I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 376 [3 Chapters Combined into 1] Kaigaku: This is the kind of opponent I can be matched with

Why did you turn into a ghost...?

"……ha?"

"I'm asking you, if you clearly have the right to inherit the Breath of Thunder, why did you become a demon?!"

Zenitsu Agatsuma's clothes fluttered in the dark corridors of the Infinite Castle, seemingly echoing the turbulent emotions churning within him.

Even on his way here, he had already rehearsed the scene of his reunion with Kaigaku countless times in his mind.

He imagined how calmly he would rebuke the other party and how clearly and logically he would list all of their crimes.

But when he saw with his own eyes the face that had once lived and ate under the same roof, the face that had trained alongside him, now covered with ugly, grotesque demonic markings, and those eyes that, in his imagination, might still retain a trace of humanity, were now nothing but the scarlet of a demon choosing its prey, and undisguised malice and arrogance.

Zenitsu felt his brain go blank with a "buzz".

All the prepared statements, made in an attempt to maintain a semblance of composure, were instantly swept away and submerged by the surging tide, completely forgotten.

When he finally managed to recover from the enormous shock, the question, asked without careful consideration and stemming from the deepest part of his instincts, slipped out with a tearing pain.

His voice trembled violently from extreme anger, the heart-wrenching pain of being betrayed by his closest loved ones, and a complex mix of disappointment and regret that even he himself could not understand. It even carried a faint, barely perceptible sob and a whimper that he himself found repulsive.

"It's all because you turned into a ghost that Grandpa had to commit seppuku!"

Zenitsu practically roared out those words, each one seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a bloody accusation.

"Grandpa committed seppuku alone, without even a second... Don't you know that! If no one helps cut off your head during seppuku, it takes a long time to die from the pain!"

Zenitsu's voice grew louder and louder, filled with an almost desperate urgency, as if he wanted to make this stubborn guy in front of him realize what heinous crime he had committed!

"In other words, Grandpa died little by little under extreme pain and torment!"

"Because among the users of Thunder Breathing, a traitor who turned into a demon appeared—!!!"

As he spoke, Zenitsu subconsciously raised his hand, gripping the hilt of his Nichirin Blade tightly as if he wanted to crush it. He tried to use this physical tension to forcibly suppress the uncontrollable trembling that was running through his body.

Kaigaku took in Zenitsu's "disheveled" and "vulnerable" appearance.

Faced with Zenitsu's accusations, he showed no sadness or guilt whatsoever. Instead, the twisted and arrogant expression on his face became even more intense and glaring.

He deliberately moved his neck slowly, making a chilling "click" sound, fully experiencing the surging and cold power within him after transforming into a ghost, a power far exceeding that of his human self.

This immense power gave him a false sense of superiority. He felt that he had finally and completely surpassed this useless junior brother whom he had always looked down upon from the bottom of his heart, who could only cry and whine when faced with setbacks.

"Ha... What does that have to do with me! You're telling me all this to make me repent? Don't be so naive, you idiot!"

Before Zenitsu, filled with anger and grief, could continue to vent his accusations, Kaigaku interrupted him with a sneer.

His voice was hoarse and full of sarcasm, with no trace of remorse in his tone. Instead, he grinned, revealing a smug and nauseating smile.

"I don't care what those guys who look down on me are thinking! I'll only follow those who can accurately evaluate me!"

Kaigaku raised his chin, his crimson eyes flashing with fanaticism and obsession.

His subsequent words were like poisoned arrows, piercing Zenitsu's deepest pain.

"If what you say is true, and the old man died in great pain, then I should applaud!"

"Who told him to always favor a piece of trash like you! I've put in so much effort; I'm the most suitable successor to the Breath of Thunder! This old bastard still refuses to confirm me as the next successor! Instead, he wants me to help you out, to inherit the title with a talentless idiot like you! What a joke!"

"I don't care if he's the former pillar or whatever, I've had enough of this blind old man!"

"I'm fed up with his endless nagging about the so-called 'right path'! I'm fed up with the hypocritical 'uprightness' of Thunder Breathing! And I'm even more fed up with someone like you, a piece of trash who only knows the most basic first move and barely survives, being compared to me!"

At this moment, the resentment that had been building up in Kaigaku's heart for so long burst forth like a festering sore.

His voice gradually rose, revealing a shameless and even proud attitude towards his betrayal!

"Look at me now! Can't you feel it? This endless power! This is true strength! Lord Muzan has given me a new life! And you..."

