Six-Eyed Sukuna, starting from Hunter x Hunter

Chapter 207 Crimson Flame (Two Chapters Combined)

A sound like a wolf howling came from outside, and a strong wind blew, blowing bricks and tiles away.

Su Wu looked up and saw that the roof tiles had disappeared, revealing the sky and several load-bearing beams. He put down his paintbrush, leaving a trail of ink marks on the white paper.

You want to tear the roof off at the drop of a hat? Very well.

Su Wu was so angry she laughed, and walked straight out of the house.

A huge, large dog demon with fluffy, snow-white fur, flame patterns on its forehead, and red demonic markings on its cheeks stood in mid-air, peering at the shrine.

"So you're the one who kidnapped our clan's little brat?" he asked, his voice low and deep.

Kong Liumian was only half the size of his opponent.

As the giant dog demon and the white tiger confronted each other, the two puppies, seeing that their protector had finally arrived, excitedly barked a series of cries.

"Woof woof!!"

"Woof woof woof woof..."

(This is the tiger that captured us. These humans beat us and won't give us food.)

(Master Hongyan, please save us!)

The large dog demon glanced at the two teary-eyed, unruly cubs, then looked at the white tiger.

The scent it detected where the cubs disappeared belonged to the tiger, and it followed that scent all the way to this shrine.

Generally speaking, yokai (demons) will not enter shrines, and will not even cross the torii gate.

Because shrines are protected by barriers, any demon that enters will either die or be seriously injured.

But this shrine has no protective barrier. Could it be that... it doesn't enshrine a god?

"Let's fight. If you win, I won't pursue what you did."

"If you lose..." The giant dog demon twitched its nose and exhaled a distinct breath, its meaning clear.

"..." Kong looked at the other's size, which was almost half again as big as his own, and sharpened his claws.

"Okay, go ahead." Su Wu came to Kong's side and patted its head.

This is a good opportunity to try it out and see what the difference is between monsters and magical beasts.

"Winning is fine, but if we lose badly..." Su Wu snorted coldly.

Kong twitched its ears. "There's no way we can lose." It rode a whirlwind and soared into the sky.

"Don't fight here, or you'll damage my shrine again..." Su Wu raised an eyebrow and spoke meaningfully, her eyes falling on the giant dog demon's fur.

If the shrine was badly damaged, he would skin the dog and use the skin as a rug at the shrine entrance.

A carpet made from the fur of a great demon should be enough to terrify many lesser demons, keeping them away.

The dog demon, unaware of what the humans below were up to, felt a chill run down its spine based on instinct.

And... what did that human mean by his shrine?

Before it could think, the enormous wind blades forced it to leave its spot.

The dog and the tiger immediately chased each other and disappeared into the horizon.

"Great demon..."

"So big..."

"So handsome..."

The two little girls stared blankly in the direction where the dog demon had disappeared, speaking in a daze, their faces even turning red.

Wait, you're blushing?

Su Wu squatted down and observed their expressions, noticing that their facial skin was indeed much redder than their necks.

No, you're blushing in front of a big dog? You two... is there something wrong with you?

Although that dog was indeed very handsome...

If such a piece existed in real life, it would conservatively cost at least six figures.

Su Wu stroked his chin thoughtfully; indeed, he quite liked it too.

"Snap out of it." Su Wu clapped her hands, and the two of them shuddered and instantly snapped back to their senses.

"There is no future for humans and demons together," Su Wu said earnestly, looking at the two of them.

How long can a human live? How long can a demon live? A human can live for a little over a hundred years before dying of old age, while a demon might not even reach adulthood after a hundred years.

Being together is bad for both of them.

Although anime often features human-demon romances, making it seem like love and friendship are the most important things in the world, and then adding a tragic ending where one of the humans or the demon dies and the other can never forget it for the rest of their life, it's meant to give people some kind of insight.

"Since you are my priestesses, you must be prepared to live a life without love," Su Wu reminded her.

Could he be some kind of treacherous villain? Providing them with food and clothing, improving their strength, and then letting them run off with some other guy?

Let him stay here and work his whole life to pay off his debts!

"Huh?" Noriko was taken aback, then quickly denied it, "It's not what you think." Her face was even redder than before.

"It's just... I'm a little envious of such a powerful demon." The two of them lowered their heads, their tone full of envy.

