Faced with Taka's provocation, Mukago was both shocked and enraged, shrieking hysterically:
"Blood Demon Art: Forest Forest Dance!"
She embedded the sharp nails of her two demon claws into her own flesh, viciously tearing open several bone-deep wounds. Blood gushed out! Her right hand was even directly torn apart, merging with the vines on the ground!
Blood mixed with dense demonic aura was poured into the ground without regard for cost. The rustling leaves of the entire forest now sounded like twisted, ferocious groans.
Those vines and branches, having drunk deeply of the demon blood, were almost dyed black. Hideous bone spurs bulged on their surfaces, becoming increasingly tough and twisted!
Not only that, Mukago's own body became wrapped in a writhing suit of thorny armor, covered in dense poisonous aura. Her entire right arm directly transformed into a massive mace covered in barbs.
She was truly desperate now.
"How about it! Human! If you're scared, get lost right now! This lady might spare your life!"
The transformed Mukago let out a roar full of oppressive pressure. Her body had grown considerably due to the wrapping thorny armour, and she looked down at Taka.
Taka remained expressionless, coldly watching Mukago's aura continuously rise, her body slowly swell and change into this form. Then he slowly spoke:
"So this is your full power?"
"What?"
Taka lowered his stance, tightly gripping the hilt of Tonan: "This is the strongest attack a Lower Rank Four demon can unleash?"
"Don't get too cocky, mere human!"
She bellowed, raising the massive vine mace high, along with the even more ferocious surrounding vines, all tearing through the air together!
Taka's gaze was as cold as a blade. He had no intention of retreating.
"If it's only this level...."
He hadn't expected the gap in strength between Lower Four and Lower Two to be so large.
What Taka didn't know was that since he had fully released Tonan's Shikai, over these days, a portion of his own suppressed Reiatsu had also been released. He was now far stronger than when he had first faced Rokuro.
The Zanpakuto and its user share a relationship of mutual achievement and mutual growth.
When the user and Zanpakuto truly commune heart-to-heart, with no internal obstacles, that is the peak of Reiryoku Output.
Sensing that the strength of Mukago before him was somewhat ordinary, Taka's probing intentions faded.
"...Pack Howl!"
Rrrip—!
A flash of black light passed by. Mukago felt herself suddenly lighter.
In an instant, all those tough vines she had just released were completely severed by the other's abnormally large Nichirin Sword!
Even Mukago's own thorny armor was casually shattered by him! Her abdomen was torn open with a massive gash, her internal organs spilling out!
"Ahhh—!!"
Mukago's shriek, twisted into a bloodcurdling howl, rang through the forest. The power from her transformation was instantly overwhelmed by the intense pain and immense sense of loss.
Boom!!
She crashed heavily to the ground. Her demonic-aura-emitting internal organs splattered across the forest, a truly miserable sight!
"It's a Hashira! Damn it, it's a Hashira!"
Before she could prop herself up and recover from the immense pain, her right arm went cold again!
"Pffft!"
That thick mace, formed from twisted vines and demonic body tissue, flew high into the air, along with a fountain-like gush of purple-black blood and snapped vine fibers!
"It hurts! It hurts so much—!!"
She was a Lower Moon demon, uninjured for decades!
The pain of a severed arm was excruciating, as if penetrating her soul!
That severed arm tumbled through the air and crashed heavily to the ground. Sticky demon blood still spurted in pulses, soaking the dead leaves and mud, emitting a filthy stench.
But if it were merely injury, Mukago could endure.
However, the sight before her made her bloodcurdling shrieks jam in her throat, stopping abruptly!
Taka slowly stepped forward and directly plunged the serrated longsword into Mukago's still-twitching demon hand:
"Sensei said that even if a demon's body parts are cut off, as long as the neck isn't severed, they can still regenerate...."
Sizzle sizzle—!!
A sound like a branding iron pressed into fat came forth. Mukago felt her very soul being scorched by this sound!
'No, not an illusion! It truly was being scorched!'
For some reason, the stump of her right hand was delaying to regenerate, healing extremely slowly.
And when Taka's longsword stabbed into the demon hand, that thick demon arm began to visibly shrivel and wither!
Even from this distance, Mukago could feel the tearing pain emanating from the severed arm!
Plump muscles collapsed. Purple-black blood, along with the immense demonic power and life force contained within, like rivers flowing to the sea, were forcibly drained away!
Threads of fine but clear grey-black air currents madly surged into the serrated blade of Tonan.
In just two or three breaths, that severed arm completely lost all life force and moisture, becoming a charred black, withered remnant like rotten wood. A light touch made it crumble to ash and scatter.
At the same time, the wound on Taka's arm, where the poisoned thorn had scratched, felt a strange numbness and itch.
Sizzle sizzle....
The stubborn poison spots at the edges of the wound rapidly faded and vanished. Even the wound itself began to writhe! It healed at a speed far exceeding human limits, nearly demonic, as the edges drew together!
Slowly but surely, the flesh was resolutely advancing towards healing!
"Ahhh—!!! You, are you human or demon!!"
"Help! Rui! Save me!!"
Mukago clutched her spurting shoulder stump, staggering backward. All the ferocity and madness on her face were replaced by the terror of facing a natural enemy.
"I'm your sister!! Help! Rui!!"
As if god itself scorned her pleas, a rumble of thunder rolled across the sky above Spider Mountain, drowning out her cries.
In her extreme panic, she suddenly remembered a rumor some brat had mentioned, which she had dismissed as idle gossip:
Recently, there was a Demon Slayer who ate demons! He could grow stronger by eating demon bodies. He had a savage appearance and fought brutally. Better to stay away!
Eating demons? Don't be ridiculous. How could a human eat demons?
Before today, Mukago would never have believed it.
"Is it you?? That Demon Slayer who eats demons! Have you come specially to eat Mukago?!!"
"Eating demons?" Taka frowned, not understanding what this female demon was raving about.
But looking at the Tonan in his hand, and his own indeed somewhat abnormal recovery, he silently acknowledged her words.
It was a useful power. He didn't reject it.
As he step by step approached Mukago, her will to resist was almost completely destroyed by fear.
She let out a completely deranged shriek.
Her remaining left arm flailed wildly. Residual vines lashed out chaotically at Taka, trying to obstruct his vision.
At the same time, using all her strength, she turned and fled for her life into the depths of the forest!
Her steps were unsteady, her body staggering, full of openings!
Wind gathered at Taka's feet. His figure vanished from the spot.
A flash of blade light appeared.
Shrrrk—!
Mukago's fleeing figure suddenly froze.
The fear on her face was forever frozen. Her vision began to spin and tumble uncontrollably.
Her head hit the ground.
What was she thinking in her final moments? Did she regret becoming a demon? What kind of story had she lived through to reach this point?
Taka didn't care. He didn't watch her body burn to ashes. Instead, he turned his gaze deeper into the mountainside.
There, an extremely powerful demonic aura was erupting!