Inside the house, Tanjiro fixed his eyes on the temari balls flying toward him.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Think.
The balls were agile. They could suddenly change direction. Even if he dodged, they would simply turn and come back again.
He emptied his mind and recalled the ten forms of Water Breathing.
Which one could resolve this situation?
The fastest thrusting technique among the ten forms was—
Total Concentration!
Water Breathing!
Seventh Form — Drop Ripple Thrust Curve!
He thrust from an angle, the curved motion softening the ball's force. His blade pierced one of the temari balls, water-like ripples spreading out in front of him.
Outside, Aoyama decided it was time.
Dodging alone wasn't enough anymore.
It was time to let Susamaru taste the power of her own toys.
He flipped into the air.
Total Concentration!
Light Breathing!
Third Form — Dance of Light!
Though the temari balls were fast and their trajectories unpredictable, they still couldn't lock onto Aoyama's movements.
At most—
They could chase him.
But they couldn't hit him.
Susamaru strained to follow him with her eyes, but his footwork had no discernible pattern.
Suddenly—
His figure vanished from her sight.
What?!
Where did he go?!
She twisted her head left and right. He'd been running right in front of her—how did he disappear?
"Hey! What are you looking for? I'm behind you."
His voice sounded at her ear.
Before she could turn—
Three of her arms were smashed apart by her own temari balls.
Aoyama understood clearly: the balls' changing trajectories relied on Yahaba's Blood Demon Art.
They were flexible—
But not perfectly precise.
He had deliberately used Light Breathing's Third Form to lure the balls into chasing him.
Then he closed in on Susamaru.
At the exact moment the balls were about to hit him—
He dodged.
Even the slightest deviation—
And the one struck would be Susamaru herself.
"Ahhhh! Yahaba! What are you doing?!" she screamed furiously.
Yahaba, perched on a tree, frowned.
He had been played.
That irritated him.
A flash of steel.
Aoyama's blade severed the remaining arms on her other side.
They fell to the ground.
"Both sides should be symmetrical! No need to thank me~"
With a light leap, he returned to the rooftop and glanced through the hole in the ceiling at Tanjiro below.
"Tanjiro! Get out here. The Temari Demon is yours. I'll deal with the Arrow Demon."
His eyes locked onto Yahaba in the tree.
Just as Tanjiro was about to rush out, Yushiro stopped him.
"Hey! You foolish demon slayer—"
He clicked his tongue irritably.
"I'll lend you my vision."
He pulled out a talisman from his robes.
"Now you should be able to cut off that ball-throwing woman's head!"
The paper emitted a faint blue glow and flew onto Tanjiro's forehead.
Susamaru was furious.
She had been underestimated.
Veins bulged across her face.
"I am one of the Twelve Kizuki! You think this is all I've got?!"
Her arms regenerated instantly—faster than any demon Tanjiro had encountered before.
Tanjiro trembled slightly.
That regeneration speed—
It was on a completely different level.
Nezuko, having moved the injured woman to the basement, rushed back outside.
With Yushiro's vision, Tanjiro could now see the arrows guiding the temari balls.
The balls were dangerous—
But the arrows controlling them were the real threat.
"Nezuko! Help Senior Brother deal with the Arrow Demon! Leave this one to me!"
"Mm!"
She nodded firmly.
Before Aoyama could stop her, she had already charged forward.
He immediately leapt down from the roof.
That Tanjiro—
He really needed a beating.
Nezuko launched a powerful kick at Yahaba.
He blocked it with his arm.
"Disgusting! Don't kick up dust! It's filthy!"
Both palms faced her, the eyes within them suddenly closing.
Nezuko's body was pulled by invisible arrows—
She was flung backward.
Aoyama shot upward, catching her midair.
The force pushed him sliding several steps upon landing before he stabilized.
"Heh. So you're that afraid of dirt?" he said coldly, already forming a plan.
Inside, Yushiro pointed outside.
"Lady Tamayo! They're acting as bait. Let's escape now!"
"Ah—"
Tamayo stared at him in shock.
"I was joking!"
Yushiro hastily corrected himself.
Yahaba jumped down from the tree.
He had assumed Susamaru alone would handle everything while he stayed elevated, avoiding dust.
He hadn't expected opponents this troublesome.
Tanjiro, now able to see the arrows thanks to Yushiro—
Suddenly realized something.
The arrows were clear to him now.
But—
That man.
From the very beginning—
It seemed like he could already see them.
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