As he spoke, Kaigaku raised his hand and pointed contemptuously at Zenitsu with his fingers, which had mutated into demon claws, and the past that Zenitsu represented, which he had abandoned.

"You stubborn, self-satisfied weaklings, clinging to ridiculous beliefs, are only fit to be stepping stones for my growth! Betrayal? That's just me choosing a more correct path! In this dog-eat-dog world, only by surviving, only by possessing power, can one have the right to define right and wrong!"

He roared, trying to justify himself with this twisted logic.

After saying that, Kaigaku looked at Zenitsu's face, which had become noticeably paler because of his extreme remarks, and at the mixture of pain, shock, disappointment and regret that was almost overflowing in Zenitsu's golden eyes. A morbid and twisted sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

He was looking forward to seeing Zenitsu completely break down, kneeling on the ground and crying bitterly.

"...Ha...Hahaha! I'm 'trash'? How dare you say that!"

However, to Kaigaku's surprise...

Zenitsu, his face ashen, fell silent for a moment before bursting into a furious laugh.

That laughter was filled with sorrow and despair.

He raised his hand and pointed at Kaiyue, veins bulging on his forehead. Each word he uttered was like the sharpest blade, each word piercing the heart with fury.

"If I'm useless, then how much better are you? I can only use the First Form, and you'll never learn it... I've put in so much effort, yet I haven't been able to raise a worthy successor. I'm truly pitiful!"

Although Zenitsu's words sound like self-deprecation or lamentation about the misfortune and sorrow of the late Jigoro Kuwajima's loss of honor in his later years.

But how could Kaiyue not hear the deepest and coldest mockery and contempt hidden beneath those plain words!

Not to mention that Kaigaku himself is a narrow-minded, extremely jealous, and vindictive person! Even if Zenitsu really felt sorry for his deceased grandfather, it wouldn't stop Kaigaku from interpreting these words as Zenitsu making veiled attacks!

As soon as Zenitsu finished speaking, Kaigaku, who had been grinning smugly, was struck dumb, frozen in place, his facial muscles twitching violently.

Zenitsu's words, especially the fact that he couldn't learn the First Form of Thunder Breathing, were like a red-hot iron nail, precisely driving into Kaigaku's most sensitive, most insecure, and most untouchable pain!

The next second, after Kaigaku became a demon, his skin, which had an unnatural bluish-gray hue, began to turn visibly red, like a corpse that had been dead for a long time.

As a result, Kaigaku himself completely lost the composure and smugness he had been deliberately displaying.

He reached out sharply for the Nichirin Blade he carried on his back, now wreathed in ominous ghostly energy. At the same time, veins bulged on his forehead, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, and he clenched his teeth, unleashing a beast-like roar from deep within his throat.

"Don't lump me in with you! You piece of trash—!!!!!"

Before he could finish speaking, Kaigaku, who was completely enraged and whose reason was almost completely burned away, used the speed and power that had increased greatly after becoming a demon to unleash the Fourth Form of Thunder Breathing: Far Thunder!

His figure transformed into a twisted, dark bolt of lightning, shrouded in filth and ghostly energy, attempting to use his overwhelming strength to instantly kill the "trash" junior brother who dared to offend him and reopen his wounds!

However, even though he made the first move, the sharp blade sliced ​​through the air but only cut into nothingness, without any tactile sensation of hitting a solid object.

On the contrary, in the instant when his old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated, he watched helplessly as "Zenitsu" in front of him slowly dissipated like a phantom.

Until a sharp, icy pain shot through his neck, and a large amount of foul-smelling demon blood gushed out like a fountain, splashing into his vision. Following the source of the pain, Kaiyue instinctively raised his hand and tightly covered the deep, bone-revealing slash wound on his neck, which was frantically eroding his demonic body.

Kaigaku belatedly realized that Zenitsu had not only easily and calmly dodged his supposedly fatal strike with a speed and manner that he could not comprehend at all, but also...

Without his knowledge, it teleported behind him like a bolt of lightning!

the most important is……

Originally, when faced with evil spirits, he would always cry and scream incessantly, not even daring to open his eyes...

Now it's keeping its eyes open, staring intently at me!

Upon closer inspection, Zenitsu seemed like a completely different person, radiating a powerful aura of oppression. This clearly dampened Kaigaku's arrogance, even in his injured state, causing him to involuntarily take several steps back!

A chilling fear spread rapidly down Kaigaku's spine. Yet, because of their first encounter, he had not only failed to easily defeat the "trash" he had always considered, but had also been wounded and forced to retreat in fear. Upon regaining his senses, Kaigaku angrily forced himself to stand still again.

