Mr.Fudo, the former "Mountain Hashira," died at the hands of a certain Upper Rank who excelled in using poison.
Natsunishi truly wanted to find out exactly which Upper Rank had done it. It wasn't that he wanted to seek revenge for the man; they were strangers, so there was naturally no talk of avenging him. He simply wanted to settle a lingering concern for Matsuyama Daimon.
That usually steady and indifferent middle-aged man's voice would drop several pitches every time he mentioned his deceased disciple. Having accepted the man's kindness, Natsunishi naturally wanted to give something back.
As for whether he could defeat an Upper Rank? He would identify the culprit first. Once he was strong enough to face an Upper Rank in the future, he would go to this poison user first for revenge.
Natsunishi knelt down, lightly patting Mukago's cheek with one hand while staring calmly into her terrified eyes.
"I ask, you answer. Tell me everything you know about the Upper Ranks."
The demon girl hesitated. But as the cold Nichirin blade slid continuously between her neck and collarbone, that hesitation was quickly suppressed.
"We Lower Ranks rarely see the Upper Ranks! I don't know much either!"
"Tell me what you know."
"There are... six Upper Rank Lords!"
With a flick of the blade's tip, an eyeball flew out.
"Continuing with the next joke?"
The demon girl wailed in pain, clutching her eye socket for a long time before saying pitifully, "I mean, in my knowledge, the Upper Ranks have never been vacant; there have always been six! Because of the Hashira from the Demon Slayer Corps—"
She stole a glance at Igarashi. Seeing that he didn't seem to have any intention of surrounding her to stab her together, she continued.
"Anyway, except for a few powerful ones, the Lower Ranks are either frequently replaced or the positions remain empty for a long time."
There was even a useless drum-beating waste who was expelled from the Twelve Demon Moons for the laughably pathetic reason of "not having enough appetite."
Natsunishi: "And their abilities?"
Mukago felt a bit guilty. "About ten years ago, I had the honor of observing one Lord's ability during a Blood Battle for rank... but he didn't seem to use poison."
Meaning she didn't know.
Natsunishi spoke again: "What is a Blood Battle? What was that Upper Rank's ability, and what did he look like?"
"It's a challenge where a lower-ranked Demon Moons challenges a higher-ranked one. The winner inherits the loser's rank and demon blood. As for that Lord... he seemed to summon a vast area of 'shua-shua' and 'suo-suo' ice sculptures, freezing and shattering the previous Upper Rank to defeat him. As for his appearance, he's a handsome guy who always likes to smile, hehehe."
Natsunishi nodded. Though the description was vague, he roughly understood. A demon ranking match and a male ice-mage.
"And the other Lower Ranks? You must know them."
Mukago gave an awkward smile. Demons rarely acted together; they were even wary of each other and divided territories. Plus, with the frequent turnover of Lower Ranks, she was actually... not familiar with any of them.
Natsunishi saw her predicament. He withdrew some of his pressure and asked calmly, "Then what do you know about the Demon King?"
This time, Mukago's entire body convulsed. Even though only her upper torso remained, she shook uncontrollably, her teeth chattering with fine, clicking sounds.
"I—I can't say—if I say it, I will—"
Natsunishi said, "If you don't speak, you will die right now."
But this time, the demon girl shook her head desperately, not intending to utter a single word. Seeing this, the youth wanted to continue the interrogation, but Igarashi shook his head from the side.
"It's no use. These demons will never reveal any information about Muzan."
Over the years, various swordsmen had tried. They simply couldn't pry open the mouths of these demons. It was as if the moment they spoke, they would face something far more terrifying than death.
Hearing this, Natsunishi did not give up.
"Senior, I have a bold idea—"
Igarashi: ?
Mukago: ?
Wait, what are you planning to do?!
They saw Natsunishi stand up from Mukago, fumble with his clothes, and take off the satchel on his back. Then, he pulled out a somewhat crude hammer. It was a souvenir left to him by Matsuyama Daimon when he completed his Stone Breathing training.
Incidentally, this hammer was also forged with Scarlet Crimson Ore and Scarlet Crimson Sand Iron. It was a "Nichirin Hammer."
Raising the iron hammer high, Natsunishi activated his Breathing Style once more.
"Stone Breathing."
