'Are you kidding me?'
Even though the situation was already extremely unfavorable, he suddenly realized that the demon before him hadn't used its full strength when dealing with him.
Its humanoid body expanded rapidly, tearing the clothes it wore; its protruding head was ugly and hideous, and its arms, as thick as a waist, had muscles pulled tight while its spine rose in segments like a python.
Rather than a demon, it was more like a cruel and tyrannical Vicious Beast.
'You were submissive before the boss, but now you're coming at me with everything you've got?'
A terrifying Aura surged, but the intense pressure didn't make Kiyokawa Izumi feel fear; he even had the presence of mind to make a snide comment in his heart.
This fellow didn't show much during the Downsizing Meeting.
Because he wasn't familiar with Muzan and didn't know that he could read inner thoughts, he was instantly killed by Muzan without any chance to fight back.
There was no performance to speak of, but that was normal.
What kind of performance could a demon, utterly suppressed, show when facing Muzan?
Yet when encountering a weak, pitiful, and helpless swordsman like him, it struck hard without mercy.
Terrifying power poured out with its swinging fist, snapping thick trees in half; Kiyokawa Izumi, unable to stand steady, hurriedly jumped toward another spot.
Unexpectedly, Kamanue's speed was beyond imagination.
It would be understandable if its strength had increased.
But why was its speed still so fast?
Is it reasonable for something so large to be this fast?
Still in mid-air, Kiyokawa Izumi was circled from behind by the demon before he could even land, due to a misjudgment.
"Blood Demon Art: Burning Throat!"
Its jaw expanded rapidly, and as it opened its bloody maw, the surrounding temperature seemed to rise with it.
Not only that, but its thick and powerful arm lunged to grab Kiyokawa Izumi.
If he were caught like this and forced to take its Blood Demon Art with his Physical Body, Kiyokawa Izumi would surely die.
He didn't think he could withstand the temperature of the flames with his Physical Body.
'Not good, not good, not good!'
No matter how critical the situation was, he could maintain his composure at this moment.
'Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel!'
Suddenly exerting force from his waist, Kiyokawa Izumi abruptly changed direction, as if a rotating stream of water enveloped him, swirling the surrounding air.
A fleeting flash of the blade swept past, and Kamanue's reaching arm was instantly severed.
But because the distance was too great, it didn't damage its throat.
Scorching flames erupted, making the entire night seem as if it were lit up by the firelight.
Kiyokawa Izumi, having forced a change of direction in mid-air, was doing his best to avoid the strike.
Unfortunately, he didn't avoid it completely.
His body slammed heavily onto the ground; still gripping his nichirin blade tightly, Kiyokawa Izumi rolled backward several times before hurriedly standing up.
At the spot where he had first fallen, the demon had already appeared.
Its body crashed down; if he hadn't rolled away in time, he likely would have been crushed to death.
Having forced a change in direction in mid-air by swinging his sword, Kiyokawa Izumi only had his chest grazed by the shockwave of the attack, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
A large patch of the clothes on his chest had been burned away, with a few unextinguished sparks remaining and sizzling.
Beneath the charred and carbonized clothing, red and white skin was exposed, with some areas mangled and bloody.
"Whew—"
In unbearable pain, Kiyokawa Izumi simply took a sharp breath, his facial expression showing no obvious change.
If he hadn't changed his posture, the back of his head would have taken a direct hit from the Blood Demon Art.
Although the Demon Slayer Corps uniform was fireproof and moisture-proof, and weak demons couldn't even tear it, there was still a limit after all.
If he suffered such severe injuries while wearing the uniform, if it had been his unprotected back of the head... the image was simply unimaginable.
'This is a bit troublesome—'
Kiyokawa Izumi felt the situation was tricky.
Fighting demons was inherently unfair.
Unless their necks were severed, all attacks were ineffective.
And because he was too fragile, it was too easy for him to be worn down.
Was the Kamanue appearing before him strong?
Not necessarily.
Its strength wasn't at the level of a Lower Moon, and it couldn't instantly kill him—not long ago, he couldn't even take a serious strike from the Former Water Hashira.
Although this demon's strength was far inferior to a Hashira, the fight was still so restrictive.
'Breathing!'
'Use breathing to control the wound; it can be done! This is possible!'
Kiyokawa Izumi knew he could use breathing to control the wound, but he simply couldn't do it!
The demon didn't immediately follow up with an attack because it was waiting for its arm to fully regenerate.
How many breaths of time did it give him to adjust?
In the next moment, Kamanue's oppressive body charged toward him.
Perhaps because the swing of his sword was too large, it pulled at the wound on his chest, making the corners of his mouth twitch with pain.
Within a small space, their figures crossed.
Kiyokawa Izumi was completely suppressed; even if he could see its movements clearly, his speed and strength were inferior, making it incredibly difficult to cope.
"Blood Demon Art: Scorched Earth Step!"
Kamanue's sole slammed downward; seeing this, Kiyokawa Izumi clearly wanted to jump back to create distance, knowing full well how powerful this move was.
Unexpectedly, it was just a feint.
Kamanue didn't use a Blood Demon Art; taking advantage of the moment he jumped, its massive fist smashed toward him.
________
This might be the last chapter for today... Of course, I will publish an additional chapter once we reach 190 energy stones.