Chapter 113: Hundredfold Refinement Unleashed! One Sword to Slay an Upper Rank Foe!
Thick smoke billowed through the room, and Gyokko disappeared together with his pot.
But Katsuragi Ren had no intention of defeating Gyokko with a single move. He knew his stamina had only just recovered. Killing an Upper Rank demon in a single exchange was simply unrealistic.
From the basement entrance in the distance, Gyokko's voice suddenly echoed.
"Looks like we both underestimated you..."
Dim moonlight poured through the doorway, illuminating the room.
At the entrance, Gyokko's expression gradually twisted.
"Why?!"
His face contorted with rage.
"Why did you betray our friendship?! Weren't we supposed to create the greatest masterpiece in existence together?!"
Ren remained silent and calmly closed his eyes.
"Activate Bullet Domain."
"Activate Hyper-Memory State."
[Your visual motion-capture ability has increased. Your vision has become clearer...]
[Your enhanced hearing has been fully activated. Your sensory range has expanded to the point where you can detect even the slightest movement in the wind...]
If he couldn't see clearly, Ren simply opened his eyes wider.
Moreover, he could manipulate the air around him.
With the slightest movement of wind and clouds, a thin mist quickly filled the room.
Human and demon could no longer see each other.
Clang!
Shadows surged through the darkness.
After his attack missed, Gyokko quickly withdrew his body.
The harsh scraping of ceramic against the concrete floor echoed throughout the room.
Fear appeared across Gyokko's face.
Wasn't this brat injected with Lord Muzan's poison?
I used my full strength against him last time. By all rights, he should have died in my hands!
Gyokko began to panic.
For the past several days, he had barely eaten or slept because he was determined to fulfill the grand promise Master Ren had made.
He hadn't even drunk a single drop of human blood.
His body was now extremely weak.
But why was this Demon Slayer still in such perfect condition?!
The more Gyokko thought about it, the stranger it became.
Hadn't he only given his opponent some steamed buns?
How could those things possibly have any detoxifying effect?
If he couldn't control Ren, Gyokko could already imagine what his fate would be.
In an instant, Muzan's face appeared in his mind.
The careful care Muzan had given him over the past few days might very well turn into a spectacular beheading performance today...
But that wasn't the important part.
The important thing was that someone had deceived him in the name of art!
He had worked diligently for seven whole days.
Then, when the time was right, Ren simply flipped the table and said:
"I'm done playing."
"You bastard! You really are heartless!"
Gyokko collapsed.
Those seven days had been incredibly important to him.
Yet Ren had never taken them seriously.
This Upper Rank Five felt completely deceived!
And that was exactly the effect Ren wanted.
As a human, he didn't possess the enormous physique of a demon.
And since he had to fight a demon in darkness, he had to be more patient and more cunning than his opponent.
Over these seven days, thanks to the recovery effect of Hundredfold Refinement, every trace of poison inside Ren's body had been eliminated.
However, because he had been living on steamed buns, he still couldn't maintain a prolonged battle.
"Gyokko, these seven days weren't completely meaningless for either of us."
"Seven days ago, you brought me here."
"Seven days later, I'll send you to the end."
A glint seemed to flash through Ren's eyes.
"After all, I have a very good memory when it comes to grudges."
Gyokko became increasingly furious.
"Then what were these seven days supposed to mean to us?!"
Ren closed his eyes and quietly replied,
"Consider them the first seven days of your life after death."
Gyokko: "???"
"Dragon Breathing, First Form: Dragon Soaring Through the Heavens!"
The young man's figure flashed like lightning, moving with the roar of thunder!
Ren instantly locked onto Gyokko's position from the sound he made.
Gyokko panicked and hurriedly produced six ceramic pots.
"Blood Demon Art: Thousand Needle Fish Kill—Fish Needles!"
"Dragon Breathing, Second Form: Flame Breath!"
The Nichirin Sword trembled.
A streak of fire swept across the room.
Bright.
Blazing.
Powerful.
The flames melted Gyokko's fish needles, and the burning needles immediately struck his body, leaving large areas of his skin scorched.
Gyokko had been hungry for several days, and his regenerative ability was far weaker than usual.
He still hadn't completely recovered from his previous injuries.
In Ren's eyes, his movements were painfully slow.
"Insect Breathing: Butterfly Dance—Caprice!"
Ren changed his footwork.
Every swing of his blade seemed to squeeze the last remnants of strength from his opponent.
At that moment, he resembled an elegant gentleman slowly carving something into a priceless work of art.
A butterfly.
Beautiful, broad wings.
It bloomed across Gyokko's chest.
Amid the crimson spray of blood, Gyokko froze.
Ren smiled.
"Gyokko, you'd better pay attention to this slash."
Gyokko seemed to realize something.
"Why?"
Ren closed his eyes again.
"Because after this slash..."
"...the world will witness the birth of the most exquisite, unparalleled work of art."
It was as though countless flowers were falling from the sky, descending toward the mortal world.
The young man's figure stood as straight as a sculpture, his Nichirin Sword slowly rising above his head.
At that moment, time seemed to stop.
[You have achieved enlightenment.]
[You have fused art and swordsmanship together and created Dragon Breathing, Eighth Form!]
[You have achieved enlightenment.]
[You have fused art and swordsmanship together and created Dragon Breathing, Seventh Form!]
His chest rose and fell slightly.
His swordsmanship was flawless.
He knew exactly what he had to do.
[Deep Breath...]
"Total Concentration—Hundredfold Refinement!"
"Draw!"
Clang!
Before Gyokko could even see what had happened, a blade flashed across his neck.
Ren's figure suddenly appeared on the opposite side.
Only then did Gyokko hear his voice.
"Dragon Breathing, Eighth Form: Lotus Creation—Elegance!"
Boom!
Gyokko's body bloomed like a flower.
A mist of blood filled the air, merging with the clouds like a magnificent painting.
Ren had carved a flower into his body.
A red flower from hell, filled with the aura of death and radiating a deadly majesty.
Scarlet.
Swaying.
Deadly.
With his neck severed, Gyokko was so excited that he couldn't even speak.
This swordsmanship...
This technique...
It was absolutely the most extraordinary thing he had ever witnessed!
Unfortunately, he couldn't utter a single word of praise.
He couldn't express his admiration.
Ren slowly sheathed his Nichirin Sword and walked toward Gyokko.
His steps were light.
With every step, a lotus seemed to bloom beneath his feet.
By then, Gyokko's head had already drooped toward the ground, his eyes facing the opposite direction from his body.
Ren crouched down and thoughtfully turned Gyokko's head back toward him.
Gyokko was so moved that he could hardly speak.
"Is it beautiful?" Ren asked softly.
"I didn't break my promise."
"Because I'm not a demon. I don't lie."
"So when I promised to create a masterpiece as magnificent as nature itself with you, how could I possibly break my word?"
"Now, open your eyes and look."
"Didn't we create this work of art together?"
"Isn't your body the most exquisite masterpiece of all?"