Upon realizing that the person who obstructed him was the youngest of the Nakayama Four Brothers, Utsurui immediately decided to slay Kagari.

He couldn’t let the king of Azuma in the western capital know that the Light God Temple was behind Mount Ganzan’s rebellion.

“Swift!”

Utsurui lunged at Kagari, the sword’s flash closing in like a splitting wind. Kagari narrowly dodged it.

The second and third strikes that were released consecutively were similarly narrowly avoided by Kagari. Seeing this, Utsurui made a deep noise from the back of his throat. It wasn’t a laugh. It was a gesture indicating Utsurui’s heightened state of excitement.

All three strikes were unleashed with the intention of killing Kagari. They weren’t just probing or feinting attacks. If all these full-force attacks were narrowly avoided, it would be more apt to describe it as a paper-thin margin rather than by a hair’s breadth.

In essence, his moves were being anticipated.

A boy, young enough to be his grandson, was predicting his every move. This fact naturally exhilarated Utsurui’s heart.

He never arrogantly thought, “I, the head of the Fangxiang clan, am the strongest!” It was no wonder if the boy before him possessed more talent than he did. Utsurui genuinely believed this, and even hoped for it. Fighting someone more skilled was necessary for Utsurui to reach even greater heights.

Just as he had been defeated by an unparalleled genius named Mitsurugi Shikibu and was spurred by that defeat to become who he was today.

Expecting a counterattack from Kagari, Utsurui took a few steps back. However, Kagari didn’t chase after him. Whether it was to protect Lan, who was behind him, or for some other reason, it was convenient that he remained stationary.

“Seal!”

Using an extremely shortened incantation, Utsurui deployed the barrier technique, Gero Prison, which seals the enemy’s magic power. Anticipating that a regular technique would be less effective against Kagari, he had engraved marks around Kagari during his previous attack to strengthen the barrier.

All his actions proved effective, and Kagari was trapped within a barrier far more powerful than the one used for Klimt earlier.

Noticing the invisible chains binding him, Kagari’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, yet the corner of his mouth twitched as if to say, “Interesting.” There was no surprise like Klimt’s reaction earlier; if anything, Kagari seemed at ease.

It’s not that the technique failed. Nor had Kagari prepared some countermeasure in advance to nullify the barrier.

The Gero Prison was working correctly. Kagari’s magical power was sealed, and he fully recognized his predicament. He knew he was in a tough spot.

However, Kagari placed feelings of “excitement” and “intrigue” above all else, which manifested as his calm demeanor in the situation.

Utsurui accurately perceived this. If they weren’t in the middle of combat, he would’ve probably praised Kagari’s talent with a wry smile.

No matter how cornered, those who can enjoy their predicament are formidable. Enjoying adversity brings about composure. And this composure broadens one’s perspective, eases tension, and becomes the power to find a way out.

It’s not about reaching such a state through accumulated experiences or rigorous training. If one can naturally possess such a temperament, it is surely a remarkable talent.

Utsurui felt it would be a waste to kill Kagari now. Regardless of whether they were human or Kijin, Utsurui cherished talented youths.

However, Utsurui immediately suppressed his emotions. At this point, even if he withdrew his sword, Kagari would not stop. More importantly, his position as the head of the Fangxiang clan didn’t allow Utsurui any choice other than to “strike.”

In the Demon Realm, those who don’t know the name Black Wolf Kagari are probably newborns.

The youngest of the Nakayama Four Brothers who conquered the Demon Realm. At the tender age of fifteen, his martial achievements are countless. Particularly in the conflict with Mount Ganzan, he achieved feats surpassing even the second eldest brother, Doga, who was touted as the strongest in the Demon Realm, contributing to Nakayama’s domination.

Not just individual talent, Kagari also possessed the prowess of a military general. With him, the Nakayama army, which had previously relied heavily on Doga’s genius, drastically improved its strategic capabilities.

The Light God Temple, which didn’t wish for the growth of any specific power, had carefully balanced the strengths of Nakayama and Mount Ganzan, ensuring neither side gained an upper hand. However, Kagari disrupted that balance.

Upon reaching thirteen, Kagari burst onto the battlefield, surpassing the temple’s calculations with his growth and achievements. Specifically, against the temple’s estimation of roughly ten years (and at best five years with considerable luck) for Nakayama’s unification, Kagari accomplished it in just two.

Of course, it wasn’t all thanks to Kagari alone. The temple had likely underestimated the power of Nakayama, especially Kagari’s brothers. However, everyone at the temple’s higher echelons agreed that without Kagari, Nakayama’s dominance wouldn’t have been achieved this quickly.

Defeating Kagari here would significantly weaken Nakayama’s power. They were at the rebel army’s main base, and there was no risk of the temple being suspected. Kagari, who had ventured out leaving his troops behind, would be presumed killed by Mount Ganzan’s soldiers.

This was a golden opportunity to defeat Kagari. There was no way Utsurui could withdraw now.

