The dense forest hid a cave; the closer he got, the heavier the stench of blood became.
Ryosuke picked up a stone from the ground, coated it with the wisteria flower powder he carried with him, and threw it into the cave.
"Roar!!!"
A furious roar tore through the dead silence of the forest.
Immediately after, a black shadow sprang out from within.
The demon's body was hunched, moving on all fours. Its skin was a decaying grey-green.
Its head was abnormally long and narrow, its mouth full of fangs dripping with saliva, its eyes locked dead on Ryosuke.
"Demon Slayer Corps! You lot really linger like ghosts!"
"Yo, an old acquaintance."
Ryosuke lowered his body, and the moment his thumb pushed the sword guard, he turned into a streak of light and charged straight up!
"Then let's cut the crap!"
Thunder Breathing · First Form · Thunderclap and Flash!
Bang!
With a crisp sound, the demon actually swung its sharp claws and forcibly blocked the strike!
This was no longer a small bread roll worth ten days of lifespan; this was a fxxking huge loaf of bread stronger than the Hand Demon!
Ryosuke was extremely excited. His figure flickered, his sword technique changed, and thunder erupted on the jade-white blade!
"Thunder Breathing · Third Form · Thunder Swarm!"
In an instant, countless bolts of wild thunder flashed from all directions along with Ryosuke's flickering figure!
Bang bang bang—
The demon defended desperately, but there were too many slashes. In a moment, its whole body was covered in bloody marks.
"Finish it!"
With a shout, Ryosuke suddenly flashed from behind, his Nichirin Sword slicing across the demon's neck in an instant.
Ryosuke exhaled a breath of turbid air. Just as he wanted to relax his tense nerves, he realized something was wrong.
There was no kill notification from the System!
Plus, the sensation of that slash just now...
Too light!
I probably only cut through some skin and flesh!
But its head definitely fell off.
What is going on?!
With no time to think, Ryosuke turned and swung his sword almost instinctively!
Ding—
A piercing screech rang out, sparks flying everywhere.
The head that should have dissipated actually bit onto his Nichirin Sword!
So fast! Too close!
Ryosuke used his strength to force it back, but a fierce fist wind whistled from behind him!
Boom!
A solid punch landed on Ryosuke's back!
Ryosuke's body flew out and slammed heavily into an ancient tree.
He clutched his chest, his expression stunned.
He saw the demon's head floating in mid-air, while its body stood there eerily.
What the fxxk?
A demon that conquered decapitation?
Bro, seriously! You're even more awesome than an Upper Moon?!
"Hee hee hee hee..."
The demon's head let out a sharp laugh.
Ryosuke narrowed his eyes, and suddenly a demon from Japanese folklore flashed through his mind.
The characteristics and information of that yokai matched this one perfectly!
"Damn it! It's actually a Rokurokubi (Flying Head)!" Ryosuke shouted.
In Japanese legends, the Rokurokubi's neck can extend, and the head can separate from the body to act independently.
It seemed now that the Rokurokubi hadn't overcome the weakness of decapitation, but rather that it was two demons!
The head and the body existed separately, living as parasites on each other!
"Head and body each doing their own thing, you really know how to play..." Ryosuke roasted.
Combat power estimation error!
This demon was far stronger than expected!
"Heh heh heh..."
The head laughed hideously, and the body pounced forward.
Ryosuke swung his sword, quickly cutting off its arms.
But at this moment, the head had flown to his rear, its bloody mouth opening wide.
"Blood Demon Art · Mad Needles!"
With a roar, a large mist of blood exploded, condensing into hundreds of sharp needles in mid-air!
Szzt!
The sharp needles shot towards him like rain!
Ryosuke's pupils shrank suddenly. Thunder breath raged around him, thunder rumbling!
"Thunder Breathing · Second Form · Rice Spirit!"
The jade-white blade carried thunder, transforming into five fierce slashes!
Bang bang bang—
The blood needles all shattered. But at this moment, the body behind him had regenerated its arms and punched again!
Ryosuke reacted extremely fast. Instead of retreating, he advanced, charging straight for the head!
These two demons were exceptionally troublesome! He had to kill one first!
Shing!
The blade fell. In its panic, the head flew backward and retreated, getting its chin sliced off.
