What?
My body... I can't move.
Did this guy do something?
No, is it just his aura?
Unbelievable, to be able to immobilize someone just with aura.
Just what is this guy... Veins popped out on Tokito Muichiro's forehead, his nerves stretched taut.
He recalled where he had seen this person's attire.
It was in the intelligence reports about the Upper Rank Demon!
"Waaah! It's a Demon!"
Kokushibou finally turned around, allowing Tetsunomori to clearly see his face—that terrifying visage covered in multiple eyes, inspiring dread.
Kokushibou had no intention of responding to Tetsunomori, nor did he spare him any attention. He looked at Tokito Muichiro's tense face and suddenly rubbed his chin.
"What... what is your name?"
What does he mean?
Tokito Muichiro inexplicably felt a large portion of the pressure on him dissipate.
Tokito Muichiro responded to Kokushibou with a clang, drawing his Nichirin Blade expressionlessly and swinging it towards Kokushibou's neck.
However... Tokito Muichiro didn't even see Kokushibou move; the Nichirin Blade in his hand was already being lightly pinched between two fingers.
Tokito Muichiro frowned slightly, his arm trembling constantly from the effort.
Kokushibou looked at him expressionlessly: "Can you not discern the difference in strength?"
Strange child... Although slightly talented, his mind seems a bit lacking... "Tokito..."
"Huh?"
"Tokito Muichiro."
Taking advantage of the moment the demon before him was distracted by his name, Tokito Muichiro broke free from Kokushibou's grasp.
"Mist Breathing, Second Form: Layered Mist!"
This close-range slash, the sword energy shrouded in blue mist, instantly grazed Kokushibou's face.
Swish!
Without any warning, the tall figure suddenly vanished before his eyes.
So fast!
Tokito Muichiro's pupils slightly constricted; battle instinct drove him to turn around.
No one was there.
A calm, steady voice came from behind him.
"I see... Has the Tsugikuni Family truly declined?"
Slight ripples formed in Tokito Muichiro's calm heart. This guy... is so strong... He took two steps forward, retreating to a distance he deemed safe. Turning back, he saw Kokushibou still standing in the same spot, as if he hadn't moved at all.
Tokito Muichiro's faint voice rang out: "Tsugikuni Family? What do you mean?"
"My name is—Michikatsu."
"You are the descendant of the child I left behind during my human period."
The moment Kokushibou saw Tokito, he sensed it: the aura within this bloodline was absolutely impossible for a demon to conceal.
Hearing this, Tokito Muichiro's calm facial muscles twitched: "What nonsense are you spouting?"
A descendant of a demon?
Utter nonsense.
Kokushibou tilted his head: "You don't believe me? Didn't Mizuki tell you?"
Tokito Muichiro frowned.
Come to think of it, this guy really does look like Mizuki.
Observing the change in Tokito's expression, Kokushibou fell silent for a moment. It seemed Mizuki truly hadn't told this child.
The Breathing Technique he uses isn't his Moon Breathing either.
It's a derived Breathing Technique from the Foundational Breathing Technique.
Tetsunomori was still standing nearby: "Tokito-dono..."
"Don't get in the way here." Tokito Muichiro couldn't afford to be distracted; the pressure brought by the guy in front of him was immense.
"I... I understand."
Although Tetsunomori couldn't follow the fight, he had a rough understanding of the situation and knew that staying here would only be a hindrance. He turned and hid in the woods.
His departure did not attract the attention of the two.
The weak flesh and blood of such ordinary humans were barely worth mentioning to Kokushibou—the type he was too lazy to chew even if it reached his mouth.
He was currently more interested in this descendant.
"Mist Breathing..."
Tokito Muichiro didn't want to waste words on the demon and proactively launched an attack.
However, his offensive posed no pressure whatsoever to Kokushibou, who casually avoided Muichiro's slashes as if taking a stroll.
Kokushibou dodged the attacks with ease, and his eyes held a hint of praise as he looked at Tokito Muichiro.
"His age is probably fourteen, right?" Kokushibou praised him without reservation. "To have mastered such proficient swordsmanship at such a young age."
"And the courage to suppress fear and face adversity despite being intimidated by me."
What exactly is this guy talking about?
They have clearly lived on the mountain for generations... What was that just now?
The images suddenly flashing through his mind caused a rare trace of irritation to rise in Tokito Muichiro's heart... Meanwhile, Tetsunomori, who had retreated into the woods, hadn't taken two steps before bumping into someone behind him.
"Whoa!"
Both spoke at the same time.
"Kotetsu?" Tetsunomori recognized the boy who had bumped into him.
Kotetsu rubbed his head, looking up in surprise: "Mister Tetsunomori, what are you doing here?"
No sooner had he spoken than Tetsunomori covered his mouth.
"Shh! There's a demon, a demon over there." Tetsunomori pointed behind him.
"Eh??!!"
Kotetsu looked in the direction pointed. "That Seaweed Head?"
"So he flew over here?"
He was watching the battle between Tokito Muichiro and Kokushibou.
Wow, the scene is completely obscured.
In a momentary pause, bright moonlight shone on Kokushibou's profile.
Kotetsu gasped: "The—the Doll came back to life again?!"
But the next moment, an unintentional glance swept over by Kokushibou sent a chill through his entire body.
It was like someone casually looking up after hearing a fly buzzing in the room.
That terrifying face made Kotetsu feel as if his heart had been squeezed.
Fortunately, due to Muichiro's pressure, the terrifying Evil Demon was forced to look away.
"S-so scary..." Kotetsu clutched his rapidly beating heart.
Tetsunomori whispered: "Kotetsu, let's run."
"But... Mister Tetsunomori, aren't you going to leave?" Kotetsu noticed his hesitation.
Tetsunomori hesitantly pointed towards the house: "Tokito-dono, I want to retrieve his weapon for him."
Kotetsu's eyes lit up: "While Seaweed Head is keeping that guy occupied, let's sneak around!"
"Eh, wait..." Before Tetsunomori could say much, Kotetsu had already plunged into the woods, bypassing the clearing and heading toward the house.
Tetsunomori sighed helplessly and could only follow... "As expected of my descendant. Although the bloodline is very faint, it is irrelevant..."
On one side was Kokushibou's voice, and on the other were memories constantly flashing through his mind.
Tokito Muichiro only felt his emotions growing increasingly agitated.
"Mist Breathing, Seventh Form: Obscuring Haze!"
Blue mist swirled around him, and a hint of surprise flashed in Kokushibou's eyes.
It was a form he had never seen, a form of Mist Breathing he had never witnessed.
Did this child create it himself?
Swish!!
The sword strike, which approached his neck utilizing the hazy mist, was casually avoided by Kokushibou taking half a step back.
The rhythm was unique, the movements hard to discern, and the technique served to confuse sight and hearing; it was fluid and graceful.
For a moment, he seemed to see Mizuki's figure from the past.
That posture of dancing amidst the snow.
Wonderful.
Truly a wonderful move.
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