These insectoid demons weren't particularly strong in terms of ki, but they weren't so weak that they could be dismissed as mere wild animals.
It seemed their ability to burrow through the earth was extraordinary, allowing them to emerge from the deepest depths. Even Annin and Yamiru hadn't sensed them approaching in advance.
However, while these giant insect demons looked grotesque and terrifying, they were far less troublesome in battle compared to humanoid demons. There was a reason why the vast majority of powerful warriors in the universe were humanoid beings with limbs, torsos, and heads—such a form was simply the most suited for combat. The massive size of the insect demons, to seasoned fighters like Yamiru and his group, only made them sluggish and easier to evade.
The Earthling martial artists accompanying them were locked in fierce combat with the swarming giant insects. Though the scene appeared perilous, they held a solid advantage—it was only a matter of time before they finished them off.
Yamiru and Annin kept an eye on the others but didn't intervene. Before setting out, they had all agreed not to recklessly step in to save one another.
These warriors hadn't joined the expedition out of some shallow desire to help Annin and Yamiru. They had come purely because they dreamed of slaying even one more demon. For them, dying on the path of exterminating demons was a fate they could accept with peace of mind.
Yamiru's heart burned with intensity, the ki condensing around his fists growing fiercer. He swiftly dodged the pincer attacks of several giant insect demons, his golden eyes gleaming as the thick, polluted demonic energy in the air surged into his body.
In an instant, Yamiru transformed—his body now covered in black, armored scales, a whip-like tail lashing behind him, his form that of a monstrous, clawed beast. The white light gathered in his clenched fist darkened as if tainted.
"Compared to when we were in Samuel's castle… his ki has grown even stronger!" Annin observed, sensing the eerie, unnatural quality of Yamiru's transformed state. "And now, he resembles a demon even more—less like his own ki."
Yet, while his energy bore a striking resemblance to that of a demon, it was not the same.
Annin didn't understand how he had achieved this, but the truth was undeniable: Yamiru had somehow found a way to absorb the infernal energy from the environment and make it his own.
Originally, while Yamiru possessed extraordinary martial skill, his raw power had never been particularly overwhelming. But through this unorthodox method, he had forcibly elevated his combat strength to new heights.
It was hard to imagine how he had managed to adapt to and control such rapidly amplified power with nothing but his own martial prowess.
But Yamiru had done it.
When Annin first encountered him in the depths of Samuel the Demon King's castle, she had already been shocked by the sheer might of his transformed state.
And now, after this time apart, his power had grown yet again.
The oppressive aura radiating from his monstrous draconic form was something even Annin couldn't ignore—she had no choice but to take it seriously.
That said, even if this power had been forcibly absorbed, once it entered Yamiru's body, it became his. And if it was his ki, then it reflected his heart.
Still, Annin couldn't help but wonder—how was Yamiru able to maintain his rationality despite the immense demonic energy corroding his body?
Yet, against all odds, he had done it. Deep within that demon-like ki, the unshakable core of Yamiru's spirit remained—tempered like refined steel, calm as a mirror-like lake. No matter how turbid and bloated his energy became, his essence remained untarnished. To Annin's heightened senses, it shone like gold reflecting light through thick black mist.
And that was precisely why she never saw Yamiru as a demon.
Even if, from head to toe, he now resembled nothing less than a purebred monster.
Without hesitation, Yamiru gathered his strength and unleashed a devastating punch toward the horde of insects.
Back in the original timeline, during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, Goku's bare-handed punch had been enough to send the adult Gine flying out of the ring. But the power behind Yamiru's demonic strike now far surpassed that Goku—he had grown too much.
A visible torrent of energy erupted forward, tearing through the air like a storm of blades, shredding over a dozen giant insects into gory fragments and carving a deep trench into the ground.
"What a brutal technique…"
Annin watched from the side, then swiftly intercepted a charging insect demon. Her slender fist clenched as she analyzed Yamiru's attack.
In an instant, she replicated the principle behind his strike, condensing her own ki into her fist before delivering a devastating blow to the insect's armored carapace.
