Hakkotsuryo was still perched in the tree, eyes filled with intoxication, savoring the lingering scent of blood from moments ago.
For some reason, the Swordsman's blood had an unusually sweet aroma, making its non-hungry demonic body stir restlessly, wanting to devour him whole.
Hakkotsuryo had a premonition: if it ate this white-haired Swordsman, it could definitely break through its limits and advance further, becoming a member of the Upper Moons.
It licked its lips, its playful gaze receding, its expression turning serious.
Then, Hakkotsuryo bent its calves and abruptly pushed off the branch, rushing towards Kyo-kin, another Swordsman with weaker strength.
As Lower Moon One, although its Blood Demon Art was its primary strength, its physical body also possessed decent combat power.
As soon as it joined the fight, the situation immediately reversed.
The Swordsman Kyo-kin was instantly plunged into a desperate situation.
Sanemi Shinazugawa saw Kyo-kin's plight and urgently wanted to provide support, but he was entangled by the suddenly aggressive Mirror Demon Sanemi.
Although he had the advantage, Mirror Demon Sanemi had regeneration abilities. For a while, Sanemi Shinazugawa couldn't turn his advantage into a decisive victory, nor could he easily shake off the entanglement.
On the other side, Kyo-kin's brain worked rapidly. The first thing he did was distance himself from the Mirror Demon, preventing himself from being simultaneously surrounded.
Hakkotsuryo's speed surpassed the Mirror Demon's. It grinned, revealing a jagged smile to Kyo-kin.
At the same time, Kyo-kin's steps halted, leaving two distinct tracks on the ground.
And as he braked sharply, his pale yellow Nichirin Blade slid back into its sheath with a clang.
As Hakkotsuryo approached, Kyo-kin suddenly looked up, his eyes seemingly flashing with lightning.
He was a Thunder Breathing Swordsman, known for the explosive and fierce nature of his attacks.
Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash! The Nichirin Blade instantly unsheathed, a flash of golden-yellow blade light streaked past, and a scorching smell seemed to fill the air, accompanied by faint flashes of lightning.
Hakkotsuryo didn't dodge or evade, seemingly unable to react in time, and directly collided with it head-on.
Kyo-kin's face showed joy.
Crack! The sound of shattering glass echoed, and the golden blade light entwined with lightning split Hakkotsuryo into countless translucent fragments scattered across the sky.
"Be careful!" Sanemi Shinazugawa roared, his face contorted, but Mirror Demon Sanemi stuck to him like a shadow, stubbornly clinging to him, making it impossible to break free.
At the same moment, the joy on Kyo-kin's face vanished, his pupils constricting violently.
The feeling transmitted through the Nichirin Blade was completely wrong; he had only struck an illusion. Before Kyo-kin could retract his sword to defend himself, he saw the true body of Hakkotsuryo appearing behind the scattered fragments.
Its figure was reflected by countless fragments, seeming to appear in thousands simultaneously, and all these Hakkotsuryo were extending sharp demonic claws.
Hakkotsuryo's hand claws were different from its sickly pale body; they were now greenish-black, with bulging muscles and prominent veins, and the nails were like sharp knives, covered in thick blood.
Blood? Where did it come from?
This question surfaced in Kyo-kin's mind, and he seemed to hear the sound of rushing wind.
Waves of powerless weakness surged within him, making his limbs feel numb, his body icy cold, his blood seemingly stopping its flow, and the world in his eyes was covered by a layer of dim shadow.
Thump.
The Nichirin Blade fell to the ground, slipping from his hand.
Kyo-kin looked down, his eyes instantly losing focus.
It turned out that a large hole had been opened in his heart. Hakkotsuryo chuckled, fully opening its greenish-black palm, and a blood-soaked heart lay within it.
"Much worse than your companion, in terms of both vigilance and strength."
"Even the taste of this blood is inferior. Forget it, consider it an appetizer."
It reached out and picked up the heart, then tilted its head back, the corners of its mouth splitting open inch by inch like a snake's maw, opening its bloodthirsty mouth to a degree impossible for a human body.
