Bump!
Gyokko's headless body fell limply to the ground. Tanjuro ignored it and continued giving chase toward Hantengu again.
"AH! You damn humans! How dare you!"
Gyokko's head was wriggling around. His little hands stretched out, trying to support him as he tried to get up.
"I won't die!" His tongue was sticking out of his mouth as he shouted in panic.
His head began to swell irregularly. Muscles and granulation gradually accumulated and turned Gyokko's head into a pile of flesh.
"That's right! That's right!!"
Gyokko suddenly twisted his head. New flesh buds were trying to bulge out of the broken part of his neck, his pupils sliding as he grabbed any life-saving straw.
"Kokushibo-sama! Kokushibo-sama is still around!"
Kokushibo-sama can still contact Muzan-sama!
"If I have just a little of Muzan-sama's blood! I can live!"
Gyokko was quickly dying and had lost all reason. He started to shout in fear.
"Save me, Kokushibo-sama! Save—"
Before he could utter another word.
Swish!
Several moon arcs flashed past his head.
With a puff, blood splattered everywhere.
Gyokko was torn apart and turned into several pieces of minced meat.
"Help..."
Hoarse words came out of what remained of his mouth before turning into ash in the wind.
---
---
---
-Location: Long Distance from Swordsmith Village-
"Found it."
At a random residence obscure from the main road in the town, a figure in the peach-pick short shirt was constantly jumping and shuffling between the buildings. His golden eyes paying attention to the porcelain pots left on the ground.
In his golden eyes, the black kanji of [Two] was engraved.
Tap.
Akaza fell from the sky and landed on the tips of his toes in front of the last pot. His body tilted slightly as his fist clenched. "... the thirty-fourth pot."
After he was teleported out of the Infinity Castle, he rushed to Gyokko's base immediately.
Along the way, he found the pots left behind by the eccentric demon.
However, after searching so many pots, Akaza did not find any information about the "intelligence" mentioned by Gyokko.
Just as he was about to leave and search for another pot.
Sha—
A wisp of charred ash rose from the bottom of the pot.
"?!"
Akaza's eyebrows raised slightly, and he quickly lowered his head to look inside. There were scorched marks appearing from the bottom of the pot and upward in a pattern.
He subconsciously picked up the item by holding the neck of the pot.
Unlike the previous time he did it, this porcelain pot felt like picking up a piece of paper. The integrity of the pot was slowly degrading.
Akaza knew Gyokko's personality well. Gyokko, who calls himself an artist, would never destroy his own creation.
He likes to leave his pots anywhere and blatantly in view of people, as if he were showing off. Even if it exposes his whereabouts.
Now, as the pot in Akaza's hand gradually turns into ashes, there is only one possibility.
"Is he dead?" Akaza's face showed a grim expression.
"Tch!"
Rage veins bulge out of Akaza's entire body, neck, and face, twitching angrily. He watched with hate as the porcelain pot finally disappeared.
Bang!
He indignantly punched the building next to him. The stone wall's integrity was instantly destroyed with spiderweb cracks stretching out.
"Useless scum!!"
---
---
-Location: Forest near Swordsmith Village-
With Gyomei preoccupied by Zohakuten, Tanjuro took advantage and gave chase toward the main body of Hantengu. Kusabimaru was still burning in his hand.
"Hiss—!"
But complication reared its head as Tanjuro felt his vision turn to darkness, and a familiar feeling of weakness surged up through his body.
—The resurrection energy was used up!
Tanjuro's face turned pale again.
Considering his experience so far, fighting against Kokushibo, using Lightning Reversal, and delivering Deathblow to Gyokko.
The last fuel of the power of resurrection was burned up.
No wonder he couldn't catch up with Hantengu's speed.
It was because of the battle memory with Upper Moon One that the consumption of the power of resurrection was far less than what Tanjuro had expected.
He closed his eyes as he felt the two orbs containing the energy light up and then quickly burn till they were empty.
"Huff..." After breathing out slowly, Tanjuro's complexion improved again.
He refocused his gaze and quickly locked in on the main body that was fleeing in the distance.
At this distance, Hantengu would succeed in escaping.
Tanjuro felt power surging through his body.
Click.
Tanjuro spread his legs, drew his blade, and aimed his sword at his front. His whole body is taut like a bow, and his blade is the arrow.
He prepares Kusabimaru for a perilous attack. He charged power through the stance, and his leg muscles tensed up.
Shing!
A bright light was reflected off the blade and gathered at the tips.
)—Shinobi Arts Ōgi!—(
)—Daininobi-sashi—Modified!—(
(tr. Great Shinobi Thrust/Shadowrush)
Tanjuro inhaled a large amount of air, and the oxygen was immediately compressed into his lungs.
)—Total Concentration Sun Breathing—(
The sound of his feet gripping the ground was audible, and as he leaned forward—
Whoosh!
The surrounding air makes way for the leaves to brush against.
Tanjuro's figure disappeared before the naked eyes, his blade leading the charge as white steam escaped his mouth toward the fleeing cowardly demon!
---
Drap drap drap!
The fearful demon kept running away from the village in panic. He was as agile as a mouse, as his size matched that of a mouse.
"Gyokko is dead! I can't contact Muzan-sama!"
He muttered to himself anxiously. His red eyes almost let out tears. "What to do!! What to do?!"
Hantengu came to regret coming to the Swordsmith village with Gyokko.
How could that reckless and arrogant Gyokko not be a little more careful like him?!
Also!
"Why!? Why are there such powerful Hashira here?!"
Hantengu paused in his running since he sensed that the aura chasing him had disappeared from his trail.
"Have we shaken them off??"
He bit his lips in nervousness, his voice shaky and trembling. He tried to glance back at the direction of his tail.
Big mistake.
Swish!
Tanjuro appeared suddenly like he had teleported, sword at the ready!
"Eeeekkk!!" Hantengu was immediately frightened and screamed in terror. He caught a glimpse of the blade pointing straight at his neck. "No!"
His voice sounds so miserable that those who didn't know the truth would think he was the victim.
Puchi!
Sparks flew where the blade met the skin.
The thrusting Kusabimaru stabbed hard into the neck of Hantengu, but the cowardly demon has an unusually thick neck skin.
With the red-hot Kusabimaru, though, Tanjuro slowly embedded the blade into the demon's neck.
It seemed Hantengu's act of cowardice had finally caught up to him.
"Why?!" The fearful demon's voice gradually became indignant. He roared and shouted his grievance. His small and weak body suddenly arched painfully.
Tanjuro pressed down on the sword in his hand while looking at the last red dot on the demon's head.
His eyebrows twitched.
'Are you going to transform into Urami?'
The Resentful Demon ('恨'), Urami, is the last form of Hantengu's protection of his main body.
"Kamado-san!"
Gyomei's voice was booming from his location and was heard echoing through the forest.
"The demon I was facing has disappeared!"
"Be careful!"