Just as he was becoming flustered because the situation had clearly exceeded his expectations, he heard Zenitsu's cold, indifferent, and contemptuous evaluation with perfect clarity.

"Is this the power you gained after becoming a demon?"

"It's so slow it's unbearable to watch, it's garbage."

Each word was like a heavy slap across the face, striking Kaigaku's ego, which had swelled dramatically due to the blessing of demon blood.

In particular, the term "trash" completely broke down Kaigaku's defenses!

Just as Kaigaku completely broke down, ignoring the still-bleeding wound on his neck, he frantically channeled all the demonic energy within him. Turbid, dark lightning crackled and twisted around him, like a dying beast poised to pounce on Zenitsu in a final desperate attack—

"Boom—!!!"

A terrifying pressure, far heavier and more powerful than the filthy ghostly energy on Kaigaku's body, as if it had gathered the weight of an entire mountain range, swept in from the other end of the passage like an invisible tsunami!

The fury contained within this oppressive aura was so intense and pure that even the surrounding air seemed to groan under its own weight, and the light appeared to distort and dim!

Immediately following was the intense friction of the chains cutting through the air, a whistling sound that seemed capable of shredding even the soul, rapidly approaching from afar!

A massive, mountain-like figure, like a meteorite launched by endless fury, stormed into the already tense battlefield at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye!

Before he had even fully landed, the massive chains wrapped around his thick, bronze arms, along with the heavy, spiked meteor hammer at the end, had already begun to spin and dance wildly!

"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—boom—!!!"

The violent domain formed by the chains and heavy weapons instantly enveloped all the space around Kaigaku!

The speed and power were terrifying, comparable to the blades of a helicopter rotor spinning at full speed, with an absolute force that could crush and tear everything apart, easily tearing deep grooves into the wooden walls and floors within its range!

The strong wind rushed towards him like a solid wall, not only scraping his cheeks until they were torn and bleeding, but also almost blowing away and completely crushing the ghost energy he had just gathered and his determination to fight to the death!

Without a doubt, this is the spirit of the Howling Island, who, with boundless rage and endless grief upon learning the truth, descended upon this place like a wrathful Vajra!

Faced with such a furious and ruthless strongest Pillar of the era, Kaigaku, a lowly villain, even if he absorbed a large amount of Muzan's blood and ate countless people to forcibly increase his strength, would never be a match for the Stone Pillar!

This was no ordinary battle; it was a one-sided reckoning and execution fueled by deep-seated hatred!

"Ugh—!"

Kaigaku only had time to let out a short scream, a mixture of excruciating pain and extreme fear, before his body was torn to pieces by this furious attack!

The enormous shadow and the deadly storm of attacks were enough to terrify him at first glance!

The frenzied fighting spirit that had just surged forth due to extreme anger, wanting to kill Zenitsu, was extinguished instantly like a candle in a storm in the face of this absolute power difference and Gyomei's tangible, chilling killing intent, leaving not even a spark!

escape!

We must escape from here immediately!

This was the only thought flashing wildly through Kaigaku's mind!

After desperately protecting his vitals and relying on the powerful regenerative abilities of demons to barely retain the ability to move freely, Kaigaku, who had just dodged the attack, did not seize the opportunity to counterattack Gyomei, who was standing right in front of him. Instead, without the slightest hesitation, he immediately turned and fled!

Even though doing so would undoubtedly leave his back completely exposed to this terrifying enemy, Kaigaku couldn't care less at this moment. He only hoped to get away from this god of death, who seemed to come from hell, before Gyomei's next attack arrived!

However, Xingming's attack range was too large and his speed was too fast!

The wielding chains and heavy weapons seemed to transform into living, giant pythons, accompanied by the rumbling sound of wind and thunder, precisely and efficiently sealing off all his possible escape routes, trapping him firmly in this realm of death!

A desperate struggle and an instant defeat.

There is nowhere to retreat, nowhere to escape!

At that moment, the instinct for survival overwhelmed all reason and dignity!

"Damn it... This is outrageous! Do you really think I'm afraid of you?! I am Upper Moon Six—!!!!!"

Amidst his blustering but cowardly shouts, a glint of madness flashed in Kaigaku's eyes, a sign of being driven to the brink of despair.

He knew that if he continued to run away, he would only delay his death and would have no chance of survival.

We have to take a gamble!

