Rustle, rustle!
The wisteria bushes shook. A figure burst out.
He looked terrifying. Purple blotches covered his face. His flesh seemed to melt.
"Finally out."
Aoki glanced back. He didn't see the demons.
But he wasn't relieved.
They wouldn't give up easily.
Whoosh!
A faint hiss cut through the air. Aoki's face changed. He barely twisted his body.
Tear!
Like a sharp blade. His side split open. Blood sprayed.
If he'd been a second slower, he'd have been cut in half.
A slender figure shimmered into view. The red-eyed female demon smiled at Aoki.
"You're slow. I've been waiting."
"Lower Moon Four?"
Aoki frowned.
He remembered this demon. Mukago. She lived until Tanjiro joined the Demon Slayer Corps. Muzan killed her when he disbanded the Lower Moons.
Thump, thump, thump...
A large figure charged closer, kicking up dust.
"That's the ogre-like Lower Moon Six. No wonder I didn't hear him. He didn't follow me into the wisteria."
Aoki's mind raced. Then, he froze.
Mukago was gone!
Invisible again?
A faint hiss sounded behind him. Aoki swung his arm back.
Whoosh!
His arm cut through air. Nothing.
Thwack.
Pain stabbed his back. Sharp claws pierced his chest.
Aoki turned again. He still couldn't see Mukago.
He calmed down.
He was outmatched in speed and skill.
Thump, thump, thump!
The footsteps grew louder.
Aoki turned. The ogre-like demon was close. He braced himself, crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Boom! Huge power, a shock wave, slammed into him. Aoki's body exploded with cuts. He became a bloody mess.
He used the force to fly away. He landed, ran.
Mukago blocked him. A claw almost sliced his neck.
He barely dodged. The ogre-like demon was on him again.
Crack!
His arm shattered. Aoki crashed into a tree. He found his balance, leaped aside.
A claw appeared from nowhere, buried itself in the tree he'd leaned against.
"One is strong, attacks head-on. One is fast, invisible, harasses, intercepts, ambushes... They're working together. I can't escape!"
Aoki gasped. His eyes were clear.
He'd lost count of how many times his arms had broken, how many holes were in his body.
He was getting beaten badly. He couldn't fight back.
But Mukago and the ogre-like demon had the same problem he'd had before.
They could pressure him, beat him. But they couldn't hurt him for good. They were just wearing him down.
Aoki didn't relax.
He hadn't forgotten his guess. An Upper Moon might be coming.
Time wasn't on his side.
He had to break this stalemate!
The key was Mukago.
Aoki glanced at the red-eyed female demon. Her form was fading.
Her speed was why he couldn't escape.
But she was careful. She never showed herself before attacking. She vanished after every move, whether it worked or not.
No chance... He'd have to make one!
Boom!
A huge fist, a terrifying force, slammed down. The shock wave warped the air.
Aoki crossed his arms.
Thump! The flesh of his arms exploded. Blood sprayed, turning the area into a bloody hell.
Patta!
A shallow footprint appeared on the blood. You wouldn't see it if you weren't looking.
But Aoki was a hunter. He had Eagle Eye. He saw it.
"Got you. It was worth it, covering the ground in blood!"
Aoki's eyes burned.
He had a trump card. He'd been saving it. For this moment.
"Blood Boiling!"
Boom!
His blood felt like fire. Blood beads formed on his skin, turned into red mist, swirling around him.
His body felt like it would explode. He wanted to unleash endless power.
Thump!
The ground cracked. Aoki vanished.
Mukago was about to attack. She froze. Then, she saw Aoki right in front of her.
"He saw me? Impossible! He couldn't have seen me! It's a coincidence!"
Before she could think, a brutal fist hit her chest.
Thump! The force tore her skin, crushed her bones, destroyed her insides.
"How can he be so strong?"
Mukago saw a huge hole in her chest. She'd almost been punched in half.
Aoki grabbed Mukago's neck, lunged. He slammed her to the ground, pinned her.
"Let me go!"
Mukago screamed. Her claws slashed wildly.
A familiar whoosh sounded behind him.
Thump, thump, thump!
Holes opened in Aoki's head. Half his chest was crushed.
But his eyes burned brighter. He raised his fists.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Mukago's body shattered in seconds.
Her neck snapped. Her arms tore from their sockets. Her legs broke into pieces.
Boom!
Aoki was about to smash Mukago's head. A shock wave exploded behind him, sending him flying.
"You dare ignore me? You want to die!" the ogre-like demon roared.
Aoki didn't care.
"Too bad. If I could eat a Lower Moon, I'd level up."
He was disappointed, but he remembered his task. He twisted in the air, found his balance. He landed, ran.
He'd used Demon Devour as he attacked. Mukago couldn't heal. She was helpless.
Time to run!
The ogre-like demon paused, looked at Mukago's struggling body. He snarled, chased Aoki.
They ran. The forest swallowed them.
The ogre-like demon wasn't as fast as Aoki. Blood Boiling made Aoki faster than ever. He lost him quickly.
"Damn it! What's Mukago doing?"
The ogre-like demon stopped, furious. He punched a tree, breaking it in half. He turned back.
---
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