Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
─────
Chapter 182: Engaging the Kizuki
Meanwhile, as Rika set up her overwatch, the other Contracted women actively engaged their respective targets.
Naturally, the strongest among them, Saeko, sought out the most formidable opponent: the only swordsman among the Twelve Kizuki, Upper Rank One, Kokushibo.
"Impressive battle aura," Kokushibo remarked genuinely, assessing the purple-haired girl standing before him. "If you were to become a demon and attain eternal life, there is a slight possibility you could surpass me."
A slight possibility, in his mind. When it came to swordsmanship, Kokushibo possessed immense pride. Aside from his brother, Yoriichi, every other swordsman he had ever encountered was little more than a monkey wildly swinging a stick. However, the woman before him was an anomaly. The sheer density of the fighting spirit radiating from her far eclipsed any Hashira he had slaughtered in the past.
"Draw your blade, swordswoman," Kokushibo stated flatly. "Show me your potential."
"As expected, standing before an opponent worthy of a true battle, I simply cannot suppress the urge," Saeko murmured to herself, gently stroking the hilt of her sword, Reizan.
It wasn't her fault, really. Standing before her was Kokushibo, a warrior second only to Yoriichi himself. More importantly, Suyan had explicitly stated he had no interest in Kokushibo's Blood Demon Art.
Which meant... she didn't have to hold back. She could slaughter him outright!
Saeko caressed Reizan's blade, feeling its cold steel and subtle vibrations. For a moment, she couldn't tell if the trembling was coming from the sword, or from her own racing heart.
She leveled Reizan at Kokushibo. "Let us see if the older brother of Yoriichi Tsugikuni has the strength to truly excite me."
"Yoriichi Tsugikuni..."
Kokushibo stiffened. In his long, twisted life, there was one name that was an absolute taboo. His younger brother, Yoriichi.
Kokushibo was undeniably a genius. A prodigy seen perhaps once in a millennium. Before Yoriichi had stepped into the light, everyone—including Kokushibo himself—believed he was the chosen one destined to end Kibutsuji Muzan.
But then, just as he joined the Demon Slayer Corps and began to make a name for himself, his younger brother emerged, displaying a terrifying, god-like talent for the blade. Yoriichi effortlessly created Sun Breathing, the ultimate style designed to eradicate demons. Even though Kokushibo managed to adapt and create his own Moon Breathing after merely observing Yoriichi, the truth remained: inferior was inferior.
It was a suffocating, despair-inducing realization. The classic, agonizing tragedy of a brilliant mind forever overshadowed by an unreachable genius.
Realizing his mortal lifespan was insufficient to ever surpass Yoriichi, Kokushibo decisively sought out Muzan, trading his humanity for infinite time as a demon. Sixty years later, just when he thought Yoriichi had long since died to the curse of the Demon Slayer Mark—just when he was finally ready to forget him—the old man appeared before him. Wrinkled, ancient, with one foot in the grave. Yet, the single strike Yoriichi unleashed before dying on his feet was so impossibly beautiful, so terrifyingly perfect, that it remained burned into Kokushibo's mind centuries later.
To erase that trauma, he and Muzan had hunted down and slaughtered every single swordsman who knew Sun Breathing. He abandoned his human name, Michikatsu Tsugikuni, and became Kokushibo, all in a desperate bid to scrub Yoriichi from his soul.
Though... he had secretly kept the crude wooden flute he had gifted Yoriichi when they were children—the flute Yoriichi had carried until his dying breath.
Over the past four hundred years, in the dead of night, Kokushibo had often fantasized: Have I finally surpassed the Yoriichi of that day? But every time, the memory of that flawless, blinding strike would replay in his mind, forcing him to ask himself, Have I really?
Kokushibo himself didn't even know why he continued to live for centuries. Was it just for his own twisted pride? Perhaps.
But hearing this young girl casually utter Yoriichi's name shattered his composure. A cold, venomous killing intent surged toward Saeko.
