Rokuro hadn't failed to react to Taka's blade, yet he was still cut.
He stared in shock at his body, blurred by his Blood Demon Art Mirage, and at the wound on his arm that was gushing blood and healing with difficulty. His expression changed drastically, his yellow pupils nearly contracting to pinpricks!
"What is this?!"
Mirage wasn't complete physical immunity. It used optical reactions manifested through flesh and blood energy, combined with extreme bodily distortion, to prevent the opposing swordsman from discerning his true core. The Nichirin Sword could never strike his real self!
But now, the surface of the wound was churning with fine grey-black undulations, continuously gnawing at Rokuro's flesh and blood, sending a numbness through his very soul.
How many years had it been? He was the one who ate people. When had he ever experienced such a hair-raising sensation?!
At the same time, Taka's complexion was actually growing ruddier.
Even though his breathing rhythm was disrupted due to the release, his sense of power was becoming increasingly full.
He could feel streams of pure and immense life force flowing from Tonan in his hand into his body, nourishing every muscle and bone.
This power was gloomy cold, dark, yet incredibly potent.
In other words, he was eating the demon.
"...So this is your power? Tonan?" Taka murmured to his inner self, quietly feeling the feedback of this power.
Tonan didn't speak, only continuously emitting a humming vibration from its blade to release its fighting spirit.
"Not enough yet, is it... I understand..."
Taka lowered his stance, blade ready. Pushing off with his feet, he charged at Rokuro once more!
He didn't use any fixed Wind Breathing sword form. Instead, he let the surging, unleashable power carry the wind pressure, tearing everything apart!
"Arrogant!"
Rokuro, shocked and enraged, suddenly spread the five fingers of his remaining left hand. Dense darkness instantly spread from beneath his feet!
"Blood Demon Art: Mugen!"
Instantly, the ground beneath Taka's feet suddenly became viscous and soft, as if transforming into a muddy swamp.
Countless black shadow arms emerged from it, coiling around his legs, trying to drag him into a lightless hell.
Simultaneously, Rokuro's figure blurred in the darkness. Several identical Rokuros emerged from different shadowy corners, each radiating such similar auras that it was impossible to distinguish them!
This was precisely Rokuro's most adept fighting style:
Using shadows to create traps, illusions, and doppelgangers to confuse, exhaust, and ambush, never engaging the enemy in a direct confrontation.
His timidity and caution were etched into his bones, originating from his human days as that cowardly self who only trembled in shadowy corners.
Even after receiving his master's blood and becoming a powerful Lower Moon, it remained so.
Taka's momentum was halted for a moment, but he didn't try to break free from the pulling shadow hands. Instead, using the downward momentum of his swing, he viciously slammed Tonan into the muddy swamp beneath his feet!
Rrriip—!
The serrated blade crashed into the swamp, like a red-hot branding iron plunged into water, instantly erupting with a hissing, steaming shriek!
Those shadow arms, one by one, retracted as if burned. The swamp itself was blasted open with a massive gap, revealing the real floor beneath.
At the same time, Tonan once again transmitted a feeling of satiated satisfaction. The feedback power invigorated Taka.
Relying on his increasingly keen Reiatsu Perception, he rapidly swept his gaze over the flickering illusions and doppelgangers around him, finally fixing his target on one direction.
Rokuro's Blood Demon Art was powerful… it was difficult to distinguish differences with the naked eye or reiatsu. But he had forgotten one thing—
The stump of his severed arm still carried the gnawing remnants of Tonan's Reiatsu. This was something he could never imitate!
Dragging the heavy greatsword of Tonan, Taka charged recklessly out of the swamp, cleaving towards the location of Rokuro's true body!
"What?!" Rokuro's pupils shook violently.
'My Mirage had been seen through? Impossible! This was a Blood Demon Art that had allowed me to escape even from Hashira-level swordsmen!'
Rokuro suddenly realized something and looked at his severed arm.
'Is it this thing? That kid locked onto this strange power?'
"Tch!"
He hastily manipulated several other doppelgangers to pounce at Taka, trying to interfere with his advance.
At the same time, his true body rapidly retreated backward, intending to merge into deeper shadows.
Thud! Thud!
