Rokuro raised a finger and his black nail instantly elongated.
Swish!
The sharp nail sliced through Ryuchi throat in an instant and crimson blood immediately gushed out.
After a few final, futile twitches, Ryuchi body lost all signs of life.
The fresh, warm blood flowed down the hemp rope into the teapot.
Moments later, an eerie aroma of barley tea wafted from the teapot.
Rokuro closed his eyes, savoring a cup of the blood as if in ecstasy, then revealed a satisfied smile.
Under the moonlight, his blood-stained fangs looked particularly horrifying.
"As expected of the Demon Slayer Corps, the quality of their blood is indeed excellent. Even these small fry are so delicious. I can only imagine how delectable the blood of the Hashira must be" Rokuro licked his fangs, his golden pupils filled with bloodthirsty killing intent.
"Alright, no more wasting time. I've had my fun with these small fry and enjoyed my tea. It's time for the main course" Rokuro stood up, the wooden gears beside him floating up as well.
He looked at Kawachi and Hatamoto, who were still desperately resisting, clasped his hands together and shouted.
"Blood Demon Art: Strangling Rope Serpent!"
In an instant, the chaotic hemp ropes surrounding Kawachi and Hatamoto paused briefly.
Then, dozens of ropes suddenly converged, their fibers twisting and merging into a single rope over ten centimeters thick, resembling a giant serpent.
It roared as it lashed out at Kawachi and Hatamoto with lightning speed.
Boom!!!
The ground was instantly riddled with cracks.
Kawachi and Hatamoto barely managed to dodge, but this attack was merely an appetizer.
Rokuro hands remained clasped, a cruel smile on his face as the wooden gears beside him spun rapidly.
The next moment, the ground trembled and with a loud crash, a rope serpent suddenly burst out from behind Hatamoto!
Kawachi eyes widened in horror.
He wanted to shout a warning to Hatamoto, but no sound came out.
He could only watch helplessly as Hatamoto was caught off guard and instantly ensnared by the rope serpent.
Crack!
Blood sprayed as Hatamoto body was twisted and torn apart.
'Wind Breathing, Eighth Form: Gale Slash!'
Blood gushed from Kawachi mouth and nose.
Pushing his nearly broken body to the limit, Kawachi mustered his last strength to launch a final attack at Rokuro.
His body moved like a gust of wind, narrowly dodging two rope serpents as he raised his Nichirin Blade and lunged straight for Rokuro neck.
"Naive!"
Faced with Kawachi desperate strike, Rokuro merely sneered, not bothering to dodge.
Boom!!!
The ground shook violently and another rope serpent erupted from the ground in front of Kawachi, lashing out at him.
At the same time, two more rope serpents surged toward him from behind.
Crack!!
The Nichirin Blade, driven by Kawachi last ounce of strength, managed to cut halfway through one rope serpent before losing all momentum.
Kawachi sighed inwardly, closing his eyes in resignation.
Was this all he could do?
In the face of a powerful Lower Moon Demon, could they, the Demon Slayer Corps, only hold out for these few short minutes?
Would the Flame Hashira arrive in time?
Probably not.
What a pity.
If only he were stronger, he could have held out longer, bought more time for the Flame Hashira to arrive...
'Mom, Dad, little brother...'
"Breath of the Forest, First Form: Iron Birch Slash!"
Crack, crack!
Just as Kawachi closed his eyes ready to embrace death, a hoarse yet powerful voice suddenly rang in his ears, followed by a series of shattering sounds.
Thud!
Kawachi fell to the ground, his eyes wide with astonishment.
Using his Nichirin Blade for support, he struggled to lift his head and saw a figure, not particularly tall, standing before him.
The old faded green haori fluttered gently in the breeze.
The blade of the Nichirin Blade in his hand gleamed with a green light and at his feet lay countless fragments of rope.
Despite his full head of white hair, Elder Moriki eyes were exceptionally sharp.
"What the hell!? Where did this old man come from?" Rokuro roared, veins bulging on his forehead.
This old man, who looked like he had one foot in the grave, had just shattered one of his rope snakes with a single strike!?
Kawachi chest heaved violently, blood continuously gushing from his mouth.
He was agitated, wanting to warn Elder Moriki not to sacrifice himself in vain.
This Lower Moon Demon was too powerful.
They couldn't all die here.
At the very least, someone needed to return and inform everyone about the situation here, about the specifics of this Lower Moon Demon.
Rokuro glared fiercely at Elder Moriki, his fangs bared.
"Old man, it's impressive that you can still wield a blade at your age, but I have no interest in your old, sticky blood. Get lost! I'll spare your life!"
