Aoki's breathing was rapid, each exhale forming a puff of white mist, radiating astonishing heat.
He didn't know if the enemy had caught up, he could only desperately run, as far as possible.
Suddenly, the violent power within him vanished, replaced by a powerful sense of weakness, as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant.
Aoki's legs buckled, and he collapsed heavily, tumbling forward with the force of the impact until he crashed into a rock and came to a stop.
Two seconds later, his dazed mind regained its ability to think.
"Huff, huff, why does it feel like using 'Blood Boiling' now has even more severe aftereffects than when I was still human?
Huff, huff, no, I can't stay here. If the enemy catches up, they'll find me immediately."
Aoki braced himself, barely managing to lift his head, and discovered that he was facing a river.
Although the river wasn't wide, the water was deep, and the current was extremely swift.
"This is...heaven's help!"
A weak smile appeared on his face. Aoki didn't even have the strength to jump in. He struggled desperately for a moment, then collapsed into the river.
*Splash!
* Washed by the current, he slowly drifted downstream, his speed increasing rapidly.
[Ding-dong.]
["Escape from Death" complete, reward issued.]
[Congratulations on leveling up.]
The system notification faintly echoed in his ears, but Aoki had no energy to check it. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
...
Back on the battlefield, the Minotaur witnessed a strange scene.
Zero was self-harming!
He angrily shouted, "The target has escaped! What are you doing?"
Zero was even angrier: "Do you think I wanted to? That demon's attack had a strange power that prevented body regeneration. I almost died, do you know that?"
Having said that, she cut off a piece of flesh from her shoulder, the wound slowly healing, her face growing even paler.
"Preventing regeneration?"
The bull-headed demon was startled, glancing at Lingyu's still tattered body, and believed her explanation, his tone softening.
"Then how do we report to that person?"
"We've done our best, that person shouldn't blame us, right?"
Lingyu's expression was grim.
"Next time we meet, I'll definitely kill him!" the bull-headed demon growled angrily.
Lingyu lowered her head, tending to her body, remaining silent.
She didn't want to see that guy again.
This ability to prevent regeneration was terrifying; when she was pinned down, she truly felt death approaching.
For her, her life was paramount.
"You... let your target escape?"
A deep voice suddenly rang out.
Lingyu and the bull-headed demon's expressions changed drastically.
The voice was right beside them, yet they hadn't noticed it before.
The two demons slowly turned their heads to look.
A figure stood silently behind them. He wore a kimono with purple snakeskin and black spots, had long, dark red sideburns in a high ponytail, and red markings on the left side of his forehead and the right side of his neck. A long sword hung at his waist, making him look like a human swordsman.
The difference lay in his face.
He had six eyes, with the characters "Upper Moon" and "Ichi" inscribed on the irises of the two central eyes, radiating a heavy, imposing aura.
Zero and the Minotaur trembled involuntarily, a strong sense of fear rising within them.
"Upper Moon One!!"
...
Infinity Castle.
Muzan Kibutsuji stood on the high platform, looking down at the bull-headed demon and Zero, his indifferent eyes devoid of any emotion.
The two demons knelt on the ground, drenched in cold sweat, their legs trembling.
"You didn't capture the target?" Muzan Kibutsuji asked calmly, his tone unreadable.
The bull-headed demon looked up and said urgently, "My lord, it's not my fault, it's Zero's fault! She failed to intercept the target, allowing him to escape!"
A look of astonishment flashed across Zero's face, quickly turning into intense resentment.
"My lord, that demon has a strange ability to prevent his body from regenerating!"
She pointed at the bull-headed demon, "It was him! He failed to stop the target while I was injured, allowing him to escape!"
The bull-headed demon growled in a low voice, "Intercepting the target was your responsibility!"
"Shut up! Did I tell you to speak?"
Muzan Kibutsuji shouted coldly, a terrifying pressure suddenly emanating from his body.
Like a shockwave, both Zero and the bull-headed demon coughed up blood, their skin cracking and covered in wounds.
Muzan Kibutsuji stretched out his hand, his arm transforming into a massive, fleshy forearm, the palm becoming a gaping maw that snapped shut on the bull-headed demon.
"I have to pin the blame on Zero! I finally became one of the Twelve Demon Moons, I can't die here!"
"How did he know?" The bull-headed demon froze, his heart clenching, realizing that was exactly what he had been thinking.
Muzan's voice was icy: "How did he know?"
"Damn it! He can read my mind!"
A thought flashed through the bull-headed demon's mind, then his entire body turned ice-cold.
"Damn it? You truly deserve to die!"
Muzan Kibutsuji said.
Crunch!
The mouth on the massive arm began to chew.
The bull-headed demon screamed in agony, his once-proud regenerative abilities seemingly vanishing.
"No! No! Please spare me, sir!"
Muzan Kibutsuji remained unmoved, coldly watching him.
The bull-headed demon's screams gradually subsided, and moments later, it was completely swallowed by the gaping maw on the massive arm.
Zero knelt on the ground, her heart filled with terror.
Muzan Kibutsuji turned to Zero: "You said the target had an ability to prevent regeneration?"
"That's right!"
Zero exclaimed urgently, "Any place he injured can't regenerate. The surrounding flesh must be cut away for regeneration to resume, but the energy consumed is far greater than usual!"
Muzan Kibutsuji asked, "Is it Blood Demon Art?"
Zero stammered, "I don't know, but he also used an ability that instantly increased his strength significantly. That's why I was caught off guard and injured."
"Is that so?"
A shadow crossed Muzan Kibutsuji's eyes.
He increasingly realized that his carelessness might have been a huge mistake.
That human must have some secret!
Zero secretly glanced up, a slight sense of relief washing over her.
She hadn't been killed; she must have survived, right?
Just then, her vision suddenly darkened.
A gaping maw descended from the sky, swallowing Zero whole.
Zero didn't even utter a scream; only a few drops of blood foreshadowed her fate
Muzan Kibutsuji turned and left expressionlessly.
He didn't need a Lower Moon who only ran away from the Pillars and didn't heed his orders.
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(End of Chapter)
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