Chapter 112: Demon Subjugation (Part 2)

The white energy clones emerging from Taro's body each locked onto a distinct demonic presence.

However, this was only possible because Taro, seated in the clouds, focused his spiritual power to identify over 400 demonic presences at once. Simultaneously, he employed the Nine Tomoe Rinnegan's technique to maintain and control the energy clones, directing them to their targets.

It was as if he were multitasking on a scale unimaginable to ordinary beings—controlling hundreds of avatars while acting as the central node of perception and coordination.

If not for the decades he spent training his mind under the Holy mage, even someone as powerful as Taro could not have managed such a feat. The mental fortitude required for such an endeavor was beyond comprehension.

In the thin air of the upper atmosphere, Taro sat cross-legged in stillness, his eyes closed, his face unwavering.

Through his heightened senses, the paths of his energy clones created vague projections of the terrain they passed over. Hundreds of images melded in his mind, forming an incomplete yet expansive map of the Earth.

Martial artists of a high caliber could use their refined ki to perceive and outline the shapes of objects and beings they sensed. In the original story, this was demonstrated when Mr. Popo trained Son Goku to detect ki, allowing him to fight for a bell without using his eyes. Similarly, when Son Goku reached this level, he visualized Mr. Popo's form with his mind and successfully captured the bell.

In the thin, frigid air high above, Taro remained motionless. Wisps of mist swirled around him, blending into a sea of white clouds. The faint sound of a howling wind echoed in the serene sky.

---

A demon warrior, holding a scroll, grinned wickedly as he approached a group of humans cowering in the ruins.

"D-Don't come any closer!"

"Monster! Go away!"

"Please, spare us!"

"We don't know the person in the portrait…"

"I don't want to die!"

With every step the demon warrior took, the humans huddled in the corner of the ruins grew more frantic, their nerves stretched to the breaking point.

They had nowhere left to run, the last survivors in this place, yet they were still found by this terrifying demon.

Suddenly, a woman in a tattered work uniform succumbed to the crushing pressure, breaking down entirely. She wailed uncontrollably, her cries piercing the tense silence. "I don't want to die! Please, don't come any closer…" Her voice rose to a scream as she scrambled on hands and knees, desperate to escape.

"Hmph." The demon warrior sneered, a mixture of disdain and mockery in his expression. He flicked his hand, releasing a blazing stream of energy. The beam tore through the air with a sharp whoosh, piercing the fleeing woman's back as despair filled the eyes of those watching.

The woman let out a garbled gasp, her lungs destroyed by the attack. Her face turned ashen as she collapsed forward, her arm outstretched as if reaching for salvation in the distance.

The demon warrior sneered as he gathered a massive energy blast in his hand, aiming it at the humans cowering amidst the ruins. His cruel, bloodthirsty smile widened.

"So fragile… Blame yourselves for being such repulsive humans!"

Despair permeated the air, thick and suffocating.

Yet, among the trembling humans, some still refused to yield. Even in the face of insurmountable power, there were always those who would not bend, who would not break. One of them struck the ground in frustration. "Damn it! Why are we so weak?"

With a roar, the demon warrior launched the energy blast.

A white figure descended from the heavens.

Just as the energy wave was about to annihilate the crowd, a figure landed atop the fiery projectile, as if drawn to it by an invisible force. With a graceful movement midair, the white figure twisted its body and, with a single kick, deflected the energy wave back toward its origin.

The blast struck the demon warrior, scorching half his body. He winced in pain, his expression shifting from rage to shock as he stared at the glowing figure standing protectively before the humans.

This… thing wasn't human. It didn't even have a face. How could it be human?

"What are you, monster?!" the demon warrior shouted, pointing at the glowing white entity.

His shout jolted the humans behind the figure. They finally noticed it wasn't a person. While its form resembled a human's, it lacked any distinguishing features—no clothing, no visible muscles, no fingers or hair. It was simply a humanoid mass of radiant energy.

