Rokuro face covered in black patterns and broke out in a cold sweat.
he never expected that this withered old man before him would have such bizarre and ferocious techniques, almost causing him to lose control.
Logically speaking, an old man of this age shouldn't possess such strength.
Humans and Demons are different.
Demons have nearly endless lifespans, their bodies don't age and they can continuously grow stronger over time.
But humans can't.
Their short lives make it impossible for them to compare to Demons.
The Demon Slayer Corps' swordsmen, who practice Breathing Techniques, are indeed strong. However, even the strongest swordsmen will age, their muscles will deteriorate and their breathing will weaken as they grow older.
Demons grow stronger over time, while human swordsmen, including the rumored strongest 'Hashira', will only decline after reaching their peak.
Yet, Rokuro sensed something entirely different from the old man before him.
In Rokuro eyes, the aura around Elder Moriki was growing increasingly powerful.
His withered muscles were becoming fuller and his breathing was growing stronger. He was like a dried-up sponge, continuously absorbing water and expanding.
"Something's wrong with this old man! Is it his Breathing Technique? Forest Breathing? I've never heard of it. Is this a new technique from the Demon Slayer Corps?" Rokuro expression turned fierce as he cautiously observed the old man across from him.
As a Demon that had lived for nearly a century, Rokuro had witnessed multiple changes among the Lower Moons.
Unlike the nearly unchanging Upper Moons, the competition among the Lower Moons was exceptionally fierce. In just a few years, there could be two or even three bloody battles for the position.
Additionally, many Lower Moons had died at the hands of the Demon Slayer Corps. It could be said that becoming a Lower Moon and maintaining that position was no easy feat.
From the moment he became a Lower Moon to his current position as Lower Moon Four, Rokuro had always remained cautious. Unlike other Demons who craved power and slaughter, Rokuro had ambition, but he valued his life even more.
Rokuro knew that if he wanted to grow stronger, he would need to consume more humans, gain more favor from "that person" and obtain more blood.
But all of this had to be built on the foundation of staying alive.
Therefore, Rokuro had always deliberately hidden his tracks and avoided large-scale killings that would attract the attention of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Quietly and steadily growing stronger was his goal.
From the team the Demon Slayer Corps had sent to hunt him down, it was clear that Rokuro had succeeded in this.
No one had anticipated that the Demon on Shirai Mountain would be a Lower Moon.
Thinking of this, Rokuro couldn't help but recall another Demon, one ranked below him as a Lower Moon. That Demon didn't seem to be obsessed with wanton slaughter or status but instead indulged in childlike play, even wasting the blood bestowed by "that person."
Strangely, "that person" had tolerated his behavior, which was simply unbelievable.
Although Rokuro didn't understand why "that person" valued him so much, he didn't dare to imitate such behavior.
Elder Moriki techniques grew even more ferocious and Rokuro couldn't help but feel he need to retreat.
It wasn't that he couldn't defeat Elder Moriki, he just didn't want to waste his energy on this withered old man.
Suddenly!
The battlefield underwent a sudden change.
Elder Moriki originally swift attack abruptly halted for a moment and it was this moment that allowed Rokuro to seize the opportunity.
The whistling meteor hammer hurtled straight toward Elder Moriki head.
At the critical moment when the hammer was just 0.01 centimeters away from his forehead, Elder Moriki swiftly raised his Nichirin Blade, blocking the fatal strike.
However, the terrifying impact force of the meteor hammer still sent Elder Moriki flying backward, crashing into a large tree with a loud boom.
Elder Moriki also spat out a mouthful of blood.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he struggled to his feet, leaning on his Nichirin Blade.
He looked at his sword-wielding arm.
Beneath his clothes, the bulging muscles appeared full and robust, but in the end it was merely the effect of the Breath of the Forest.
He was truly old.
"Old man! I see your weakness now. I've changed my mind—you'll die here along with these little insects!" Rokuro sneered cruelly, his fingers lightly flicking as dozens of meteor hammers whistled toward Elder Moriki.
"Cough, cough. In the name of Moriki, I will fight to my last breath!" Elder Moriki aged face was filled with determination.
"Die!"
Whoosh!!
Suddenly, Rokuro vision blurred as a shadow, swift as lightning, pounced onto his face, followed by a sharp pain.
This distraction caused the meteor hammers aimed at Elder Moriki to lose control, allowing him to dodge them easily.
When Rokuro frantically pulled the shadow off his face, he saw a small black Shiba Inu baring its teeth and barking fiercely at him.
