Gazing intently at Ryou, Kokushibo activated his Transparent World, allowing him to see the inner workings of Ryou's body with transparency. Before his eyes, everything was revealed—the flow of blood, the rhythm of his breathing, the intricate structure of his inner organs, and the contractions of his muscles.
"Outstanding..." Kokushibo mused, glimpsing the exceptional physical refinement of Ryou's body. 'His physique has been honed beyond the absolute limit of human beings, even surpassing my brother's.
What a human. He's strong!'
First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace
Without hesitation, Kokushibo unleashed his next attack—a sweeping horizontal slash that carved a perfect crescent through the air. The crescent generated a torrent of chaotic crescent blades, all flying toward Ryou.
Facing the oncoming attack, Ryou remained unfazed. He countered with his First Form: Wind Slash, a seemingly simple swing of his blade that unleashed a fierce gust of wind blades. These wind blades tore through Kokushibo's crescent attack, slicing through them with ease and continuing toward Kokushibo without losing any power.
The collision of attacks cut through everything in its path, killing a few demons caught in the crossfire. They were sliced to pieces and their bodies disintegrated into ashes.
Ryou's slash forced Kokushibo to sidestep, narrowly avoiding the wind blade. The single slash made him reassess his opponent.
'Nature Breathing... I've never encountered this style before. His swordsmanship is formidable! Looks like I won't be bored.' Kokushibo thought.
At the same time, he began to take Ryou seriously, entering a breathing state as a white mist flowed from his mouth.
Ryou observed Kokushibo's state by activating his own Transparent World, a reward he had gotten after defeating the Lower Moon Five, Rui.
"He's getting serious!" Ryou thought. He could feel the sudden surge in Kokushibo's power—his entire aura underwent a change, elevated to a higher level.
'Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy!'
In an instant, Kokushibo closed the gap between them with blinding speed, unleashing a hail of slashes that seemed to blur together. A vortex of crescent moon blades spiraled around him, each slash layered and interwoven, creating a maelstrom of deadly attacks.
Astonishingly, this barrage was executed without Kokushibo ever swinging his katana.
Ryou's senses narrowed, as the storm of crescent blades bore down on him, each one threatening to cut him down.
Ryou skillfully executed his Second Form: Current of the Ocean, swinging his sword in a wide circular motion. A powerful surge of water force erupted around him, swirling like a whirlpool, its sheer pressure crushed Kokushibo's relentless barrage of crescent moon blades.
The force of Ryou's attack was so immense that it tore apart the very ground beneath them, carving out a massive pit, and scattering debris in all directions. A thick cloud of dust rose into the air, obscuring everyone's vision.
'Slash!'
A simple swing of Ryou's sword generated a powerful gust of wind that dispersed the dust cloud, revealing the battleground once more.
Kokushibo's six eyes locked onto Ryou, startled by the overwhelming strength shown by the opponent. Thoughts raced through his mind. 'He can see the world the same way I do…'
There was no mistaking it, the opponent had mastered the Transparent World just like him since he could accurately predict his attacks and counterattack.
It had been five hundred years since he had seen a human with such skill—the last being his own little brother.
The thought came at him. 'Is he a monster like my brother? I can't allow him to live. He's a threat to that man.'
A strong killing intent flashed in Kokushibo's eyes as he decided to kill Ryou without delay. Considering Ryou's strength, he even thought of giving him a chance to become a demon, but not anymore.
The human before him had to die.
As he decided, the sword in his hand changed form. The straight blade extended, and additional blades began to protrude from it, transforming into a complex katana.
Seeing the change in Kokushibo's weapon, Ryou cursed inwardly. He was trying his best to conceal his true strength, as he knew revealing them could cause Muzan to be wary, or worse, he may go into hiding.
Hence, Ryou avoided using Nature Mode or fully unleashing his Breathing style, which harnesses the power of nature itself. Like Sun Breathing, his blade inflicts wounds that prevent demons from healing.
'Let's hope he doesn't push me too far,' Ryou thought to himself. He then commented with a hint of sarcasm, "That's one disgusting blade you've got there. Don't you think?"
Ignoring Ryou's comment, Kokushibo launched his attack with an uncompromising gaze. 'Seventh Form: Mirror of Misfortune, Moonlit!'
Using his transformed katana, Kokushibo executed a powerful frontal crescent-shaped slash. This attack unleashed a barrage of both straight and curved slashes that expanded outward, each one changing shapes and direction, difficult to avoid.
In response, Ryou swung his sword with overwhelming force, destroying the attacks.
The battle raged on! The clash of their blades sent showers of sparks flying, creating shockwaves that quaked the battlefield and sent clouds of dust into the air.
Ryou pretended to exert all his strength, drawing upon every ounce of his strength as if he was pushing himself to the limit.
After some time, he even gasped for air, showing exhaustion. It wasn't easy to fool Kokushibo who has a Transparent World like him. But, Kokushibo fought with an unstoppable force, leaving no room for error.
Their battle cracked and splintered the land, leaving behind a devastated landscape marked by deep craters and torn earth. The once beautiful terrain with gardens and trees now lay in ruins, a testament to the intensity of their confrontation.
--
Meanwhile, Tatsuya and Haruka fought fearlessly against the remaining demons. The night was filled with the sounds of demon roars and blades slicing through the flesh.
Together, they killed nearly ten demons. Of course, Kanae assisted them whenever they were overwhelmed.
Once the last of the demons fell, the three of them turned their attention to the fierce battle between Ryou and Upper Moon One. They stood in stunned silence, awestruck by the sheer magnitude of strength and skill displayed by both.
Haruka's voice trembled with fear as she spoke. "Such strength was beyond what humans can achieve—if even an Upper Moon is this formidable, what about Muzan himself? Can we truly fight and defeat such a demon?"
Kanae replied in a resolute tone, "Even if we can't defeat him, we have to do our best for the people. We must fight, no matter the odds.
And, isn't Ryou a good example? Humans can fight the demon as strong as Upper Moon without losing!"
--
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