The moment the blade tip pointed directly at Gyokko, Kiyokawa Izumi's entire Aura changed, becoming so ordinary, so unremarkable, as if he had merged with his surroundings.
Time in that moment seemed to hit the slow-motion button. The torrent of extended senses transformed into countless puzzle pieces; his Cognitive Domain was being reconstructed.
The chill of the night air flowed into his lungs with his rhythmic breathing, yet it could not extinguish the fire burning in his heart.
"Shut up! You bastard who doesn't appreciate art!"
Enraged and humiliated, Gyokko was clearly furious. The moment his words fell, he had already appeared in front of Kiyokawa Izumi, his tightly clenched right fist raised high and then brought down with a violent force.
Kiyokawa Izumi sidestepped slightly, easily dodging it with minimal movement.
The earthen ground was smashed into a deep pit, and a large number of live fish bizarrely appeared—this was Gyokko's ability, called Gods Hand, capable of turning anything his hands touch into live fish.
'First Form: Night Crows Shadow!'
The sharp nichirin blade was already thrust out silently. The sound of metal clashing rang out. Gyokko, in a posture that defied common sense, blocked this strike with his own tail. His bizarre movements were difficult to fathom, difficult to predict.
"Blood Demon Art: Formation Slaying Fish Scales!"
Gyokko utilized the fish scales covering his entire body to perform high-speed bounces, moving as flexibly and unexpectedly as a fish swimming in water.
His attack patterns were also unpredictable; both his hands and his tail served as his weapons.
In the interlacing of their figures, in less than a few breaths, the man and the demon had already exchanged dozens of blows.
The expression on Gyokko's face also changed repeatedly.
It shifted from initial smugness to gradually falling silent—he couldn't understand it. No matter how bizarre, how incredible his attacks were, even those launched from blind spots, they could all be easily blocked by this guy.
This seemingly weak human before him gave him a very peculiar feeling.
He appeared to be standing right there, yet it was as if he had merged with the surrounding environment. His entire body seemed full of openings, yet whenever Gyokko thought he had succeeded, he would be steadily blocked.
Why?
This feeling was like being in boundless darkness—unable to see, hear, or touch; all senses were making erroneous judgments.
'Third Form: Soundless Three Stage: Instant Approach!'
Another explosive breath. The distance of just over ten meters was crossed in an instant. Seeing Kiyokawa Izumi suddenly close in, Gyokko used the fish scales covering his body to perform a high-speed bounce, easily creating distance.
'Spinning Heel!'
The figures of the man and the demon had already turned into afterimages. Gyokko, with a persistent sense of foreboding, was utterly unwilling to engage in close-quarters combat with Kiyokawa Izumi.
Although he didn't know why this guy could block all his attacks, his current condition could be said to be very poor. Sweat continuously dripped from his forehead. As a mere mortal of flesh and blood, he was nearing his limit.
'My stamina is starting to fall behind, mental energy severely depleted... I'm afraid I won't be able to maintain Fourth Form much longer.'
Kiyokawa Izumi's current condition was truly terrible, but all he could do now was breathe desperately, desperately squeezing out his remaining strength.
Due to excessive breathing, his lungs felt as if they were being torn, continuously expanding.
His heart was pounding violently. The surface of his body grew slightly warm. Boiling hot blood roared through his veins, transporting the overload of oxygen throughout his body.
Kiyokawa Izumi really, really wanted to awaken a Demon Slayer Mark at this moment.
He didn't know if it was because his body temperature wasn't high enough, or his heart wasn't beating fast enough, or perhaps his will wasn't firm enough, but the Demon Slayer Mark stubbornly refused to appear.
'Finale!'
The final, fiercely executed slash seemed to carry his utter determination.
He held back not a single ounce of his strength; he didn't even consider a path of retreat.
If this strike failed, by then he wouldn't even be able to maintain Fourth Form. His utterly exhausted hands probably wouldn't even be able to grip his nichirin blade.
In that situation, it would be a certain death scenario.
Several months ago, facing the Hand Demon, with no retreat and forced into a fight to the death, he had barely managed to win.
But Gyokko, after all, was not the Hand Demon.
The sharp nichirin blade, heedless of cost, cut into Gyokko's neck. Foul-smelling blood gushed out, but all of this was in vain.
Gyokko's hands tightly grasped the nichirin blade. Facing the expressionless Kiyokawa Izumi, a wanton and ferocious smile spread across his face.
You still didn't manage to sever my neck.
A worthless attack, a meaningless resistance.
Victory is decided!
The dark silver blade visibly transformed into live fish. No matter how hard Kiyokawa Izumi tried, it was a situation where he had no more tricks left.
"This time, I really was just that little bit short!"
A tail imbued with terrifying force lashed out. Kiyokawa Izumi had no way to block it. His body was sent flying over ten meters away like a kite with its string cut.
Kiyokawa Izumi, in the end, could not compare to Tokito Muichiro who had awakened his Demon Slayer Mark. Even with his utmost effort, he still couldn't defeat Upper Rank Five.
'Breathing is becoming difficult... I can no longer maintain Fourth Form.'
'Even my nichirin blade has been destroyed...'
In the end, Gyokko was somewhat greedy. He didn't use Gods Hand, ultimately wanting to preserve the integrity of his corpse.
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There is a hidden task, and it might be the last one because I probably won't be using my phone after tomorrow. The requirements for this hidden task will be the same as the previous one. .....I will post an additional chapter for every ten likes on my profile.