Taka's blade effortlessly shredded two doppelgangers blocking his path. Although another doppelganger's claw tore a bone-deep wound on his shoulder, he still did not change his forward charge!
Blood sprayed from the wound, dripping onto the blade of Tonan. It was silently absorbed by the grey-black serrations, and the light on the blade grew even more dangerous and bright.
Reaching Rokuro, Taka continuously swung Tonan, clashing repeatedly with Rokuro's demon claws!
During this, relying on his Blood Demon Art and immense power, Rokuro continuously inflicted damage on Taka. But the other party simply would not retreat!
Taka tenaciously entangled Rokuro in close-quarters combat, inflicting several wounds of varying depths on the other's body. One slash even nearly took off Rokuro's neck!
He was practically trading wound for wound, risking his life in this slaughter with Rokuro!
Rokuro was getting flustered. He hadn't expected Taka's will to fight to be so resolute.
"You mad dog! Why won't you retreat!"
His illusions and traps, in the face of the other's all-devouring greatsword, were greatly diminished in effectiveness, even bringing negative effects upon himself!
He could feel that with every swing of this brat's blade, regardless of the depth or lethality of the wounds on his body, the life force within him continuously drained away!
And the other, on the contrary, grew braver as he fought, clearly because it was flowing into him!
This feeling of one waning while the other waxed made him tremble with fear and overly cautious. He couldn't even bring out seventy percent of his full strength.
"Blood Demon Art: Thousand Shadows One Kill!"
Rokuro shrieked. All the shadows within the shrine seemed to come alive!
They transformed into countless pitch-black chains, emitting piercing tearing sounds as they shot towards Taka from all directions!
Rokuro didn't want to fight any longer. He wanted to completely imprison and strangle this dangerous madman!
The dense shadow chains blocked all space for evasion. Taka felt unprecedented pressure.
Both hands gripping the hilt of Tonan, he fused the violent Reiryoku within him with the strange demonic power he had just plundered, unreservedly pouring it all into Tonan's blade!
The grey-black light on the blade instantly surged. A heart-stopping, wild fluctuation spread out.
"....Bark! Tonan!"
Taka roared, boldly swinging horizontally towards the densest part of the shadow chains ahead!
Hum—!!!
It wasn't a single slash, but dozens! Hundreds!
The grey-black spiritual pressure slashes transformed into a pack of starving mad dogs breaking free from their cage!
They shot forth from the blade with tearing shrieks, scrambling! No fixed trajectory, not even a unified target. They just madly pounced and bit forward!
These slashes collided and tore at each other, creating chaotic and violent spiritual pressure turbulence in the air, emitting piercing howls like a pack of dogs fighting over food!
Rrripriprip—!!!
The violent barking slashes and the dense shadow chains collided fiercely!
The seemingly tough shadow chains, under the mad biting of the mad dogs, snapped one by one! Dispersed!
Although these unruly Reiatsu Mad Dogs also consumed and weakened each other in their mutual struggle, their numbers were simply too great. They forcibly tore a massive gap in the encirclement of Rokuro's Blood Demon Art!
The remnant slashes, transformed into an uncontrolled beast horde, continued rampaging forward, tearing to shreds the shrine's pillars, floor, and offering utensils!
And at the center of this slash was, naturally, the demon named Rokuro, a Lower Rank Two, who suffered the most severe damage!
"Ughhh—!!!"
Although he had done his utmost to dodge, even leaping into the air several times, these mad dogs seemed locked onto him, relentlessly pursuing and biting him!
Flesh and blood tissue rapidly disintegrated. If not for the core support of that lord's blood as energy, Rokuro would have already turned into a pile of gore!
Amidst the prolonged howls and tearing, Rokuro crashed heavily to the ground.
He scrambled up hideously. His entire body had no intact flesh left. Even half his head had been gnawed off!
And opposite him, Taka was leaning on Tonan, gasping heavily. Wounds all over his body spurted blood, turning him into a complete blood-soaked figure!
Looking at Rokuro's shattered features and terrified gaze, Taka smiled for the first time.
Though it looked somewhat gloomy.
"Continue.... Demon of the Lower Moon!"
"Your blood... doesn't taste bad...."