It was clear that Rokuro truly despised the elderly Moriki.
Even though Elder Moriki had shattered one of his rope snakes with a single strike, Rokuro still didn't take him seriously.
"Spare this old man life? Heh, such a familiar phrase. But then again, you are one of the Twelve Demon Moons, a powerful Demon. Who wouldn't be afraid upon seeing you? The young Moriki Mitsuyo would have chosen to flee at the first sight of you, for he was a complete coward and a pitiful wretch, a selfish coward who abandoned his comrades."
Elder Moriki slowly raised his green Nichirin Blade, his face filled with melancholy.
But as he looked at the Nichirin Blade in his hand, Elder Moriki expression hardened once more.
"Moriki Mitsuyo ran away his entire life. He sharpened his blade for over fifty years, yet he could never erase the cowardice etched into the blade. But today, the old man Moriki Mitsuyo no longer wishes to run. This old man only wants to kill one more Demon!"
"You looking to die then? Then I'll grant your wish!" Rokuro had no intention of listening to the old man's ramblings.
He clapped his hands together "Blood Demon Art: Strangling Rope Snakes!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two rope snakes, charged with energy, instantly lunged at Elder Moriki.
Kawachi, lying behind, wanted to help, but he didn't even have the strength to move a finger.
Facing the oncoming rope snakes, Elder Moriki remained calm.
He held the Nichirin Blade vertically in front of him, took a deep breath and a hint of color returned to his withered face.
An invisible force surged through his aged body, awakening the dry, old muscles and veins.
"Breath of the Forest, First Form: Iron Birch Slash!"
With a soft shout, the Nichirin Blade that had been held vertically in front of Elder Moriki suddenly swung horizontally.
A green light blazed, and though the slash appeared simple, anyone standing before it would instantly feel as if a row of towering iron birch trees were bearing down on them, unstoppable and overwhelming.
Boom!!!
The surging rope snakes collided with the indestructible iron birch wood, countless shockwaves erupted, and the earth trembled.
Rokuro widened his golden eyes in disbelief.
This old man! He actually blocked his attack!?
"Old fool! Let's see what you do next!" Rokuro sneered, his clasped hands splitting to the sides, forming claw-like shapes.
"Blood Demon Art: Scattered Meteor Hammers!"
Snap!
The two rope snakes instantly exploded, dispersing into dozens of thinner and longer hemp ropes.
These ropes quickly burrowed into the ground, and when they emerged again, each rope end was wrapped around a watermelon-sized bucket-shaped hammer head.
With a light flick of Rokuro fingers, the dozens of meteor hammers rained down towards Elder Moriki.
Boom!!
Each strike of the meteor hammers created a massive crater on the ground.
The force was unimaginable, if it hit a human body, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Elder Moriki wasn't foolish enough to actually use his Nichirin Blade to block these things.
Fortunately, after the hemp ropes transformed into meteor hammers, although their power increased, their speed decreased accordingly. Elder Moriki easily dodged over a dozen hammers.
While evading the meteor hammers, Elder Moriki continuously closed the distance between himself and Rokuro.
As long as he could get close, there was hope of beheading the demon!
With another ground-level side roll, he took the opportunity to slide to Rokuro left front.
Rokuro remained standing in place, unmoving.
Whether it was due to overconfidence or sheer stupidity, it didn't matter, this was an opportunity for Elder Moriki.
The green Nichirin Blade instantly slashed horizontally, aiming straight for Rokuro neck. But Rokuro sneered, and just before the blade reached his neck, Rokuro clapped his hands together.
The wooden gears floating beside him spun wildly, even emitting faint sparks.
"Blood Demon Art: Strangling Demon Ropes!"
Whoosh!
Six thin hemp ropes instantly shot out from the ground, lashing out at Elder Moriki from six different directions, completely sealing off his retreat.
Elder Moriki withered hands gripping the Nichirin Blade tensed up instantly. He stomped the ground fiercely, and almost visible breath heat steamed from the corners of his mouth.
"Breath of the Forest: Fourth Form - Dandelion Dance!"
Before the words even finished, a layer of green light flashed over Elder Moriki body.
Then, to Rokuro astonishment, Elder Moriki body suddenly leaped up lightly.
Every time the ropes were about to strike, his body would dodge as lightly as a dandelion being blown away, leaving afterimages in mid-air as if he were truly dancing.
"Nani?!"
In the moment of Rokuro shock, a flash of blade light passed by.
Rokuro could no longer stand calmly in place.
he rolled to the side in a disheveled manner, narrowly avoiding the dangerous slash.