DS Chapter 103 : Kanao Is Gravely Injured!
Through the neatly opened gap, Katsuragi Ren immediately spotted Kanao's figure!
At that moment, sweat covered Kanao's forehead. Her little face was deathly pale, and her lungs trembled uncontrollably.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was that Kanao had opened the barrier!
Ren immediately shouted, "Kanao! Go tell Shinobu! The demons here are Upper Rank Four and Upper Rank Five!"
Before Kanao could react, however, Gyokko struck first.
After realizing Ren's strength, Gyokko no longer dared take any risks. The moment he saw Kanao actually opening the Blood Demon Art barrier, he immediately rushed toward Hantengu.
In the next instant, Gyokko directly disobeyed his superior and violently twisted Hantengu's neck!
Then he swung his massive hands and tore Hantengu's body into four pieces!
Ren's pupils shrank sharply.
"Get back!"
At the same time, on the other side, four fragmented bodies crawled out from Hantengu's remains amid the shrieks of demons!
"Blood Demon Art: Manifestation—Division: Karaku!"
"Blood Demon Art: Manifestation—Division: Sekido!"
"Blood Demon Art: Manifestation—Division: Urogi!"
"Blood Demon Art: Manifestation—Division: Aizetsu!"
Joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure had finally split apart!
The four demons stood before Ren, each carrying their own weapon and wearing completely different expressions.
Karaku flapped his wings and let out a faint, shrill laugh.
"Kyahahaha! Wonderful! I can finally come out! Right, Sekido?"
Sekido gripped his lightning staff, his face twisted with rage.
"No! I'm not happy at all! You damn Demon Slayer, I have to eliminate you!"
Urogi wore a sympathetic expression, but the spear in his hand was already raised high.
"Ah! How pitiful! I'll make sure you die without suffering!"
Finally, Aizetsu chuckled softly.
"Don't say things like that. You'll frighten him, Urogi. Hehehe~!"
The four demons representing joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure either laughed or issued threats, behaving like a bunch of lunatics.
Ren's expression grew solemn.
The situation was beginning to spiral out of control.
It wasn't Kanao who had ruined his plan.
He simply hadn't expected Gyokko to actually attack his superior.
Damn it!
At that moment, Ren clearly saw Karaku suddenly flap his wings and charge toward Kanao!
"Dragon Breathing, First Form: Dragon Soaring Through the Heavens!"
Ren changed his sword stance, concentrating every ounce of strength into his legs. He launched himself forward like a dragon leaping into the sky, rushing toward Kanao.
"Your opponent is me!"
A pot suddenly appeared beneath Ren.
The next moment, Gyokko emerged from it.
By the time Ren noticed him, Gyokko's arms had already transformed into six pottery jars of different sizes. Water churned violently inside their openings.
"Blood Demon Art: Blood Prison Pots!"
A massive volume of water surrounded Ren like a prison. The momentum of his body was instantly neutralized by the water's cushioning force.
Ren had seen this technique before.
Gyokko had once used it to trap Muichiro Tokito.
This time, however, Ren was the target.
The instant Ren was trapped, Karaku had already rushed toward Kanao.
Behind him came the agile Aizetsu, wielding his leaf-shaped fan.
Sekido remained where he was, ready to unleash his lightning at any moment.
Kanao froze.
From the moment she first saw Gyokko and Hantengu, she had been completely stunned.
"A head growing from a body... and a body growing from a head..."
"Are they... one of the Twelve Kizuki?"
Her pupils continued to contract as she repeated those words under her breath.
Especially when she saw the numbers engraved in their eyes, her small body began trembling uncontrollably.
They were Upper Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki.
And there were actually two of them!
How was that possible?
Kanao could hardly believe it.
Ren had actually been fighting opponents like these just moments ago?
Under the girl's gaze, Sekido—the red-robed demon in the distance—suddenly raised his lightning staff high into the air.
"Kanao, get away!"
Ren's voice suddenly rang out from inside the distant water prison!
His voice was like thunder behind dark clouds, jolting Kanao's mind awake.
"Flower Breathing, Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility!"
The moment she overcame her fear, Kanao drew her Nichirin Sword and unleashed nine consecutive strikes. The trajectory of her blade was as beautiful as a blooming peony.
The instant the sword technique blossomed, Karaku, who had charged forward first, didn't even have time to release his Blood Demon Art before his neck was severed!
At the same time, Kanao immediately shifted her stance and followed with Flower Breathing's Second Form, severing Aizetsu's neck in an instant!
Then—
Lightning descended!
Terrifying bolts rained down like a storm.
Although Kanao immediately twisted her body to evade them, her right leg was still caught in the electric current.
The next moment, numbness spread from her leg throughout her entire body!
"Ugh!"
Blood sprayed into the air.
Urogi seized the opportunity and silently circled behind Kanao. His spear plunged directly into her waist!
"You're so fragile!"
Urogi grinned.
The last of the four demons, representing joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, had been lurking behind the others, waiting for an opportunity.
And just as he expected, Kanao was struck head-on!
Sekido roared.
"Ha!"
Lightning struck again!
A complete bolt slammed directly into Kanao's delicate body.
Her entire body went numb in an instant. She couldn't even summon enough strength to hold onto her Nichirin Sword.
The flower-shaped Nichirin Sword slipped from her fingertips.
Kanao struggled to raise her head, desperately looking toward Ren.
Her consciousness gradually blurred.
"Ren... Ren..."
In the final moments before losing consciousness, the only thing she wanted was to make sure Ren was safe.
"Hehehehehe~ What a beautiful girl!"
Gyokko had somehow slipped over unnoticed.
With a mocking expression, he stared at Kanao's trembling, bloodstained body.
"That Demon Slayer toyed with me for so long. I'm a little hungry now!"
"Let's discuss business first."
Sekido slowly approached with his lightning staff.
"You said Lord Muzan might be hiding something here."
Gyokko reluctantly nodded.
"Yes, yes, yes. Lord Hantengu, it seems your splitting technique really does improve every day."
Sekido asked, "Where is the Demon Slayer from earlier?"
At that moment, the two mischievous demons, Karaku and Aizetsu, slowly reattached their severed heads.
Both of them turned toward Gyokko, wearing the same curious expression.
"Look! That Demon Slayer has already been sealed inside my Blood Demon Art. Perhaps he's already become a specimen!"
Hearing this, the demons looked toward the spot Gyokko indicated.
But aside from a puddle of water...
There was nothing there.
Ren was gone.
For a moment, even the demons were stunned.
Gyokko stared at the puddle where Ren should have been, his expression gradually becoming ugly.
"What...?"
Sekido's eyes narrowed.
A strange feeling crept into the air.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Kanao lay motionless on the ground nearby, her breathing weak and uneven.
The four emotion demons slowly looked around.
Where had that Demon Slayer gone?
And more importantly—
How had he escaped Gyokko's Blood Demon Art?
Gyokko's expression darkened.
"That bastard..."
His voice was filled with disbelief.
Meanwhile, Ren had already disappeared into the darkness.
The instant Gyokko's attention shifted toward Kanao, Ren had used the momentary opening to escape the water prison.
He had no intention of wasting another second.
Kanao was injured.
The demons were still here.
And the situation had become far more dangerous than he had anticipated.
Ren tightened his grip around his Nichirin Sword.
His eyes were cold.