The distance ultimately caused Mizuki's blade to be half a step slow. Just as it was about to sever Gyokko's neck, a black shadow flashed out from within Gyokko's body.
With a tearing sound, the Nichirin Blade cut through something that resembled human skin.
"Did he shed his skin?"
Looking at the ugly human skin, limp on the mouth of the pot like a painted skin, Mizuki frowned.
Her gaze then locked onto Gyokko, who had already scurried far away and completed his shedding.
Damn it!
Feeling the lock of her presence, Gyokko cursed under his breath.
He had hidden his perfect body so well, what more did she want?
In the forest, a monster with a human torso and a snake tail was wriggling its dark green, almost black, snake tail, rapidly darting into the distance with a rustling sound.
Gyokko's scalp tingled. How fast was this woman?
Which of us is the monster, really?
However, as soon as he thought of this woman being Kokushibou's sister, and the figure in his mind that seemed to be a cellular memory from Muzan-sama, he felt relieved.
This whole family is a bunch of monsters.
Under the bright moonlight, a shadow rapidly approached from behind, reflected on the ground.
She caught up!
Does she really have to keep chasing him?!
A chill shot straight to Gyokko's core.
No, he couldn't shake off this woman's speed. At this rate, he would be doomed sooner or later.
Gyokko gritted his teeth in his eye sockets, staring at the rapidly approaching figure on the ground, and suddenly spun around.
His dark green snake tail left a greasy, sticky trail on the ground. The baby-like arms, which had resembled centipede limbs, now transformed into a pair of thick arms covered in green fish scales.
His robust body exuded a sense of power; if one ignored the grotesqueness of his face, there was indeed a hint of beauty.
Two ceramic pots appeared in his hands, and thick octopus tentacles spewed out from their mouths.
"Octopus Pot Hell!"
The rapidly approaching tentacles reflected in Mizuki's pupils. She adjusted her landing mid-air, stepped onto an octopus tentacle, and used the gushing tentacles to rush towards Gyokko.
"Tch!" Gyokko snorted unhappily. As he shook his hands, the octopus tentacles twisted violently.
Mizuki moved as if on flat ground. Under the dazzling flash of her blade, octopus tentacles were severed one by one and fell to the ground.
At the same time, dozens of goldfish with bulging gills filled the air, spitting needles at Mizuki in unison.
Behind the goldfish, a monstrous wave surged, overwhelming Mizuki.
"Snow Breathing, Seventh Form: Snow - A Fissure of Light!"
Mizuki, stepping on the octopus tentacles, transformed into a white streak, her speed suddenly soaring.
Looking from afar at the mountain forest, a silver thread, like a forest spirit, floated above the octopus tentacles.
The fragile momentum contrasted sharply with the overwhelming wave, as if it would be engulfed in the next moment.
Boom!!!
The surging wave instantly submerged Mizuki.
"Did it stall her?" Gyokko sensed the movement behind him, with no intention of looking back.
Battles between demons couldn't be decided by this level of attack.
The Water Prison Pot was a Blood Demon Art specifically designed to counter humans and Breathing Techniques. It had no effect on demons; it could only buy time with sheer volume.
When he was a demon before, he only had to worry about the Demon Slayer Corps.
And those rotten fish and shrimp of the Demon Slayer Corps truly weren't worth Gyokko's attention. Even the Pillars, hailed as the pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps, he had devoured countless of them.
In the current situation, a demon was coming to cut him with a Nichirin Blade.
Gyokko was utterly stunned.
Aren't you afraid of holding the Nichirin Blade the wrong way and hurting yourself?
Boom!!!
Hearing the commotion behind him, Gyokko subconsciously turned to look.
Amidst the surging waves, a silver-white light suddenly appeared, followed by a burst of frost emanating from that white light, and a large hole exploded open.
The sharp silver light swept through the jungle, approaching at a speed far beyond Gyokko's imagination.
"So fast!" Gyokko's heart pounded.
This monster couldn't be stalled, nor could she be outrun.
Was he just supposed to wait for death?
Damn it!!
Gyokko's body curled slightly, and from despair, all his muscles erupted with immense power, making him vanish from his spot instantly.
Mizuki's steps never paused, but her gaze kept up with Gyokko's rapidly moving speed.
At this moment, Gyokko completely failed to realize that his speed was entirely within her grasp; he was solely focused on crushing Mizuki.
Using the tough fish scales covering his body, he displayed a leaping ability and speed that were difficult for the naked eye to perceive. After repeatedly bouncing and swaying among the trees, Gyokko leaped above Mizuki's head.
"Blood Demon Art: Array Kill Fish Scales!"
His robust hands transformed into sharp blades, slashing out several crimson sharp edges directly at the back of Mizuki's head.
Seeing his arm getting closer to the back of Mizuki's head, a morbid smile appeared on Gyokko's lips.
This was his ultimate technique—God's Hand.
It could turn anything it touched into fresh fish, even demons were no exception.
Once turned into fresh fish, they were like fish on a cutting board; no matter how strong their fighting power, it would be useless.
But just as his sharp claws were about to touch Mizuki's nape, without the slightest warning, the graceful figure in the dark yukata suddenly vanished from his sight.
As if by instantaneous movement.
Immediately after, a chilling fear rose from the bottom of his heart, but this time it didn't give him a chance to react; the scene before his eyes quickly flipped, and then he heard a thud.
When his vision returned, a smooth, clean cut appeared before his eyes. His robust body, lifeless, collapsed to the ground, and faintly, his perfectly trained flesh could be seen disintegrating little by little.
Gyokko's pupils trembled violently.
He was cut, just like that!
It was truly... fish on a cutting board.
He knew there was a gap in strength, but such a death was truly unacceptable.
Confirming that this so-called Upper Rank Five hadn't overcome the weakness of the neck by breaking the physical limits of a demon like Akaza, Mizuki had no further interest.
She turned and left, preparing to meet up with Tanjirou and the others in the village.
"Wait..."
At this moment, Gyokko suddenly called out, stopping her.
Mizuki paused, turning her head slightly.
"My pot... you were lying to me, weren't you?" There was an inexplicable hint of misery in his tone.
This guy, does he have a screw loose?
Mizuki turned around and suddenly asked, "What was your name in human society?"
"That kind of thing... I've long forgotten."
...You don't understand art at all. In the end, you're just amusing yourself.
Mizuki truly didn't understand art or aesthetics. Saying those words was indeed just to provoke Gyokko, but... what is art that no one acknowledges, if not self-amusement?
Casually kicking aside a ceramic pot nearby, Mizuki left indifferently, leaving Gyokko, who watched the shattered pot with inner grief and indignation, able only to glare at Mizuki as she departed.
So hateful... Mizuki suddenly returned, and the hatred on Gyokko's face instantly vanished. He looked at her with anticipation: "Are you here to..."
"Ah, sorry, it has nothing to do with you." Mizuki replied indifferently, bending down to collect blood from Gyokko's still not completely dissipated body.
She had forgotten to collect Akaza's blood last time and was given a side-eye by Tamayo afterward. Now she remembered.
Gyokko, watching Mizuki leave again in stunned silence, vanished from this land, filled with hatred.
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