The violet miasma stirred up by Prison Demon mingled with the white breath pouring from Kurosaki Rei's mouth, rising together toward the full moon overhead.
Illuminated by the surrounding flames, Gyokko and the other demons could clearly see dark purple sigils beginning to emerge across Kurosaki Rei's skin. The markings spread over his body, creeping up onto that resolute, masculine face, adding an eerie, sinister aura to it.
The demons were clearly standing amid a sea of fire—yet an icy chill crawled up their spines.
Demon-God Secret Technique: Activated.
Kurosaki Rei's primary combat attributes skyrocketed. Both Strength and Agility surged to 35 points!
With a powerful push of his legs, Kurosaki Rei launched himself from the tree trunk like a cannonball, charging straight at Gyokko.
Logically speaking, in a team fight one should kill the support first. But Enmu's Blood Demon Art was extremely troublesome. Charging him rashly carried a real risk of getting caught, whereas that Blood Demon Art—powerful as it was—also had clear weaknesses.
If Kurosaki Rei simply did not treat Enmu as a target, he could avoid ever meeting Enmu's gaze. Once all the other demons were dead, dealing with Enmu alone would be trivial. No matter how strong his control ability was, without teammates to capitalize on it, it would be useless.
After all, Enmu had control—but no real damage. His offensive power could barely scratch Kurosaki Rei's defenses.
"Enmu, use your art!"
Gyokko shouted in alarm. Kurosaki Rei's outward transformation had made him keenly aware of mortal danger.
That speed and power had already surpassed his own nonhuman body. If Kurosaki Rei closed the distance, Gyokko had no doubt his head would be severed in an instant.
Boom—
A massive eight-armed octopus appeared once more. Gyokko activated Blood Demon Art: Octopus Pot Hell, using it as a living shield to block Kurosaki Rei's path.
At the same time, Gyokko completed his molting. After leaving the pot, his speed and strength both rose slightly—this was one of the few times he was truly fighting seriously.
He positioned the octopus shields in front of him, then released Thousand Needle Fish Kill, sealing off the space above. If Kurosaki Rei tried to leap over, he would be riddled with poisoned needles midair.
Gyokko's concentration was razor-sharp. Sweat beaded faintly on his forehead as his eyes darted rapidly.
Where will you come from?
Before the thought even finished forming, the massive octopus in front of him shattered into countless fragments.
A demon-god-like figure strode through fire and blood. Kurosaki Rei hadn't even considered alternative routes—he had always favored a head-on breakthrough!
Gyokko didn't even have time to feel horror. He immediately produced ten pots, unleashing a torrential flood of sharp-mouthed catfish that surged forward, intending to shred Kurosaki Rei's flesh through sheer density.
Yet Kurosaki Rei's steps never slowed, nor did he veer aside. Lightning flared around his body, and a thunderous cascade surged upward like a tidal wave, grinding every single fish into pulp.
With his current attributes, augmented by Flash Step and Thunder Breathing, his speed was truly lightning-fast. Prison Demon split the tide of fish as Kurosaki Rei surged upward, blade aimed straight for Gyokko's vitals.
Whoosh—
Gyokko's figure vanished.
At the critical instant, he dove back into a pot, activating his Blood Demon Art to transfer himself into another vessel, completing a rapid reposition.
Heart pounding, he turned to see whether the Water Prison Basin he had released earlier had worked.
What he saw instead was nothing but slime scattered in all directions.
Kurosaki Rei, seemingly unsurprised by Gyokko's relocation, didn't stop moving. Using his forward momentum, he slashed once, decapitating an Explorer standing not far behind Gyokko.
"This won't work—he's too fast! Lord Gyokko, coordinate with me!"
Lower Rank One, Enmu, had lost the blissful, lovestruck smile on his face. In its place was tension mixed with feverish excitement.
As a Lower Rank, his raw strength couldn't compare to an Upper Rank's. Even after Lord Muzan had granted him new blood a few days ago, his physical toughness was still leagues below Gyokko's.
The only thing he truly had going for him was his Blood Demon Art.