"What is that thing?" the humans murmured among themselves, cautious yet curious. They had learned from the demon invasion that the world was far stranger than they had imagined, with forces beyond scientific explanation capable of toppling human civilization.

The energy clone, however, was not a sentient being capable of answering. It was merely an extension of Taro's ki, unlike the independent clones of the ninja world. When the demon warrior received no response, he hesitated briefly before attacking again, only to be effortlessly countered by the clone.

With a flurry of swift kicks and a final, devastating palm strike, the clone blasted the demon warrior's remaining body into a charred ruin.

The warrior crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll, disbelief etched onto his face. How could something so strange possess such power? He was supposed to be an elite among demons, yet he hadn't stood a chance.

Purple demon blood dripped onto the earth as dizziness overtook him.

'I must escape! Only the Demon King can deal with this thing!' Despair clouded his mind, but then he noticed the white figure wasn't pursuing him. It remained motionless, standing guard before the humans.

At the same moment, across hundreds of locations on Earth, similar scenes unfolded.

By rivers and in forests, on islands and coasts, countless humans who had narrowly escaped or were on the brink of destruction found themselves protected by the same white figures. These silent guardians, resembling mannequins, stood between the demons and their prey, only reacting when attacked.

The demons, startled and wary, couldn't make sense of these entities. Likewise, the humans, saved by the glowing figures, exchanged puzzled glances, unsure what to make of their mysterious saviors.

In a valley, a demon warrior who attempted to attack a hidden group of humans was intercepted. The energy clone swatted him aside with an elongated arm and casually tore off one of his legs. The demon screamed in agony, purple blood spraying through the air.

"What is this thing…" The warrior, now crippled, trembled in fear. It was clear he couldn't match this being, which attacked without hesitation yet showed no intent to kill him outright.

All across the world, the same pattern repeated. Surviving humans looked on with awe and suspicion at their saviors, while demons grew increasingly frustrated and fearful.

Then, a voice echoed in everyone's minds.

"The demon invasion has claimed tens of thousands of lives."

The words reverberated in their consciousness, bypassing their ears entirely.

"Who's speaking?" panicked humans whispered, clutching their heads.

"Is it… in our minds?" someone murmured, confused.

"Is it a god?" an elderly man with snow-white hair exclaimed, tears streaming down his face. How he had survived thus far was a miracle in itself. "I've heard tales of divine beings who grant mortals their wishes…"

The demons, watching the humans mutter among themselves, grew even more unsettled. One attempted to flee by flying skyward, but the energy clone caught up in an instant, tearing off one of its arms and slamming it back to the ground with a single punch.

The deep, almost magical voice continued to resonate within everyone's minds:

"Skyscrapers have crumbled. Cities are destroyed at the hands of the demons."

Memories of the cities they had once called home surfaced in their minds. Even if life had been difficult for some, at least they had a roof over their heads, a place to call home. Now, those homes were nothing more than ruins; their cities reduced to ash and rubble.

"Your loved ones, your dearest friends, everyone you knew—they were all slain by these monsters."

Faces of the fallen flashed before their eyes. A mother crushed by a massive boulder, a child vaporized in an instant. Someone recalled the day it began—the fiery energy waves unleashed by the demons blanketed the entire city in explosions, an apocalyptic cacophony. The images they had tried to suppress now surged forth, breaking the dam of their emotions.

A young man fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he relived his mother's final words, spoken with her last breath: "Run… my child…"

"Do you not hate them?"

A man bellowed, his bloodshot eyes wide with rage. He pounded the ground with his fists until they were raw and bleeding. "How could we not hate them!?"

"Would you not wish to destroy them all?"

"Rip them apart! Devour their flesh! Drink their blood!" another shouted through gritted teeth. His family had perished in the hellfire that descended from the skies, their remains obliterated. Even the toughest of men broke down, his body shaking with sobs. "But… we don't have the power!"

"Then take a step forward."

In that instant, across the world, the white figures—Taro's ki projections—began to transform. Their backs opened like intricate machinery, and their forms reshaped themselves into suits of ki-constructed armor. Their arms elongated into gleaming, razor-sharp blades.

