"Twist off my head?"
Muzan Kibutsuji laughed as if he'd heard a joke. "You, a rat who only knows how to run away?
Tamayo and the Pillars seem to have high expectations of you. Very well, then let me shatter their expectations with my own hands!"
Aoki wasn't angry. What was the point of arguing with a dead man?
"Muzan, there's an old saying in my hometown: 'A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation.'"
Muzan Kibutsuji said calmly. "If you're so capable, let me see."
"You will see,"
Aoki said.
Muzan Kibutsuji didn't speak again.
After a few seconds, a look of surprise flashed across Aoki's face.
He was waiting for Tamayo's poison to take effect. What was Muzan Kibutsuji waiting for?
At that moment, he noticed the "Blue Spider Lily" at his feet and suddenly realized.
As an understanding person, Aoki decided to leave the truth for Muzan Kibutsuji to discover himself. With a flash, he appeared before Muzan and threw a punch.
Muzan breathed a sigh of relief.
If the defector had remained near the blue spider lily, he would have been hesitant to attack.
More importantly, he might have damaged the flower.
He had searched for a thousand years and only found this small patch; damaging even one plant would be a huge loss.
Fortunately, the defector hadn't done that.
Actually, thinking about it carefully, it made sense.
The defector was also a Demon, and he also wanted to overcome sunlight; how could he possibly damage the blue spider lily?
However, when the defector fled like a mouse again, he would have to be careful that he didn't do anything rash and damage the flower.
Muzan's thoughts raced, but his movements were swift. All his whips lashed out at Aoki at once, so fast that afterimages appeared.
Aoki's gaze was cold, his boiling killing intent gradually subsiding as his fist continued its horizontal thrust forward.
This clearly showed that Muzan Kibutsuji was indeed not skilled in combat.
He could wield nearly twenty whips with ease, but his timing and methods of attack were terrible.
However, this was understandable.
For a thousand years, Muzan Kibutsuji had never encountered an evenly matched opponent. One crushed him, and the rest were all crushed by him.
He didn't need any technique; relying solely on basic speed and strength, he could easily kill everyone in the world except for Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Of course, now there was another "exception."
Boom!
The overwhelming power of Aoki's fist erupted instantly, shattering the air layer by layer, a sharp explosion soaring into the sky.
Aoki Style, Judgment!
The spiked whips and tubular whips exploded into a heap, their tips shattering inch by inch.
Muzan Kibutsuji was sent flying backward, his expression drastically changing.
Aoki flashed again, appearing beside Muzan Kibutsuji, his hand striking silently.
Aoki Style, Funeral Procession!
Thud!
His left arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder.
A mouth sprouted from Muzan Kibutsuji's shoulder, a powerful suction force causing the severed arm to fly back instantly.
However, it didn't fully regenerate.
Just like the wound inflicted by Yoriichi Tsugikuni years ago.
"Is this the power of a traitor? Truly troublesome!"
Muzan Kibutsuji's eyes blazed with killing intent.
Crack! Crack!
The mouth on his shoulder suddenly opened, devouring the flesh around the wound, consuming it all in an instant. His regenerative abilities returned immediately, and a new arm instantly formed.
Simultaneously, the whips on his upper body lashed out at Aoki.
Aoki's mind raced, traversing space and appearing directly on Muzan Kibutsuji's other side.
But the moment he appeared, the whips on Muzan Kibutsuji's lower body lashed out.
"You've learned your lesson! But it's still not enough!"
Aoki took two steps back, suddenly reached out, grabbed one of the whips, and ripped it open.
Rip!
* The whip was pulled directly from Muzan Kibutsuji's back, the end still containing bone and flesh.
Muzan Kibutsuji groaned, and a new whip rapidly grew, while he controlled the other whips to attack Aoki.
This time, Aoki didn't use spatial teleportation. He moved with precise precision, advancing and retreating, through layers of whip-like whips, and rushed to Muzan Kibutsuji's side.
Their eyes met.
Muzan Kibutsuji's pale face couldn't hide his astonishment, and upon closer inspection, a hint of panic could be seen.
The battle wasn't unfolding as he had anticipated.
Aoki, of course, didn't care about Muzan Kibutsuji's emotional fluctuations; knowing them would only make him happy.
He unleashed a barrage of punches, elbows, kicks, and knees like a storm.
Aoki Style, Storm!
Bang bang bang!
Muzan Kibutsuji attempted to resist, but was quickly overwhelmed. Large chunks of flesh exploded from his body, his steps faltering, blood gushing from his mouth.
Just then, he suddenly raised his head and let out a silent roar.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave erupted, like a cannonball.
Aoki's blood surged, and his movements faltered.
Nearby, a Demon was engaged in battle with Giyu Tomioka.
The shockwave swept across, instantly mangled the former's body, and Giyu Tomioka was also struck hard, coughing up blood and flying away.
The battlefield fell silent.
The Pillars, who had been watching the battle closely, now showed slight tension in their expressions.
So Muzan Kibutsuji had this trick up his sleeve.
If he had used it on them just now, they would all have been severely injured instantly.
Looking at Aoki, who was almost unharmed but had recovered from the injuries, Muzan Kibutsuji's face darkened, and he quickly created distance.
Crunch! Crunch!
At the same time, numerous mouths sprouted from his body, rapidly devouring the flesh and blood around the wounds Aoki had inflicted. In the blink of an eye, his regenerative abilities were restored to normal.
However, Muzan Kibutsuji's face remained incredibly grim.
He was certain.
The defector's power surpassed his own.
How could this be?
Last time in the Infinity Castle, the defector could only scurry around like a rat in front of him.
Now, only a few months later, his power had become stronger than his?
No!
This wasn't a matter of time.
He was the true source of the demons; the defector was merely a cheap imitation he'd created. Even if he'd undergone some mutations, how could he possibly surpass him?
Muzan Kibutsuji's expression suddenly twisted into a ferocious grimace.
He'd known all along that the defector held a secret.
He'd tried to capture him, but failed several times; the defector's threat and the trouble he caused only grew.
Until today, he'd actually surpassed him in strength.
Pfft!
Muzan Kibutsuji spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression freezing abruptly.
What was happening?
Why was he coughing up blood?
From anger?
Impossible!
He wasn't some fragile human.
Tamayo's face flashed into his mind.
It was what Tamayo had just injected into his body!
Poison?
Damn it!
Damn it!
Damn it!
They were prepared all along!
The dangerous aura suddenly intensified.
After that man's death, he felt the threat of death again.
Muzan Kibutsuji's body trembled slightly; this unsettling feeling disgusted him.
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(End of Chapter)