"First Form: Blue-Silver Cloak Disorderly Wind!"
The swinging iron hammer lacked any pretense of technique. Relying entirely on the bonus from the Breathing Style, it focused solely on raw, heavy power. One strike exploded against Mukago's face.
Clang!
Her features collapsed instantly, blood and tears splashing in a chaotic mess. Her skull was harder than expected, much tougher than the iron ingots he used to strike at Matsuyama's place. But blacksmithing was always a matter of persistence.
The second hammer strike fell. The entire ground seemed oppressed by invisible gravity, cracking and caving in inch by inch around the point of impact. Mukago shrieked miserably, trying to struggle and escape.
Then came the third strike. The fourth.
Screams, hammer blows, regeneration, hammer blows—cold, precise, and repetitive. This wasn't Natsunishi venting his anger on a demon; it was him forging a piece of obedient iron before a furnace.
Under the constant hammering, Mukago's voice gradually weakened. Her skull was shattered. Natsunishi paused for a moment, like quenching during forging, waiting for her head to recover slightly before continuing the tempering.
Before long, the demon girl's consciousness was on the verge of collapse again. Natsunishi stopped, holding the hammer. "One last chance."
What chance? Oh, information about Lord Muzan? It hurts so much... it doesn't matter anymore...
In Mukago's fractured consciousness, her fear of Muzan and her fear of the torture before her eyes collided violently, causing her to murmur unconsciously. She seemed to want to force out a few syllables.
"Lord Muzan... is actually a big..."
The moment those syllables were about to leave her mouth, the demon girl's eyes bulged, bloodshot. Countless veins instantly coiled around her body, as if something were about to burst out from within.
Natsunishi pulled back. The next second, a twisted, deformed giant hand erupted from her severed abdominal cavity and instantly crushed her head.
Igarashi spoke: "Even if they are willing to provide information, they will be silenced. Their demon blood is being revoked."
Along with it, Mukago's regenerative abilities and Blood Demon Art were being stripped away. In Natsunishi's eyes, the demon girl's pain was secondary; the [Power Level: 327] above her head was plummeting, about to drop below 300.
Oh no! It's like the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal from the Demon Fox Samurai!
Natsunishi no longer hesitated. Thunder Breathing roared into action. In a flash, he completely beheaded the demon girl. The final expression frozen on Mukago's face was a twisted, almost relieved sense of liberation.
The head rolled away. The giant hand paused on her body before slowly dissipating.
[Lower Rank Five: Mukago]
Execution: Complete.
Natsunishi flicked the rapidly dissipating foul blood off his blade and sheathed it.
[Proficiency +1217]
The vast majority of the experience flowed into Thunder Breathing, while Stone Breathing also increased slightly.
[Stone Breathing] LV.3 (1024/2000)
[Thunder Breathing] LV.4 (2402/4000)
The demon girl's head rolled to Natsunishi's feet. She opened her mouth and said weakly, "I didn't expect... to finally die like this. I'm truly unwilling."
"If it weren't for you swordsmen, I'd still be living here as a doctor..." As she spoke, she seemed to experience a final surge of life, roaring angrily. "So what if I poisoned a few people?! I am a noble—"
Before she could finish, it was as if someone lightly patted her shoulder.
"Rin."
The girl turned her head abruptly. The hazy silhouette behind her caused her eyes to widen suddenly. Memories that had been sealed for a long time slowly unlocked. She remembered now.
At this moment, the demon's horns had begun to dissipate. The blood-red in her eyes and even the words "Lower Five"—representing power and the curse—gradually faded. A human girl with short hair wept, hugging the silhouette behind her tightly.
She was going to hell. But please, let her stay with him for just a moment longer. Even just a few seconds...
The tag [Mukago] was slowly transforming into [Mukago (Rin Ueda)].
The demon's head lay sideways on the ground, murmuring in an almost imperceptible whisper. "Really... in the end, I still have to thank you..."
She struggled to open her eyelids, wanting to clearly see the swordsman who had defeated her and liberated her from Muzan's curse. And then she saw—
Natsunishi was staring at an empty corner of the courtyard, his eyes vacant, clearly lost in thought.
Hey! At a time like this, don't zone out—properly accept someone's gratitude, you bastard swordsman!
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi