mingye, who held the Evil Sword.
He had long heard of the Demon Wolf Mingye's reputation, but now that he had witnessed his strength firsthand, it far exceeded the rumors.
The demon blood in Sesshomaru's body threatened to boil. Among the yokai of his generation, he thought nothing even of the Leopard Cat Tribe's Four Heavenly Kings.
Yet the Demon Wolf Mingye made him feel threatened by someone of his own generation. That had never happened before.
"Your sword is extraordinary, and your swordsmanship even more so!"
Tōga spoke solemnly. That single quick-draw slash had been enough to prove how exceptional Mingye's swordsmanship was.
And Tōga could clearly sense that the Evil Sword that had unleashed that strike alongside him was no ordinary blade.
"This sword is named Slay Gods and Demons. It was forged by Hairinbō, the smith of evil weapons!"
Mingye held his sword across his chest, revealing its name to another for the first time. Slay Gods and Demons-it would slay every demon, monster, ghost, god, and mortal!
"Slay Gods and Demons! A fine name! So it was forged by Hairinbō, whom Tōtōsai drove out? No wonder it's so extraordinary!"
At those words, Tōga openly praised the power of Slay Gods and Demons. Naturally, he knew about Hairinbō.
The disciple Tōtōsai had driven out possessed considerable skill and talent in forging weapons.
Even Tōtōsai had praised Hairinbō's talent for swordsmithing. Unfortunately, Hairinbō had strayed down an evil path.
Still, there was no denying that Hairinbō's swordsmithing skills ranked among the very best in the Demon World.
"The blade in my hand is called Tessaiga. It was forged by Tōtōsai, who serves under me!"
Tōga raised Tessaiga. Even a casual swing sent fierce waves of air roaring outward, with the power of wind and demonic energy radiating from it constantly.
"I've long heard of the human blade Tessaiga. Today, I'll put its power to the test!"
The moment Mingye finished speaking, a powerful will erupted from the Evil Sword Slay Gods and Demons. Its sharp aura pierced the surging air and shot skyward!
Slay Gods and Demons rang out again and again like a dragon's cry, challenging Tessaiga. It, too, wanted to fight this renowned divine weapon!
Mingye stepped forward, kicking up dust. His sword light surged like a tide, crashing endlessly against everything before him.
With a faint smile, Tōga stopped defending. He swung the enormous Tessaiga, unleashing brilliant golden arcs of sword light.
For a moment, golden and ice-blue sword light filled the gorge, engulfing the plants, flowers, insects, earth, and mountainsides.
Under the repeated clashes between Tessaiga and Slay Gods and Demons, everything shattered and scattered, nothing retaining its original shape.
Mingye and Tōga clashed at tremendous speed, the fierce, incessant ringing of their blades echoing throughout the valley.
"This guy..."
The longer Sesshomaru watched, the heavier his heart grew. Mingye's strength had once again exceeded his expectations.
Such powerful swordsmanship, such terrifying combat instincts and experience-none of it seemed possible for someone his age.
Sesshomaru had believed that scarcely any yokai in the entire Demon World could rival his talent.
Yet now he had encountered a yokai whose talent surpassed his own!
The Demon Wolf Mingye was even a little younger than him. Watching this battle, Sesshomaru had to admit that the strength Mingye displayed exceeded his own!
For the immensely proud Sesshomaru, however, that was a devastating blow.
"I need a divine weapon!"
Sesshomaru stared intently at the Evil Sword Slay Gods and Demons in Mingye's hand. That sword amplified Mingye's strength several times over!
As Tessaiga's golden sword light tangled with the ice-blue sword light and shattered, Sesshomaru turned his gaze to Tessaiga in his father's hand.
This divine weapon could destroy a hundred yokai in a single strike. With that demon blade, his strength would surely soar, giving him the power to defeat the Demon Wolf Mingye!
Tessaiga...
Sesshomaru recalled how his father had repeatedly refused his requests for it. The condition his father had set made him frown. The meaning of protection!?
What a pointless notion. Why would a yokai talk about protecting others?
Utterly ridiculous!
After witnessing their battle, Sesshomaru craved Tessaiga's power even more.
Meanwhile, the battle had reached a fever pitch. The entire valley was so devastated that it barely resembled a valley anymore.
Streaks of sword light pierced the mountainsides on both sides, reshaping the terrain.
Tessaiga could destroy a small mountain in one strike, and Slay Gods and Demons was no weaker, matching it blow for blow.
Crystal-clear snowflakes drifted silently down to the earth. The temperature dropped abruptly, and snow filled the sky, settling over the ground.
This was not caused by Mingye's power, but by a natural change in the weather.
Amid the heavy snow, however, Mingye's ice power received a considerable boost.
With one slash, he knocked Tessaiga aside and landed on a broken rock. Holding Slay Gods and Demons across his chest, he unleashed all the demon power within his body!
A vast, oppressive chill surged skyward, turning the surrounding gusts of air bitterly cold.
"Ice Dragon Blast!"
Ice-blue light completely enveloped Mingye's Slay Gods and Demons, and the moisture within dozens of yards around him began to freeze.
An enormous ice dragon dozens of meters long rose behind Mingye, roaming through the air amid the biting cold wind!
The ice dragon was so lifelike that it seemed a true dragon had descended into the world. Every scale radiated a terrifying chill!
Roar!
The dragon's cry shook the heavens, and the wind and snow abruptly intensified. The ground beneath Mingye's feet and even his surroundings froze at tremendous speed.
"What a powerful chill! This move..."
Tōga's gaze sharpened. Even he felt cold. In an instant, the surrounding temperature had fallen so far that even a Greater Yokai like him could not ignore the chill!
Ice encased both his feet, and its power continued creeping upward, threatening to freeze Tōga's entire body.
Tōga instantly unleashed the terrifying demon power within him, shattering the ice beneath his feet. But the enormous ice dragon that had been behind Mingye a moment ago was already upon him!
"Wind Scar!"
In a flash, Tōga unleashed Tessaiga's Mystic Art, Wind Scar. The combined power of colliding winds and erupting sword light tore through everything before him!
Like a sharp claw sweeping through the sky toward the abyss, the blazing golden sword light struck at the ferocious, freezing ice dragon!
The power of the sword light and ice burst into the heavens in that instant. Shattered ice and sword energy flew through the valley like an enormous explosive shock wave, wreaking destruction in every direction!
Sesshomaru's expression changed. The eruption of energy was powerful enough to threaten him where he stood, and he hurriedly shot backward!
A moment later, a sharp chunk of ice pierced the spot where he had just stood, leaving an enormous crater. Cold air spread outward, freezing the ground in an instant.
Sword energy and ice ravaged the surrounding terrain without restraint. Sesshomaru retreated frantically. The energy blast's reach was terrifying, extending hundreds of meters.
This was a clash between the Mystic Art of Slay Gods and Demons and the Mystic Art of Tessaiga!
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