"Damn Demon Hunter!"
The head roared, flesh expanding as the wound healed slowly.
"What kind of gibberish are you spouting! Shine (Die)!"
Ryosuke sheathed his long sword and leaned forward. Thunder went berserk around him, countless bolts of lightning erupting!
Thunder Breathing · First Form · Thunderclap and Flash · Threefold!
Boom!
The earth beneath Ryosuke cracked. His body turned into a stream of light, the slash arriving instantly!
Shing!
The blade sliced through. The head couldn't dodge in time and was split in two!
Before the body could react, Ryosuke's slash followed up!
Hiss—
Under a piercing screech, the body shattered!
The Rokurokubi turned into flying ash and dissipated.
As for the Revolving Lantern (flashback), Ryosuke had no interest in watching.
This kind of demon was nothing more than a pervert who couldn't achieve his ambitions, then met Scum Boss Muzan and became a demon.
After that, he ate people to get stronger and felt good about himself.
Compared to that, Ryosuke was more concerned about the System reward.
[Slayed High-tier Evil Demon, Rokurokubi. Gained 3 years of lifespan. Current remaining lifespan: 4 years, 14 days.]
3 years!
A bountiful harvest!
The ten-year progress bar had gone up by almost half!
Ryosuke hummed a tune happily as he bandaged his wounds.
He had broken a few ribs in this fight. After simple treatment, he'd signal for the Kakushi to come over.
At this moment, a rush of footsteps came from afar.
"Where? Where is it! Such a heavy scent of blood! Hold on, I'm coming!"
Hmm?
Ryosuke looked up. A young boy wearing a Demon Slayer uniform was rushing over quickly.
He scanned Ryosuke, quickly drew his sword, and looked around in a combat stance.
"You heal and rest first. That Flying Head Demon is not easy to deal with!"
"No, that..."
Before Ryosuke could finish, he was interrupted by Iwasaki Souma.
"Don't try to be brave, you'll lose your life!"
"..."
Let me finish my sentence, dammit!
Ryosuke stood up and patted his shoulder.
"Rest assured, that demon has already been killed by me."
"Mhm, okay... What?!"
Iwasaki's eyes widened, looking at Ryosuke in disbelief.
"You... you alone?"
"Yeah. Got hurt a bit. Pain in the ass."
Ryosuke moved his shoulder.
Actually, if the Rokurokubi hadn't underestimated the enemy, and if the Threefold wasn't so useful, he would have croaked long ago.
"To... too amazing!"
Iwasaki was so excited he was almost incoherent.
"The Kakushi's intelligence said this demon was extremely tricky, able to split up and immune to decapitation! Several comrades suffered great losses at its hands! You actually solved it alone, Senior?! You must be a Hashira? Or Hinoe Rank? Kinoto Rank?"
"Uh, heh heh—"
Looking at Iwasaki's excited expression, Ryosuke was at a loss.
He silently raised the back of his hand. As he breathed, the character "Mizunoto" (癸) slowly appeared on it.
"Mizunoto Rank, Yasui Ryosuke. Joined the Demon Slayer Corps less than a month ago."
The world went quiet.
Iwasaki's expression of ecstasy and awe froze instantly.
"Mizu... Mizunoto Rank?!"
He shouted out loud, his voice cracking.
"Th... how is that possible?! That was a demon even Kanoto Rank members found tricky! You... you alone, and a Mizunoto Rank..."
Iwasaki felt his worldview being assaulted. Then, he suddenly thought of something.
"Could... could it be you are Yasui? Yasui Ryosuke?!"
"Mhm."
Ryosuke admitted it.
He couldn't help it; the Final Selection at Mt. Fujikasane was too high-profile, and he was summoned by Kagaya afterward.
Plus, being a Thunder Breathing swordsman, it was normal for Iwasaki to guess it.
Watching Iwasaki's excited expression, Ryosuke lay down on the ground, not wanting to move an inch.
"Um..."
"Iwasaki! My name is Iwasaki Souma."
"Iwasaki, help me contact the Kakushi. My ribs are broken; I need to go back to Momoyama to recuperate."
As Ryosuke spoke, he looked at him again.
"Also, rank isn't important. As long as the demon is killed, that's enough."