Raiden paused, his gaze steady as he spoke.
"Hmm? You don't want to?" he asked calmly.
Kokushibou's lips quivered, and his six eyes widened with unmistakable surprise. Did Raiden really refuse to become a demon? And yet he wanted friendship? How could that be? They were born enemies.
Kokushibou's expression hardened as quiet anger flickered in his eyes. Raiden scratched at his cheek, confused. Hadn't Kokushibou just said becoming a demon would be interesting? Yet he never said he wanted that for himself. What was he even thinking?
Realizing Raiden seemed to be mocking him, Kokushibou's anger flared.
With blinding speed, Kokushibou's form blurred and his sword materialized—an eerie blade veined with pulsing eyes, glowing in the dim light. "First Form, Dark Moon Evening Palace," he intoned.
In an instant, the air seemed torn apart. Countless sharp, crescent‑shaped blades shot out in every direction, each radiating lethal menace. These weren't ordinary slashes, but manifestations of his Moon Breathing, each one forged with brutal intent.
Raiden recognized the ferocity and didn't hold back. He activated his own sight beyond sight, his perception sharpening as power surged through him.
"Thunder Flame Breathing, First Form Thunder Prison," he murmured, his voice resonating with thunder and flame.
Lightning erupted around Raiden, enveloping him in roaring fire and crackling energy that curled through the air like a dragon's coils. The battlefield lit up with brilliant streaks of light and heat as thunder roared against the dark moon blades.
The two forces collided in a deafening clash.
Lightning and flame met crescent shadows, and for a moment the world itself seemed to tremble.
Raiden and Kokushibou both staggered back. From the distance each took, it was clear Kokushibou had gained the slight upper hand. Yet his expression was far from triumphant. He stared at Raiden with thinly veiled shock.
This swordsman wielded Transparent World and had combined two powerful Breathing elements into something unfamiliar. Thunder Flame was born from Sun Breathing's legacy, a synthesis that few swordsmen could ever master.
Despite his own mastery and centuries of experience, Kokushibou had never witnessed such a fusion.
"Thunder Flame Breathing… you made this yourself?" Kokushibou hissed, irritation and disbelief lacing his voice. "You are truly irritating."
Raiden's calm smile only fueled Kokushibou's frustration. Since Raiden rejected becoming a demon, he would instead fall to his blade.
"Third Form, Repulsive Moon Erosion!"
A powerful double slash launched a barrage of crescent blades toward Raiden, threatening to overwhelm him.
Yet Raiden did not dodge. From their previous exchange, he had judged his advantage. With Transparent World and Compass Needle guiding him, he could hold his ground—even against Kokushibou's terrifying power.
He glanced over his shoulder at Kaigaku and the others standing behind him. This was the perfect moment.
"Kaigaku, why are you just standing there?" Raiden called without turning his head.
The three demon slayers behind him looked on in stunned silence. The clash between Raiden and Kokushibou had already laid waste to homes nearby, leaving ruins in its wake.
Kaigaku's mind struggled to catch up. Did Raiden really want him to join the fight? Facing an Upper Rank One demon was suicide.
Still, the Demon Slayer Corps member who survived the iron fist of a demon urged Kaigaku forward with renewed zeal. He now knew who had saved them. It wasn't Kaigaku, nor Kokushibou, but Raiden.
Kaigaku's sword hand trembled. He had no choice but to advance.
Seeing him approach, Raiden adjusted his position, subtly drawing the battlefield closer to Kaigaku's line.
Kokushibou didn't notice this shift; he was convinced Raiden was weakening.
Kaigaku's legs shook, yet he pushed forward. With a trembling breath, he called forth his own lightning technique.
"Fourth Form, Distant Thunder!"
A crackling orb of dark electricity formed and shot toward Kokushibou, but the demon barely spared a glance, slicing it apart with moon blades.
Raiden seized the moment and unleashed his power fully.
Kokushibou countered with a sweeping arc of Moon Breathing's Eighth Form, Moon‑Dragon Ringtail. The strike sent Raiden flying before it cut through the space where Kaigaku stood.
In that instant Kokushibou's attack, potent and unrelenting, found its mark.
Yet when Kokushibou looked back… he didn't notice Kaigaku at all.
Only Raiden remained, bloodied but defiant.
Confusion flickered in the demon's eyes. Why had Raiden pulled back? What game was he playing?
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