With those words, Kocho Shinobu leaped away to support the other members, leaving Giyu standing there in a daze.
'Huh? Is Shinobu angry?'
'But why would she be angry? I was just looking out for the juniors of the Demon Slayer Corps by telling her to help the others first. Why on earth would she be upset?'
"What a strange person..."
Thwip! Thwip!
While Giyu was still confused, two sharp spears shot toward him at high speed. Rui was not about to let such a perfect opportunity slip by.
"Heh heh heh, damn Demon Slayer. Witness the power of my Demon Spider Eight Poison Spears!"
Before he finished speaking, the eight spider legs on his back tore through the air, lunging forward like a strike from a dragon.
The target of these eight spears was singular: Giyu's heart!
This move was incredibly fierce. Even Giyu's expression changed drastically when he saw those eight sharp spider legs. He hurriedly swung his Nichirin Sword to meet the attack.
"Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool!"
Giyu twisted his body rapidly, gripping his Nichirin Sword for a horizontal slash. Every movement was like a water dragon soaring through the clouds.
This technique usually allowed the muscles in the abdomen to explode with immense power to increase attack strength. However, by twisting his body, Giyu redirected that offensive force into defense, single-handedly blocking the thrusts of all eight spider legs.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sharp spider legs repeatedly struck Giyu's Nichirin Sword, sending the crisp sound of colliding cold steel echoing through the air.
'He actually blocked it. As expected of the Water Hashira...'
Rui was slightly stunned, but this situation wasn't entirely unexpected. If the opponent couldn't even block an attack of this level, they wouldn't have become a Hashira.
"In that case, let's see if you can block this. Blood Demon Art: Toxic Spider Silk!"
A series of popping sounds rang out as ten strands of blood-red spider silk shot from Rui's fingertips. Dark red liquid dripped from the threads, looking exactly like fresh blood.
Drip...
A drop of the liquid fell onto a small patch of grass. The moment it touched the dark red fluid, the grass withered instantly!
'Those threads are poisonous, and the toxicity is extreme. I can't take them head-on.'
Giyu made an immediate judgment. He quickly retreated to maintain distance from Rui, swinging his sword to sever any silk that drew near.
Fortunately, the toxic blood did not cause a chemical reaction with the metal, otherwise his Nichirin Sword might have already snapped.
"Hmph, you think you can run? There is no escape!"
"Blood Demon Art: Toxic Spider Web!"
Rui gathered his strength and opened his mouth wide. A blood-red spider web burst forth, howling through the air as it surged toward Giyu.
After being empowered by Muzan, he had gained this formidable Blood Demon Art, allowing him to spit out toxic webs that could instantly bind an enemy!
"Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel!"
Seeing the blood-red web coming at him with such force, Giyu slashed downward. Between the flashes of his blade, a gust of sword energy whistled out, splitting the sturdy spider web in two. However, this was only the beginning.
"Not bad. How about this then?"
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Rui opened his mouth again, and webs shot out in rapid succession like an automatic weapon with infinite ammunition!
The reason this Blood Demon Art was so powerful was its ability to fire continuously and assault the enemy with speed. It was one of Rui's trump cards.
"How about it? With webs this dense, let's see how you block them!"
Just as he said, dozens of webs blanketed the sky, their dense formation leaving Giyu with no path for retreat.
'I can't escape. In that case...'
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm."
Giyu used his own original technique. He stood perfectly still, as immovable as a mountain and as calm as a tranquil sea.
Yet, even if the surface appeared ripple-less, a terrifying storm was brewing deep beneath the waves!
Though Giyu's hands didn't seem to move, the sword energy surrounding him surged upward, transforming into a soaring dragon that circled and protected him.
As the overwhelming toxic webs descended, the dragon of sword energy rose against the current, tearing the webs to shreds with its sharp claws and teeth.
The toxic webs and the poison they carried couldn't even step within three meters of Giyu. It was as if he were walking through a thousand flowers without a single leaf touching his clothes.
'He didn't even swing his sword, yet he unleashed such incredible sword energy... Is this a skill like Lord Kokushibo's!'
Rui suddenly thought of Kokushibo. In his memories, Kokushibo could also release powerful air-splitting slashes without actually swinging his blade.
'If that's the case, I'll have to use my hardest silk. As long as I can restrict him, I'll have a chance at victory!'
"Blood Demon Art: Cutting Thread Rotation!"
Rui's fingers and mouth sprayed blood-red silk once more. With lightning speed, they shot toward Giyu from all directions, sealing off his escape routes.
Simultaneously, thousands of threads woven together in mid-air to form a massive, swirling vortex-like web that crashed down toward Giyu from above.
This time, Rui expended a massive amount of stamina to ensure every single thread was as hard as steel. With countless threads woven together, the resulting hardness was unimaginable.
Giyu sensed the power behind this move and hurriedly adjusted his Water Breathing. His sword lunged like a dragon, using his sharp sword energy to hold back the giant spider web.
However, just as he was executing the Eleventh Form of Water Breathing, a sudden change occurred.
Rui suddenly lunged forward, turning into a blurred afterimage. With ghostly speed, he crossed the distance of two or three hundred meters in an instant. The eight spider legs on his back hissed through the air, striking directly for Giyu's heart!
"What?!"
Giyu was horrified. He had been so focused on blocking the giant spider web that he hadn't expected Rui's sudden burst of speed.
"Die, Demon Slayer! Blood Demon Art: Demon Spider Eight Poison Spears!"
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Ti—"
Seeing the enemy's fierce approach, Giyu tried to unleash a technique immediately. But Rui was too fast. In his haste, Giyu couldn't complete the move and was forced to simply swing his sword in a horizontal block to mitigate the damage.
Another dense series of clangs rang out. Despite Giyu's speed, even the most perfect defense has a flaw. Under Rui's relentless assault, one of the spider legs eventually pierced Giyu's shoulder. Intense pain instantly surged through his entire body.
Rui seized the opportunity and kicked Giyu squarely in the chest. Giyu flew backward like a broken kite, crashing heavily into a large tree. The impact was so great that the trunk actually cracked.
"My spider legs are filled with deadly poison. Now that you're wounded, you will be dead within a minute. You will be the first Hashira to die at my hands!"
"It is an honor, Demon Slayer, because many more Hashira will follow you to the grave!"
Rui turned to walk away toward Kocho Shinobu. She was his next target.
However, after only a few steps, he felt a massive surge of killing intent coming from behind. He spun around.
He saw Giyu pushing himself up with his sword. The man was radiating a scorching heat, and with the momentum of a gale, he swung his blade horizontally toward Rui's neck.
At the same time, Rui noticed with shock that a fire-red mark had appeared on Giyu's face.
"You sound quite happy about it. That blow just now really hurt my back!"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]