Chereads / From Demon Slayer to the Multiverse: The Ultimate Exploiter / Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: Fourth Form - Earth Vein Dragon's Roar

Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: Fourth Form - Earth Vein Dragon's Roar

On this day, Hideyoshi, who had been sent out on an errand under the pretext of avoiding Warabi-Hime's visit, decided to wander around the Yoshiwara Red-Light District. Yet, for some reason, his eyelids kept twitching, an ominous sign of impending danger.

Unable to shake the feeling, he chose to return and check on the small courtyard.

He quickened his pace, but as he approached the courtyard, a faint tremor rose from the ground beneath his feet.

What's this…?

Inside the courtyard, Tong Gy remained indifferent to Daki's taunts, holding steady in his defensive stance.

Suddenly, Daki's gaze flicked toward the courtyard's outer walls, a cruel smile forming on her lips. Tong Gu sighed inwardly, realizing Hideyoshi had returned at the worst possible moment.

"Big guy, I wonder if your turtle-style defense can protect him?"

Whoosh!

A pink sash tore through the air, piercing through the wall with a sharp shing and slicing toward the oblivious Hideyoshi.

Tong Gu had intended to further provoke Daki into a reckless close-range attack, creating an opportunity to decapitate her before she could recall the sash extensions buried underground.

But now…

He sighed deeply, drew in a breath, and activated his breathing technique. His muscles tensed, his right leg coiling tightly before exploding with power.

Boom!

Daki's view of the swordsman blurred, the man vanishing from her sight. Her pupils trembled as a bone-chilling blade light flashed beside her.

Her heart clenched.

When?! How is he this fast?!

The narrow, jet-black Nichirin Blade moved like a shadow in the night, cutting through the air with a terrifying roar, like a demon from hell crying out.

For the first time, an overwhelming sense of dread gripped Daki.

My neck… It'll be severed!

Even if she transformed her neck into a sash, it wouldn't withstand this strike.

In desperation, she surrounded herself with an eruption of sashes, coiling tightly and spinning her body to deflect the attack.

Slash!

The freezing blade cleaved through the defensive sphere of sashes, splitting it cleanly in two. The force carried through, smashing the severed halves into the courtyard, demolishing the outer walls and the ornamental landscape within.

Boom!

The courtyard was left in ruins.

"Hah… ha… ha… haha…"

Daki's upper body was held aloft by her blood-drenched sashes while her lower half regenerated on the ground. Yet she laughed, a mixture of mockery and awe.

"What a pity, big guy. That was a magnificent strike..."

Internally, however, Daki was shaken to the core. This swordsman wasn't just any Hashira; his strength far surpassed the ones she had devoured in the past.

---

Outside the ruined courtyard, Hideyoshi trembled as he stared at the monstrous Daki. He collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, muttering, "My lord… What is happening?"

He looked at Tong Gu, who stood firm with his towering blade, calm yet imposing.

"Hideyoshi, do you remember what I told you before?"

Tong Gu's steady tone eased some of Hideyoshi's fear. The young servant nodded vigorously, forcing his trembling legs to rise.

Daki sneered at the sight.

"Haha! Your little servant is about to wet himself from fear."

Tong Gu ignored her jeers, instead grounding himself and feeling the rhythmic pulse beneath the earth. The energy of the land was always in motion, flowing with silent power.

The earth's lifeblood… Let it guide me.

He stomped his foot down hard, aligning his breath with the rhythm of the earth. The collision of forces sent him hurtling forward once more.

Fourth Form: Earth Vein Dragon's Roar!

Daki's sashes erupted from the ground, frantically converging on her to shield her body. The memory of that devastating strike haunted her, and she dared not hold back any longer.

This time, Daki could clearly see Tong Gu's movements.

As he stepped forward, the earth beneath him cracked like an explosion, launching him at an impossible speed into her blind spot.

His black blade slashed directly at her.

The cut was deceptively simple—no tricks, no flourish—just a direct strike imbued with unrelenting force, so powerful that it distorted the very air.

Whoosh!

Daki instinctively twisted her body, barely dodging the strike.

Slash!

The small building behind her crumbled instantly, reduced to rubble by the sheer force of the missed attack.

Daki counterattacked, kicking viciously at Tong Gu. Unable to retract his blade in time, he raised his free arm to block the blow.

Her kick connected with the force of a beast's charge. Tong Gu staggered slightly, shifting his stance to recover, but Daki's sharp eyes caught the opening.

"So you're not perfect after all," she sneered.

Seizing the opportunity, Daki dashed around him with startling speed, sashes striking from all directions like snakes.

Tong Gu deflected several attacks with his blade, but the overwhelming force pushed him further off balance. Daki laughed maniacally, closing in for the kill.

---

Meanwhile, Hideyoshi sprinted through the streets, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Earthquake! Run! There's an earthquake!"

Although he didn't understand why his master had instructed him to claim an earthquake rather than a monster attack, the effect was immediate.

The nearby residents, already uneasy from the tremors, began to panic. Fear spread quickly, and the once-bustling streets of the pleasure district descended into chaos as people fled in all directions.

Hideyoshi didn't have the capacity to worry about casualties. His only thought was to guide as many people as possible out of Yoshiwara.

---

Back in the courtyard, Tong Gu sensed the retreating footsteps of the fleeing crowds.

Good, Hideyoshi completed his task.

Facing Daki's next attack, Tong Gu unexpectedly rushed forward, slamming his massive frame into her like a battering ram.

Daki's smug expression twisted into pain as she felt several ribs shatter from the impact.

"What are you—?!"

Before she could finish, Tong Gu's massive hand wrapped around her throat, cutting off her words.

Choking, she glared at him in fury as her bloodstained sashes whipped into the air.

Blood Demon Art: Eightfold Slash!

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