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Chapter 786: Upper Moon Three!
Chapter 786: Upper Moon Three!
In a remote corner of the small town, the pungent smell of blood permeated the air.
A large hole marred the wall of a courtyard, within which lay a scene of chaos. The front of a house had completely crumbled into splinters.
Streaks of crimson flesh were scattered everywhere.
A figure could be seen devouring unrecognizable chunks of flesh, its hands smeared with gore as it feasted.
In the corner, behind a cabinet, a solitary boy cowered. His face was pale, and his eyes were wide with terror as he desperately tried to muffle his sobs.
However, it was impossible to remain quiet under such intense fear.
"Fresh meat is always the most delicious," the cannibalistic ghoul muttered between mouthfuls, its voice distorted.
It had long since noticed the boy hiding in the cabinet, but it chose to save him for a second helping, knowing the meat would be fresher if it was still alive.
"Ah... Ahhh..."
Overwhelmed by his fear, the boy finally broke down, letting out a heart-wrenching scream as he bolted from his hiding place, attempting to escape.
The ghoul, its eyes now bloodshot, lunged at the fleeing boy with inhuman speed, its mouth twisting into a sinister grin.
Paralyzed by fear, the boy fainted.
Just then—
Szz!
A beam of green light sliced through the night sky.
The ghoul, about to pounce on the boy, froze at the doorway. Two bloody lines appeared on its arms, quickly spreading and covering its entire limbs before they crumbled into pieces.
Makomo appeared in the courtyard, sword in hand, her face pale as she stared at the cannibalistic ghoul before her. The gruesome scene had momentarily shaken her.
"What... what are you?" Makomo asked, her voice steady despite the unease she felt.
Although the creature resembled a human, its bizarre appearance, grotesque behavior, and aura that was vastly different from that of a normal person told her that it was most certainly not human.
"Impressive swordsmanship. Are you from the Demon Slayer Corps?" The ghoul slowly turned its head toward Makomo, its eyes, now glowing crimson, reflecting a hint of madness. Its gaze lingered on the sword in Makomo's hand, and a glint of recognition flashed in its eyes.
"No!" it exclaimed. "You're not from the Demon Slayer Corps... That's not a Nichirin Blade!"
The previous strike had filled the ghoul with a sense of danger, and it had been prepared to flee. But now, realizing that the sword in Makomo's hand was not the legendary blade used to slay demons, its expression twisted into a malicious grin.
Zzz!
In the next instant, its arm, which had been sliced to pieces by Makomo, rapidly regenerated, and it lunged at her with renewed ferocity.
Without a Nichirin Blade, it knew that no matter how skilled she was with a sword, she couldn't kill it.
"... "
Makomo's eyes narrowed as she witnessed the ghoul's horrifying regenerative abilities, but she remained calm. She tightened her grip on her sword and swung it with force.
In that moment, sword lights crisscrossed.
Under the cover of night, it seemed as though cherry blossoms, glowing with a faint light, were dancing in the air.
The ghoul, rushing toward Makomo, came to an abrupt halt just three feet away from her. Countless bloody lines appeared on its body, and it disintegrated into countless fragments.
However.
Because Makomo did not wield a Nichirin Blade, even this powerful strike could not inflict a fatal wound. The scattered pieces of flesh quickly crawled and converged toward each other, and within seconds, the ghoul reformed into its human shape.
"What terrifying swordsmanship! You're stronger than any Demon Slayer I've ever faced. If you had a Nichirin Blade, you would have killed me for sure. But without it..." The ghoul sneered, "You can't do anything to me!"
"If I were to devour you, my strength would surely increase significantly. Perhaps I would even catch the attention of that great one and be promoted to the ranks of the Twelve Kizuki..." The ghoul's excitement grew as it spoke, its face contorting with anticipation. It let out a maniacal laugh and lunged at Makomo once more.
Szz!
Makomo nimbly leaped away, her movements graceful in the darkness, like a tiny fox. She landed on the outer wall of the courtyard, easily evading the ghoul's attack.
This was her first real battle, the first time she had ever put her sword skills to use in a life-or-death situation.
Now, she was finally able to test the fruits of her relentless training and turn her swordsmanship into a force to be reckoned with.
Szz!
Makomo's sword flashed once more.
The sword light twisted and turned, slicing downward and forming a green net that enveloped the entire courtyard. The ground was cleaved into a grid, and the ghoul, unable to resist, was chopped into countless fragments once more.
"Useless!" the ghoul roared. "You can't kill me with such attacks. Just give up and become my meal!"
As the ghoul reformed, its expression was malevolent, and it lunged at Makomo, who was still perched on the courtyard wall.
However.
Makomo's heart remained steady, and her sword danced in her hand. With each strike, her movements became more fluid and powerful than before.
["There is no swordsmanship that cannot be overcome. If there is, it only means that your training is insufficient."]
These were the words that Feng Ye had once spoken to her, words that she held close to her heart. They echoed in her mind now, guiding her gaze to remain pure and serene.
Gradually.
With each casual swing of Makomo's sword, the ghoul was shredded to pieces, over and over again.
Ironically, the ghoul's formidable regenerative abilities served as the perfect 'whetstone' for Makomo, allowing her to refine her swordsmanship and develop new techniques that suited her style.
