Demon Slayer Chapter 116

Demon Slayer Chapter 116, titled "Awful Villain," introduces Hantengu's terrifying new form, Zohakuten, escalating the battle in the Swordsmith Village Arc to new heights of desperation and revealing the demon's twisted sense of justice. The chapter opens with Tanjiro Kamado relentlessly pushing his flaming blade, attempting to force it through Hantengu's neck. The demon continues its high-pitched screeching, but Tanjiro refuses to waver, his determination unwavering. Suddenly, a dark figure appears behind them, and Tanjiro notices that it doesn't emit the familiar scent of any of the previous emotion demons. Opting to ignore it, he persists in his attempt to decapitate Hantengu, but his sword momentarily loses power from Nezuko Kamado's Blood Demon Art. Genya Shinazugawa aims his gun at the mysterious figure behind Tanjiro, but he is unable to shoot without potentially hitting his teammate, highlighting the perilous situation and the unexpected nature of the new threat.

The mysterious demon strikes a drum, and immediately, a giant, dragon-faced tree sprouts from the ground, engulfing the battlefield. Nezuko barely manages to leap in and save her brother from the attack, losing her leg in the process. She instantly regrows it before they land, but suffers a great loss of energy. As Tanjiro ensures Nezuko's safety, the newly formed demon begins to speak, naming the negative emotions emitted by individuals who are "pure evil," specifically those who harm the weak. Infuriated, Tanjiro realizes there are now six demons, yet he can no longer sense the previous four emotion clones. Genya, witnessing the emergence of this sixth demon, alarmingly recounts that it used to be Sekido, the anger demon. However, after Tanjiro struck Hantengu's neck, Sekido had forcefully absorbed his three counterparts—Karaku, Urogi, and Aizetsu—and transformed into the powerful, child-like demon before them, now known as Zohakuten. This shocking revelation unveils Hantengu's true, terrifying ability to combine his clones, creating an even more formidable adversary.

Zohakuten strikes another drum, conjuring massive tree trunks that wrap around Hantengu, shielding him from further attacks. Tanjiro attempts to intervene, but he and Genya are both held back by the sheer strength of Zohakuten's aura, a direct result of Hantengu's power growing as his situation worsens. The demon labels Tanjiro and Genya as "evil," and when Tanjiro demands an explanation, Zohakuten replies that the label is reserved for those who try to hurt the weak. Furious at his words, which glaringly contradict the fact that Hantengu has devoured hundreds of innocent humans, Tanjiro loudly vows to cut him down, his rage fueling his determination. This dramatic conclusion to Demon Slayer Chapter 116 sets the stage for a desperate and brutal battle against Zohakuten, highlighting Hantengu's hypocrisy and solidifying Tanjiro's resolve to defeat this ultimate form of evil in the captivating Swordsmith Village Arc of the Demon Slayer manga.