He was confident that no matter how strong a Hashira was, once caught by his art, they would fall asleep without exception.
That tiny gap—between sensing killing intent and awakening—would be more than enough for Gyokko to strike and kill Kurosaki Rei.
But Gyokko had little sense of teamwork.
As a fragile demon, he couldn't afford to rush in front of Kurosaki Rei to trigger Enmu's Blood Demon Art—that would likely get him killed with Kurosaki Rei's eyes closed.
From a tactical standpoint, Gyokko should have aligned himself directly in front of Enmu, shielding him. That way, whenever Gyokko dodged or used pot-transference to reposition, Enmu could naturally meet Kurosaki Rei's gaze.
Enmu didn't believe Kurosaki Rei could close his eyes or avert his gaze in that split second. To kill Gyokko, Kurosaki Rei would have to keep his eyes locked on him, responding to Gyokko's moves.
But Gyokko had lost his composure—first enraged by Kurosaki Rei, then shaken by fear—throwing their side completely into a passive position.
A tearing sound split the air. Burning leaves scattered through the forest like crimson butterflies, fluttering upward after Kurosaki Rei's passing.
Kurosaki Rei's hunt didn't stop.
Gyokko's Blood Demon Arts had impressive power and range, but Kurosaki Rei's current speed was terrifyingly high. Those arts were decent for passive defense, but tracking Kurosaki Rei's movements was another matter entirely.
In the blink of an eye, three more Explorers fell to Kurosaki Rei's blade. Only those positioned farther away managed to survive.
"Group up around Lord Enmu!"
The Explorer named A Luo shouted, rallying the remaining few. At a moment like this, they had to stick together. They couldn't rely on Gyokko's poor judgment anymore—self-preservation was their only option.
He had noticed that Kurosaki Rei deliberately avoided making eye contact with Enmu during combat, and likewise avoided charging in Enmu's direction. The only way they could survive now was by clustering around Enmu.
As for output? The gap in attributes between them and Kurosaki Rei was far too great. Getting close meant instant death.
If only they had ranged options, they might have been able to harass him—but all the Explorers with ranged skills had just been killed by Kurosaki Rei.
"Damn it—don't underestimate me!"
Seeing Kurosaki Rei completely ignoring his Blood Demon Arts and instead slaughtering the demons who "appreciated his art," Gyokko's rage overwhelmed his fear.
When Kurosaki Rei passed by a hidden pot Gyokko had buried earlier, Gyokko instantly transferred.
He erupted from the ground, slick and sudden, moving at extreme speed. His claw shot toward Kurosaki Rei's heart.
A strange power coated his hand—anything it touched would be transformed into fish. This was his Hand of God ability.
In terms of raw offensive power, he acknowledged he couldn't match a Thunder Breathing swordsman like Kurosaki Rei. But if he could touch Kurosaki Rei, he could erode his flesh. Touch a vital point, and it would be a one-hit kill!
Thud—
With a dull impact and utter disbelief in Gyokko's eyes, Kurosaki Rei drove his left elbow and knee together, clamping down on Gyokko's wrist. The Hand of God stopped just a few centimeters from Kurosaki Rei's heart.
Kurosaki Rei's overwhelming strength crushed Gyokko's wrist bones to powder. Even with a demon's rapid regeneration, recovery was impossible under such compression.
Gyokko couldn't understand it.
He was certain Kurosaki Rei hadn't sensed the location of the hidden pot. He had initiated the ambush at extreme speed. Kurosaki Rei had been in full sprint just an instant earlier—how could he possibly react in time?!
Yet the reality was undeniable. Not only had Kurosaki Rei reacted, he had crippled Gyokko's hand.
With no time to think, Gyokko forcefully tore off his own arm. He knew that hesitation meant death.
Sure enough, even though he immediately transferred via Blood Demon Art, Kurosaki Rei still managed to slice off an entire row of the small hands on Gyokko's body.
Had Gyokko been even a fraction slower, his head would already be gone.
That brief exchange cleared Gyokko's mind completely. He now understood that alone, he absolutely could not defeat Kurosaki Rei.
