The purple mist from his magic-sealing blade mixed with the white breath Gusion exhaled, rising toward the full moon.
Lit by the fire, the demons could clearly see dark purple demonic markings appearing on Gusion's skin, spreading across his face and lending him a sinister air.
Though surrounded by flames, the demons felt a shiver of cold.
The Demon God's secret technique activated. Gusion's main stats soared—Strength and Agility reached 35!
With a powerful leap, he shot from the tree like a cannonball, charging straight for Gyokko.
Tactically, one should kill the support first. But Enmu's Blood Demon Art was a headache—if Gusion recklessly attacked him, he might get caught. But Enmu's power had its flaw: if Gusion didn't target him, there'd be no eye contact. If he killed all the other demons first, Enmu alone would pose no threat, as he had little offensive power.
"Enmu, use your art!" Gyokko shouted, realizing the danger Gusion posed.
Massive octopus tentacles—Blood Demon Art: Octopus Jar Hell—appeared to shield Gyokko.
Simultaneously, Gyokko completed his molting. Now, his speed and power were boosted—a rare state of seriousness for him.
He kept the octopuses in front of him and unleashed Thousand Needle Fish Kill to block the air above. If Gusion tried to leap, he'd be shot down.
Gyokko focused intensely, sweating, his eyes darting. Where would Gusion attack from?
But before he could finish thinking, the octopuses were sliced to pieces.
Gusion, like a demon god, strode through the fire and blood. He had no intention of detouring—he'd always preferred a frontal assault!
Gyokko barely registered his horror before he grabbed ten pots, unleashing a torrent of sharp-toothed catfish.
But Gusion didn't slow or dodge. Lightning flashed across him, his thunder waterfall surged, shredding the fish in a storm.
With his current stats, instantaneous movement and Thunder Breathing made him truly as fast as lightning. His magic-sealing blade carved through Gyokko's fish tide, slashing straight for the vital point.
Whoosh—
Gyokko vanished, using his Blood Demon Art to transfer into another pot at the last second.
He looked back, anxious to see if the Water Prison Bowl had worked, but saw only scattered liquid.
Gusion wasn't surprised by Gyokko's escape. He continued his assault, decapitating another explorer behind Gyokko.
"He's too fast—Gyokko-sama, work with me!" Enmu shed his usual creepy smile for an expression of tension and excitement.
As a Lower Moon, he knew he couldn't match an Upper Moon in strength. Even with Muzan's recent blood, his body was still far weaker.
His only asset was his Blood Demon Art, which he was confident could put even the strongest Hashira to sleep.
But Gyokko wasn't a team player. As a fragile demon, he couldn't approach Gusion to cast the spell—he'd be killed with his eyes closed.
Tactically, Gyokko should line up with him, blocking Gusion's view. If Gyokko dodged or transferred, Enmu could make eye contact.
But Gyokko was panicked and angry, losing composure. Now, they were completely passive.
The sound of slicing wind filled the burning forest, red leaves fluttering like butterflies as Gusion surged past, reaching ever higher.
His hunt continued. Gyokko's Blood Demon Art was powerful and wide-ranging, but Gusion's speed meant he could easily outpace it. In moments, three more explorers fell, leaving only the distant ones alive.
"Group up around Enmu-sama!" Ken shouted, calling the survivors together. They couldn't rely on Gyokko—only by shielding Enmu could they hope to survive.
For offense, the stat gap was too much. Anyone who got close was instantly killed. Only those with ranged abilities could do anything, and they'd just been killed by Gusion.
"Damn, how dare you look down on me!"
Gyokko saw Gusion ignoring his Blood Demon Art and hunting the art-appreciating demons. Enraged, he sprang from a hidden pot for a surprise attack on Gusion's heart, his hand imbued with a special power—the God Hand that could turn anything it touched into fish.
He knew Gusion's swordplay was more violent, but if he could just touch Gusion, he could kill him instantly!
Bang—
With a dull thud and Gyokko's shocked gaze, Gusion trapped Gyokko's wrist between his elbow and knee, stopping the God Hand just inches from his heart.
Gusion's strength shattered Gyokko's wrist. Even with super-fast regeneration, Gyokko couldn't heal under such pressure.
Gyokko couldn't understand it—he was sure Gusion hadn't noticed the hidden pot, and that his attack was instant. How could Gusion react so fast?
But the evidence was right there—Gusion not only reacted but crippled his hand.
Gyokko didn't hesitate, forcibly breaking off his hand to escape. If he'd hesitated, he might have died then and there.
Though he managed to teleport away, Gusion still sliced off a row of little hands from his body.
This brief exchange cleared Gyokko's mind. He realized he could not defeat Gusion alone—he had to coordinate with Enmu and use mind control to put Gusion to sleep.
He emerged from another pot, immediately tossing a new one toward Enmu's position, so he could teleport there next.
Bang—
To his shock and anger, the pot shattered in mid-air. Gusion hadn't jumped to intercept it; instead, he had produced a long black tube while running and shot it down.
At the same time, he kept moving, closing in on Gyokko and slicing at him.
Gyokko vanished again, his pot destroyed by Gusion's blade.
Gusion paused, frowning. He felt he was putting too much pressure on Gyokko—Gyokko wasn't getting cocky or reckless at all.
This teleporting Blood Demon Art was truly a life-saving ability. In the original story, Gyokko was goaded by the Mist Hashira, got cocky, tried to brawl, and got his head cut off in the mist.
But now Gyokko wasn't showing off—he teleported away whenever Gusion attacked. Gusion had no idea how many pots Gyokko had hidden on the mountain. If he had to smash them all, it would be a pain.
Gusion took a deep breath to clear his head. Now was not the time to rush—being impatient could get him killed. He should focus on cleaning up the explorers first.
The biggest mistake Gyokko and Enmu made was not protecting the explorers at all. To Gusion, the explorers—with their unknown tools—were a bigger threat than the Upper Moons with known abilities.
"You ignorant brat, now you see the difference in our speed? You can't touch me."
Gyokko had moved closer to Enmu, taunting Gusion.
He wasn't stupid. Besides himself, no one had survived a face-to-face encounter with Gusion. Enmu's words made him realize that even weak demons could be useful as shields.
As long as they clustered around Enmu, blocking his sight, Gusion wouldn't know where Enmu was looking and couldn't risk a reckless charge.
In a protracted battle, the demons held the advantage. Humans would tire; demons could endure.
"The difference in speed?"
Gusion tilted his head, lightning crackling around him, hair standing on end as if the thunder god had descended.
In the next instant, as he pushed off, dirt flew up like a blooming lotus, leaves and flames swirling in a whirlwind like a dragon through the forest.
A streak of lightning shot through. Even Gyokko barely caught a glimpse before two more heads flew.
Of the four explorers who had clustered around Enmu, two fell instantly. Enmu turned, a step too late, catching only Gusion's back.
Ken and Lily, huddled next to Enmu, trembled violently. It felt as if they had brushed past death itself.
Only because they stood on the inner side did they survive—had they been on the other side, they'd surely be dead.
Gyokko rushed over to fight, while Enmu, sweating, frantically calculated how to control Gusion.
He wasn't as strong as Gyokko, but he was smarter and saw the situation clearly. Gyokko's Blood Demon Art wasn't unlimited—every time he summoned a giant octopus, it cost a lot of energy. Sooner or later, he'd tire and slip up.
At this rate, Enmu believed, Gyokko would be defeated within three minutes, and then death would be all that awaited them.