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"It's getting dark."
Kisaragi Rin walked out of the house, and Black Sun flew back to Kisaragi Rin's shoulder from outside, shaking its head to signal that it hadn't found any trace of a demon.
Kisaragi Rin stood there, waiting and waiting, but Ukogi didn't return.
"Where did that AI go?"
"It was annoying, so we separated."
Hearing Black Sun speak after a long time, Kisaragi Rin felt a little relieved...
At the same time, Ukogi was bringing two demons this way.
Once Ukogi became slightly familiar with the two demons, she immediately dropped her superficial social anxiety and revealed her true talkative nature.
After being tormented all afternoon, Daki's forehead veins bulged, and Kaigaku's clothes behind her were still stained with blood.
Although the Kasugai Crow was real, Daki wasn't a demon who reasoned, so Kaigaku deserved to be beaten for daring to curse her.
After getting confirmation that they were indeed demons, Ukogi planned to go back and contact Kisaragi Rin.
"Completing a mission in a formulaic way isn't the mark of a qualified Kasugai Crow. Your master sent you to find demons, so wouldn't it be better to bring us back…"
Although she wasn't a Kasugai Crow, Ukogi felt that what Kaigaku said made a lot of sense.
If she only completed basic commands, what difference would she have from Black Sun? She couldn't compare to the Spider Demon in Kisaragi Rin's arms. She had to become the most useful Crow by Kisaragi Rin's side.
She was eager to bring them back but was refused. It seemed these two demons had some unspoken difficulty and requested to wait until after dark.
Ukogi flapped her wings lightly, searching for the way she came.
...
"There are still four Low Moons and at least two Upper Moons. Enmu shouldn't be able to put me to sleep, so he's not a concern. Daki is a bit weak, so she's also not a concern. Which other Upper Moon will it be? I hope it's Hantengu…"
Kisaragi Rin walked conspicuously down the road, carrying his nichirin blade, as several Kasugai Crows scattered to gain high-altitude visibility.
Murata and Zenitsu cautiously followed behind Kisaragi Rin. Although they didn't know Kisaragi Rin's exact strength, they were very clear about the Upper Moons, who hadn't been replaced for over 130 years, and each one had taken the lives of several Pillars.
The moment they decided to stay here, they had already cast aside thoughts of life and death.
Daki and Kaigaku also didn't conceal their figures. Soon, Murata's Kasugai Crow spotted them and quickly flew back to report.
"It's Lower Moon One and Lower Moon Three."
"Should we continue forward?"
Murata looked up, asking Kisaragi Rin's opinion. This meant facing two Low Moons simultaneously, and they were the most outstanding among the Low Moons.
Glancing at Zenitsu's agitation, Kisaragi Rin rubbed his yellow hair and said casually, "Don't worry, Kaigaku will definitely die here today."
Continuing forward, Kisaragi Rin saw Ukogi between Daki and Kaigaku.
It was a bit hard to bear; no wonder he couldn't find Ukogi. So she had been caught by demons.
"Die!"
Finding the Demon Slayer Corps swordsman, a sash extended from Daki's back and fiercely slashed at Ukogi, clearly having endured it for a long time.
Hit by the sash, Ukogi looked bewildered. Before she could understand what happened, she was sent flying towards Kisaragi Rin by a huge force.
Kisaragi Rin caught it, not knowing what kind of machinery it was made of, as there wasn't even a scratch on it.
"Boss, I brought the demons back for you."
"Thank you, AI."
Feeling a bit tired, he let it fly away. Kisaragi Rin looked at the two demons in front of him.
"I remember you were Upper Moon Six, weren't you?"
Kisaragi Rin saw Lower Moon One in Daki's eyes and asked strangely. He had thought the Kasugai Crow was referring to Enmu as Lower Moon One, but it turned out to be Daki.
"Kill you, and I'll reclaim my Upper Moon position!"
