Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
For the first time, incredulous horror appeared in Gyutaro's mismatched eyes, so full of venom and contempt.
His blood scythe, powerful enough to sever steel and corrode flesh, was now held fast in the palm of a more solid giant purple hand covered in red channels.
The terrifying grip he could not break free of, no matter how he tried, transmitted clearly through the scythe's handle into his palm.
"Sss... sss..."
The deadly poison coating the scythe was frantically corroding Susanoo's energy palm, producing a teeth-grating sound and wisps of white smoke.
Yet even as that giant hand corroded, it regenerated and repaired itself at a visible rate. Purple chakra poured into it without end, maintaining an unbreakable hold.
"You bastard..."
A venomous curse squeezed through Gyutaro's clenched teeth. He tried to pull his scythe back, only to find that the hand did not budge, like a mountain from myth.
"Big Brother!"
Daki let out a terrified scream in the distance, utterly unable to comprehend what was happening before her.
How had that skeleton suddenly grown flesh and blood?
Why had its strength also become several times greater than before?!
Tengen Uzui, sheltered behind Susanoo's arm, was the closest witness to this transformation.
He tilted his head back to look at the demonic half-body towering up from the ground, radiating an ominous aura of destruction, and at the figure between its brows, as cold and indifferent as a god. His mind went blank.
"You've got to be kidding... this isn't flamboyant at all..."
He muttered to himself, but towering waves surged through his heart.
This power, this form, had gone completely beyond his understanding of either "humans" or "demons."
"Don't touch my brother!!"
Daki's scream pulled Tengen Uzui back to reality.
She frantically