Lucien shifted his stance, an amethyst glint sharp in his eyes, as he observed Wang Xu standing before him with his head reattached as if nothing had happened. The Demon's severed neck had connected itself with threads and healed in less than a second.
Lucien was certain that his Nichirin Blade had cleanly sliced through the Demon's neck. Yet the enemy remained alive.
That could only mean one thing: Wang Xu no longer possessed the weakness shared by all Demons, the fatal vulnerability to decapitation by a Nichirin Blade.
This was a deviation, serious and immediate, from the original storyline.
In the original events, Rui, Lower Rank Five, would have died the moment his neck was cut. He had been killed instantly by Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira.
Wang Xu stared at Lucien in return, his expressions shifting with surprise and uncertainty. The golden flash from earlier had nearly overwhelmed him, and standing this close, he could feel unmistakable danger radiating from Lucien's presence.
He mentally reviewed every known Demon Slayer Corps member. This young man was not among the Hashira, nor any known figure.
Yet his breathing technique resembled Thunder Breathing.
But Thunder Breathing belonged to Zenitsu Agatsuma, his trainer Jigoro Kuwajima, and later to Kaigaku, who served under Upper Rank Six. So where had this man come from?
Amethyst eyes met blood-white eyes, and for a heartbeat, both Lucien and Wang Xu felt something inexplicably strange.
The sensation was unusually strong for Wang Xu, as if an unseen thread tugged at fate itself.
A faint crackling sound burst in the air.
Lucien vanished with a jolt of golden lightning and reappeared before Wang Xu. His Nichirin Blade sliced toward the Demon's throat.
A sharp metallic clang followed.
Wang Xu's right hand, laced with transparent threads, intercepted the strike. His upper body twisted aside under the force while his right foot struck out in retaliation.
Lucien's knee rose to meet it, their blows colliding with a violent shockwave.
The earth beneath them shattered outward, sending dirt and splintered branches flying. Both their hairstyles were thrown back by the wind pressure, hair spiked upward as the shock dispersed around them.
In the next instant, their afterimages flickered.
They clashed again ten meters away, fists connecting with a thunderous roar, then soared upward. Threads and Nichirin steel met in a screech of sparks before their elbows collided, releasing a shockwave that rattled the treetops.
Lucien fell back to the ground and slid several meters, his feet carving deep furrows into the earth.
Wang Xu, across from him, mirrored the same impact.
Tanjiro, Inosuke, Nezuko, and the trembling Spider Mama stared wide-eyed from their positions on the forest floor. There were no words for what they had just witnessed.
Lucien kept his grip on his blade, face tense. This strength was not something Rui ever possessed.
The Demon in front of him was far beyond the original Lower Rank Five.
On the opposite side, Wang Xu's thoughts churned. After only a few exchanges, he confirmed Lucien was not from the original storyline.
And deep inside, his sixth sense whispered something impossible yet disturbingly convincing.
He trusted this sense. It had proven itself to him repeatedly over the past year. It was, in his belief, his only golden finger.
The air shifted.
Three fast-moving figures approached through the canopy.
Shinobu Kocho, Mitsuri Kanroji, and Kanao Tsuyuri descended gracefully.
"Is that a Twelve Kizuki? Upper Rank or Lower Rank?" Mitsuri tilted her head, soft pink-green hair swaying, her bright green eyes flickering curiously.
"This aura confirms he is one of the Twelve Kizuki," Shinobu said with a calm smile, though her smile carried a razor-sharp malice reserved only for Demons.
"Insect Breathing, Dance of the Bee Sting, True Flutter."
Without hesitation, Shinobu flashed toward Wang Xu, her slim rapier thrusting forward with lethal precision.
Her speed was enough to pierce solid iron.
"Leg Thread."
Time slowed for a heartbeat. Wang Xu's right foot glimmered as threads gathered around it.
His kick shot out with shocking velocity.
A wave of killing intent washed over Shinobu. Her rapier met the five nearly invisible threads extending from Wang Xu's foot.
The next moment, a crushing force struck her chest. She coughed blood as she was blasted backward, crashing through several trees before collapsing among broken branches.
"Shinobu." Mitsuri's breath hitched, disbelief washing over her.
Yet her hesitation lasted only a moment before she leapt forward.
"Love Breathing, Fifth Form, Wavering Love, Wild Claws."
Her whip-like blade twisted with unpredictable arcs, forming illusions as it slashed toward Wang Xu.
"Descent of the Lawless Thread."
Wang Xu swung his arm downward. Five razor-thin transparent threads sliced through the air, bearing immense cutting force.
Mitsuri reacted instantly. She rolled aside, barely avoiding the deadly attack.
The ground where she had stood was carved into five deep trenches.
"Shadow Rider Thread."
Wang Xu extended his hands and threads flowed outward, weaving through the air.
Two figures formed, identical to him in shape and presence.
"Clones?" Mitsuri narrowed her eyes, shifting into a defensive stance.
Lucien's brows knitted. The moves Wang Xu displayed were unmistakably similar to Doflamingo from the One Piece world.
Not only in technique, but even in name.
"You two take the clones. The main body is mine."
Lucien held his golden Nichirin Blade diagonally, voice calm but firm.
Shinobu, already pulling herself to her feet, smiled through blood-stained lips. "Alright."
Mitsuri nodded as well. Both of them understood immediately.
The clones would be weaker than the original.
Lucien had already proven he could fight Muzan on equal footing, so this was his battle.
Kanao silently stayed back, choosing to protect Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Inosuke.
"Move."
Lucien commanded, and all three shot forward.
Wang Xu ignored the two women and focused entirely on Lucien.
Electric tension filled the air.
Golden lightning crackled around Lucien. His breathing steadied, heart pounding faster, blood coursing with stored energy.
In a blink, he shot forward like a thunderbolt.
"Thunder Breathing, Instant Kill."
Facing that impossible speed, Wang Xu should not have been able to move.
Yet he bent down at the perfect moment. Lucien's blade carved only air.
Wang Xu countered instantly, five thread-laced fingers clawing at Lucien's throat.
Lucien's grip tightened. A kukri materialized in his other hand, hardened.
The blades clashed, a burst of sparks erupting between them.
Wang Xu's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the blade. Then he smirked knowingly.
"Leg Thread."
Threads extended from Wang Xu's foot, sweeping at Lucien's waist.
Lucien reacted with equal sharpness, raising his hardened left leg to block before striking with both his Nichirin Blade and kukri.
Wang Xu retreated instantly as if he had predicted the attack.
"Spider's Nest."
Webs shot out around him, layering into a thick barrier.
Lucien's charge smashed through the threads, breaking layer after layer until the last one halted his momentum.
The webs were far tougher than they appeared, stopping even his fastest strike.
Wang Xu leaped onto a tree branch.
Lucien shot upward into the air.
Explosions echoed throughout the mountain as the two combatants moved farther and farther away, leaving devastation in their wake.
---