Saeko felt the murderous aura wash over her, and it only thrilled her more.
Their eyes locked. It was the only signal they needed.
In the blink of an eye, both vanished from their positions. A storm of flashing steel and colliding blades erupted. In mere seconds, they exchanged over a hundred blows, their swords moving faster than the eye could track.
When they reappeared, they had swapped positions. It was as if the laws of physics had just caught up to the violence. A clean, razor-sharp slice manifested across Saeko's black jacket.
On the other side, Kokushibo stood perfectly unharmed. This wasn't like the movies, where the protagonist takes a superficial hit only for the seemingly victorious villain to suddenly collapse, bifurcated. Kokushibo had genuinely held the upper hand in that exchange.
He looked at Saeko in surprise, muttering to himself, "Another genius on the level of Yoriichi?"
In terms of pure swordsmanship, this woman's skill undeniably surpassed his own from back when he was human. However, a vast chasm still separated her from his current strength. Kokushibo was a prodigy second only to Yoriichi, and he had spent four hundred years honing his blade. That wasn't a gap a twenty-something girl could bridge so easily.
Saeko was acutely aware of this. Even with the guidance she had received from Yoriichi's lingering spirit, the gap in experience was immense. Besides, Yoriichi's tutelage had focused more on mastering her killing intent rather than refining her sword forms.
Still, a fierce conviction burned within Saeko. If she could somehow slay the monster before her, her swordsmanship would undergo a profound, qualitative evolution.
Saeko's lips curled into a feral grin. She crooked a finger at Kokushibo. "Again!"
"Amusing," Kokushibo said neutrally. "You intend to use me as a whetstone? Then let us see if your blade is sharp enough to endure it."
Once again, the two vanished, clashing at speeds imperceptible to the human eye.
Elsewhere on the battlefield.
Surrounded by a horde of demons, Rei Miyamoto masterfully twirled her Jumonji Yari. Every thrust and sweep sent a demon flying. However, as time wore on, the sheer number of enemies began to overwhelm her.
Even for her, the fight was growing strenuous. A long spear simply wasn't as agile as a katana, making it difficult to simultaneously parry attacks raining down from every conceivable angle.
"Keep attacking! She's running out of stamina!" a demon in the back yelled to his kin.
Dodging a lethal swipe from behind, Rei took a deep breath. She shot a glacial glare at the demon who had spoken and thrust her spear forward. A violent surge of aura erupted from the tip, instantly blasting the demon into a shower of gore.
Closing her eyes, Rei whispered, "En!"
A thin, spherical dome of aura expanded outward, enveloping her. Rei was utilizing the advanced Nen application, En. However, compared to Suyan's En, which could effortlessly blanket the entire Butterfly Mansion, Rei's was pitifully small—barely boasting a radius of 2.5 meters.
As an Enhancer, standing adjacent to the Emitter category on the Nen chart, the Contract allowed her to utilize Emission techniques at ninety percent efficiency. Logically, she should have been capable of casting a much larger En. And she was.
But a larger radius was completely meaningless to her. Unlike Suyan, she didn't have an arsenal of diverse abilities, nor did she possess Saeko's terrifying martial talent. All she had was the spear in her hands. Factoring in her arm length and the shaft of the spear, her maximum effective striking range was just under 2.5 meters.
This specific radius was perfect. By intentionally restricting her En to exactly 2.5 meters, she forged a powerful Vow and Limitation, massively amplifying her combat strength.
It was the foundation for her custom Enhancer Hatsu: Resolve of the Weak!
Upon activating En, this ability surrendered complete control of her body to her battle instincts, allowing her to fight at over one hundred percent of her normal capacity. It was functionally similar to Shalnark from the Phantom Troupe sticking his antenna into himself to enter "Autopilot" mode.
However, Rei's version was much more controlled. While it detached her consciousness from her body's actions, she didn't lose awareness. Instead, she watched the battle unfold from a third-person perspective, maintaining the ability to cancel the Hatsu at any time.
