"Ding! Host has slain the Arrow Demon. Reward: Blade Sharpness +10. Bonus: One-time use of Bewitching Blood Fragrance!"
Aoyama listened to the system notification in his mind and glanced at his sword.
A faint white gleam flashed across the blade.
So the sharpness bonus had already been applied.
But…
Bewitching Blood Fragrance (one-time use)?
Isn't that Lady Tamayo's technique?
One-time use?
So that means… he could only activate it once?
Interesting.
—
Tanjiro and Yushiro both turned at the sound of Yahaba's body exploding apart.
Susamaru saw her partner fall—
Yet she felt nothing.
Demons rarely possessed such emotions.
If anything, she only thought losing Yahaba might make the fight slightly more troublesome.
Yushiro immediately realized the opportunity.
Without the arrows controlling the temari balls, their power was drastically reduced.
"Tanjiro! Now!"
Tanjiro nodded firmly.
With tacit coordination, Yushiro activated his invisibility and rushed forward to draw Susamaru's attention while Tanjiro searched for the decisive opening.
"Idiot! If your attacks are in straight lines, they're easy to dodge! And easy to track!"
Yushiro avoided the incoming balls as his figure gradually faded from sight.
He closed in—
And kicked Susamaru squarely.
She staggered back two steps, smiling coldly.
Her rapid dribbling wasn't random.
She had been kicking up dust deliberately—
To disrupt Yushiro's invisibility.
She grabbed a temari ball and hurled it toward him.
"Ahhh!"
Yushiro froze.
The ball hurtled toward his head.
He forgot to move.
For a split second—
He truly thought his head would explode again.
Swish—
A white flash skimmed past the tip of his nose.
If it had deviated even slightly—
His nose would have been sliced off.
The temari split cleanly in two and vanished.
Yushiro slowly turned his head.
Aoyama stood beside him, smirking.
The white flash—
Had been the reflection of his blade.
"Just a small effort. No need to thank me."
Yushiro swallowed hard.
Small effort?!
That blade nearly shaved his face!
"…Th-thank you."
His heart screamed in protest.
But he said it anyway.
This man was dangerous.
—
Susamaru's grin widened as Aoyama stepped in again.
"How fun! So fun! You're my true opponent!"
"No!" Tanjiro shouted. "I am!"
He inhaled deeply.
Total Concentration.
Water Breathing.
First Form — Water Surface Slash.
His body lifted slightly from the ground as his Nichirin Blade swept horizontally—
Cleanly across Susamaru's neck.
Her hand froze.
The ball dropped.
Her head slid from her shoulders, rolled twice, and stopped at Tanjiro's feet.
Her eyes stared wide.
Tanjiro smiled.
He did it.
"Lady Tamayo! Senior Brother Aoyama! We defeated a member of the Twelve Kizuki! You can draw her blood!"
Aoyama sheathed his blade calmly.
"No."
"Huh?! What do you mean, no?"
Lady Tamayo stepped forward and crouched beside the severed head.
She examined Susamaru's eyes carefully.
"She is not one of the Twelve Kizuki. There are no engraved numbers in her eyes."
Tanjiro crouched down and looked.
Indeed.
Nothing.
"If she isn't… then the other one wasn't either?"
Aoyama nodded.
He turned toward Nezuko.
She had rushed to help him earlier and nearly gotten hurt.
That mistake—
Was Tanjiro's fault.
Tanjiro suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
He turned—
And met Aoyama's cold side-glance.
What did I do wrong?!
—
"Even if she wasn't one of the Twelve Kizuki," Tamayo said gently while drawing blood with a syringe, "I hope her blood may still provide clues for the medicine."
Yushiro stared dreamily at her.
Lady Tamayo holding a syringe…
She looked radiant.
Tanjiro sank into thought.
If someone this powerful wasn't even part of the Twelve Kizuki—
Then how terrifying were the real ones?
"Ball… ball… let's… play…"
The faint voice interrupted his thoughts.
Tanjiro picked up a nearby temari and placed it in front of Susamaru's fading head.
"This is yours."
Like a child.
Yet she had killed so many.
Her body slowly crumbled to ash.
Until nothing remained—
Except the discarded kimono.
—
In the courtyard, Nezuko leaned against Aoyama's arm, holding his hand.
Her head rested against him as she slept peacefully.
The eastern horizon brightened.
The sun rose slowly.
Day had arrived.
And with it—
A brief, fragile peace.
To Read advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146