"Whoosh."
Facing the tense Tanjiro and Nezuko, Wang Xu extended his right hand, five nearly invisible silk threads attached to his fingertips. They swept toward the siblings silently, gliding through the air like falling leaves. Wherever they passed, even the air seemed to split cleanly, and the surrounding trees swayed as if sliced.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form, Striking Tide."
Tanjiro's breathing froze, every nerve alert. He tightened his grip on the broken Nichirin Blade, unleashing a storm-like flurry of slashes to intercept the threads. The five strands were thin as hair, but sharp enough to rival steel. Tanjiro barely managed to deflect one, then dropped into a roll to avoid the rest by inches.
A strand of his hair floated to the ground, sending a cold shiver down his spine.
Nezuko leaped into the air, dodging effortlessly, her body a blur of pink and black. She rushed toward Wang Xu, her right arm rupturing as her blood ignited with crimson heat. She swung at him with a burning, blade-like strike.
This was Nezuko's Blood Demon Art: Exploding Blood.
Her blood could ignite at will, generating searing flames that burned only what she chose. It destroyed demon techniques, nullified poison potency, seared demons with intense heat, and when coating a Nichirin Blade, transformed it into a blazing Crimson Blade.
Wang Xu remained expressionless. At the last moment, he pivoted on one foot and spun, his right leg sweeping out sharply. Five silk threads attached to his toes sliced forward in a single flash.
"Puff."
Nezuko had no chance to react. Her small body split into five clean pieces mid-air, blood scattering like crimson blossoms as she fell in fragments.
"Nezuko!"
Tanjiro's pupils dilated in horror. Even knowing she wouldn't die, seeing her body in pieces twisted his stomach with dread.
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form, Constant Flux."
A water dragon spiraled around Tanjiro. Even with a broken blade, he charged forward, body and dragon moving as one, each rotation increasing the force of his attack. The whirling water roared with momentum.
Yet Wang Xu avoided every slash with effortless precision, flickering side to side.
"I need to be faster… I have to be faster."
Tanjiro grit his teeth, pushing through agony, each swing more desperate than the last. Over ten strikes, yet he hadn't even grazed Wang Xu's clothes.
How could he be so fast?
Wang Xu's hand shot forward, silk-thread-covered fingers gripping the broken Nichirin Blade.
"H… how?"
Tanjiro froze. The blade wouldn't budge. A chill raced down his spine.
"Puwah!"
Wang Xu's kick sank into his abdomen, bending Tanjiro like a bow. Blood spewed from his mouth and nose as he flew into the air. Before he could land, Wang Xu flicked a hand, using his threads to seize Tanjiro mid-air. The boy plummeted like a stone as the ground within three meters shattered beneath him, spiderweb cracks spreading around his body. Bones snapped loudly.
Silk threads gathered into a cone around Wang Xu. He raised a foot over Tanjiro's head.
"Aaaah!"
Nezuko, fully regenerated, let out a feral scream. Cracks tore through her face, her eyes bloodshot, and a single demon horn protruding from her forehead. Her aura surged as she sprinted like an afterimage, trying to tackle Wang Xu.
"Nezuko, no!"
Tanjiro coughed blood, reaching toward her helplessly. Wang Xu's outstretched hands glittered with thin white threads.
"Puff."
Nezuko crashed into Wang Xu's attack headfirst, her body cleaved cleanly in half. Blood and organs spilled over Tanjiro as her two halves thudded against the ground.
"Nezuko!"
Tanjiro forced his broken body upright, staggering toward her with trembling limbs. His heart squeezed painfully.
"Pfft."
His broken Nichirin Blade ignited with red flames, Nezuko's blood coating it. The blade glowed, radiating scorching heat.
"Hinokami Kagura."
Tanjiro swallowed his tears. A shimmering flame dragon trailed behind him as he charged, the air warping from the heat.
"First Form, Dance."
The fiery ring of light illuminated the entire night, beautiful and fierce.
Tanjiro threw everything he had into that single strike.
"Clang!"
The blade slammed into Wang Xu's neck.
It didn't cut. Not even slightly.
The fiery glow intensified, but the blade refused to sink deeper.
"Cut… CUT!"
Tanjiro screamed, vomiting blood. His entire body trembled from effort.
Wang Xu stood unchanged.
His neck was made entirely of dense silk threads, impossibly hard.
He raised a hand, gripping Tanjiro's throat.
The fiery ring vanished.
Tanjiro dangled like prey, face turning purple.
"Beast Breathing, First Fang, Pierce!"
A wild roar tore through the jungle. Inosuke burst forth with both Nichirin Blades, body battered and bleeding. He lunged with reckless fury.
"Die!"
He poured everything he had into the strike.
"Ding!"
Wang Xu blocked both blades with one silk-wrapped hand. The wind whipped his white hair upward.
Simultaneously holding Tanjiro by the throat and blocking Inosuke's attack, his pale eyes remained cold, unmarked by any Lower Moon symbol.
"Puff."
Tanjiro and Inosuke were struck in the chest at the same instant, ribs exploding inward. They crashed into trees, bouncing off before lying still amid clouds of dust.
Wang Xu stepped toward Nezuko.
He intended to devour her.
"N… Nezuko."
Tanjiro vomited blood and organs, his body collapsing. He could no longer use Water Breathing. Tears blurred his vision as Wang Xu approached Nezuko.
She had healed, but was too exhausted to stand.
Wang Xu grabbed her by the hair, lifting her effortlessly. He opened his mouth and bit deeply into her neck. Heat surged through him as Nezuko's burning blood flooded his tongue.
Wang Xu immediately felt it.
Her blood was different.
Hotter. Fiercer.
Alive with power.
This blood held the potential of sunlight.
"Ahhhh!"
Nezuko screamed, her body twitching violently. Her blood was her power, and even a small loss was agony.
"Nezuko!"
Tanjiro crawled forward despite his broken limbs, sobbing as he reached out.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form, Thunderclap and Flash, Sixfold!"
A roar of thunder ripped through the forest.
A golden bolt of lightning tore across the ground, ripping up earth and sending a shockwave across the mountain. Tanjiro was blown back.
Wang Xu's head snapped backward from the strike, and Nezuko vanished from his grasp.
Seven meters away stood Lucien, holding Nezuko in his arms.
His amethyst eyes were cold, darker than a storm.
Someone had dared…
to harm the woman he cherished.
Nezuko was one of the keys to his immortality.
And someone tried to take her.
Lucien's fury was silent, but terrifying.
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