The moment the ability activated, Rei became a blur of lethal precision, instantly clearing the immediate circle of demons around her. But compared to the endless swarm still rushing in, it was a drop in the bucket.
"Behold the wrath of Heaven! Lightning, heed my call!"
A highly theatrical, chuunibyou-laced incantation echoed across the courtyard. Blinding blue lightning arched through the air with a terrifying crackle. The demons swarming Rei were instantly electrocuted, collapsing in twitching heaps.
Looking up, Rei saw Saya pointing a single finger dramatically toward the sky, a smug grin revealing a cute little fang. Floating around her were five black metallic rods acting as lightning rods, crackling with intense blue electricity.
Unquestionably, the devastating lightning strike was her doing. The rods were crafted from Sekido's Khakkhara—which she had received from Suyan—heavily modified and controlled via her Metal Frenzy Manipulation ability.
"Rei, why are you using that move already?" Saya walked over, feigning exasperation. "Save your energy! You know what the side effects are. We still have to team up and squeeze that idiot Suyan dry after this is over..."
Despite her complaints, Saya was internally screaming with joy. She wasn't actually mocking Rei; she had just been dying for a chance to swoop in and deliver a chuunibyou line to save the day. The opportunity was finally here! Her only regret was that she was saving her best friend instead of Suyan. If it had been Suyan, her satisfaction would have been immeasurable.
"Sorry, Saya. There were just too many of them," Rei apologized softly, having deactivated her Resolve of the Weak and rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
Saya sighed dramatically. "Honestly, what am I going to do with you? Come on, let's fight together."
I bet I looked incredibly cool saying that just now! Saya thought to herself, her chuunibyou soul practically catching fire. Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose to suppress her overwhelming excitement, she stepped up, placing her back against Rei's.
"I've got your back, Rei!" Saya declared with a confident smile.
The very next second, Rei collapsed backward, fainting dead away into Saya's arms.
Saya was dumbfounded. She knew Rei's Hatsu caused severe exhaustion, but she hadn't mentioned it hitting this fast!
"Hey, Rei, are you okay?!" Saya shook the girl gently. She was about to send her back to Greed Island when she suddenly paused.
Wait, this isn't exhaustion. She's under a spell!
Saya immediately recalled Suyan briefing them on the Blood Demon Arts of the Twelve Kizuki. Given Rei's sudden slumber, she had likely been hit by Lower Rank One, Enmu's sleep spell.
But... when did he even hit her?!
Regardless of when it happened, sending Rei back to Greed Island right now was a terrible idea. Heaven only knew if Enmu's ability merely caused sleep, or if it actively dragged the victim's soul into a dreamscape.
"Argh!!" Saya scratched her head in extreme frustration. She had just set the stage to show off her new powers to her best friend, and now Rei was unconscious! Who was she supposed to show off to now?!
With no other choice, Saya hoisted Rei onto her back. While Saya was a Manipulator, her ability only controlled metal, not living organisms. She couldn't manipulate Rei like a puppet. Perhaps Suyan or Yuriko would know how to wake her up?
Deciding on her next move, Saya prepared to vaporize the remaining fodder demons and search for Suyan or her mother.
Suddenly, her eyes narrowed. Out of her periphery, she caught a glimpse of a dark blur shooting toward her. She deftly side-stepped, carrying Rei out of harm's way.
"A fish?"
Looking at the spot she had just vacated, Saya saw a grotesque, malformed fish flopping on the ground.
"Gyokko, Upper Rank Five, right?" Saya muttered darkly. "Your luck is terrible. I've got a lot of pent-up frustration and nowhere to vent it. Before I go find Suyan and Yuriko-nee, I'll let you experience what getting fried feels like."
The black rods hovering behind her erupted with violent electricity. The air popped and hissed with terrifying voltage.
The next second, the lightning spider-webbed outward, blanketing the entire immediate area. The demons and grotesque fish caught in the blast radius were instantly carbonized into ash.