A giant pink sash burst from the ground, cutting directly towards Kisaragi Rin's body. Judging by its size, if it hit, he would surely be cut in half.
Previously, he needed to defend against Rui's spider threads, but now Kisaragi Rin merely swung his nichirin blade, and with sheer arm strength, he shattered the sash's power, pinning it to the ground.
Turning his head to the other side, Zenitsu had already drawn his nichirin blade and charged towards Kaigaku.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash, Sixfold!"
Accompanied by a roar filled with anger, golden lightning resounded across the battlefield.
"Thunder Breathing is still cool, but using your ultimate at the start, can you even make a second strike?"
He hadn't expected Zenitsu to have even learned the Sixfold. Kisaragi Rin placed the Spider Demon in his hand on the ground and warned, "You go cover him, but don't use too much force and kill Kaigaku."
The Spider Demon blinked, having been with him for many days, she could easily understand Kisaragi Rin's meaning.
Don't let Zenitsu be killed, and don't help him kill Kaigaku.
...
"As for you, you hit my Kasugai Crow just now, right?"
Although it was a bit silly, and was left by his predecessor, not his own creation, they had spent so many days together, and it had diligently followed his commands.
Kisaragi Rin drew his nichirin blade, lowered it to his waist, and softly called out, "Dust Whirlwind, Scythe Slash!"
First Form: Dust Whirlwind, Scythe Slash, can also be simply called a face-charge downward slash based on its attack method.
But under Kisaragi Rin's strength of 12 points, the ground shattered, and his figure charging towards Daki was more like an ancient demon!
Before he even slashed Daki's face, the downward-pressing wind blade had already torn her face.
"Eight-Layered Sash Slash!"
Several sashes extended from Daki's body, blocking the incoming strike.
Just as she was about to relax, the next strike, or rather, many strikes, had already slashed at her body again.
Her limbs were torn apart, and several sashes forcibly reconnected the severed sections within her body. Daki looked like a bleeding block toy.
Facing Daki's astonished expression, Kisaragi Rin politely called out the name of the technique.
"Third Form: Clear Storm Tree!"
"The blade is too fast, so it should be okay if I don't have time to call out the technique name, right?"
Daki's Blood Demon Art was called Sash. The sashes had their own consciousness and could attack independently or be controlled. They were incredibly hard and could also serve as storage space.
It seemed to have many functions, but facing a simple disparity in strength, it would crumble instantly.
With her strength, she naturally couldn't have been the former Upper Moon. There was another demon within Daki's body, her brother, who was the true Upper Moon.
Unless both demons were killed simultaneously, even injuries from decapitation would quickly heal.
"You really don't have Upper Moon strength. If you don't call your brother out, you're going to cry, you know."
Kisaragi Rin stepped on her, kindly advising.
—
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rice Spirit!"
Black lightning bloomed from the katana in Kaigaku's hand, easily blocking five slashes.
As for Zenitsu's sixth slash, Kaigaku touched his neck and sneered, "Your strength is still so weak."
After unleashing the Sixfold Thunderclap and Flash once, Zenitsu's legs were trembling.
Kaigaku had originally wanted to escape amidst the chaos, as there was no need for him to risk himself against either Daki or Kisaragi Rin, but he hadn't expected to see his junior disciple, which made him stop his escape plans.
"I thought you were dead, Zenitsu."
"That old geezer was so good to you. Only I was there the day he committed seppuku."
Having endured so much grievance, Kaigaku finally saw someone he could freely curse, laughing wildly.
"Thunder Breathing, Thunderclap and Flash!"
His leg muscles bulging, Zenitsu charged towards Kaigaku again with anger.
The Spider Demon had already transformed to the size of an elementary school student. With a casual swing, spider threads turned into a giant wave, sweeping forth.
Murata hesitated behind. As an ordinary swordsman, he had successfully been forgotten by everyone, able only to do what he said he would: record the battle...
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