With a release, the entire heart dropped into its mouth.
"Hmm, actually not bad." Hakkotsuryo narrowed its eyes in satisfaction, chewing heartily, blood dripping from the corners of its mouth.
Sanemi Shinazugawa's eyes were about to split.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came, like leisurely footsteps.
Hakkotsuryo turned its head vigilantly to look.
Roar! Covering an area of over ten meters, a wave of blade light, like a monstrous tide, rose from the ground, sweeping up and shredding all the trees in its path, then crashing down heavily, like the destructive giant waves on the sea during a storm that could sink ships.
Hakkotsuryo's eyes were filled with horror, its whole body's muscles erupted, its pale and thin body instantly became densely muscled, and then it retreated like crazy, but in the end it was just a little short and was swept into the giant wave-like tide of blade light.
Crack crack crack... The Mirror Demon that Sanemi Shinazugawa was fighting suddenly developed dense cracks, quickly turning into a pile of fragments with crackling sounds.
He held his breath, watching the terrifying blade light descend.
"This... Which Pillar is this?"
Boom! The ground shook violently, instantly becoming a scene of devastation.
The earth was covered with layers upon layers of blade marks, like a piece of ragged cloth that had been slashed a thousand times, a truly tragic sight.
And in this barren area, a pale, half-skeletal frame swayed precariously.
Kyo-kin's original body had vanished without a trace, completely swallowed and dissolved by that blade light.
Then, Kurozawa walked out from the shadows of the forest at a leisurely pace, a satisfied smile on his face from successfully stealing the kill.
Because his Potential Points had fluctuated, increasing by about ninety points.
"Who are you?"
Seeing the newcomer, Sanemi Shinazugawa let out a sigh of relief.
Kurozawa also sized up this young man who had a very concentrated Fighting Spirit, approaching the Pillar level.
He had messy white hair, wasn't tall, but his limbs were muscular, and his face held a fierce expression. His exposed skin was covered in dense scars, and there were many new wounds as well.
"Who do you think I am?" Kurozawa said calmly.
Sanemi Shinazugawa was taken aback, then shook his head, "I don't know." He looked at Hakkotsuryo, whose bones were gradually regenerating and whose blood vessels were slowly appearing, and said, "This Demon is Lower Moon One. It's not dead yet."
With that, Sanemi Shinazugawa pushed off with the tip of his foot, and as he got closer, his Nichirin Blade slashed towards the bone's neck.
Kurozawa held his palm upright like a blade and suddenly chopped down.
Crack! The Nichirin Blade snapped in half, the front half flying off from inertia, naturally failing to cut through the bone neck.
Sanemi Shinazugawa's gaze sharpened. He backed away from Kurozawa, his body low, his eyes filled with wariness.
"Just who are you!" He glanced at the broken sword in his hand and asked in a deep voice.
No Demon Slayer Corps Swordsman would damage their Nichirin Blade. This person in front of him was wrong!
Kurozawa said calmly, "Kurozawa Danryu."
Sanemi Shinazugawa frowned and thought for a moment. Feeling that the name wasn't familiar, he immediately asked sharply, "Why are you stopping me?"
Kurozawa looked surprised, "You don't know me?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he understood.
The Demon Slayer Corps probably hadn't passed on information about him. After all, an elite Swordsman turning into a Demon, and one with Upper Moon strength, could easily shake morale. Only the Pillars and a small number of people were likely informed.
"As a Swordsman, why are you stopping me?" Sanemi Shinazugawa asked again.
Kurozawa couldn't help but laugh, his eyes gradually sharpening, "You seem to have misunderstood something."
Not interested in explaining further, Kurozawa twisted his neck, his entire body erupting with Fighting Spirit. He walked towards Sanemi Shinazugawa step by step, his aura rising steadily, causing Sanemi Shinazugawa to feel a suffocating pressure.
Each step felt as if it was stepping on his heart.
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