As Wakuraba's words faded, Yuki and his companions immediately noticed a figure emerging from a dark alleyway nearby.
The figure had black hair tied into four short braids, their tips dyed orange. A cyan "工"-shaped mark adorned his pale, ashen face, and the characters "Lower Sixth" were clearly inscribed on his left eye.
Lower Sixth Rank - Kamanue
"Wakuraba, what are you doing here?" Kamanue slurred, swaying unsteadily at the alley entrance, a severed human forearm clutched in his hand, blood smeared across his lips. His speech was slurred, like that of a drunken human.
"I warned you, I won't share the Rare Blood I finally found..."
Wakuraba chuckled darkly. Without explanation or hesitation, he continued sprinting forward.
For Wakuraba, encountering Lower Sixth Rank - Kamanue here was an unexpected stroke of luck.
An even greater surprise was finding Kamanue devouring a human—and not just any human, but one with Rare Blood!
Consuming a single Rare Blood human granted a demon the power equivalent to devouring nearly fifty ordinary humans. Moreover, some Rare Blood types could induce a state similar to human drunkenness in demons.
Both judgment and reaction speed would plummet drastically.
Clearly, Kamanue had encountered such a Rare Blood human!
Wakuraba knew that, according to the Demon Slayer Corps' customs, they would prioritize hunting down man-eating Demons.
Compared to Kamanue, the latter would undoubtedly be their primary target.
By betraying Kamanue, Wakuraba could use the time the Demon Slayer Corps spent hunting him to escape to freedom!
As for failing his mission and incurring the wrath of that master...
That was a problem he could worry about after he'd made his escape!
Meanwhile, Sanemi's expression turned exceptionally grim.
Demons eating humans, and Rare Blood.
These two factors immediately dredged up his past memories.
Sanemi was also a Rare Blood.
Even before officially joining the Demon Slayer Corps, he had already begun hunting Demons.
His method was to first bleed himself.
Demons that smelled his blood would become dizzy and disoriented, as if drunk.
At that moment, Sanemi would strike, wounding the Demons with his weapon and then binding them securely with chains until sunrise, when the Demons would be burned to ashes by the sunlight.
But if he attacked this newly emerged Demon now, what about the other one still fleeing?
Should one person stay behind to fight this Demon while the other two continue the chase?
Yuki suddenly shouted, "Let's attack together!"
The three exchanged a silent, knowing glance, instantly communicating their plan.
Sanemi struck first!
Breath of the Wind, First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter
His body surged forward in a blur, his blade unleashing a spiraling vortex of wind.
The wind blade, like a meat grinder, pulverized the ground before the Demon into dust.
Caught off guard, Kamanue could only brace himself against the attack.
In an instant, a massive, spiraling hole appeared in his chest!
"Gah—!"
Kamanue howled in agony, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Damn you...!"
He instinctively reached out with his sharp Demon Claws, trying to grab Sanemi, who had already closed the distance.
But in the next moment, Sanemi slammed his foot into the ground, instantly reversing his momentum and continuing the pursuit of Wakuraba.
"You dare wound me, and you still think you can—"
Before Kamanue could finish his sentence, he sensed a fiery blade hurtling toward him.
Still dazed from consuming the Rare Blood human, he looked up blankly, only to see a sword wreathed in flames!
Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire
Kyojuro unleashed a charging technique of his own.
His figure, cloaked in flames, instantly closed the distance between him and Kamanue.
In the next moment, Rengoku swung his blade, striking Kamanue's neck with a single, decisive strike.
Shh—
Feeling the blade pierce his neck, Kamanue broke out in a cold sweat.
The dizziness from the Rare Blood vanished completely, and he finally regained his senses.
Ignoring the massive, gaping wound in his chest, Kamanue abruptly reached out and seized Rengoku's Nichirin Blade.
Under the immense force of the strike, half of Kamanue's hand was severed, but he managed to prevent the blade from completely severing his head.
Kamanue gritted his teeth, his face contorted with fury.
"Blood Demon Art: Night—"
He had intended to use this opportunity to cripple Rengoku with his Blood Demon Art.
But before he could even finish the incantation, his eyes widened in shock.
Rengoku had decisively released his Nichirin Blade and, like Sanemi, stomped his feet and abruptly retreated.
"What are these Demon Slayer Corps guys up to? Why are they abandoning their swords?"
"And why did Wakuraba suddenly appear here...?"
Having completely shaken off the influence of the Rare Blood, Kamanue regained his senses, but the scenes unfolding before him only deepened his confusion.
Before he could make sense of what was happening, he spotted the final figure.
Crimson hair, a Demon Slayer Mark on his forehead, and sun-patterned Hanafuda earrings...
A primal fear surged through Kamanue's veins, freezing him in place.
In a daze, Kamanue seemed to see a phantom.
It was as if, three centuries ago, there had been a swordsman just like this one...
As Yuki drew his blade, the Demon Slayer Mark on his forehead seemed to come alive, spreading downward like living vines.
Wisps of white mist escaped from the corners of his mouth.
Sun Breathing, Seventh Form: Sunflower Thrust
A burst of sun-like flame enveloped Yuki's blade, blooming like a radiant flower in the night.
Kamanue stared dumbly at the fiery blossom.
The primal fear coursing through his veins paralyzed him.
But the gaping wound in his chest and the gash that had severed most of his neck left him no time to react.
Swish!
The blade pierced through the remaining sliver of Kamanue's neck in an instant.
With a swift turn of his blade, Yuki sent Kamanue's head tumbling to the ground.
At the same moment, he reached out and deftly caught the Nichirin Blade left behind by Kyojuro.
Without a backward glance, he turned and resumed his pursuit of Wakuraba.
Three men, three sword styles.
In an instant, they had annihilated Lower Moon Six!
Even though Yuki had been one of the masterminds behind this decapitation strategy, he never imagined everything would go so smoothly.
This is the power of our burning, passionate teamwork!
Wakuraba, still desperately fleeing, sensed Kamanue's demise.
Feeling the three pursuers closing in relentlessly behind him, Wakuraba's mind trembled with terror.
This was his first time in Tokyo Prefecture. He had come to spread the Plague, and had even successfully located the person their master sought.
Twofold joy, doubled in abundance—yet why...
Why had everything turned out like this?!
In the distance, Wakuraba faintly heard a soft incantation:
Blood Demon Art: Scent of Illusory Blood, Visual Dream
A hauntingly sweet aroma wafted through the air.
Suddenly, bizarre patterns flooded Wakuraba's vision...