No matter what, the demon appeared in its true form; they wouldn't blush at a dog's appearance.

The only thing they envied was the other's enormous size and the way he moved as freely as the wind.

If only they could be as carefree as each other.

"A noble lady, a shrine maiden, and a powerful monster—that's a dangerous combination." Su Wu seemed to have thought of something, and her tone became subtle.

He'd seen similar storylines in many anime, pairings like shrine maidens and yokai, or noble princesses and yokai—there were so many.

And the two in front of her... Su Wu looked at them.

Noble Princess √ Shrine Maiden √

However, they were still missing one thing, and that was... beauty.

Demons are creatures that are quite particular about appearances. Some powerful demons abduct women, especially those who are known for their beauty.

Just like the mainstream aesthetic in Heian-kyo, the yokai also prefer the kind of delicate and beautiful women, even more so than women themselves.

Perhaps it's because women like that are more likely to evoke a demon's possessiveness and protective instincts...

"Please rest assured, we will absolutely not fall in love with any other person or demon." Noriko and Rinko seemed to have misunderstood something, and quickly assured her with pale faces.

This prince... if he's a demigod, it's understandable that he dislikes demons.

God certainly wouldn't like his priestess getting involved with other humans or monsters.

Su Wu didn't quite believe in the so-called guarantees from humans, but she didn't say anything more.

Anyway, there's no point in saying more. It's better to talk to the demons than to talk to humans.

At least the Demon Records promise to last for hundreds of years.

"Um... can Sora-sama defeat the opponent?" Noriko asked worriedly.

The animal raised by one's own deity must be a divine beast, but it looks much smaller than that great demon. I wonder if it can win...

"Hmm..." Su Wu thought of the difference in lifespan between the two, "I'll probably lose."

"After all, he's not even three years old yet, while that great demon is at least several hundred years old."

A demon's lifespan of several hundred years is equivalent to a human who has just reached adulthood, around twenty years old.

And Kong, who was not even three years old...

If these two were to fight, it would be like an infant fighting an adult male.

If they can win, then they'll truly be considered exceptionally gifted.

"What if Lord Sora...?" Noriko and Rinko asked with concern.

"It's alright, this isn't something you should worry about. Keep training," Su Wu waved her hand and urged.

There's no need to worry unnecessarily. Instead of wasting time, you should focus on becoming stronger.

……

A dog and a tiger engaged in a chase in the air, eventually landing in a mountain forest. During their battle, they destroyed most of the mountain, and all the wild animals on the mountain ran downhill.

The villages at the foot of the mountain could feel the earthquake as animals migrated.

The dog demon Hongyan keenly sensed that its opponent was not easy to deal with.

The opponent is skilled at wind control, extremely fast, and prefers long-range attacks.

His specialty... is close combat.

The skills of the dog race are mostly used for melee combat, while some ranged skills are generally not very effective.

It opened its mouth, and green smoke billowed out; it was clearly poisonous.

But before the smoke could reach the tiger, it was blown away by a gust of wind.

It raised its hand again, and a green-glowing vine, or rather a whip, appeared between its claws, whistling as it swung.

Kong unleashed several wind blades in succession, but failed to cut them off.

He was even nearly whipped.

When those whips fall to the ground, they leave a purplish-black welt.

Clearly, this whip is also poisonous.

"Insidious and cunning! You poisonous dog!!" the air roared, no longer dodging, but directly facing the green light whip, pressing down on them with its limbs and tearing at them desperately.

Its teeth are harder and sharper than its wind blades.

"Hey, do you want to die?" Hongyan was a little surprised.

Because the white tiger's voice... sounds so childish.

The clear, childlike voice was about the same age as Maruko and Inu-sou.

"My whip is poisonous," Hong Yan said, her tone becoming increasingly urgent.

Could this tiger be a cub? Its impatient behavior... it's just like a cub's...

It got into a fight with a monster cub? If word gets out, won't it ruin its reputation?

"Pah, I'm not afraid at all." Kong tore the light whip to pieces in a few bites and said smugly.

It has undergone poison tolerance training!

"...As a demon, why are you with humans?" Hongyan asked, puzzled.

"What's wrong with me being with my master?" Sora asked matter-of-factly.

"You've acknowledged humanity as your master?" Hongyan was greatly shocked.