Thinking this, Kaigaku adjusted his posture, forcefully withstanding Gyomei's attack. At the cost of having his left side severed by the terrifying force, he gained a very brief moment of respite. He recklessly poured his remaining demonic energy into his hand, into the Nichirin Blade, which was already riddled with cracks after deflecting Gyomei's attack. This caused it to temporarily condense into even denser, yet extremely unstable, dark, murky lightning, emitting a teeth-grinding hissing sound.

At the same time, he suddenly exerted force with his feet, unleashing the footwork of Thunder Breathing.

Instead of dodging backward, he charged headlong into the seemingly weak edge of the chain storm unleashed by Xingming in a near-suicidal manner!

Clearly, they were planning to break through from a single point, attempting to rely on the special constitution of ghosts and use a strategy of exchanging injuries to forcibly tear open an opening and gain a sliver of hope!

Unfortunately, his intentions were all too obvious.

Not to mention, the "flaw" he saw through was actually deliberately created by Xingming.

Just so I could see...

Do the children I once desperately protected still have any humanity left? Would they harbor murderous intent towards me?

At this moment, Kaigaku's choice undoubtedly disappointed Xingming completely, shattering the last glimmer of hope in his heart!

"Stubborn to the end! Breathing of Rock, First Form, Serpentine, Bipolar!"

Xingming's low growl was like a volcano that had been accumulating for thousands of years finally erupting.

The dull yet destructive power erupted instantly, and the seemingly wildly flailing chains suddenly changed, their trajectory becoming incredibly clear and deadly!

The heavy broad axe and meteor hammer were no longer swung haphazardly, but rather like two enraged, living giant rock serpents, one on the left and one on the right, carrying terrifying power that could shatter mountains and split rocks, precisely intersecting and strangling towards Kaigaku's forward trajectory!

"Clang—Crack!!!"

An ear-piercing, metallic shattering sound exploded!

Kaigaku's Nichirin Blade, which had gathered a large amount of Blood Demon Art energy and attempted to confront Gyomei head-on, shattered completely the moment it came into contact with the Meteor Hammer, like glass struck by a heavy blow, and turned into countless fragments that scattered in all directions!

He himself was struck hard in the chest by a terrifying force that seemed to have been used only as a speed bump, yet whose power remained undiminished! He was sent flying backward like a deflated balloon!

"puff--!"

Large mouthfuls of foul blood, mixed with fragments of internal organs, gushed out of Kaigaku's mouth, forming a cloud of blood mist in the air!

He clearly heard the terrifying sound of his sternum shattering, and felt as if his entire chest cavity had been completely collapsed by the blow. The intense pain almost made him faint instantly!

But that's not the scariest part!

Just as he was sent flying by this irresistible force, his body tumbling uncontrollably backward in the air, completely losing his balance, the broad axe that had silently arrived from the other side, like a ghost, with a piercing whistle that tore at his eardrums, drew a deadly arc and smashed straight at his head, which was contorted in pain!

At that moment, the shadow of death instantly enveloped him!

In that split second, Kaigaku could even clearly see the cold, flowing metallic luster on the surface of the broad axe, the heavy, yellowish-brown energy representing the breath of rock, and...

In his fury, Xingming's figure was as oppressive as the Grim Reaper wielding his scythe!

So much so that, in his dazed state, Kaigaku couldn't even tell for a moment whether he or Xingming was the "ghost"!

Of course, if it were an ordinary person facing such a desperate situation, they would probably have closed their eyes and waited for death.

But scum like Kaigaku is different.

He would stop at nothing to survive.

How could he possibly watch himself die so miserably, just when he had become a ghost and should have been heading towards the bright and beautiful future he envisioned?

"No--!!"

Amidst that heart-wrenching, terrified scream of despair, Kaigaku, disregarding the intense pain emanating from his body, desperately and recklessly twisted his body in mid-air, trying to evade this fatal blow.

"boom--!!"

And so, the broad axe that was supposed to split Kaigaku's head in two like a watermelon, because of Kaigaku's desperate struggle, only grazed his scalp and half of his cheek!

Even so...

Although it didn't hit the head directly, chopping that ugly head into mincemeat.

But the terrifying impact and the accompanying sharp blade of energy still instantly tore off the skin and flesh of the left side of his face, along with his ear, revealing the stark white skull underneath!

Above the wound on his neck, which Zenitsu had previously slashed and which had not yet fully healed, there was an even deeper and more terrifying slash that almost reached his cervical spine!

If it weren't for the thin layer of skin that barely kept the head and body connected...

That one strike was enough to sever Kaigaku's entire head from his shoulder!