"He's quite handsome!"
That was Daki's first thought.
"Huh? He's a demon?"
Her second thought.
"No! He's the traitor!"
The third thought followed swiftly. Daki's expression shifted, and she retreated without hesitation.
Her reaction was fast, but Aoki was faster.
His figure flashed, appearing instantly above Daki.
Swish.
Daki showed no surprise. Ribbons erupted from her back, lashing out to ensnare Aoki.
Aoki didn't even glance at the ribbons. His fist, descending from above, crashed down.
The fist plunged into Daki's chest, the immense force driving her down, tearing through her torso.
Boom!
The ground shattered.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The impact rippled outwards, cracks spreading across the ground like a spiderweb. The teahouse collapsed in a roar.
"Ah!"
Mitsu was initially dazed, but seeing the scene, she snapped back to reality, screaming and scrambling backward.
Everyone else nearby was utterly petrified.
A single punch that shattered the earth and toppled buildings? What kind of monster was this?
Recovering from their shock, they followed Mitsu without hesitation.
Panic spread rapidly.
Others, though unaware of what was happening, saw their terrified faces and joined the flight.
Boom!
The ruins of the collapsed teahouse exploded.
Three figures stood facing each other.
One was, of course, Aoki. Facing him were a man and a woman.
Ribbons danced around Daki. Her elaborate kimono was gone, leaving only simple undergarments. Her face was still beautiful, but more feral, with pink tattoos on her left cheek and the right side of her forehead. The characters "Upper Moon" and "Six" were etched in her eyes.
The man beside her had short, black-and-green hair. His upper body was bare, and he wore loose blue pants. Hunched over, his eyes also bore the characters "Upper Moon" and "Six."
Aoki's gaze settled on the latter.
Gyutaro.
The true Upper Moon Six.
Daki's strength was slightly above a Lower Moon, but not at the Upper Moon level.
"To think, to think, to think the traitor would appear before us, hehehe!"
Gyutaro scratched his face, leaving three bloody streaks. His voice was raspy, his expression bordering on madness.
"Brother, kill him! Kill him quickly!"
Daki shrieked. The wound in her chest had healed, but her face was pale.
Aoki said, "Before we fight, let's talk. Among the Upper Moons, are there any you dislike? Tell me his location, and I can help you take him out! For example, Upper Moon Five, who's always been above you?"
He didn't hide his intentions.
Muzan had deployed the Upper and Lower Three Moons to set a trap for him, clearly guessing his goal.
Once Gyutaro and Daki were dead, his focus on the Upper Moons would become obvious.
"Hehehe, sure, I'll tell you when you're about to die!"
Gyutaro chuckled neurotically.
Bang!
With a deafening roar, the rubble beneath him exploded. He transformed into a black blur, charging at Aoki. Mid-charge, he flicked his arms, two blood sickles arcing through the air, attacking Aoki from both sides.
Aoki flicked his arms, deflecting the blood sickles.
Gyutaro spread his hands. The blood sickles flew back automatically. Then, he leaped, a manic grin on his face, and swung his blood sickles at Aoki's neck.
Aoki lowered his hips, swung his arm, and struck like a club.
Thud!
Immense force crashed into Gyutaro, sending him flying. The manic grin on his face froze, replaced by shock as he stared at Aoki.
Muzan-sama had said the traitor briefly fought Akaza before, and after devouring Lower Moon Three, his strength might have increased again.
But had it increased this much?
Aoki bent his knees slightly. With a boom, his figure shot forward like a cannonball, chasing after Gyutaro.
"Die!"
Daki shrieked, a storm of ribbons flying to strangle Aoki.
Aoki stopped, shattering the ribbons with his fists. He glanced at Daki. Her long black hair had turned white, with only the tips remaining a grassy green. A yellow eye had also appeared on her forehead.
Swish, swish, swish!
Two blood sickles spun towards Aoki, surrounded by razor-thin blades of blood.
Gyutaro followed closely behind, now with only one eye visible.
Gyutaro could control Daki. He possessed exceptional senses and a mind capable of processing information from two sources simultaneously.
This was his strength as an Upper Moon.
Their coordination wasn't just synergy; it was a shared mind. One plus one definitely equaled more than two.
"Come!"
Aoki's eyes were calm as he turned to face Gyutaro.
Gyutaro attacked head-on, Daki harassed.
Blood sickles spun, ribbons flew.
Aoki, with his bare fists, fiercely suppressed them both.
Boom, boom, boom!
Everywhere the three passed, buildings were reduced to rubble, the ground cratered, as if a typhoon had swept through.
The longer Gyutaro fought, the more alarmed he became, his expression growing grim.
The traitor's strength exceeded his imagination.
The first report said the traitor had become a demon less than a month ago and barely escaped two Lower Moons.
The second report said the traitor had killed Lower Moon Five.
The third, the last report, said Upper Moon Three, Akaza, had personally intervened but still failed to capture the traitor.
And now, he realized the traitor's strength completely surpassed his own.
He remembered clearly Muzan-sama saying the traitor possessed an ability to instantly cross space.
But from the start of the battle until now, the traitor hadn't used it.
Meaning, the traitor hadn't used his full power.
If that was all, they might not be killed even if they lost.
But the traitor could kill demons, could stop their regeneration.
And it was different from what Muzan-sama had said.
To restore regeneration, it wasn't enough to cut away flesh near the wound; a great deal of flesh had to be removed.
And that wasn't all.
Each time he was injured by the traitor, he felt his strength, stamina, regeneration, everything, decline.
If this continued, the situation would be dire.
"Will I die not by the hands of demon slayers, but by the hands of a demon?"
Gyutaro's expression was twisted. After so many years as a demon, he felt the threat of death for the first time.
Boom!
Suddenly, a fist pierced through the layers of ribbons, leaping into view.
No!
Not his view, but his sister's view.
"Damn!"
He barely managed to raise his arms, blocking the blow.
Thud!
His arms shattered, his entire right shoulder torn off.
"Ah!" Daki screamed.
Gyutaro quickly caught his sister, rapidly clearing away the flesh around the wound, but then he discovered in horror that her regeneration still hadn't returned.
---
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