Unlike energy-based attacks, this was a pure shockwave—similar to the techniques used by the original King Piccolo when he obliterated a section of West City, or Nappa when he casually leveled East City with a flick of his fingers. Even Goku's later technique of making the ground explode with a glare on Namek to bury Vegeta's corpse followed the same principle, differing only in scale and power.
However, Annin's punch lacked the same overwhelming ferocity as Yamiru's. Instead, all her force was concentrated into the single insect demon before her—its massive body detonating from within.
At that moment, her expression suddenly changed—the exploded remains of the insect demon were spewing thick, dark-yellow mist!
"Watch out! These things release poison when they die—!"
Annin swiftly leaped back, soaring into the air as she shouted a warning to her companions.
But it was already too late.
The other martial artists had already slain many demons. Though most hadn't annihilated them as violently as Yamiru and Annin, plenty of the giant insect demons' shattered corpses were now emitting the same sinister yellow haze. Before they could react, the fighters had already inhaled a significant amount.
Hearing Annin's urgent cry, they frowned.
They weren't afraid of death—but dying like this would be too bitter a fate.
Yet, after a few moments, none of them felt any ill effects. They exchanged glances, confirming that their minds were still clear, their senses unclouded.
"Seems like nothing's wrong?" they muttered in confusion.
Annin wasn't so sure. Had her past encounters with Samuel's toxins made her overly cautious?
Meanwhile, Yamiru—whose brutal strikes had left the insect demons in pieces rather than releasing much of the strange mist—suddenly tensed as he observed the spreading haze. There was something eerily familiar about this dark-yellow vapor… as if he had encountered it before.
"Whatever it is, it can't be good. Best to stay wary."
He swept his palm forward, unleashing a controlled gust of wind—not meant to harm, but to disperse the mist. The others followed suit, keeping their distance and using their own techniques to blow away the eerie fumes whenever they felled another insect demon.
And so, the group fought carefully, maintaining space, darting back and forth across hundreds of meters. After what felt like half a day, they finally eradicated the entire swarm.
"To think they were warped into such monstrosities…"
They stared grimly at the shattered remains of the insect demons.
The enemies they had just slain might have once been their own kin. Yamiru couldn't fully grasp the weight of that realization for Annin and the others—so he simply stood in silence.
After a moment of solemn quiet, Annin flicked her wrist, hurling several ki blasts at the still-fuming corpses. The remains erupted into flames.
"Let's go. We press on." She turned away.
The reason they weren't flying straight toward the demon king's location was twofold: first, high-speed flight risked alerting their enemy prematurely; second, it drained too much energy. Even Annin wasn't willing to exhaust herself before confronting the demon king. The others, with their lesser stamina, would have needed to stop and rest mid-flight anyway—so marching on foot was the more practical choice.
"What do you think?"
Yamiru exhaled sharply, steam rolling from his lips as he adjusted to rapidly purging the demonic energy from his body. His monstrous draconic form receded like a tide, leaving his human figure walking beside Annin. The future Supreme Elderly Lord, clad in warrior's garb, stood tall—her height nearly matching his, though the twin plumes atop her head made her seem even more imposing.
"About what?"
"The power I just used," Yamiru said. "Do you think it's enough to take on the demon king?"
"If you mean the Great Demon King Satan…"
Annin was about to shake her head when suddenly—both she and Yamiru stiffened, their gazes snapping upward. A figure plummeted from the stormy skies, crashing heavily near them.
"Another demon attack?"
"A bird? Or a winged dinosaur?"
"Not a demon," Yamiru quickly assessed. "This one's ki feels… pure."
Annin nodded in agreement as they approached. "But it's faint. Could they be injured?"
The Earthling fighters had already reached the crash site, hauling the figure up. It was a burly middle-aged man—with one very distinctive feature: a receding hairline and, right in the center of his gleaming forehead, a third eye.
"Oof… finally… finally got away from those damn bugs…" The three-eyed, balding man wheezed, his legs wobbling. "Thank you… I've been running from those cursed insects for days… hiding in the sky…"