Simultaneously, the person Saya was looking for, Yuriko Takagi, had just encountered her own target: Lower Rank Five, Rui.
Yuriko observed the pale, white-haired boy. After learning about his Blood Demon Art from Suyan—and knowing Suyan had a method to extract it—she had immediately set her sights on him. Her own ability involved manifesting Nen needles forged from Zombie Toxin. Rui's Blood Demon Art manipulated threads far tougher than steel wire, strong enough to snap Tanjiro's Nichirin Sword in the original story.
Needles and threads. Wasn't that the perfect combination?
However, taking him down wouldn't be a walk in the park. While Giyuu Tomioka had decapitated Rui effortlessly in the original timeline, making him look weak, Rui's true potential was easily on par with Lower Rank One, perhaps even touching the lower echelons of the Upper Ranks. His weakness stemmed from his obsession with playing "house" on Natagumo Mountain, dividing his overwhelming power among the demons he had forced to be his "family."
The Spider Mother, whom Tanjiro killed, possessed the ability to manipulate others from afar with unseen threads. The Spider Father possessed skin tougher than the Hand Demon, requiring Giyuu's intervention when Tanjiro and Inosuke couldn't scratch him. The Spider Brother possessed a terrifying, agonizing spider-transformation venom; if Shinobu hadn't arrived, Zenitsu would have died horribly. And the Spider Sister, slain by Shinobu, could excrete acidic cocoons to dissolve her prey.
Except for the Father's durability, Yuriko coveted all of those abilities—the Mother's puppetry, the Brother's venom, the Sister's cocoons, and Rui's razor-sharp threads. If she could fuse the Brother's venom with her own Undead Overture, it would result in a massive spike in her lethality.
And the Rui standing before her, summoned directly by Muzan, was in his absolute prime, possessing all his original strength.
However, the moment Rui opened his mouth, Yuriko nearly lost her composure.
Sensing a twisted, maternal aura radiating from Yuriko, Rui reached out toward her and whispered, "Mother..."
As he began playing cat's cradle with his razor-wires, Rui was already planning how to torture and recondition this elegant woman into a new, obedient mother for his twisted game of house.
"Oh, please, spare me." Yuriko's eye twitched violently as a massive headache began to form. She glared at the demonic boy. "Raising a fake daughter like Saya was already exhausting enough. And with Suyan dragging all those little girls back home recently, I have my hands full. I certainly don't have the free time to adopt another problem child. Unless, of course, that stupid Suyan decides to call me 'Mother.'"
She knew that was impossible, though. In fact, whenever she lost their little 'battles' in the bedroom, she was the one who ended up calling him 'Daddy'.
As for Koharu and the other girls from the Entertainment District? They didn't really need her to look after them. Having been raised in the Yoshiwara, they were incredibly well-behaved and quiet, far more obedient than Saya had been at that age. Plus, Koinatsu was already taking care of them.
The only one who truly caused Yuriko endless grief was her own daughter, Saya. Whenever Saya was pushed to the absolute edge of pleasure and lost her mind, she would unconsciously cry out for her mother. The moment Suyan heard that, he would go absolutely rabid, focusing all his firepower directly on Yuriko in response.
It had happened so many times that Yuriko now suffered from mild PTSD whenever she heard the word 'Mother'. She was terrified of getting too close to the new girls, dreading the day they might also start crying out for her in bed. She wouldn't survive it.
Yuriko let out a long, heavy exhale, manifesting several Nen needles between her knuckles as she locked her predatory gaze onto Rui.
Meanwhile, alongside the Contracted women from the apocalyptic world, the Butterfly Mansion's own Kanae and Shinobu Kochou had confronted their mortal enemy: Upper Rank Two, Doma.
And Suyan had tracked down Upper Rank Three, Akaza.
At this point, aside from Nakime, who remained stationed in the Infinity Castle on standby, nearly every named member of the Twelve Kizuki had been locked into a deadly duel.
─────
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations