Chapter 121: Miss Tamayo's sneak attack
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"Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo!"
Kyojuro's body was covered in wounds. He glanced at the figure at the center of the battlefield, a whip lashing out from its form, his eyes filled with dread.
Too strong!
Terrifyingly strong!
Although Mr. Aomura had warned him about Muzan Kibutsuji's power, only by facing him directly could he truly comprehend just how terrifying Muzan was.
He had nearly been killed in just one encounter.
If you're struck by those whips, your life is in immediate danger, especially the ones extending from Muzan's lower body—they're unbelievably fast and powerful.
When Mr. Aomura instructed them to hold Muzan for 10 seconds, Rengoku was initially hesitant. But now, he realized that Mr. Aomura had an extremely accurate understanding of both their strength and Muzan's.
It's no simple feat to last 10 seconds against Muzan Kibutsuji.
No! Even surviving one second against him is perilous.
Rengoku quickly scanned the battlefield. Everyone was injured; even Himejima was struggling. The others were in no better shape than he was.
"We can only rely on Mr. Aomura now."
Rengoku took a deep breath, understanding that their strength was nowhere near Muzan's level.
If it weren't for Mr. Aomura, this battle would have been a lost cause, and even escaping alive would have been a distant hope.
As Rengoku's thoughts raced, he wondered, "How many seconds have passed?"
He hadn't kept count, assuming they could last the 10 seconds. But it had to be close by now.
"I wonder how Mr. Aomura's battle with Kokushibo is going?"
Rengoku was pondering this when he noticed Muzan Kibutsuji's attacks had suddenly stopped, his gaze shifting outside the battlefield.
"Could it be?" Rengoku was momentarily stunned before quickly turning his head to look.
Muzan Kibutsuji's expression darkened.
Kokushibo was dead!
Muzan wasn't surprised that Kokushibo had lost to Aomura, but how could it have happened so quickly?
How long had the battle even been going on?
He hadn't even dealt with the so-called Demon Slayers around him yet.
At that moment, Muzan sensed something strange. Before he could comprehend what was happening, a sharp pain erupted in his arm, and he noticed an unfamiliar needle embedded in it.
At the same time, the air in front of him twisted, and a familiar figure emerged. Muzan blurted out, "Tamayo? Why are you here?"
The Pillars, too, were filled with astonishment.
They were aware of Miss Tamayo's identity. With Mr. Aomura's precedent, they had accepted her existence more easily. But in their understanding, Miss Tamayo was just a doctor, without any combat ability.
How had she managed to get close to Muzan Kibutsuji? And what was she planning to do? Only Kocho Kanae showed signs of worry on her face.
As Tamayo looked at the face she had despised for so long, deep hatred marred her beautiful features.
"Of course, I'm here to watch you go to hell with my own eyes!"
"With this motley crew?" Muzan Kibutsuji glanced at the surrounding Pillars with disdain.
Tamayo sneered, "Even a weak force can become powerful if united. Besides, we have an ace up our sleeve!"
"You mean that rat, Aomura? He too…"
Muzan suddenly looked at his shoulder, noticing the flesh around the needle turning black and purple, starting to rot.
"What did you inject me with?"
"Take a guess!" Tamayo replied with a gleeful smile.
Success! The poison had already spread throughout Muzan Kibutsuji's body.
In fact, Tamayo had concocted four poisons, three of which she gave to Mr. Aomura, keeping one for herself. She was weak and unlikely to draw much attention in the chaotic battlefield. After becoming invisible through Yushiro's Blood Demon Art, she had the opportunity to sneak up on Muzan.
As Muzan battled the Demon Slayer Corps' Pillars, she found it impossible to get close. She thought she had no chance. Unexpectedly, Kokushibo's death had created the opening she needed.
Whoosh!
Muzan Kibutsuji swiped his hand, and Tamayo was sent flying. Her arm was torn off at the shoulder, and a ghastly wound appeared on her chest, nearly splitting her in two.
Kanae caught Tamayo and asked nervously, "Miss Tamayo, are you alright?"
"Don't worry, I'm a demon—I won't die so easily!" Tamayo said with a smile, even as the wounds on her chest and shoulder began to heal slowly.
"Not easy to kill doesn't mean impossible!"
Muzan Kibutsuji suddenly appeared in front of them, his deadly whip slashing toward the two women.
Everyone's expressions shifted.
The other Pillars wouldn't make it in time, and Kanae's position made it difficult for her to defend.
At that moment, Muzan's shoulder exploded, and he was sent flying at an angle.
"You're right. Demons are hard to kill, but it's not impossible. Take your sixth—no, seventh Upper Moons as an example."
Aoki's figure emerged.
"Mr. Aomura!"
Relief and surprise washed over Kanae's face.
The other Pillars also exhaled, but then shock took hold again.
There was no sign of Kokushibo left on the battlefield—his fate was clear.
They never expected that Mr. Aomura could actually kill Kokushibo in just 10 seconds. Kokushibo, one of the Upper Moons, second only to Muzan Kibutsuji!
"Leave this to me. You all handle the rest!" Aoki commanded.
"We'll leave it to you, Mr. Aomura."
The Pillars didn't argue.
They had already experienced Muzan Kibutsuji's strength firsthand.
Staying would only make things harder, and it was better to conserve their strength for any potential surprises, like Mr. Aomura's warning that Muzan could split his body and escape.
"Aomura," Tamayo called softly.
Aoki smiled. "Miss Tamayo, you've done more than enough. Leave the rest to me!"
He had suspected that Miss Tamayo insisted on coming here not just to witness Muzan Kibutsuji's death firsthand.
But since Miss Tamayo was a demon and wouldn't die easily, he hadn't refused, although he hadn't expected much either.
Unexpectedly, Miss Tamayo's sneak attack had succeeded.
It had truly helped a great deal.
If he had acted, Muzan would have been more vigilant, making him much harder to handle.
"Yes! I believe in you, Mr. Aomura!"
Miss Tamayo smiled faintly, glancing at Muzan Kibutsuji before picking up a talisman and placing it on her forehead. Her figure slowly vanished.
Muzan Kibutsuji's face was dark with rage, but he did nothing to stop the Pillars and Tamayo from leaving.
That last punch had given him a whiff of danger. He needed to focus his strength on dealing with Aomura first.
As for the others—Tamayo or the Demon Slayer Corps—they were nothing more than insects to him.
The two stood facing each other.
However, Aoki's attention wasn't fully on Muzan Kibutsuji.
After devouring Kokushibo, a flood of system upgrades had appeared in his mind. The situation had been too urgent earlier for him to check them.
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