Tanjiro, who had originally intended to remind Luochuan to finish off the Drum Demon, silently swallowed his words. Mr. Luochuan's blade is as fast as ever...
With Kyogai dealt with, Tanjiro led the siblings out of the mansion. Inosuke followed silently at the back, his eyes fixed on Luochuan's silhouette, itching for a fight. Though he knew Luochuan was incredibly strong and dangerous, he still wanted to test himself against him.
This persistent stare continued until they exited the estate. The moment they were outside, Inosuke's head snapped toward the box containing Nezuko. He sensed the scent of a demon inside. His grip tightened on his Nichirin Swords, and his body suddenly blurred into motion.
Seeing Inosuke's stance, Zenitsu spread his arms to block the box. Tanjiro could only watch in a panic; his injuries restricted his speed, leaving his reaction a beat too slow.
Luochuan, having anticipated this, simply reached out and waved his hand to the left. The charging Inosuke, along with his swords, was slammed into a nearby tree by a Koketsu Arrow.
"One of ours. Don't move," Luochuan said.
Tanjiro cast a grateful look at Luochuan. Inosuke, having been sent flying, no longer cared about the demon in the box. His large, pale blue eyes stared intensely at Luochuan, white steam huffing from the edges of his boar mask.
"I challenge you to a duel!"
"A duel? Boring." Luochuan glanced at the poised Inosuke and walked toward Zenitsu without looking back. At this stage, Inosuke might be slightly stronger than Tanjiro, mainly in skill proficiency, but he was still leagues away from being a match for Luochuan. The Koketsu Arrows alone were enough to give him more than he could handle.
"Draw your sword! What's the point of just using your body to block?" Luochuan reached Zenitsu and gave his head a light rap. The guy was about to get sliced and he didn't even fight back...
"The Corps doesn't allow members to fight each other..." Zenitsu scratched his head, seeing Luochuan's helpless expression. He then remembered his solo kill of the Tongue Demon inside the mansion and wanted to tell Luochuan excitedly. But as he opened his mouth, his pupils shrank.
"Watch out... behind you!"
Just as Zenitsu spoke, he saw the monster that had launched another charge suddenly fly backward at a speed far exceeding its initial rush.
Boom!
The sound of Inosuke hitting the tree this time made Zenitsu wince in sympathy.
"What were you saying?" Luochuan asked calmly, as if he hadn't just sent Inosuke flying.
Zenitsu stared blankly at Luochuan. Is Luochuan so powerful now that he doesn't even need to draw his sword? Is there even a point in mentioning I killed a Tongue Demon?
"Nothing..." The excitement in Zenitsu's eyes faded considerably.
"Big Brother Zenitsu killed a long-tongued monster inside!" the young boy standing nearby suddenly piped up.
Zenitsu pulled at the boy's sleeve, but his eyes instinctively darted toward Luochuan.
"You killed it?" Luochuan's question was meant to ask if Zenitsu had done it while conscious or if his "alternate personality" had taken over.
Zenitsu nodded shyly. Luochuan was genuinely surprised. If Zenitsu admitted it, it meant he had killed it while awake. The Tongue Demon was likely on par with the Gluttonous Demon; if Zenitsu could kill it alone, his conscious strength was catching up to his unconscious potential. This was massive progress.
"Zenitsu, that's amazing!"
Zenitsu's ears could distinguish between humans and demons, and naturally, he could hear the genuine emotion in someone's voice. Hearing Luochuan's sincere praise, the corners of Zenitsu's mouth couldn't help but curl upward. As expected, this is a big deal in Luochuan's eyes too!
"DO YOU DARE TO DUEL ME FAIR AND SQUARE?!" Inosuke roared from behind. While Luochuan was chatting, he had launched over a dozen charges, but every single time he got close, an invisible impact sent him flying. He was so frustrated that his face under the mask was turning red.
"A fair and square duel?" Luochuan turned around slowly.
"Yes! Don't use that... uh, thing!" Inosuke wanted to describe the impact force, but he couldn't find the right word.
"If you want a fair duel, you have to be my friend first." Luochuan's eyes gleamed with a mischievous light as he sized Inosuke up.
"Friend?" Inosuke paused, trying to grasp the meaning of the word. He failed. However, that didn't stop him from agreeing. "Fine... I am your... friend."
Ding!
[Successfully added Inosuke Hashibira as a friend!]
[Intimacy: Acquaintance. Random reward obtained.]
[Gained Skill: Beast Breathing, Seventh Fang—Spatial Awareness (Proficient)]
[Fuse now? No.]
"Very well. Come." Hearing the system notification, Luochuan dispersed the Koketsu Arrows. Not bad, now that's the luck I should be having.
Inosuke's eyes lit up as the controlling force vanished. He charged at Luochuan with his dual serrated Nichirin Swords, the blades reflecting the lingering glow of the setting sun.
Luochuan stood his ground. His left hand moved slightly to his scabbard, his thumb flicking the hilt.
Schwing!
Accompanying the crisp sound, Inosuke felt a breeze brush past his face. Suddenly, he realized with a shock that Luochuan, who should have been at a distance, was right in front of him. He skidded to a halt, crossing his swords in a defensive stance and looking at Luochuan warily. This guy's speed is incredible! Faster than any beast I've ever seen! My eyes couldn't even track him! If his reaction had been a second slower, the opponent could have easily finished him.
"You lost," Luochuan said indifferently, turning his back.
Inosuke was stunned. He admitted the speed was fast, but he had reacted in time—how did that count as a loss? "When did I lose! I didn't—"
Crash!
A massive noise behind him made Inosuke spin around. His words died in his throat. Behind him, a tree so thick it would take several people to encircle it had been cleanly severed and had crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. No matter how little common sense Inosuke had, he knew who did this.
If Luochuan had aimed that strike at him, would he still be alive? The answer was obvious. He didn't think his body was tougher than that tree. This man's speed and attack power were far beyond his own.
The little boy who had spoken for Zenitsu stared with wide eyes. He thought Zenitsu was amazing for killing a monster, but the strength of the brother before him couldn't even be described as "amazing" anymore. Slicing through such a massive tree with one stroke was far beyond his comprehension.