"Pick up the courage you've lost. Use your own hands to destroy these demons."

---

In the Other World, King Kai waited and waited on his small planet but still saw no sign of Taro.

"Where the heck did that rascal run off to?" King Kai muttered, swatting away Bubbles, who had wandered too close. Stroking his chin thoughtfully, he decided to take a look at Earth.

With a twitch of the antennas on his head, his divine senses extended toward the mortal realm. Within moments, his perspective shifted to Earth, where he immediately recognized Taro's familiar ki signature.

"Huh? Why is his ki so scattered?"

He first located Taro meditating amidst the clouds. Then, as he focused more intently, he sensed the hundreds of ki projections spread across the Earth. Each one was a part of Taro himself, created from his ki, and thus bore the same unmistakable energy.

"This is impossible! The demons from Earth's Demon Realm have escaped? Wait, who are these Earthlings talking to…?" King Kai muttered to himself as he observed the scene unfolding on Earth. Suddenly, his gaze shifted to Taro, who remained seated in meditation among the clouds. His eyes widened in realization.

"Hah! I see now! Taro has already mastered a mental magic skill on par with that Mage? Incredible! Though…" King Kai stroked his chin, clearly impressed yet slightly uneasy. "If he can only use it within Earth's range, I suppose my reputation as the great North Kai is still safe! Imagine if he could use this across galaxies—how would I ever show my face again!"

He, of course, could not hear the telepathic exchange between Taro and the humans on Earth.

Noticing the transformation of Taro's ki projections into armors and weapons, King Kai sighed and shook his head. "Tsk. What's the point of all that effort? So unnecessary… so much extra work…"

---

"Stop hiding! Come out and face me!"

Tsuru clung to the ancient tree's trunk, his breathing shallow as he suppressed his energy signature. Above him, the demon's taunting voice echoed through the forest. Tsuru's heart pounded in his chest like a drum. He was drenched in cold sweat, his mind racing with despair. He had already seen one of the horrors unleashed by King Piccolo—an abomination that left him utterly hopeless. And now?

This demon's aura was even more terrifying, even more suffocating. The very air seemed to freeze under its oppressive presence.

This is it, Tsuru thought bitterly. The world's end has come. Not even Master Mutaito himself could stop this with a hundred Mafuba techniques…

High above the forest, the demon warrior smirked, his hand outstretched as a massive ki blast began forming in his palm. Its energy churned with destructive intent, lighting up the dim canopy below.

"Since you refuse to come out and die, I'll incinerate this entire forest instead! Burn in agony, human!"

Tsuru felt the heat of the gathering energy above him. His fists clenched, but there was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

So, this is how it ends… He smiled faintly, a resigned expression crossing his face. An old man like me should have died a hundred years ago. Dying today changes nothing.

He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the end.

Suddenly, the demonic aura above him wavered violently, and a deafening crash followed. The ground trembled as if struck by a massive force. Tsuru's eyes snapped open in disbelief.

"The demon… what happened?" he murmured, his voice shaking.

Focusing his senses, he felt a new presence occupying the air where the demon once hovered.

"This ki… why does it feel so familiar?" Tsuru whispered, confused. Taro's ki had changed significantly over time due to his transformation, rendering it almost unrecognizable to those who once knew him.

'The demons have invaded the mortal realm. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost.'

The sudden voice in his head made Tsuru flinch. His eyes darted around the dense, dark forest, but he saw no one.

"What… what is this?" Tsuru muttered, his voice hushed.

'Skyscrapers have crumbled. Cities have been annihilated at the hands of demons.'

'Your loved ones, your friends, everyone you knew—they have all been slaughtered.'

'Do you not hate them?'

'Would you not wish to destroy these demons?'

'Then take a step forward.'

'Reclaim the courage you've lost. With your own hands, destroy these demons.'

Tsuru's face contorted, caught between laughter and tears. His emotions churned with disbelief and raw intensity. Finally, he blurted out, "It's Taro?! It's really Taro?!"