A rustling
sound filled the air as a figure burst forth from the wisteria bushes.
His appearance was horrifying; his face was covered in purple spots, his flesh seemingly melted away.
"Finally out."
Aoki glanced back, but saw no trace of the enemy.
But this didn't reassure him.
The enemy certainly wouldn't give up so easily.
*Whoosh!*
A faint hissing sound reached his ears, and Aoki's expression changed. He barely managed to twist his waist. *
Tear!*
Like a sharp blade slicing through the air, his waist was cut in half, a large amount of blood spurting out.
If he had reacted even a fraction slower, he might have been cut in half.
A slender figure blurred in the air, the red-eyed female ghost smiling at Aoki.
"You came so slowly, I've been waiting for you for ages."
"Lower Moon Four? Invisibility ability?"
Aoki frowned.
He vaguely remembered this female ghost; her name seemed to be Reiko. She lived until Tanjiro joined the Demon Slayer Corps, and was ultimately killed by Muzan Kibutsuji when Muzan Kibutsuji abolished the Lower Moon demons.
Thump, thump, thump…
A tall figure, trailing a cloud of dust, was rapidly approaching from afar.
"It's that Lower Moon Six bull-headed demon. No wonder I didn't hear anything; he didn't follow me into the wisteria grove at all."
A thought flashed through Aoki's mind, then his expression suddenly hardened. Reiko was gone! Had she vanished again?
A faint whooshing sound came from behind him, and Aoki swung his arm sharply backward.
Whoosh!
His arm sliced through the air, touching nothing.
Thud.
A sharp pain shot through his back as a sharp claw pierced his chest.
Aoki turned back again, still unable to find Reiko.
He calmed down. His speed and skill were completely outmatched.
Thump, thump, thump!
The footsteps behind him grew closer.
Aoki turned around, and the Minotaur was already close at hand. He assumed a defensive stance, arms crossed in front of his chest.
Boom! A tremendous force, accompanied by a violent shockwave, surged into his body, exploding countless wounds all over Aoki's body, instantly turning him into a blood-soaked mess.
Using this force, he flew a distance, landing and immediately turning to run.
He couldn't defeat either of these demons individually, and facing their combined attack, defeat was inevitable!
But Aoki hadn't run far when Zero Yuko blocked his path again, nearly severing his neck with a claw.
The slight delay allowed the Minotaur to catch up again.
Crack!
His arm shattered into pieces, and Aoki slammed into a large tree. Regaining his balance, he didn't dare hesitate and immediately leaped to the side.
A claw appeared out of thin air, disappearing into the tree trunk he had just leaned against.
"One is strong, attacking head-on; the other is fast and can become invisible, responsible for harassment, interception, and sneak attacks. With their combined strength, there's no way I can escape!"
Aoki gasped for breath, his eyes still clear.
He had lost count of how many times his arms had been broken and how many holes his body had pierced. He
had been beaten horribly, with virtually no chance to fight back.
However, the two demons, Zero and the others, were also caught in the same predicament he had encountered before.
They could suppress him and defeat him, but they couldn't inflict any real damage on him, only deplete his stamina.
But Aoki didn't relax.
He hadn't forgotten his suspicion that an Upper Moon might be on its way.
Time was not on his side.
He had to break the current stalemate!
The key was Zero.
Aoki glanced at the red-eyed female ghost whose figure was rapidly fading away.
Her speed was the fundamental reason why he couldn't shake off the two ghosts and escape.
However, she was very cautious; she would never show herself before making a move, and every time she attacked, regardless of success, she would immediately disappear again.
If there was no opportunity, he would have to create one himself!
Boom!
A huge fist, carrying astonishing momentum, slammed down, the restrained shockwave causing the surrounding air to distort slightly.
Aoki crossed his arms, holding them horizontally in front of his chest.
Bang! Flesh and blood from his arms tore apart, splattering everywhere and turning the surrounding area into a bloody hell.
Snap!
A shallow footprint suddenly appeared on the flesh, almost invisible without careful observation.
However, as an excellent hunter with eagle eyes, Aoki possessed the ability to observe.
"Finally caught you! It wasn't for nothing that I went to all that trouble to cover the area with flesh and blood!"
Aoki's eyes suddenly blazed with fire.
He had a trump card, which he had held back all along, all for this moment.
"Blood Boiling," activated!
Boom!
His blood seemed to ignite, droplets of blood seeping from his skin, then turning into wisps of crimson mist that swirled around him.
He felt as if his body was about to explode, an immense power surging forth.
Thud!
The ground exploded, and Aoki's figure vanished abruptly.
Lingyu, who was about to launch her attack, froze for a moment, then realized Aoki was already right in front of her.
"Exposed? Impossible! He couldn't have discovered me, it's just a coincidence!"
Before her thoughts could even finish, a ferocious fist struck her chest.
Bang! The terrifying force instantly tore through her skin, crushed bones, and destroyed her internal organs.
"How did his strength increase so much?!"
Lingyu was horrified to find a huge hole in her chest, almost split in two by the punch.
Aoki grabbed Lingyu by the neck, lunged forward, and pinned her to the ground beneath him.
"Let me go!"
Zero screamed, his claws attacking wildly.
Behind him, a familiar whooshing sound came.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several holes appeared in Aoki's head, and half his chest was smashed.
But the flames in his eyes burned even brighter as he raised his fist.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Zero's body was torn to pieces in less than a second.
His neck was broken, his arms ripped apart at the shoulders, and his thighs were severed into several pieces.
Boom!
Just as Aoki was about to completely smash Zero's head, a powerful shockwave exploded behind him, sending him flying.
"Dare to ignore me? You're asking for death!" the Minotaur roared.
Aoki completely ignored him.
"Too bad, if I could devour a Lower Moon, the experience would be enough to level up by at least one."
Although somewhat regretful, he didn't forget his true mission. Adjusting his posture, regaining his balance, he landed and ran away without looking back.
He had been using "Demon Devourer" throughout his attack; Zero couldn't recover in time and was no longer able to move.
He had to escape!
The bull-headed demon hesitated for a moment, glanced at the struggling and screaming Lingyu, gritted his teeth, and gave chase.
The two demons, one chasing and the other fleeing, quickly disappeared into the jungle.
However, the bull-headed demon was inherently slower than Aoki, and Aoki's "Blood Boiling" effect hadn't worn off yet, making him far faster than usual. He quickly lost track of Aoki.
"Damn it!What is Lingyu doing?"
Confirming he had truly lost him, the bull-headed demon roared in frustration, smashing a nearby tree in half with his fist, and could only turn back.
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(End of Chapter)