"It's no use, there are too many slashes. I have to get close to Kokushibo and take his head!"
Thinking of this, Ren couldn't help but give a bitter laugh. He hadn't expected to face the same old problem. Over a month ago, during his battle with Kokushibo, he had fretted over how to close the distance; a month later, it remained the same obstacle.
However, the current Ren wasn't worried. With his Lightning Combat Skills, reaching Kokushibo should be easy.
"Lightning Combat Skill..."
"Hehehe, brat, die!"
"You seemed to be having quite a lot of fun just now!"
"Now, vanish!"
Before he could unleash his skill, three frantic bursts of laughter erupted from behind him. The newcomers were Karaku, Urogi, and Aizetsu. Taking advantage of the moment Ren was busy parrying Kokushibo's crescent moon slashes, the three had circled behind him to launch a coordinated assault.
Aizetsu swung his sharp spear, aiming to pierce Ren's heart, while Urogi dove from the sky, flapping his wings and slashing with razor-sharp talons. As for Karaku, he raised his maple-leaf fan, ready to summon a localized storm.
"Tch! What a pain. I have to deal with these three nuisances first? And these three, plus Sekido, will just keep regenerating. I'm fighting Kokushibo right now; I don't have time to go hunting for Hantengu's main body..."
Just as Ren swung his sword to cut the trio down, a feminine shout suddenly rang out.
"Love Breathing, First Form: Shivers of First Love!"
Swoosh!
The sound of wind being torn echoed. Under the moonlight, Ren's keen eyes caught sight of a cherry-pink whip-like blade falling from the sky. It sliced through Urogi's neck as easily as a knife through butter.
The owner of this flexible blade was none other than the Love Hashira, Kanroji Mitsuri.
"Sound Breathing, Fourth Form: Constant Resounding Slashes!"
After Mitsuri dealt with Urogi, a powerful figure appeared, wielding dual Nichirin Cleavers in a dazzling display of high-speed strikes. In an instant, Karaku and Aizetsu were decapitated and then shredded into mincemeat. Visually, the move was undeniably flamboyant!
"Fighting against three Upper Moons—how could such an exciting event happen without me? I need to make these Berserk Demons remember the flamboyance of the Sound Hashira!"
Uzui Tengen chuckled softly, acting as if slaying Karaku and Aizetsu was a trivial matter.
"Tengen! Mitsuri!"
Seeing the two of them, Ren smiled. With their help, he could finally go all out.
"Sorry, Ren! I actually fell for a Berserk Demon's Blood Demon Art, but I'm wide awake now. Leave these guys to me!"
"Mitsuri, be careful. That's Upper Moon Four. You can only kill him by finding the main body..."
"I know, I know! Didn't you tell us all this before?"
Mitsuri chirped. A month ago, after the encounter with Kokushibo and the others, Ren had shared the abilities of Kokushibo and Hantengu with the Demon Slayer Corps. Consequently, Mitsuri was well aware of how Hantengu functioned.
She brandished her flexible sword at the four clones that were slowly regenerating and shouted, "Prepare yourselves! As long as I'm here, I won't let you bastards have your way!"
"Ren, I'll help you face Upper Moon One!"
"Tengen, are you sure? These crescent moon slashes are incredibly troublesome!"
Ren asked. If Uzui Tengen charged blindly into that storm of blades, he feared the man would be turned into ribbons instantly.
"Don't worry, I'll create an opening. We just need to charge in together when the time comes!"
Uzui Tengen gave a flamboyant grin and turned gracefully, throwing five small black spheres forward.
BOOM—!
When the spheres collided with the incoming crescent slashes, they exploded instantly. Amidst a series of thunderous roars, Kokushibo's storm of blades was completely swallowed by a sea of fire.
"Explosive beads! I see, that works too!"
Ren was overjoyed. By using the explosives, they could use the fire and shockwaves to counteract Kokushibo's slashes.
"Ren, let's go! Slay Upper Moon One at maximum speed!"
"Got it! Lightning Combat Skill: Thunder God Heaven-Slaying Slash!"
"Sound Breathing, Fifth Form: String Performance!"
The two immediately unleashed their techniques and charged toward Kokushibo. Ren's speed was superior; he streaked through the tunnel created by the explosions, his heavy Nichirin sword tearing through the air, aimed directly at Kokushibo's neck.
Uzui Tengen was not as lucky. Just as he was about to reach Kokushibo, a localized blizzard swept in, extinguishing the flames from the explosions. The one who intervened was Doma.
After snuffing out the fire, Doma waved his sharp iron fans, slashing toward Uzui Tengen with a smile.
"I originally wanted to play with that little girl, but since she's already fighting Lord Hantengu, I guess I'll be your opponent!"
"A guy using Ice Blood Demon Arts? If you want to fight, I'll give you everything I've got!" Uzui Tengen changed direction mid-air, swinging his blades at Doma while shouting, "Ren, I'm leaving Upper Moon One to you!"
"On it! Disappear!"
Ren roared to the heavens, his heavy sword descending upon Kokushibo with crushing force.
Facing this ferocious strike, Kokushibo did not retreat. Instead, he swung his sword with full strength, determined to settle the score!
The Kyoguseki blade in his hand suddenly sprouted even more jagged blades along its length. Cold light shimmered off the steel, which, combined with the twitching purple eyes on the blade, looked exceptionally grotesque.
"Moon Breathing, Seventeenth Form: Both Sun and Moon are Wounded!"
As his voice fell, Kokushibo swung. The Kyoguseki moved like treacherous moonlight, moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye. It collided with Ren's heavy Nichirin sword, triggering a massive shockwave.
With a deafening boom, the resulting blast swept through the surroundings, its intensity even overshadowing the battles involving Doma and Hantengu. At this moment, everyone's eyes were drawn to Ren and Kokushibo.
"What?!"
Ren's expression shifted. Kokushibo had actually blocked his Thunder God Heaven-Slaying Slash!
Over the past month of training, his strength and speed had increased significantly. Combined with the fact that this was his most powerful combat skill, the destructive force should have been undeniable. Yet, Kokushibo had held his ground.
Furthermore, the strike Kokushibo just used felt strangely familiar—it reminded him of Tanjiro's Hinokami Kagura, the Sun Breathing.
Pffft!
Suddenly, Kokushibo spat out a mouthful of bright red blood, his body forced backward uncontrollably. Clearly, blocking Ren's strike head-on had taken a heavy toll.
'I didn't expect the backlash to be this severe. Is this the power of the Sun?'
Kokushibo thought to himself. The Seventeenth Form of Moon Breathing was a technique he had created by combining the strengths of Moon Breathing and Sun Breathing. It merged the cold, lingering nature of the Moon with the fierce, domineering power of the Sun. It was his ultimate form.
The only flaw was that the power of the Sun was too scorching. As a demon, he simply couldn't withstand it. Had it been his previous self, using this move would have meant instant death.
However, after becoming a Berserk Demon, he could just barely execute it, though it left him severely injured.
Exactly as the name implied: Both Sun and Moon are Wounded. This strike hurt the enemy, but it hurt the user even more.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]