Rokuro face was covered in wounds and saliva from Maru-ni bites.
"Where did this beast come from?!"
Enraged, Rokuro slammed Maru-ni hard onto the ground and a heavy meteor hammer came crashing down toward the little dog.
But Maru-ni had already entered Demon transformation state.
Its eyes turned crimson and it speed became as fast as lightning, allowing it to easily evade the attack.
It quickly circled behind Rokuro and before Rokuro could react, a deep blue Nichirin Blade was thrust straight into his back.
Clang!!
A sharp metallic clashing sound rang out.
A Demon hand firmly grasped the blade of the deep blue Nichirin Blade.
Rokuro expression twisted into a snarl as he glared at the figure who had ambushed him.
The hand gripping the hilt of the Nichirin Blade also had sharp black claws, bloodshot black eyes, and fangs protruding from his lips.
The one who had ambushed him was actually a Demon!?
Shinichi gripped the Nichirin Blade with all his strength, veins bulging on his forehead, but the blade in his hand seemed as immovable as if it were stuck in a massive boulder.
"You... you're a Demon too! How dare you wield a Nichirin Blade? What are you trying to do?!"
Rokuro roared, his arm exerting force as it swung Shinichi and the Nichirin Blade together, hurling them away.
Bang!!
Shinichi body crashed through a tree and he fell to the ground in a heap.
But the special body of a Demon allowed Shinichi to quickly stand up as if nothing had happened.
He grabbed the Nichirin Blade and turned his gaze toward Rokuro.
At that moment, Rokuro was struggling to pull Maru-ni, who was clinging to his body.
With a sickening crack, he ruthlessly tore apart Maru-ni small body and flung it away.
In the brief moment of their encounter, Shinichi also saw the kanji in Rokuro eyes.
Based on the information he had previously obtained from the Demon Karasuma, it was clear that this bearded Demon before him was one of the legendary Twelve Kizuki, a status coveted by countless Demons.
'The Twelve Kizuki are indeed strong. Their power, speed and reflexes far surpass mine. I'm no match for him.' Shinichi realized the gap between himself and Rokuro within seconds and it was not just a small difference.
Yet, even so, Shinichi did not turn and flee. If he were to run away in disgrace just from facing a Twelve Kizuki, how could he ever hope to take revenge on that man called Muzan?
Moreover, Shinichi didn't believe he could easily escape from this Lower Moon Demon in front of him.
Thus, the two Demons, with their vastly different strengths, stood in a tense confrontation.
Rokuro glared with his golden eyes, baring his fangs as he menacingly stared at Shinichi, who held his sword aloft.
"You dare attack your better's with a Demon Slayer sword? Do you even know what you're doing you little brat? Today, I will eliminate you on behalf of that great man! Blood Demon Art: Axle!"
With a single hand raised, the ground beneath Shinichi feet cracked open and several dark shadows rushed toward his face.
"Blood Demon Art: Raging Blood!!" Shinichi didn't dare to be careless.
Despite his exhaustion, he activated his Blood Demon Art once more.
Scalding blood instantly stimulated every blood vessel and muscle in his body, causing his skin temperature to rise rapidly.
Boom!!
Dust filled the air as Shinichi, whose physical abilities had been greatly enhanced by Raging Blood, narrowly avoided Rokuro attack.
As the dust settled, he saw what had attacked him, several millstone-sized stone blocks slowly rotating within the deep craters they had created.
Failing to land a hit, Rokuro couldn't hold back any longer.
The wooden gears beside him creaked and cracked, eventually shattering into pieces.
As the wooden gears broke apart, the ground beneath Rokuro feet began to tremble.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Thin, long ropes suddenly burst out of the ground, snaking toward Rokuro and quickly wrapping around his limbs and joints.
In the blink of an eye, the ropes had formed a full set of rope armor around Rokuro.
"Blood Demon Art: Rope Armor!" An invisible shockwave spread out from Rokuro.
Feeling the boiling blood within him, Shinichi chest heaved and his hands holding the sword trembled slightly under Rokuro oppressive aura.
It wasn't fear but the inherent hierarchical gap between their Demon bloodlines.
Swish!
It was Shinichi who moved first, unable to contain himself.
There was no technique to speak of, he couldn't mimic the moves of those two Demon Slayer swordsmen.
He wielded the Nichirin Blade simply because it could harm and kill Demons.
Thus, Shinichi attack was straightforward—he swung his long blade directly at Rokuro.