Another demon that recognizes humans as its masters?

This phenomenon has become slightly more common since Abe no Seimei.

However, it is not common and is still quite rare.

Some demons, however, stay by the side of humans because they fall in love with them, and only leave after a hundred years.

But that's not the same as acknowledging a master.

It's like someone inexplicably found themselves an owner; they must be having trouble thinking about it.

Especially for someone so young, who doesn't even look that old, why bother?

Humans die very quickly.

"My master is the strongest person in the world," Kong boasted proudly about Su Wu.

Its voice no longer sounded so childish; instead, it became deeper.

Every time it speaks, it deliberately lowers its voice to make it sound more authoritative.

"Number one in the world? I only know that Seimei is the number one Onmyoji in the world. And what is your master?" The large dog demon transformed into a handsome human form, wearing loose clothes that exposed a large area of ​​his chest. He had long silver-white hair draped behind his head, red eyes, and red demon markings on his face.

"My master is the strongest in the world." Sora looked at the dog that had transformed into human form, not surprised, and continued to praise himself.

Many monsters can also transform into humans; this is not uncommon.

"The strongest person in the world? Really?" Hong Yan asked in a teasing tone, his eyes full of flirtatious charm.

It doesn't look like a proper dog.

"Why would I lie to you?! Someone like you, if you met my master, would have been beaten to a pulp and skinned alive!" Kong said, holding his head high.

"I don't believe it. Who is your master?" Hongyan didn't believe it.

It was a great demon who had participated in the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, broke into Heian-kyo and escaped unscathed, and even drank and made merry with Shuten-dōji of Mount Ōe.

"That shrine you see belongs to my master," Sora replied with a snort.

"That shrine belongs to your master? Isn't your master human?" Hongyan asked with a tone of surprise and uncertainty.

Humans can still have shrines? No, I should say, can living humans still have shrines?

Normally, only those who become gods after death can own a shrine.

"My master..." Kong fell silent for a moment.

It still can't be sure whether its owner is human or some other species.

"Your master isn't human?" Hongyan had a new guess because of Kong's hesitation.

Could this guy really be raised by a god?

"...Anyway, Master is the strongest in the world, the most powerful." Kong said unhappily, shaking his ear.

"Alright, alright, since you say so, then I'll go take a look." With that, Hongyan transformed back into her original form and started running towards the location of the shrine.

In the blink of an eye, they had run a great distance.

No way! This guy is actually going to cause trouble for the master! What if he finds out it's because of what I said...?

Kong stood there, shook his head, and immediately followed.

"Stop right there!"

……

Before their master could rescue them, the two cubs, feeling utterly hopeless, spent their time playing pretend training with the two little girls, while silently praying that their master would return soon to take them away.

They're not dogs that actually play with human children!

They are dog demons! Dog demons! They are demons!

But these two human children are really weak.

Defeating them would be a piece of cake.

The two dogs leaped up, kicked, and as they turned, their tails slapped Noriko and Rinko hard across the face.

A dog's tail is thick and long, and when it swings, it is quite powerful.

"Woof..."

(When will Master Hongyan be back...?)

"Woof! Woof!"

(Come back soon, Master Hongyan!)

As they cried out, a gust of wind rushed into the shrine.

Hongyan headed straight for the largest room in the shrine.

Upon entering, one sees a statue of a deity enshrined on a high platform inside the house.

Dressed in magnificent robes, her entire body seemed to be carved from white jade, and her blue eyes shone brightly, as if they were precious gemstones.

But what's even more surprising is the human boy sitting at the head of the statue.

He looked exactly like the idol.

Or perhaps the idol was made in his likeness.

This human...

Hongyan stared at the boy holding a pen, who seemed to be drawing.

Knowing full well that they've entered, yet remaining completely indifferent—that's quite a calm attitude.

"Hey, you..." You've got some nerve, daring to call yourself a god.

Hongyan was unable to utter the words she wanted to say.

Because the boy who was painting raised his eyes and casually glanced at him.

Eyes more beautiful than the jewels in the eyes of a god.

[Expanding the Domain—Boundless Emptiness]

strangeness……

I can't control my body at all...

It seems like I can see everything, hear everything, yet I can't do anything...

He couldn't move at all.

(End of this chapter)