Being able to use Blood Demon Art and still rapidly heal even after being slashed by Wind Breathing...
Asuka tightened his grip on the sword, rapidly assessing the threat level of the demon before him.
According to what Instructor Arasaki had told him, above demons that had devoured many people, there existed even more terrifying beings.
The Twelve Kizuki.
It was said that each of the Twelve Kizuki was extremely powerful, with a number carved into their eyes representing their rank. Defeating even one of them was enough to qualify as a Pillar-level swordsman.
Likewise, Instructor Arasaki had warned him clearly that if he ever truly encountered a member of the Twelve Kizuki...
Run immediately.
Although it sounded cowardly, in Arasaki's eyes, Asuka simply did not yet possess the strength to face the Twelve Kizuki. Knowing when to retreat was not shameful.
Was the demon in front of him one of the Twelve Kizuki?
The female demon flexed her newly regenerated arm and looked at Asuka with interest. "A swordsman who uses wind? You must taste wonderfully fresh."
As she spoke, her expression grew more serious. Layers of dark crimson blood plasma began to cling to the surface of her body, wrapping her like a sticky suit of armor.
"My name is Beninuma: the Red Swamp. And you, little one?" Red Swamp began pacing around Asuka, viscous slime dripping onto the ground and quickly spreading into a slick, filthy carpet like mold.
Asuka did not respond. Instead, he slowly backed away. He could tell the demon was not trying to chat but plotting something sinister.
And he was right.
Seeing Asuka retreat in silence, Red Swamp realized her plan to spread favorable terrain using her slime had been seen through.
Anger flared in her heart, and with a howl, she charged forward.
Using the dark red carpet spreading beneath her feet, Red Swamp seemed to glide across the surface like water, closing the distance to Asuka in an instant at an utterly unnatural speed.
At the same time, she swung both arms, firing dozens of needle-thin blood arrows that sealed off every possible path of escape around Asuka.
"Wind Breathing, Second Form: Claws-Purifying Wind!"
Asuka slashed rapidly before him, four intersecting wind blades bursting forth with extreme speed.
The sound of tearing air rang out as the emerald wind blades mercilessly shredded the foremost blood arrows and dispersed most of the surrounding assault.
However, the blood arrows were too dense. A few slipped through, grazing his left arm and right leg.
Hiss!
A searing pain and numbing sensation spread instantly. Asuka felt a portion of his strength drain away, his movements warping slightly.
Poison? His heart sank.
"Fast reaction," Red Swamp laughed softly, her voice devoid of warmth. "But this is only an appetizer."
"Blood Demon Art: Blood Marsh Mire!"
Red Swamp, now close to Asuka, did not strike his body directly. Instead, she slammed both hands heavily into the ground.
Buzz!
The dark red carpet seemed to come alive, violently surging and swelling. Its range expanded dozens of meters in an instant, spreading across most of the stream bank.
In that moment, the entire area around Asuka was swallowed by Red Swamp's Blood Demon Art, the terrain disadvantage worsening dramatically.
The carpet writhed like a mire with powerful suction, tugging at Asuka's ankles and even attempting to climb upward to ensnare his body.
His legs felt heavy, as if sinking into a bog. His movements slowed and dulled, and combined with the lingering paralysis poison, his body became increasingly clumsy.
Whoosh! Red Swamp's claws tore through the air as Asuka narrowly dodged and tried to counterattack.
But her figure became ghostlike, growing ever more agile within the carpeted domain. She darted and flickered across the surface, pouncing at the hampered Asuka again and again, leaving fresh wounds behind.
"So? Can your wind keep up with me?" she mocked with a grin.
Her attacks were vicious and precise. Not only were they fast, but her claws carried a sharpness capable of ripping through stone. Asuka found it difficult just to defend, let alone find an opening to counter.
Every time he tried to gather power for a strong Wind Breathing form, she either dodged at blinding speed or interrupted him with a sudden surge of suction beneath his feet or a tricky blood spike.
Slash!
At last, he found an opening and unleashed a heavy Wind Breathing slash, but it still failed to hit the fast-gliding Red Swamp.
This won't work. I can't let her control the pace!
"Third Form, Modified: Rolling Veil!"
If the original form was like mountain mist rolling beneath a clear sky, then now Asuka intended to sweep that endless mist upward and unleash a continuous sea of clouds.
Emerald sword energy roared forth. The wind blades, which should have spiraled upward, shifted their trajectory and instead swept horizontally along the ground as a vast gale of sword wind.
Slash! Slash!
The sword-wind spread rapidly. The fungal carpet beneath Asuka's feet was torn up in sheets, annihilating it as swiftly as paper meeting flame, flame meeting flood.
Red Swamp's expression changed. She had not expected the boy's response to be so quick.
Her Blood Demon Art itself was not particularly lethal. It relied on this special domain to amplify her speed, often killing Demon Slayer swordsmen before they could react.
Now that a large portion of the blood mire had been cleared and the domain advantage weakened, her expression grew serious.
"What an uncooperative brat. You don't want to dance with me?"
As Asuka unleashed the modified sword form and struggled to steady his disrupted breathing, the demon was already upon him.
This can't drag on. End it quickly!
Red Swamp gathered her blood into her right arm, nearly condensing it into a crimson blade, and swept it brutally toward Asuka.
At the same time, the boy yanked open the strap across his chest and shouted in a low voice,
"...Fang Thrust!"
Bang! Splat!!
It was an incredibly fast strike, so fast that even Red Swamp, who prided herself on speed, failed to react.
With a dull, penetrating sound, Red Swamp's body was sent flying. She spun midair before crashing down awkwardly onto the ground.
In shock, she saw a horrifying, gaping hole torn through her chest.
Opposite her, the boy stood panting, holding two swords and staring her down.
The one in his left hand... she had never seen it before. It must have been the blade he had been carrying on his back. But what was this wound?
She noticed that some force was gnawing and tearing at her injury, drastically slowing its regeneration.
Was it a Wind Breathing wound? Or the effect of a Nichirin blade? That shouldn't be possible...
Asuka quietly sheathed the old blade Instructor Arasaki had given him, steadied his breathing, and tightened his grip on the Asauchi in his hand.
Compared to the old sword, this broken blade felt far more attuned to him. It moved as he willed, turning one part strength into three.
"Hey! You over there! Are you alright?"
Just as Asuka adjusted his stance and prepared to attack Red Swamp again, three figures burst from the forest on the opposite side of the road, cutting through the air with fierce momentum.
The leader was tall and powerfully built, wearing a dark uniform marked with the character "Slay." He wielded a Nichirin blade gleaming blue-green and shouted anxiously toward Asuka.
At the same time, he noticed Red Swamp in the distance. All three of their expressions changed.
"Found her! The great demon responsible for the massacre of thirty-five people upstream!"