Chapter 32

The Power to Devour is the 32nd chapter of the InuYasha manga.

Summary

 * Shippō bites into Manten's neck to save Kagome's life.
 * Inuyasha hurls the Tessaiga which kills Manten.
 * Hiten vows to avenge his brother's death.

Synopsis

 * InuyashaChapter32InuyashaThrowsTessaigaKillingManten.jpg has disarmed Inuyasha of his Tessaiga, teasing the half-demon. "Look you, Manten! Our canine friend has lost his bark." Manten is slowly strangling Kagome to death, and responds back to his elder brother that he should take his time killing the half-demon, because he doesn't want to rush killing the mortal wench. The younger brother muses to himself "Hee hee hee... Has there ever been a lovelier sight than the face of a dying woman?" Then, Shippō breaks free of Manten's hold and demands that he let Kagome go. The evil Manten of course, refuses, but says that maybe the little fox would like to join his father. He points to the pelt around his waist which belonged to Shippō's father. "Would you like me to make a hood of you, or an ascot?" Shippō grows angry over the insults, pouncing onto the demon's neck and biting with all his might. Manten tries to pull him off but to no avail. "My, a tick! What else to do but twist off its head?" Shippō closes his eyes and bites harder, thinking to himself that he'll never let go, not even in death.
 * Inuyasha addresses Hiten with a scoff, saying he's not very refined himself, but he's disgusted by the actions of the two brothers. Hiten bids the halfling farewell, about to pierce his heart with the Thunder-pike, when Inuyasha tears into his shoulder wound, slashing at Hiten shouting "Blades of blood!", using the technique to distract Hiten for a few seconds while he dashes and retrives his Tessaiga. Hiten smiles and appreciates the tougher challenge, shouting "Much better, much better!" After retrieving his sword, Inuyasha takes the Tessaiga in hand and throws it toward Hiten, who dodges it easily. Hiten asks "What sort of aim is that?!" Inuyasha responds that it's perfect aim. The next panel shows Kagome,InuyashaChapter32HitenIsACannibalYum.jpg asking Shippō if he's okay. The panel after that reveals that the Tessaiga has impaled Manten in the chest; Inuyasha threw it there to save Kagome. Manten falls to the ground, dead, with the sword in his back. Kagome grabs the Tessaiga, saying she has to take it back to Inuyasha, but Shippō mumbles that they have to get his father's pelt.
 * In a rage over his brother's murder, Hiten flies over toward Manten's corpse, using a lightning attack on Kagome & Shippō before she has a chance to recover the Tessaiga, but the strike misses the two of them barely, hitting the ground and making them fall down a nearby hill. Inuyasha rushes over, thinking Kagome has been killed, but she awakens unharmed. Inuyasha asks her why she dawdled by Manten's body for so long, and she says she wanted to get the Tessaiga, but she couldn't. She feels bad, because he saved her life and she didn't do anything helpful. Inuyasha says he's just glad she's alive.
 * InuyashaChapter32Hiten'sRage.jpg Hiten sobs over his brother's corpse. He then tears out Manten's heart from his chest. "I swore my brother, to be with you forever..." He then eats Manten's heart. Kagome is disgusted by the display, but Myōga explains that all Hiten is really doing is ingesting his brother's demonic powers. He warns Inuyasha to be even more careful in the battle ahead. Inuyasha & Kagome yell at the flea, because once again he disappeared when they needed his advice the most. Suddenly, a huge flash appears and Inuyasha grabs Kagome, jumping away from the attack; it melted away the hill Kagome & Inuyasha were resting on. Hiten glares at them both angrily. "My brother, my only... is lost. I will not let this pass."'' Inuyasha thinks to himself that he can definitely tell that Hiten has grown stronger, so Myōga was right. He then tells Kagome to take Shippō and get as far away from the battlefield as possible. She reluctantly obeys him, hoping that he stays safe.
 * Hiten fires a huge blast of lightning at the half-demon, telling him that "Playtime is over!!" The attack is so massive that Inuyasha has no place to go in order to dodge it. Myōga tells him to use the scabbard.

Trivia

 * In the anime, Hiten simply bites into Manten's forehead and takes his two Shikon shards; there is no mention of inheriting his brother's demonic powers, he simply becomes more powerful from having his brother's shards. In the Manga however, Hiten possesses only three shards throughout the entirety of the battle.