"Useless... You can't kill me like this..."
"Wait until you exhaust yourself..."
No matter how many times it was slashed apart, the ghoul continued to shout, attempting to break Makomo's fighting spirit.
Every cell in his body seemed to grow heavier, and although he was still regenerating, it was becoming increasingly difficult.
In essence, the ghouls of this world were simply a result of cellular mutation and aberrant evolution, possessing powerful regenerative abilities that were nonetheless finite.
While Makomo lacked a Nichirin Blade to deal a fatal blow to the ghoul, her countless slashes were enough to cause significant cellular damage, pushing the ghoul's regenerative abilities to their limit.
"Damn... This is bad..."
"This girl..."
"Even without a Nichirin Blade, being chopped into pieces like this is more than I can take. My regenerative abilities have their limits... If this keeps up, even if I don't die, I'll be too exhausted to move. When the sun rises, I'm finished..."
Upon realizing that his regeneration was becoming increasingly difficult, the cannibalistic ghoul finally panicked.
He had never encountered such a situation before! Either the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen were strong enough to slay him, or they couldn't easily kill him and instead wore him down by exploiting his regenerative abilities, slowly killing him.
It was unheard of for a ghoul to be worn down by a human!
The main reason for this unusual situation was the extraordinary strength of the girl before him, who was powerful enough to effortlessly crush him, leaving him unable to inflict even the slightest injury on her!
"At this rate... I'll die!"
The ghoul was finally overcome with fear.
Having realized that his utmost efforts were futile against Makomo, he finally considered retreating, not wanting to meet his end here.
However, the vast disparity in strength made escape a mere fantasy, as he had no hope of outrunning Makomo with their gaping power gap.
Moreover.
Even taking a single step was now a challenge for him!
He had become nothing more than a training dummy for Makomo, his regenerated body constantly pierced and sliced by her sword beams.
Once,
Twice,
Thrice,
...
Makomo continued her relentless sword swings, her movements becoming increasingly fluid and graceful. She even managed to concentrate the blade's aura within a three-foot range, avoiding any collateral damage to the surroundings while focusing her attacks solely on the ghoul.
The ghoul could no longer even reform his body, reduced to a slab of meat on a chopping board, relentlessly sliced and diced by the sword beams.
Meanwhile, Makomo sensed the ghoul's aura growing fainter and fainter.
Finally.
As the ghoul's aura vanished from her perception, she ceased her sword swings.
The sword beams gathered within the three-foot range gradually dissipated, leaving behind only a pool of black blood on the ground, devoid of any signs of life, completely eradicated by her sword.
"So there really are man-eating demons in this world..."
Makomo stared at the pool of black blood, her eyes filled with a mix of awe and trepidation.
She had heard terrifying stories like this when she was very young but had always assumed they were just that—stories. During her six years living in the valley, Feng Ye had never mentioned anything about the outside world either.
But today, she had witnessed it firsthand.
"And that Demon Slayer Corps that guy mentioned..."
"Ah, I should've asked more questions."
Makomo paused, suddenly realizing that she should have inquired more about the Demon Slayer Corps and the Nichirin Blade.
She rubbed her temples in mild frustration.
"Master probably knows all about this, but he never mentioned any of it to me. Looks like I'll have to go find out more tomorrow."
At that moment,
Makomo shook her head, sheathed her sword, and surveyed the surroundings.
The commotion from the battle was quite loud and should have attracted the attention of the neighbors in the quiet night, but not a single light turned on nearby. Apparently, even if the residents heard the disturbance, they chose to stay locked inside their homes.
Looking at the ravaged courtyard and the unconscious little boy lying by the door, Makomo wasn't sure what to do next.
Just then,
Makomo's gaze suddenly sharpened, and her movements froze as she slowly turned her head.
"..."
At the edge of her vision stood a figure.
He was a boy with short red hair, his pale skin adorned with deep blue patterns. His eyes shone with a pure golden light, and at the center of his irises was a symbol of status.
Upper Moon Three!
Among the Twelve Kizuki, the strongest demons serving under Muzan Kibutsuji, there were six Upper Moons and six Lower Moons. Over the centuries, the Lower Moons had been replaced countless times, slain by the Demon Slayer Corps, but in all that time, not a single Upper Moon had ever been killed!
They were the strongest demons under Muzan's command! And the one who had appeared here was Upper Moon Three—Kokuzo Muramo!
"To kill a demon in such a manner, this is a first for me. What incredible swordsmanship... Indeed, a pleasant surprise for tonight, it has me itching for a fight."
Kokuzo Muramo wore a smile, clearly excited and eager.
For him, the greatest thrill in the life of a demon was to seek out strong opponents and engage in battle, but such opponents were few and far between, and he had never encountered a human who could best him.
"Fighting that trash earlier must have been unsatisfying for you."
"Come, let me be your opponent!"
Kokuzo didn't know why this seemingly naive human girl possessed such formidable swordsmanship, and it didn't matter to him whether she was part of the Demon Slayer Corps or not. All that mattered was that Makomo was strong, and that was enough!
Tonight would not be boring!
(End of Chapter)
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