Utsurui, having sealed Kagari’s magical power with the Gero Prison, lunged at him like a gust of wind.

The sword technique he used was the ultimate secret of Nanashiki, the “Rolling Evasion.”

First, seal the opponent’s soul equipment with Gero Prison, and then use the “Rolling Evasion” to behead them. This technique was Utsurui’s basic, yet deadliest move. By mastering this move, Utsurui climbed to the top of the Fangxiang clan, defeating numerous Kijin.

This strategy remained unchanged, even against the Black Wolf. As he closed in on Kagari, that’s what Utsurui believed.

However…

A soft “snap” sound.

Utsurui, sensing something tearing apart, instinctively stopped in his tracks. He had abruptly halted from a lunging motion, causing his entire body to scream in protest. But Utsurui didn’t care. That wasn’t his concern.

With a piercing gaze, Utsurui looked straight at Kagari. His Nanashiki senses were still catching the subtle, resonating “snap” sound.

That sound was the invisible ropes binding Kagari, breaking one by one. With each snap, the surge of Kei emanating from Kagari continued to increase.

“Is he trying to break the Gero Prison? Without any trick, merely relying on his own Kei…”

Utsurui interpreted Kagari’s actions in this way. It was evident from watching Kagari that his attempt was gradually succeeding.

He should strike Kagari down before the young man completely overpowers his technique. That was what Utsurui thought. But he couldn’t act on it, for Kagari’s Kei had already reached a level sufficient to manifest his soul equipment.

The Gero Prison hadn’t been completely broken yet and still retained its potency. Despite that, the Kei radiating from Kagari was intensifying, soaring to incredible heights. This fact tacitly spoke of the immense Kei Kagari harbored within.

“This is why dealing with natural talent is so troublesome.”

What took him thirty, forty years to hone and refine, a mere fifteen-year-old boy was surpassing with just a few years of training and innate talent. In the face of genuine talent, far surpassing ordinary abilities, Utsurui couldn’t help but wear a wry smile.

However, that wry smile soon shifted to a quiet determination. Again, Kagari was only a fifteen-year-old boy. As he grew older and stronger, his significance would not only expand for Nakayama but for the entire Kijin race as well.

The Kijin before him would undoubtedly become an obstacle to the great wish of purifying the world. He must seize this opportunity and eliminate Kagari at all costs. With this resolution, Utsurui readied his sword once more.

Whether Kagari sensed Utsurui’s hostile intent or not, in the next moment, Kagari’s voice, invoking his soul equipment, struck Utsurui’s ears.

The truth was, Kagari hadn’t grasped the situation as deeply as Utsurui assumed.

It was only a short while ago that Kagari infiltrated Taikouzan. He had intended to inspect the fortress’s layout and find Lan and Yamato when he heard Lan’s scream.

At first, he didn’t recognize whose voice it was. However, when he heard the words relating to the Ganzan royal family amid the screams, Kagari suspected and headed in the direction of the sound, only to find Lan on the verge of being slain.

In a split second, Kagari threw a stone to save Lan but felt a moment of confusion when he saw the person who tried to harm her.

The person was a human old man.

While Kagari didn’t recognize Utsurui’s face and certainly wasn’t aware he was the head of the Fangxiang Clan, he recognized that the man must be from the Light God Temple due to his human features. In the realm of Kijin, the presence of a human inevitably signified a member of the Light God Temple.

A Light God Temple member inside a rebel fortress, attempting to slay the princess of Ganzan. Kagari was uncertain how to interpret this.

From Nakayama’s perspective, they were allies since they were opposing the rebel forces. There was no clear indication they were foes. With this in mind, Kagari decided to observe the situation. It would be a huge issue later on if the prince of Nakayama were to slay a member of the Light God Temple.

Considering that Utsurui had declared his name before attacking, perhaps Kagari didn’t need to be so cautious. However, Kagari had also thrown stones on three separate occasions. This too pushed him to be cautious.

As a result, Kagari had been restraining himself from retaliating against Utsurui. However, seeing Utsurui’s undying hostility, Kagari deemed further observation unnecessary.

When Utsurui sealed his magic with the Gero Prison, Kagari’s lips curled into a slight grin, anticipating a battle against a formidable foe with an unfamiliar technique.

While the situation was still unclear, he could always ask Lan about it afterward. Or even the other human lying behind Lan.

Taking a fleeting glance, Kagari noticed Klimt’s white hair for the first time, slightly furrowing his brows. The distinctive figure kindled memories from his earlier infiltration of Demon Island.

— Well, I can verify that later.

Seeing Klimt, with his right arm severed and barely clinging to life, Kagari judged that he was no immediate threat. Dismissing Klimt from his thoughts, he focused solely on Utsurui.

And then…

“Soul Equipment Activation— Devour everything, Taotie!”

Unleashing his full strength, he prepared to confront the formidable foe before him.