The moon hung bright, the stars scattered, the sky clear and vast.
Aoki sat on a rooftop, his elbow on his knee, his chin in his hand. The Demon Brew Gourd rested beside him.
Glug, glug, glug, glug.
He took a long drink, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips.
"He should strike again tonight," Aoki thought, a cold calculation in his mind. "I wonder if he'll come here?"
Aoki lifted the gourd, about to drink again. He stopped.
On the street below, a figure ran, fast, beyond human speed.
"He's here!"
Aoki's senses sharpened. He put away the gourd, sat up straight, a predator scenting its prey.
"Strong aura. It might be a Lower Moon!"
He couldn't be sure. Lower Moons were a rank, not a power level.
Some demons weren't Lower Moons, but they were still strong.
He'd killed one like that a month ago. He was a bit weaker than Rui, but he'd given 400 experience.
Aoki stood.
Whether the demon below was Lower Moon Three, he wouldn't let him go.
He was about to move. He stopped, turned.
Another demon.
Short pink hair, pale skin, blue tattoos marking him as a sinner. Golden eyes, carved with "Upper Moon" and "Three."
"Akaza!"
Aoki blinked, surprised.
He was hunting Lower Moon Three.
How had it become Upper Moon Three?
Damn it! This information is wrong!
Aoki's mind raced.
It wasn't a Lower Moon. It was an Upper Moon and a Lower Moon!
Ding! New Task: Upper Moons' End.
[Upper Moons' End]
The Twelve Kizuki are Muzan Kibutsuji's direct subordinates. The Upper Moons are Muzan's strongest warriors.
Task: Kill three Upper Moon demons.
Reward: 2500 Experience, 3 Skill Points, Bat Wings.
Ding! New Task: Hunter and Prey.
[Hunter and Prey]
You planned to hunt, but you are also being hunted. Who is the hunter? Who is the prey?
Task: Complete your hunt while under Akaza's constant interference.
Reward: 400 Experience, 1 Skill Point.
A string of System messages flashed, almost blinding.
Aoki didn't have time to read them.
Akaza had vanished.
Aoki didn't hesitate. He punched the air in front of him.
Akaza shimmered into view, his fist meeting Aoki's.
Boom!
The fists collided.
Akaza swayed. Aoki stumbled back, almost falling from the roof.
Byoki, Lower Moon Three, stopped running, looked up, confused.
"Strong fighting spirit!" Akaza's eyes burned, a warrior's hunger.
"Why is Upper Moon Three with Lower Moon Three?"
Aoki looked at the characters in Akaza's eyes. "Is this a trap?"
"Yes. Muzan-sama knew you hunted Lower Moons. He made a plan for you."
Akaza didn't hide it. Aoki was dead anyway.
"So, being seen eating people was deliberate," Aoki thought.
He shook his head.
"You're not so bad yourself," he said.
Aoki asked, "Are there more of these teams?"
Akaza didn't seem to care about strategy. "Upper Moons are with Lower Moons One and Two."
Aoki asked, "Doma and Kokushibo?"
"You know our Upper Moons!"
Akaza didn't answer directly, but it was clear.
"Muzan Kibutsuji values me highly," Aoki said, a hint of dark amusement in his voice.
Three Upper Moons.
Even Pillars didn't get that treatment.
Only Muzan's family, the Ubuyashiki, had more influence.
"Technique Deployment!"
Akaza crouched, forming a stance. A snowflake pattern appeared beneath his feet, a promise of the power to come. His eyes burned. "Come! Fight!"
Aoki felt a flicker of regret.
If he had Transparent World, he could kill Akaza today!
For others, Transparent World was a cheat. For Akaza, it was a death sentence.
"Let me kill Lower Moon Three first," Aoki said.
"Beat me, and you can kill whoever you want!"
Akaza charged, a whirlwind of fists, a brutal dance of death.
"Annihilation Style, Disorder!"
"Aoki Style, Death's Grip!"
Aoki braced himself, met the attack.
Boom!
The air exploded. The force tore through the area. The roof shattered.
Aoki stumbled back.
Akaza pressed the attack, a relentless storm of blows. "Annihilation Style, Leg Style: Compass Needle Flying Meteors!"
His legs blurred, a flurry of kicks, a deadly dance of destruction.
Aoki used Death's Grip to defend.
Death's Grip was offense and defense.
It could block punches and kicks. It was useless against Rui's threads.
Thump, thump, thump!
Aoki retreated, barely holding his ground.
"You're strong," Akaza said, his face burning with excitement.
He unleashed eight attacks in a flash. "Annihilation Style, Core Eightfold!"
Thump!
Wounds opened on Aoki's body. He flew through the air, a broken doll against the night sky.
Akaza punched the air. "Annihilation Style, Void Style."
Six shockwaves crashed down. Aoki hit the ground hard, coughing blood, bones broken.
"As expected of an Upper Moon," Aoki said, wiping blood from his mouth.
Akaza's moves were heavy, fast, precise.
He was outmatched in skill.
He'd used to dominate with technique. Akaza had broken that.
Of course, Akaza had Compass Needle, too.
It was a weaker Transparent World. It sensed his movements.
Then, Aoki's face changed. He rolled, a desperate move to escape the storm.
Boom!
Akaza crashed down, shattering the roof, sending debris flying.
"Annihilation Style, Crushing Style: Thousand Leaves Wither and Fall!"
Boom!
The ground shook, a tremor that spread through the city. The houses collapsed, a testament to Akaza's power.
Aoki had chosen a deserted area. No one would be hurt.
Thump!
The force sent Aoki flying, a broken thing against the night. A gash tore his side, almost cutting him in half.
Then, he was gone. He shimmered, reappeared on a nearby roof.
---
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