Countless crescent slashes, glinting with cold light, rained down on Ren's seemingly frail body like a storm.
Yet, the expected scene of blood and wounds didn't materialize.
The crescents struck as if hitting a mirage or a moon's reflection in water, dissolving on contact, leaving Ren unscathed.
Suddenly, Ren's body dispersed into a swarm of black crows, scattering in all directions.
This unexpected shift made Kokushibo frown slightly. He withdrew his gleaming sword, his gaze sweeping the surroundings warily.
A calm, low voice sounded abruptly by Kokushibo's ear: "Crow Breathing, Second Form: Crow Clone."
With this soft cry, the circling crows began to converge.
In an instant, multiple figures identical to Ren appeared around Kokushibo.
Numerous clones moved in unison, slamming their weapons into the ground, chanting together: "Crow Breathing, Third Form: Raven · Funeral Dirge!"
A powerful aura erupted from the clones, a surging black torrent rushing toward Kokushibo.
Blood-red chains shot from the ground, coiling around Kokushibo's body. He sensed something beneath his feet and looked down. The ground had turned to blood, sinking him. He struggled, but the chains held firm, dragging him into the crimson flood.
Kokushibo found himself submerged in a vast blood sea, surrounded by endless red.
"Your swordsmanship is as repulsive as your face. Fighting you has only inspired the first three forms of Crow Breathing," Ren's voice echoed.
Kokushibo froze. Muzan, watching from afar, was equally stunned.
"What did you say?" Kokushibo asked. "You developed this Breathing Style during our fight? Impossible!"
Muzan's breathing steadied. "No wonder he once cornered me. As a demon, his talent is even more terrifying," he mused.
He pondered whether making Ren Upper Rank One was wise, given his strength and potential.
In the blood sea, Ren's figure emerged slowly.
"I don't need to prove myself to the weak. Just as you'll never defeat Yoriichi, you'll never be my match.
The gap between us is as vast as this blood sea. Kokushibo, today, I hand you defeat."
Kokushibo's fear-tinged eyes widened, fixed on Ren.
Ren's blood-red hair danced in the wind, his posture upright as a pine. Though different from Yoriichi, their figures began to overlap in Kokushibo's mind.
Memories of facing Yoriichi surfaced, stirring deep powerlessness.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni, his brother, was an unscalable peak.
No matter how desperately Kokushibo trained, he couldn't close the gap. Yoriichi seemed born to stand at the pinnacle effortlessly, while Kokushibo's lifetime of effort fell short.
Why?
Why?
Why, after outliving Yoriichi, did Ren now appear?
He thought becoming a demon and outlasting Yoriichi made him the greatest swordsman. Now, another insurmountable mountain loomed—Ren, perhaps unclimbable in this lifetime.
Had he read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Kokushibo might have echoed Zhou Yu's cry: "Why was I born in the same era as such brilliance?"
Outliving Yoriichi wasn't enough. Now, Yoriichi's disciple stood before him. What sins had he committed to face these two prodigies?
"Enough," Muzan's voice rang out, halting the fight.
Ren glanced at Kokushibo with a hint of regret. The blood sea receded, revealing both demons on solid ground.
Muzan stepped between them, glancing at Kokushibo before fixing on Ren. "Ren, you've won."
"Thank you, Lord Muzan," Ren said, bowing slightly.
Muzan's verdict was final, even for Kokushibo.
He smiled. "But I've made a new decision. Kokushibo remains Upper Rank One."
Ren's eyes flickered. Kokushibo, head bowed, showed no reaction.
"Understood," Ren said, saying no more.
"I'm not finished," Muzan said, placing a hand on Ren's head. "From today, Ren, you are the Supreme Leader of the Twelve Kizuki. You stand outside their ranks but hold authority over them."
Ren's pupils trembled. His left and right eyes etched with "Demon" and "Moon."
Kokushibo's eyes bore "Upper Rank" and "One."
"As Supreme Leader, you need a new name," Muzan said.
"I defer to your choice, Lord Muzan," Ren replied.
Muzan nodded, delighted. Naming was her passion. After a moment, she said, "Burial Crow. That's your new name."
"Burial Crow Ren?" Ren repeated.
"No, just Burial Crow," Muzan corrected, wanting him to shed his human past.
But seeing Ren's stubborn gaze, she sighed, relenting. "Fine, it's a small matter. Keep it."
"Thank you, Lord Muzan," Ren said.
Ren clung to his name, an anchor to Chitoshi. Without it, he feared forgetting Chitoshi in his long demonic life.
He became a demon to avenge Chitoshi. Forgetting him would render his existence meaningless.
Muzan, noting Ren's resolve, allowed it.
Capable subordinates could sway their master.
Muzan leaned close to Ren's ear. "For the century I'm gone, the Twelve Kizuki are yours."
"Rest assured, Lord Muzan," Ren vowed.
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🤦 : Oops! You've reached the limit for today. But just for your power stone and recommendation I might— no I would add additional Chapter.
20PS — 1 additional Chapter
40PS — 2 additional Chapter and special mention if you've contributed 3 or more PS.
That's all. Enjoy Reading!