Clang!
The blood-red crescent moons aiming to cut down Sanemi Shinazugawa shattered under the sudden flash of a blade.
*Buzzing!*
Sanemi's Nichirin Blade vibrated from the force. That was a strong attack—had he not instantly used a technique to absorb the impact, his blade might have snapped. Even knowing the demon's powers, a single Pillar would never win in a one-on-one fight.
"Oh~ impressive. You actually blocked it. I was so angry I used my full strength," the demon sneered.
Gaunt and skeletal but with muscular arms and legs, the demon held a pair of sickles made from flesh and bone. His shark-like teeth ground together as he spoke, his raspy voice echoing through the room. "You're one of the Demon Slayer Corps' Pillars, aren't you? You're stronger than the others I've eaten in the past."
"Brother! Waaah!" Douma's sister, Daki, whimpered pitifully from the floor where Sanemi still held her head under his boot. "Brother, this slayer tore me apart and is stepping on my head! Waaah! It's too much! He barged in here and started causing trouble. Kill him, brother! Please kill him!"
"My dear sister," Gyutaro, the gaunt demon, snarled as his razor-sharp teeth ground together, producing a grating noise. "You did nothing wrong. My poor little sister, sitting here quietly and yet this hunter dares to harm you."
"She's suffered so much. For every bit of pain she's endured, I'll make sure you pay with interest. When you die, count how much you owe her," Gyutaro said, crouching like a beast preparing to strike.
"Listen up, my name is—"
"Too much talking! I don't care what your name is! Now get outside, you bastard!" Sanemi cut him off abruptly.
"Wind Breathing: Eighth Form—Gale Slice!"
Before Gyutaro could finish speaking, Sanemi unleashed a powerful attack, his Nichirin Blade slicing through the air like a fierce wind, aiming directly at Gyutaro's waist, the weak point of his disproportionately narrow body.
"Hah! Foolish. You didn't even aim for my neck," Gyutaro scoffed as he was sent crashing through the wall. In midair, he grinned mockingly. "And now you've left your back exposed. Time to die!"
He swung his sickles toward Sanemi's unguarded back—only for his strike to be blocked by a deep blue Nichirin Blade that intercepted the blow.
"Huh?" Gyutaro's eyes widened.
Boom!
In that instant, Gyutaro was blasted into a burning building across the street. The wooden structure, already engulfed in flames, collapsed, burying him beneath the rubble.
"Are you okay?" Giyu Tomioka landed next to Sanemi.
"That was just the weakest of the Upper Moons. You think something like that would hurt me?" Sanemi replied, his expression fierce as he glared at the collapsed building.
"Two Pillars? There are two Pillars here!" Gyutaro's voice echoed out as he emerged from the burning debris, his already hideous face looking even more grotesque in the firelight.
"Mm!" Gyutaro froze for a moment, suddenly scanning the area.
"How pitiful. You've lived for centuries and consumed so many innocent lives... Amitabha," Gyomei Himejima, the blind monk of the Demon Slayer Corps, wept, his sightless white eyes shedding tears. His massive hands held a chained axe and flail.
"So, this is an Upper Moon. My first time facing one... they really are terrifyingly strong," Kyojuro Rengoku said, slowly drawing his sword from his waist.
"Yes, powerful. Feels stronger than me," Giyu remarked, his face as impassive as ever.
"Heh, looks like I arrived just in time." Tengen Uzui flashed a smile, tapping the glowing gem of his newly acquired Vision on his waist.
"Wait... is that a Vision?" Obanai Iguro's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Huh? Uzui! That's a Vision, isn't it?" Sanemi whipped his head around to look.
"Amitabha... I wish I could see it. It's truly saddening," Gyomei sighed, lamenting his blindness.
Giyu glanced at Tengen's Vision for a brief moment before refocusing on Gyutaro, his attention unwavering.
"Congratulations, Uzui," Kanae Kocho offered with a smile. She was certain Uzui's wish must have been something admirable.
"A Vision, huh? I'm a little envious," Rengoku admitted with a grin. "But I've already fulfilled my greatest wish. Now, all that's left is to wipe out all demons and go home."
"Alright, let's finish this together!" Rengoku called out, rallying his comrades. "Let's kill this guy as fast as possible!"
"Why would we let him live?" Sanemi retorted.
"With all the Pillars here, there's no way he'll escape."
Gyutaro's demon eyes darted around as the Pillars encircled him from every angle, leaving no room for retreat. His teeth ground together, emitting that familiar grating sound as he scratched his face, carving bloody lines into his skin.
"One, two, three, four, five, six! Seven! Eight! Eight Pillars!" Gyutaro counted, his voice rising in disbelief. "So many Pillars… I can't believe this!"
"So many Pillars... Did you all set a trap for me, knowing I was here?!" Gyutaro's voice cracked with hysteria. For the first time since becoming the Upper Rank Six of the Twelve Kizuki, he felt fear.
He had faced two Pillars at most before, and even then, with his sister Daki, they had always come out victorious. Two Pillars were manageable—working together, they could always win. But eight Pillars? Even if he could handle seven, he'd be completely tied up, leaving his sister without support. And Daki, despite devouring seven Pillars herself, was no match for a single one. What was he supposed to do?
"I'll head to the underground chamber to rescue the women and make sure Daki doesn't suddenly devour them," Obanai Iguro said calmly before dashing towards the *Kyogoku House*. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.
"I'll capture that female demon before she escapes," Shinobu Kocho declared as she swiftly drew a needle coated in Wisteria poison and shot it toward Daki, who was in the process of reassembling her body.
*Thud thud thud*—the sound of needles piercing the floor was followed by Daki's shattered body being skewered into a pincushion.
"Ahhh! Damn you, slayers! What kind of poison did you use? My body won't regenerate!" Daki screamed in agony.
"Brother, what are you doing?! Kill them already!" she wailed.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on my sister!" Gyutaro bellowed. Enraged by Daki's cries, he lunged at the nearest Pillar.
Forget it. He had to unleash his strongest attack now and force all of the Pillars back, giving him enough time to escape with his sister!
"Blood Demon Art: Circular Slashing Rampage!"
Gyutaro's deformed body convulsed as his blood vessels bulged and burst, spraying a torrent of blood in all directions. In an instant, the blood solidified into countless razor-thin crescent-shaped blades, glowing red and filling the air like deadly moons.
The crescent blades were densely packed, covering every angle in a 360-degree radius. Even eight Pillars wouldn't be able to block all of them.
During this opening, Gyutaro thought, he'd have more than enough time to escape with his sister.