Chapter 31: One-on-One Arena
Hearing this, Ryuji rolled his eyes internally. Become a Hashira?
With his current strength, he was at most a C-rank swordsman, and his Total Concentration was not yet perfect. The opportunity to become a Hashira was only due to the Demon Slayer Corps' primitive ranking system.
Who would have thought that to become the Demon Slayer Corps' top combatant, one only needed to slay a Lower Rank of the Twelve Kizuki, or kill fifty demons?
Luck would play a certain role in this.
What if he only encountered weak demons? Killing a hundred wouldn't prove his strength. If he encountered a slightly stronger demon, he'd be dead immediately!
He should suggest to the Master to improve the selection and training methods, making them more scientific!
Watching Himejima Gyomei lead most of the team to reinforce the south, Ryuji collected his thoughts. He said to the remaining team members:
"You all go and evacuate the surrounding workers. Tell them to hide in sturdy buildings and not come out."
"Yes!"
The team members immediately sprang into action.
"Little Red, lead the way."
Ryuji hoisted Little Purple onto his shoulder and spoke to the Crow on his shoulder.
Guided by Little Red, he quickly arrived at an abandoned warehouse district.
Under the Moonlight, a tall, slender figure stood silently on the roof of a warehouse.
The person wore a plain, gradient haori, with long hair tied back with a white rope. His figure was tall and straight, and his demeanor was gentle and refined, like a noble Young Master.
It was Hikae.
He seemed to have sensed Ryuji's arrival long ago and slowly turned around.
When his gaze fell upon the carrying pole wrapped with thick sword-binding rope on Ryuji's shoulder, his amber-Gin eyes instantly constricted.
"Hehe..."
He smiled, a gentle smile, yet with a hint of cold pleasure.
"My luck is truly good."
"To actually encounter the swordsman who killed Akinasa."
"This is truly wonderful."
He tilted his head, as if admiring a work of art: "I was originally troubled about how to find you and prepare a grand performance for you."
"Now it seems, it's not necessary."
Ryuji couldn't be bothered with his nonsense. He untied the sword-binding rope and quietly watched the other party. In those amber-Gin left eyes, he clearly saw two words.
Lower Rank.
Ryuji frowned. Was his luck a bit too good?
He already encountered a Lower Rank?
One must know that Lower Rank One, Enmu.
Even with such a powerful Blood Demon Art, he couldn't even scratch Big Brother Rengoku. Although he was not as strong as Big Brother Kyojuro now, the opponent wasn't Lower Rank One either.
Moreover, there was no Lower Rank named Hikae in the original work, only a Lower Rank Six named Kyogai who was expelled. His record... he was slain by Tanjiro, who had just joined the Demon Slayer Corps.
Therefore, the actual strength of a Lower Rank was unknown.
It could only be blamed on Crocodile-sensei drawing a short story, with many aspects of the world not yet revealed.
"You talk too much, just like a certain female demon... what's your relationship?"
Ryuji spoke, his words full of extreme sarcasm.
Psychological warfare, he knew a little too.
Hikae's smile grew wider after hearing this: "Don't rush, young man. Before a battle, there should always be some sense of ritual, like introductions or something..."
He lightly tapped the rooftop three times with the tip of his right foot.
He bowed slightly: "My name is Kohakugawa Osamu."
Kohakugawa Osamu said softly, seeing Ryuji's confused expression, and explained: "Hikae is the nickname Akinasa gave me..."
Ryuji swung Little Purple with his right hand, the sword-binding rope fluttering behind him.
Understood. So the female demon he killed was his lover. No wonder he was looking for him.
He pointed Little Purple at Kohakugawa Osamu: "Ryuji, remember this name. After you go down, tell Akinasa that her voice is a bit unpleasant!"
Kohakugawa Osamu shook his head: "Young people are truly impatient... Never mind, you took away my favorite voice, so pay with your life."
As soon as his voice fell, the ground beneath Ryuji's feet suddenly exploded without warning!
