"ROAR!!!"
HUM!!
The devastating sound wave from Urogi's mouth slammed into Shinichi.
His black hair whipped wildly, and his deerhide boots cracked the ground beneath him, leaving deep fissures.
Yet even under such a terrifying sonic assault, Shinichi only faltered slightly.
With a swift slash, he forced Aizetsu's cross spear back, then twisted his body, reversed his grip on the blade, and leaped into the air.
A flash of green blade light followed.
Sssshhh!!
A single, lightning-fast slash severed Urogi's head clean off.
The scene unfolded in the blink of an eye, leaving the other three clones staring as Urogi's head was severed.
Though shocked by Shinichi's strength, their expressions showed no panic.
Karaku, wielding the palm-leaf fan, reacted first.
Before Shinichi could land, he swung his fan with a mighty gust.
"Ha! Stay away from our dear Urogi!"
BOOM!!
Shinichi, with no footing mid-air, was sent flying by the wind pressure.
For an ordinary human, such force would have crushed their bones and flesh.
Crash!!
The ground cracked and dust billowed as he impacted.
As Shinichi was blown away, Urogi's head regenerated, his tongue still lolling as he giggled.
"Such a fast blade! I couldn't dodge at all!"
"Damn it! He's hard to kill!" Sekido, gripping his staff, gritted his teeth and glared into the distance.
Through the rising dust, he could still sense Shinichi's overwhelming presence.
Clang!
Aizetsu's cross-shaped spear struck a rock, sending sparks flying.
His blue eyes filled with melancholy as he sighed, "His swordsmanship is impeccable—no openings at all. What should we do next?"
Karaku crouched, resting his hands on his knees, grinning widely.
"Wear him down. No matter how strong he was, humans get tire. Urogi and I will suppress him. Sekido, slow him with lightning. Aizetsu, just keep attacking. Simple, right?"
Sekido's arm tensed, veins bulging as he clenched the staff.
"If necessary... all of you, come to me!"
At his words, the other three demons shuddered.
They knew what Sekido meant—combining the four emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure would summon their strongest form: Upper Moon Four's ultimate clone, Zohakuten.
While the four demons plotted, Shinichi knelt on one knee amidst the dust, leaning on his blade, strategizing how to defeat Upper Moon Four.
"Cutting off one head isn't enough. Maybe... I need to sever all four at once? No, that can't be right. If that were the case, they wouldn't be so independent. Taking one down should affect the others."
Muttering to himself, Shinichi slowly rose as the dust settled.
Taking a deep breath, he tightened his grip on the Nichirin Blade.
"Time to go all out!"
Individually, the four demons—joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure—were weak.
Even combined, they didn't overwhelm Shinichi, though handling them simultaneously was tricky.
Aside from Aizetsu's deadly spear strikes, Sekido, Urogi, and Karaku specialized in control and support.
Decapitating all four at once seemed impossible, but with enough speed... Shinichi's gaze sharpened.
Raging Blood third stage—that should suffice!
Whoosh!
His right eye flashed crimson as blood boiled in his veins.
His canines elongated, and his calm expression twisted into something feral.
The vibrant life force around him erupted with a surge of bloodlust.
The aura of a demon grew thicker, spreading uncontrollably.
But just as Shinichi prepared for battle—an unexpected change occurred!
Not far away, the four demons of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure suddenly turned around and fled at full speed without looking back.
"What!?" Shinichi, mid-Demon Transformation, was instantly dumbfounded.
What was going on?
But confusion aside, Shinichi immediately made the most decisive move.
With a thunderous crash, he shattered the ground beneath his feet, and his body shot forward like a cannonball, so fast that it produced an ear-piercing sonic boom as he chased straight after the four demons.
"Don't even think about running!"
Whoosh!
Urogi, flapping his wings, and Karaku, sprinting at full speed, both turned around.
Urogi opened his massive mouth, a dazzling golden light flaring up, while Karaku raised his tessen high.
The next moment—
"ROOARRR!!"
Buzz!!
The sonic wave and wind pressure simultaneously slammed into Shinichi, forcibly halting his frenzied charge.
Seizing the opportunity, Sekido hurled his staff with all his might, the staff crackling with electricity as it thrust toward Shinichi's body.
"Forest Breathing First Form: Iron Birch Slash!"
Boom!!
The timely First Form slash cleaved through the incoming staff.
But in that brief moment of delay, the figures of the four emotion demons—Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Pleasure—vanished from Shinichi's sight.
"Damn it!!"
Shinichi swung his Nichirin Blade in frustration.
BOOM!!
The ground instantly split open with a deep fissure.
Shinichi had no idea what had just happened.
Why had Upper Moon Four fled so abruptly?
Could it be...?
Suddenly, a possibility struck him.
Without a second's hesitation, Shinichi spun around and dashed toward a specific direction—the direction where Shinobu was.
****
Meanwhile, under the eerie moonlight, Rui lifted his head and stared blankly at the agile figure dancing toward him through the air.
The strange floral scent in the air made Rui's vision blur.
For a moment, it seemed as though countless dazzling butterflies were fluttering toward him.
The sight... was truly beautiful.
"Insect Breathing: Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag~"
A voice as ethereal and gentle as the approaching blade, like the call of family.
Rui's hands, entwined with crimson threads, slowly lowered.
In this moment, he could not—and did not want to—evade.
Sss~
A sound so faint it was almost imperceptible—a fleeting whisper of penetration.
Countless bloodstains instantly bloomed across Rui's white, web-patterned haori.
Vivid, yet painless.
The unnamed poisons made Rui's eyes see golden arms reaching out to embrace him.
"Family..."
Lower Rank Four—Rui, die!
-----------------------------
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