After a brainless-looking C-class demon barged into Charles's camp, Charles knew it was time to move.
In fact, Charles felt there was a significant flaw in Sensui's plan.
Indeed, A-class and even S-class demons have the power to cause disasters capable of wiping out humanity, but demons of that level aren't necessarily willing to come to the Human World.
The Demon World isn't like a prison penned in by a barrier; it's a vast world. Most great demons are doing just fine there and really look down on the Human World.
Take Hiei, for example—he has no attachment to the Human World and has always wanted to return to the Demon World.
In fact, high-level demons in the Demon World have already mastered ways to bypass the seal; it's fair to say the seal was never what stopped them from entering the Human World.
Put another way, in ancient times the Human and Demon Worlds were one.
The time they've been separated is probably not even a fraction of that era, and humanity didn't go extinct back then. The notion that opening a gateway could annihilate humanity just doesn't add up.
At most, it would inflict considerable damage on the Human World—and not because of the great demons.
After all, great demons aren't so lacking in class that they'd go on a rampage slaughtering powerless humans.
Relatively speaking, what's more dangerous to humanity as a whole are low-level demons that act purely on instinct, like the one that charged into Charles's camp.
So Charles and Stella rushed over and, along the way, wiped out every demon they found.
When the two reached Devil's Cave, they could already feel the special fluctuations emanating from within.
They also ran into Genkai and the others waiting outside the cave.
Genkai was pleasantly surprised to see Charles, thinking he had come to stop Sensui from opening the Demon World gateway.
From Genkai, Charles learned what had happened.
Yusuke Urameshi's group had learned of Devil's Cave from clues provided by Koenma.
But before they could act, Sensui's side struck first. The vanguard were Doctor Minoru Kamiya and Seaman Kiyoshi Mitarai.
Yusuke and the others carelessly stepped into their trap. Although they defeated the two, Kuwabara was abducted by Sensui, who appeared afterward.
During the battle, Kuwabara sensed Mitarai's pain and saved him despite being injured, moving Mitarai to agree to help Yusuke stop Sensui.
Led by Mitarai, Yusuke's group entered Devil's Cave to rescue Kuwabara.
Uncertain of the envoys' abilities, they decided only those with sufficient fighting power would go in.
After defeating the one codenamed Game Master, Tsukihito Amanuma, the others withdrew from the cave.
It seemed Sensui was using the classic villain routine of sending his subordinates to fight Yusuke and the others one by one.
After taking it all in, Charles immediately set off and entered the cave with Stella.
As Mitarai had explained, the interior of Devil's Cave was complex—a gigantic natural maze.
Fortunately, when Yusuke's group had passed through earlier, Kurama had left glowing Demon World plants as markers, sparing Charles the trouble of searching.
Though the glowing plants didn't continue deeper in, Charles had already locked onto the Demon World Tunnel's location.
Lit by some unknown source, the space deep within the cave was bright enough that when Charles arrived, he could clearly see Sensui pummeling Yusuke.
More precisely, it was Shi, one of Sensui's seven personalities. Shinobu Sensui himself should be even stronger; if he had been the one fighting, Yusuke wouldn't have been trading blows as evenly as he was.
Come to think of it, Charles suddenly realized that when Sensui came to see him last time, he hadn't used the brainwashing-adept Shi but the Shinobu Sensui personality.
In the original plot, that personality doesn't show up until the end; he truly feared that if a clash broke out, the other personalities wouldn't even be able to flee.
Seeing Charles suddenly appear now, Sensui instinctively switched to Shinobu Sensui.
At a moment like this, with Charles showing up out of nowhere, Sensui couldn't help but suspect he was here to stop him.
Surprisingly, Yusuke also looked displeased, as if he resented Charles as a powerful reinforcement.
Charles, of course, knew what Yusuke was thinking—he didn't want his opponent stolen again like at the Dark Tournament.
Charles glanced at a nearby bizarre withered tree that clearly didn't belong to the Human World; inside it he could sense Elder Toguro's frenzied aura.
That should be Gourmet, Makihara, one of the Demon World envoys. His awakened ability was Devour. His domain was within his own body, allowing him to swallow living beings and wield their abilities.
He had swallowed Elder Toguro, whom Sensui had brought back, but Elder Toguro's immortality turned around and corroded Makihara's body.
Kurama saw through him, so he used the Sinning Tree to seal him in an illusion that only death could dispel. But because he's immortal, he can only sink forever into a battle with no end.
His powerful ability became the very condition that gave form to the seal. Even Charles couldn't help sighing over Elder Toguro's fate. Then again, given Elder Toguro's nature, this outcome suited him well.
Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara were nowhere to be seen; Itsuki had also disappeared, and even Koenma, who had entered the cave later, was missing.
But the huge human-shaped shadow on the wall reminded Charles of Itsuki's ability. It seemed they had all been taken into hyperspace.
Charles turned back to the two and waved. "I'm just here to watch the show. Do whatever you were doing."
Sensui and Yusuke looked at each other. To be honest, Charles's perfunctory line sounded like a brush-off.
Just then, Charles stomped his foot beside him, and flames surged.
Yusuke thought Charles had changed his mind, but then he heard a piercing scream.
Charles tilted his head toward the human-shaped shadow cast on the rock wall. "I said I wouldn't intervene, so behave yourself, okay?"
Sensui knew that had been Itsuki controlling the hyperspace creature Linan, trying to drag Charles into hyperspace to keep him from getting in the way.
He hadn't expected Charles not only to detect Linan's move but to injure it.
In a gentle voice, Sensui said, "How surprising. Your flames can burn through space itself? Should I be grateful you're not my enemy?"
Yusuke was the first to bristle, shouting, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean? You looking down on me?"
As he spoke, Yusuke rushed forward and threw a punch.
Yusuke then realized that Shinobu Sensui was a completely different existence from the Shi he had fought before.
The Shi personality used Resshuken, hailed as the strongest hand-to-hand technique, which had indeed given Yusuke plenty of trouble.
But only after switching back to his primary personality did Sensui reveal his true might. He didn't use any special martial art; he simply caught Yusuke's wrist and snapped his arm, relying on nothing but purer, overwhelming strength.
Yusuke screamed, then was slammed to the ground by Sensui.
Straightening up, Sensui said, "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Shinobu Sensui. Pleased to meet you."
Now that's polite!
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