Several sharp earth spikes, like venomous snakes, shot out from underground, blocking all his escape routes.
It was fast, but not impossible to dodge!
Ryuji narrowed his eyes, began to move, stepping on these earth spikes, and quickly rushed towards Kohakugawa Osamu!
"Oh? You dodged it?"
A hint of cunning flashed in Kohakugawa Osamu's eyes, then he resumed his gentle smile: "Very quick reaction, commendable. So, what about this move?"
He tapped his toes three more times.
This time, it was the warehouse walls from all directions. Countless earth and stone condensed into giant fists, smashing towards Ryuji from all sides.
Long-range attack type?
Ryuji frowned, pushed off the ground, and instead of retreating, advanced, rushing towards Hikae on the rooftop like a cannonball.
Against this type of demon, close combat was the way to go!
"A very correct choice, but unfortunately... too naive."
Kohakugawa Osamu looked at the charging Ryuji, offering a mentor-like critique, but his eyes were full of mockery.
"Enemies run."
He said, and began to move, attacking Ryuji with earth spikes, stone fists, and other things while moving.
However, they were very weak.
Easily cut open and shattered by Little Purple.
Something's not right.
Too many things are not right.
This Lower Rank demon, the feeling he gave... was too weak.
He felt even weaker than Kyogai. Ryuji narrowed his eyes. He didn't even exert as much pressure as Akinasa. To be friends with Akinasa, their strength shouldn't be so far apart, right?
From what he saw now, besides the fast activation speed of his Blood Demon Art, nothing else stood out.
Combined with the trap he set earlier... this was a trap.
Could it be that he was trying to lead him somewhere?
Damn it, no wonder they could get together. Their attack methods and behavior patterns were identical!
Ryuji secretly became vigilant, to avoid being ambushed.
He also thought about how to deal with this evil demon. Wasn't it just using the same method he used against Akinasa again?
Simple.
"Oh? Are you tired? Should I slow down a bit? After all, I haven't even broken a sweat yet."
Kohakugawa Osamu taunted from a distance: "After all, I'm not as good as Young Miss Akinasa..."
"So, where did you set the trap?"
Ryuji, carrying Little Purple, asked softly: "You can't possibly be trying to exhaust me to death, can you? Time waits for no one..."
He even pointed a finger at the sky as he spoke.
Kohakugawa Osamu's smile faded. Although it was only for an instant, Ryuji caught it.
So it was true.
"Who knows? If you don't come, I'll run away. I told you, enemies run."
With that, Kohakugawa Osamu turned and ran, seemingly genuinely intending to flee!
Ryuji had a headache. It was another open trap. If he chased, he would definitely fall into the opponent's trap. If he didn't chase, the opponent would escape.
This was difficult!
Couldn't there be a power-type demon for a straightforward fight?
Thinking this, he quickly gave chase, dodging the sudden ground collapse caused by the opponent's Blood Demon Art.
As Kohakugawa Osamu entered a small valley, Ryuji narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, not running anymore?"
He raised his guard to a hundred percent and stepped into the small valley.
The Moonlight was cut by the towering rock walls, and the valley was heavily shadowed. The ground was unusually flat rammed earth, and the air was filled with a faint scent of Ore.
"It seems this is the stage you meticulously prepared."
Ryuji looked around, his gaze sharp.
"That's right."
Kohakugawa Osamu leaned against the rock wall, a smile playing on his lips: "The foundation here is especially solid, very suitable for... leaving something permanently."
Rumble!
It wasn't falling rocks, but the entire rock wall at the mouth of the valley rose and closed like a living entity, completely sealing off the retreat.
Ryuji raised an eyebrow: "You went to all this trouble just to create a one-on-one environment? Well, that's good, it saves you from running around."
Kohakugawa Osamu merely smiled: "I just think this place is excellent for dining, rather elegant."
Saying that, he bowed slightly, performing a Western-style courtesy.
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