He had to cooperate with Lower Rank One and use the mental control to drag Kurosaki Rei into a dream.
As soon as he emerged from another pot, Gyokko pulled out a fresh one and hurled it toward Enmu's position. That way, his next transfer could take him directly to Enmu's side.
Bang—
To Gyokko's shock and fury, the pot shattered midair before it even reached halfway.
Kurosaki Rei hadn't leapt to intercept it.
Instead, while sprinting, a long black tube appeared in his hand. With a casual flick, the airborne pot exploded.
And even as he fired the shot, Kurosaki Rei never slowed. He charged straight toward Gyokko's true body and slashed again.
Gyokko vanished—his original pot was cleaved apart by Kurosaki Rei's blade.
Kurosaki Rei halted and frowned slightly.
He felt he might have pressured Gyokko too much—to the point where the demon wasn't getting arrogant or reckless at all anymore.
This kind of pot-based teleportation was undeniably a survival god-tier ability. In the original story, the Mist Hashira had questioned Gyokko's art, enraging him. Gyokko became arrogant, molted to fight in close combat, and was ultimately beheaded in the mist before he could react.
But now, Gyokko wasn't reckless in the slightest. The moment Kurosaki Rei attacked, he transferred pots.
Kurosaki Rei had no idea how many pots Gyokko had buried across the mountain. If he had to shatter every single one just to catch Gyokko, that would be far too troublesome.
Kurosaki Rei took a deep breath, expelling stale air and calming his mind.
This wasn't a moment to rush. Overextending could get him caught. For now, he would just clear out the Explorers.
The biggest mistake Gyokko and Enmu had made was not protecting the Explorers at all. In Kurosaki Rei's eyes, compared to the Twelve Kizuki with known abilities, Explorers—who might pull out all kinds of bizarre items—were actually the greater threat.
"You barbarian who can't appreciate art," Gyokko taunted after transferring to a spot closer to Enmu. "Do you see the difference in our speed now? You can't touch me."
He wasn't a fool. Aside from himself, no one on the field could survive even a brief exchange with Kurosaki Rei. Enmu's words had made him realize that even the demons he considered weak could be useful—as shields for Enmu.
As long as they clustered around Enmu, blocking him, Kurosaki Rei wouldn't know where Enmu's gaze was directed, and thus couldn't act recklessly.
And in a prolonged fight, demons always had the advantage. Humans had limits to stamina—demons did not.
"Difference in speed?"
Kurosaki Rei tilted his head slightly. Lightning coiled around his body, his hair standing on end under the electric charge, like a god of thunder descending.
In the next instant, he kicked off the ground. Dirt erupted upward like a blooming lotus. Leaves and firelight were swept into a vortex, roaring through the forest like a rampaging dragon.
A single streak of lightning pierced through.
Even Gyokko couldn't clearly track Kurosaki Rei's form.
When Kurosaki Rei reappeared—
Two heads flew into the air.
Of the four Explorers who had been standing around Enmu, two collapsed to the ground.
Enmu turned a beat too late, trying to catch Kurosaki Rei with his gaze—but all he saw was Kurosaki Rei's back.
A Luo and Xiao Lian stood trembling at Enmu's side. Just moments earlier, they had felt as though they had brushed past death itself.
They had only survived because they were positioned on the inside. Had they stood on the other side, their fate would have matched those two Explorers.
Seeing this, Gyokko charged in, attempting to entangle Kurosaki Rei with Blood Demon Arts. At the same time, Enmu's forehead beaded with sweat as his mind raced, desperately searching for a way to control Kurosaki Rei.
He wasn't as strong as Gyokko—but he was smarter, and he saw the situation more clearly.
Gyokko's Blood Demon Arts weren't limitless. Each summoning of massive octopus shields to stall Kurosaki Rei consumed significant energy. Eventually, exhaustion would lead to a mistake.
At this pace, Enmu was convinced—
Within three minutes, Gyokko would lose.
And when that happened, the only thing awaiting them would be death.
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