Chapter 38: The Most Desperate Situation
Putting aside such favoritism for now, Eriri refocused her attention on the novel itself.
Nezuko's arrival temporarily resolved the crisis, but Tanjiro was overexerted and unable to fight further, needing time to recover.
Therefore, until then, Nezuko needed to buy time for her older brother.
"One-on-one against an Upper Moon? Really? Is Nezuko already that strong?"
Eriri looked surprised, thinking she had misread.
Although it had always been shown that Nezuko was a special demon, breaking the conservation law that demons only grow stronger by eating humans, instead growing stronger just by sleeping and with the passage of time.
Several months had passed since Flame Pillar's death.
But had she already reached a level comparable to an Upper Moon?
Speaking of which, with this comparison, how did everyone become Upper Moon level?
Hadn't the Upper Moon positions been unchanged for over a hundred years?
They should be super strong then!
And while Sound Pillar's earlier performance was just the tip of the iceberg, he was clearly on a level far above Tanjiro and the others.
Even if this generation was the strongest since the Warring States period, it shouldn't reach this extent!
Such questions arose in the readers' minds, but they quickly immersed themselves in the story again.
The battle between Daki and Nezuko gradually intensified, with Nezuko even undergoing further demonization.
Next to them, the Nezuko drawn by Eromanga Sensei visibly became much more sensual, with astonishing changes to her body, truly a feast for the eyes!
Adding to that, Daki's close-up scene under the moonlight earlier was equally stunning and captivating.
Even for a collection, it was more than enough.
Beyond that, what caught everyone's attention the most was the evil, charming smile on Nezuko's face after her demonization.
This contrasting style of a charmingly evil female villain, combined with the novel's descriptions, made it even more compelling.
Of course, not everyone thought the same way.
For example, when Machida Sonoko, as an editor, saw this illustration sent by Sagiri, her heart trembled.
It wasn't because the drawing was exceptionally good, but because that smile reminded her of a bad memory.
Upon reading this, readers no longer felt merely the progress of Izumi Masamune himself, but also, for the first time, the presence of Eromanga Sensei.
Previously, Eromanga Sensei's illustrations felt rather inessential, nothing major or memorable, but she hadn't made any significant mistakes either, so readers had overlooked her.
Now, however, they exclaimed, "Eromanga Sensei draws quite well after all!"
After a brief moment of reflection, they realized that, without noticing, more than half of the pages had been turned, and the plot of the third volume had finally reached its climax.
The Sound Pillar was about to arrive on the scene to confront Upper Moon Six Daki directly!
Compared to the overwhelming presence displayed by Upper Moon Three earlier, Daki clearly lacked it.
Judging by her numerical ranking, she was the last of the Upper Moons, so everyone could understand that Daki's strength wasn't as formidable.
But soon, they realized their assumption was wrong.
Because while the Sound Pillar was speaking to Tanjiro, he had already carelessly decapitated Daki, and with an arrogant tone, mocked her: "Too weak. You're not an Upper Moon Demon, are you?"
Subsequently, at Daki's plea for help, another demon emerged from her body; he was Daki's brother, Gyutaro.
It turned out that Upper Moon Six was actually a twin demon!
And Gyutaro's strength was far superior to Daki's!
Furthermore, in their subsequent direct confrontation, he injured the Sound Pillar Uzui Tengen in a single exchange.
Somewhat unexpected, but also within reason.
At the very least, Upper Moon Six, who had lived for over a hundred years, shouldn't have been fighting evenly with Tanjiro at this point!
Gyutaro's demonstrated power, coupled with his special mechanism of not dying from decapitation, was a more fitting display of an Upper Moon's strength.
Gyutaro's power brought a renewed sense of despair.
Would Tanjiro repeat his past mistakes?
Would the outcome be the same as before, ending with the Sound Pillar's death?
Or would there be another turning point?
The readers' hearts were once again in suspense; their previous optimism was gone.
Eriri was the same; she started to get nervous again upon reading this.
It was clear from the second volume that Chihiro was a ruthless fellow; the Flame Pillar, so beloved, died just like that. One couldn't count on him having a change of heart...
Indeed, the situation did not improve; instead, it increasingly felt like it was heading towards an apocalypse.
The Sound Pillar Uzui Tengen was poisoned, barely holding on with his ninja's resistance, hoping to end the battle quickly.
But would he have such an opportunity?
Their previous encounter had already shown who was superior, and coupled with the inherent differences between humans and demons, the battle would lead to an even more intractable situation.
However, from the perspective of his internal monologue, although the Sound Pillar was not very confident, he still hadn't given up, because he still held a secret technique that required time to activate.
But this additional psychological description, compared to the original, made the readers even more nervous.
"It's not going to be some life-burning technique, is it? Chihiro, are you going for such a cliché, emotional setup?!"
Eriri couldn't help but complain.
Similarly, many others had similar thoughts.
On the other side, the arrival of Zenitsu and Inosuke, plus Tanjiro rejoining after recovering some stamina, made the battle scene even more chaotic.
However, due to the additional fighters, Uzui Tengen's pressure significantly decreased, allowing him to focus his attention on Gyutaro.
After a prolonged battle, the Demon Slayer Corps changed tactics; the scene where Tanjiro and Uzui Tengen faced Gyutaro together became Uzui Tengen facing him alone.
Then, with the combined efforts of Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke, Daki's head was finally severed and carried away by Inosuke.
Just as it seemed the situation was about to turn for the better...
A blood-red scythe suddenly pierced through his chest from behind, splattering blood!
It was Gyutaro launching a surprise attack.
Tanjiro was utterly panicked; he turned his head and saw Uzui Tengen already fallen on the ground with his back to him.
Though his face was unseen, the severed arm next to him already indicated the ruthless outcome.
Then another attack rained down from above; Zenitsu, without thinking, pushed Tanjiro away, and he himself was buried in the rubble.
From the textual description alone, such a result was enough to plunge one into despair.
Moreover, a close-up illustration was specifically provided here, the stimulation of blood, the terrified expressions of Tanjiro and Zenitsu, all vividly depicting the perilous situation they faced...
Was everything going to end here?