Shaking her head, Kuina no longer dwelled on these thoughts.
Instead, her gaze turned towards the distorted void behind the Demon King.
Her Observation Haki, combined with her electrical waves, allowed her to easily sense the difference between the two worlds. She could also feel Kouta’s familiar aura in the other world, along with another aura, more chaotic and powerful than that of the Demon King currently being fought by Ah Hua and the others in reality.
...
In the illusory dream world.
The silver-haired youth took a step forward, appearing in this world from nowhere.
This was the dream world conjured by the Uta Uta no Mi.
The last time he visited, it was still a dreamlike, colorful world.
But this time, only chaos remained.
The surrounding void was filled with numerous white five-line musical staves, and black musical notes, bound by the staves, writhed violently, trying to break free and attain freedom.
Within these black musical notes, Kouta saw the various greed and fantasies of countless people.
Regardless of the time or world, when speaking of "evil" and Demon Kings, negative emotions were always involved.
The human heart is a mirror. One side is a surface so dark that no light can penetrate it, and the other side is pure darkness.
There is no simple good or evil, only a shift in the heart's direction.
This is why, when humans are young and have not yet encountered the world, they exhibit truth, goodness, beauty, and the wickedness akin to demons.
The appearance of the Demon King was due to the greed of countless people and the emotions from the other side of the mirror. However, because it was formed from the emotions of the mirror world, it could not appear in the world on this side of the mirror.
This is why the forbidden musical scores and the Uta Uta no Mi appeared in this world.
It had to grow, it wanted to leave, and for that, it needed to become stronger. It needed to be strong enough to break the boundary between illusion and reality through its own power, rather than through musical scores, and merely sending a clone of its power into reality in Uta's world.
Therefore, it no longer merely consumed people's desires; it wanted more, much more.
For example, fear.
Looking at Uta, who was sitting with her knees hugged to her chest, head bowed in the dark, distorted void, Kouta's eyes revealed a trace of pity.
If not for the Uta Uta no Mi, the girl would surely be very happy right now!
At that moment, the Demon King also discovered Kouta. In its flame-burning, colossal eye sockets, the already chaotic pupils showed a flicker of emotion.
It felt a familiar aura on Kouta, an aura that did not belong to the outside world.
"You... you... who are you?"
Without making a move, the Demon King stared at Kouta, its fragmented voice transmitting a questioning interference.
"Who I am is not for you to know."
Gripping the hilt of Zankou with his right hand, Kouta slowly advanced.
Though he walked at a leisurely pace, each step was a moment in time, each step a world, like a flickering ghost. In a few steps, he appeared before the Demon King.
Clang clang clang!!
The friction between the sword and the scabbard emitted a faint metallic tremor.
Drawing Zankou, Kouta raised his hand, pointing the sword tip at the Demon King, and looked up sharply. "You only need to know that I am here to kill you."
"Kill... kill... me??"
As if hearing a funny joke, the Demon King was stunned for a moment, then threw its head back and burst into laughter.
"Ha... ha... Hahaha!!"
Its voice was like a broken radio, even in laughter, the creature was fragmented.
Kouta didn't waste any more words with the Demon King. So many people were waiting for him outside!
Kouta raised Zankou, gripping the sword with both hands, leaning forward, the blade resting on his shoulder, and then swung it fiercely towards the Demon King.
"Zan! Kou..."
This was the name of Zankou, and also his hope for Zankou – not to shatter the sky with a clash of Conqueror's Haki, creating false cracks, but to truly tear apart the void and sever space with absolute power.
There was no sword light, no thunder, and no imposing aura; all power seemed to be concentrated on the blade's edge.
As the blade sliced through the void, a black line connecting the entire world quietly appeared. With the passage of time, the black line gradually widened, expanded, and finally became a dark abyss spanning the entire world.
Of course, this dark abyss also spanned across the Demon King's body, interrupting its continuous laughter and the ear-splitting, unpleasant sounds it emitted.
An unprecedented sensation, along with intense pain, instantly filled the Demon King's entire body.
Although it would not die, Kouta's single strike had truly annihilated one-tenth of its body, meaning it had destroyed the power it had painstakingly acquired, and also shattered its desperate desire to manifest in reality.
"You... deserve to die."
The darkness gradually replaced the flame-burning pupils of the Demon King. Even the light purple flames that wrapped around its neck turned dark at this moment.
The infinite musical staves around them also writhed violently, becoming dangerous with the Demon King's rage.
Then, the Demon King's body, which had been completely severed by Kouta, exploded with a "bang" sound. Countless black abilities, like threads, strips, and mist, formed a black ocean that surged towards Kouta.
And the five-line musical staves that filled the entire void, at this moment, moved like sword lights, attacking Kouta simultaneously.
The Demon King was an incorporeal being to begin with. It gradually gained form by absorbing human desires. However, even so, it could not be simply treated as a living creature.
It was essentially a mass of power with rudimentary thought. It could be a Demon King, an angel, or anything in this world.
Upon realizing Kouta's strength, driven by instinctive apprehension, it did not engage Kouta with its conventional body. Instead, it decomposed into its most primitive state, intending to devour Kouta with the most basic desires derived from all things in the world.
Although the youth was powerful, the Demon King saw an even vaster future in him.
As long as it devoured the youth, it could completely escape from here.
"You want to devour me?"
Standing up, Kouta looked at the darkness surging from all directions, a mocking glint in his eyes.
He could feel the undisguised greed directed at him within that darkness.
At this moment, Kouta gripped the hilt of his sword. A flash of light split a white musical staff that shot towards him from the darkness behind him.
His single strike seemed to have opened Pandora's Box. Countless multi-colored lines shot towards him from the darkness. He shattered one, and another appeared, and then countless more.
And within the darkness, the black energy, like an inexhaustible ocean, seeped into Kouta's body, transforming into various monsters that incessantly attacked him.
Even though nothing could get close to Kouta outside the range of his sword light, due to the sheer numbers, he was temporarily trapped in the depths of darkness, unable to break free.