Cold sweat beaded on Muichiro's forehead, the image he had witnessed lingering in his mind.
What kind of attack was that?
The broken parts of the yoriichi type zero were scattered everywhere, and an old Nichirin Blade had fallen out of its interior.
Kotetsu looked utterly dejected: "Ah! My Yoriichi..."
Before he could finish speaking, Kokushibou's calm voice rang out.
"Not even one-ten-thousandth of Yoriichi."
Kokushibou calmly lowered the cry of emptiness.
"Gulp~"
In the silent night, the sound of an involuntary gulp echoed.
Hearing Kokushibou's voice, Kotetsu remembered the monster before him and immediately collapsed onto the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Mon... Monster... Noticing the movement beside him, Kokushibou slowly turned around.
Muichiro's nerves instantly tightened. He hadn't even had time to get used to the new blade he had just received, yet he stood ready with a serious expression.
Muichiro glanced sideways at his wrist, his body unconsciously trembling again.
The pressure is immense.
This monster... is getting serious.
Muichiro forcibly suppressed the fear in his body and whispered, "Get away now."
Kotetsu wanted to leave, but his legs completely refused to obey him.
Fortunately, Kokushibou's Aura was only focused on Muichiro, and he paid no attention to the two swordsmiths.
Kotetsu's body was only paralyzed by fear because he had taken one look too many.
Tetsunomori could still move. He quickly jogged over to Kotetsu, picked him up with one hand, and prepared to flee... Kokushibou suddenly looked into the distance.
Hmm?
Gyokko's presence... disappeared?
Was he killed by someone?
As fellow Upper Rank Demons, all demons possess a dense concentration of Demon King's Blood, so sensing each other is not an issue, even across long distances.
It seems I can't waste any more time; I must first complete Lord Muzan's orders.
In Muichiro's line of sight, Kokushibou suddenly moved.
So fast!
My eyes can't keep up!
Although Muichiro had tensed his nerves, he couldn't clearly see Kokushibou's movements at all.
Is the attack coming?
Which direction?
A strong gust of wind brushed past him, and Muichiro's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh no!" Muichiro looked back anxiously.
Kokushibou's silhouette overlapped with Tetsunomori's. The cry of emptiness was raised high; there was no fancy swordsmanship, just a simple swing of the blade, like slaughtering livestock.
"Stop..." Muichiro instinctively spoke, having reacted purely on reflex.
His speed was completely insufficient.
The gap in strength made it impossible for him to protect others from this monster.
Before, it was only because the monster hadn't bothered with him; if it had truly intended to fight, he would have died countless times already.
Powerless.
Such a word appeared in Muichiro's mind.
In this instant, time seemed to slow down.
He seemed to recall an earlier memory.
It was during... the fight with Mizuki.
He asked, "Why can't I achieve the Demon Slayer Mark Awakening? Is your method wrong?"
Following that, Mizuki showed a smile that was hard to tell if it was amused or resigned.
"Sometimes, having too good a mindset isn't necessarily a good thing."
Muichiro tilted his head: "What do you mean?"
After he asked that question, a hint of worry appeared on Mizuki's face.
"You'll probably understand when you truly face danger, but I don't know if it will be in time..."
...A bit of an eyesore.
Standing behind Tetsunomori, who hadn't noticed anything and was still running headlong forward, Kokushibou expressionlessly swung his blade down.
The next moment, blood would splatter everywhere.
Just then, a chill ran down his spine, and an unexpected gust of wind sounded from behind him.
Kokushibou looked back in surprise, and the tip of a blue blade entered his vision.
He actually caught up?
In this brief exchange, Kokushibou believed he had fully grasped the strength of his descendant.
Therefore, he was certain that in his previous state, Muichiro absolutely could not have caught up to his attack.
His speed increased?
Although surprised, this increase in speed did not put any pressure on Kokushibou, who simply tilted his head slightly, letting the blade skim past his face.
The stab missed.
They were close enough to touch. Kokushibou clearly saw the markings on Muichiro's face: "A Demon Slayer Mark? You truly are..."
Muichiro didn't waste words. After the stab missed, he forcibly stopped his momentum and turned the blade to slice horizontally toward Kokushibou's neck.
Kokushibou's figure suddenly vanished.
"Too fast!" Muichiro gritted his teeth, daring not to relax even slightly when facing such a powerful enemy.
"As expected of my descendant, activating the Demon Slayer Mark at only fourteen years old."
Kokushibou's words still came from behind Muichiro.
Watching the two men disappear into the forest, Muichiro sighed in relief, then turned around with a grim expression: "How many more times are you going to say that?"
"Even if it were true, hundreds of years have passed. How could your blood still be in my body?"
Was it the Demon Slayer Mark?
No wonder he felt his speed was unnatural just now, and his body was unusually light... Kokushibou fell silent.
"Is that so? Is that what you think?" A voice so steady it was overwhelmingly oppressive sounded, and Kokushibou silently raised his blade.
Whether it was Mizuki, or this descendant he met for the first time.
What is so bad about becoming a demon?
Finding the Swordsmith Village outpost and meeting his own descendant.
Although he hadn't cared about the rise and fall of the Tsugikuni Family when he chose to leave home, knowing he still had a descendant after hundreds of years.
Kokushibou was still in a decent mood; this was the second piece of good news that lifted his spirits, following the knowledge that Mizuki was still alive.
It should have been double the happiness, but neither situation turned out satisfactorily.
Kokushibou's rare pleasant mood had been mostly worn away.
Since they are unwilling to become demons, and unwilling to serve Lord Muzan.
Then... die.
Kokushibou's eyes grew cold, and he slowly drew his sword.
*Krrk~*
The blade scraping against the sheath made a soft, rustling sound.
A terrifying presence radiated from Kokushibou's body, causing the surrounding forest to rustle loudly, as if intimidated by this powerful Aura.
Muichiro, who was directly facing this formidable presence, felt cold all over.
Death.
He will die.
This one strike... he absolutely cannot dodge it.
This is... the true power of Upper Rank One... That guy was just playing before... Faced with this terrifying Aura, Muichiro's movements stiffened slightly.
For the first time, Kokushibou adopted a stance, lowering his body, and exhaling a faint breath.
Muichiro focused with all his might.
Focus, focus.
He must dodge it... As if overwhelmed by intense pressure, in what seemed like a moment of distraction, Kokushibou's figure had already vanished from his spot.
I can't see him!!!
Muichiro's eyes darted left and right, trying to find traces of Kokushibou.
"Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon - Evening Palace!"
The extremely majestic voice rang out steadily.
And the place where he appeared was...
Right in front of him.
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