Gyutaro could accept that a human Hashira was able to trade blows with him back and forth.
What he could not accept was that a human could block his Blood Demon Art barehanded—and then take it head-on without suffering any damage at all.
He had seen the previous battle clearly. The attacks of that demon who possessed a long-range Blood Demon Art had landed squarely on the black-clad man, yet they still hadn't even broken his skin.
If the opponent were a demon, he could have understood it. Powerful demons possessed extremely tough dermal layers—some could even shatter the Nichirin blades of the Demon Slayer Corps.
But according to his perception, the man before him clearly… was not a demon.
And yet he was equally certain of one thing:
The male creature standing there was absolutely not human!
Human bodies were fragile—there was no way they could withstand Blood Demon Arts or shatter steel blades. This being could not possibly be human!
"How rude."
Kurosaki Rei's expression darkened. "My name is Kurosaki Rei. I'm a newly joined Kinoe-ranked swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps, officially certified by the Corps itself—a human of pure lineage."
As he spoke, lightning wrapped around him with every breath. With Flash Step augmenting him, he burst into motion at extreme speed. Thunder and the friction of air echoed through the street. As he accelerated, dust exploded outward in a ring behind him.
Like a bolt of lightning, he shot down the long street and leapt toward a distant rooftop.
The sniper, who had been tracking Kurosaki Rei through his scope, widened his eyes in shock.
Just a second ago, Kurosaki Rei had been two hundred meters away—but in the blink of an eye, Kurosaki Rei's face rapidly filled the scope.
He was already right in front of him.
What kind of monster… were they even trying to surround and kill?
Demon-Imprisoning, thirsting for souls, severed the sniper's neck before he could even fire a shot, frozen as he was in shock.
Gyutaro arrived a moment too late. His Blood Sickle fell behind Kurosaki Rei, cutting only through lingering golden arcs of lightning.
Kurosaki Rei had already jumped.
His long blade came crashing down from above with the force of splitting a mountain. Gyutaro barely managed to block it, yet was still smashed straight down into the building below by the overwhelming power.
Kurosaki Rei stood at the opening, flicking the blood from his blade. The sniper's blood traced an arc across the roof beam as he looked down at Gyutaro below.
"Now it's quiet," he said calmly. "I'll send you to see your sister."
"Kurosaki Rei!"
Gyutaro roared, unleashing all of his power. Blood blades carved out by his Blood Demon Art whipped up a crimson storm, shredding the entire building. Riding the vortex, he surged upward toward Kurosaki Rei, his eyes filled with unwillingness and hatred.
Am I really… unable even to avenge my sister?
I'm sorry, Ume. I'm such a useless brother…
Boom—
Driven by grief and fury, Gyutaro hurled himself at Kurosaki Rei with everything he had. In midair, Blood Sickles and the long blade collided dozens of times in an instant.
Pulled down by gravity, the two crashed to the ground. Their clash threw off showers of sparks and waves of blood-red wind, ravaging a street that was already barely recognizable.
Hinatsuru, who had just finished evacuating the crowd, returned at that moment. When she saw Kurosaki Rei and Gyutaro locked in combat—and the seven demon corpses lying around—her lips parted in shock.
She had only been gone a few minutes.
How had this group of powerful demons been completely wiped out?
The demon fighting Kurosaki Rei in the street was undoubtedly an Upper Rank. Lower Ranks could never produce such momentum or destructive power when fighting.
She felt a surge of relief that she had already evacuated the residents of Yoshiwara. With these two fighters' speed and destructive capability, dozens of civilians would have died instantly wherever they passed.
Hinatsuru's sister, Makio—the kunoichi with short black-and-gold hair—leapt onto the rooftop as well. Her eyes went wide at the sight.
"So strong… Is he a newly appointed Hashira?"
"Is this the power of an Upper Rank? That's terrifying… There's no way to even help…"
Suma, with her long black hair, also arrived. When she saw Gyutaro, the sheer pressure of his presence made her hug her arms to herself.
"All of this… did he do it alone?"
Hinatsuru murmured as she looked at the demon corpses. At the same time, confusion flickered in her eyes.
The demons were clearly lifeless—so why hadn't they dissipated yet?
"There shouldn't be any other Demon Slayer Corps members here…"
Makio replied to Hinatsuru, though disbelief filled her own gaze. Earlier, when she met up with Hinatsuru, she had been told that several "Twelve Kizuki" were present here.
She trusted that Hinatsuru wouldn't lie.
Which meant that seven demons with strength comparable to the Twelve Kizuki had already been slain here.
Even if they were only Lower Rank level, a single Hashira killing seven of them alone would already be terrifyingly strong.
And yet the man in the street was still fighting Upper Rank Six.
Didn't that mean he had fought one against eight—and killed seven of them!?
"He's so strong… maybe even stronger than Lord Tengen."
Suma exclaimed in awe. This was the first time she had ever seen such a powerful Demon Slayer. Even though she adored her husband, she had to admit that in such a situation, Uzui Tengen would've been lucky just to escape—forget about fighting one against eight and killing seven.
"What nonsense are you saying? Lord Tengen is the strongest!"
Makio snapped, raising her hand and smacking Suma on the head.
Suma covered her head, looking aggrieved. "But… that Hashira down there really is strong…"
Hinatsuru didn't join their bickering. She focused intently on the battle below, inwardly agreeing that this one-versus-eight Hashira was indeed terrifying.
Wait…
One versus eight?
She clearly remembered that the Upper Rank earlier had been a woman. And there had been seven demons surrounding Kyogoku House.
She had just seen Daki's corpse—so where did this Upper Rank currently fighting Kurosaki Rei come from?
Could it be that Kurosaki Rei had already killed one Upper Rank… and was now fighting another?
Since when had the Demon Slayer Corps produced such a terrifying man?
At that moment, the clash between Gyutaro's Blood Sickles and Kurosaki Rei's long blade rang out like hammering iron, echoing beneath the false night sky. Both fighters possessed extreme speed and power. Each collision sent shockwaves rippling outward, relentlessly ravaging the devastated street.
As Demon-Imprisoning met the Blood Sickle, sparks flying, Kurosaki Rei caught a clear look into Gyutaro's eyes at close range.
There was not the slightest desire to live in them.
After another violent exchange, the two separated. Even Gyutaro—despite being a demon—was now panting heavily, showing just how much power he had expended.
Normally, demons did not grow fatigued—unless they had consumed vast amounts of energy regenerating or using Blood Demon Arts.
And Gyutaro had done both.
During his battle with Kurosaki Rei, his body had been wounded again and again. Even with his highly refined rapid regeneration, recovery was becoming difficult.
Moreover, Kurosaki Rei's blade was deeply unnatural. The areas it struck felt as though they were being corroded by some kind of toxin, continuously damaging him even after the blow landed.
Each time he was injured, the duration of this lingering damage grew longer, massively draining his strength.
What drove him into despair was this:
He had already gone all out, fighting to this point while drenched in blood—yet the man opposite him had not suffered a single wound.
Though he had never received formal training in swordsmanship or martial arts, Gyutaro had always believed himself talented in close combat. Otherwise, in life, he wouldn't have been feared as a debt collector, nor capable of killing properly trained warriors.
After becoming a demon, he had fought for hundreds of years to protect his sister. His combat experience and skill far surpassed his human self.
And yet, even so, he could not injure the man before him in the slightest.
The battle instincts he had always trusted seemed worthless before Kurosaki Rei. In terms of refined combat technique, it felt as though he had been left several streets behind.
After Daki's death, he had reclaimed the power he had lent her. He could clearly feel that his raw strength exceeded that of the man opposite him—
Yet in direct clashes, he could not gain the upper hand.
Worse still, he was being suppressed.
Kurosaki Rei was a swordsman who used Thunder Breathing. In terms of speed, Gyutaro couldn't even begin to compete.
The only question left in his mind was—
Why hadn't this man killed him yet?
Yes.
After fighting for some time, Gyutaro had finally realized the truth. As unwilling as he was to accept it, he simply could not defeat the man before him.
There had been several moments where Kurosaki Rei could have severed his head—but he hadn't done so.
Realizing this only deepened Gyutaro's grief and rage.
"Are you humiliating me?!"
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