Tokyo Public Security Office.
This institution, originally used by the authorities to maintain order, had now become a ruin filled with collapsed walls and scattered debris.
Standing within the shadows of the wreckage, Hairo avoided the sunlight while gripping a gun in each hand. His face twisted into a savage glare as he stared at the figure not far away.
"Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps. Looks like you're reaching your limit."
"Limit? What nonsense are you talking about? This level of fighting is nothing more than a warm up for me."
Uzui Tengen gasped for breath, sweat pouring down his face like rain.
Even so, his eyes kept darting from side to side, watching the two other figures standing within the surrounding shadows.
Bang. Bang.
At that moment, two consecutive gunshots rang out.
Hairo, standing directly in front, pulled the triggers of both guns at the same time, firing two bullets.
However, the targets of those bullets were not Uzui Tengen.
Instead, they were aimed at the unconscious security officers lying on the ground behind him.
Faced with a situation he had already experienced countless times, Uzui Tengen did not hesitate.
His figure blurred as he rushed forward, intercepting the bullets with his blades.
As a user of Sound Breathing, Uzui Tengen possessed explosive power that ranked among the top three within the Demon Slayer Corps.
At full strength, cutting down bullets was not a difficult task for him.
But...
The instant his blade swung down to slice the bullets apart, a powerful wave of drowsiness surged from deep within his mind.
In the next second, the scenery around him changed completely.
Uzui Tengen suddenly found himself standing inside a village.
"A dream."
Uzui Tengen roared as he raised his blade and stabbed it toward his own heart.
The dream instantly shattered. Uzui Tengen returned to reality and continued the motion of his blade, slicing the bullets apart.
But before he could make his next move, the scenery around him changed again.
Just like before, he appeared in the village of his childhood, surrounded by the brothers and sisters he had personally killed with his own hands.
"Tengen... you've finally come back..."
"Illusion."
Uzui Tengen vanished from his original position, leaving only a faint afterimage as he rushed through the village.
Within only a few breaths, he discovered an incense burner placed quietly in a corner.
A flash of cold light appeared.
In the next instant, the sharp Nichirin Blade sliced the incense burner cleanly in half.
The surrounding scenery shattered.
Uzui Tengen returned once more to the ruined Public Security Office.
Bang. Bang.
Two more gunshots rang out.
Bullets tore through the air, flying toward two other security officers lying unconscious on the ground at the opposite side.
"Damn it. It never ends."
Uzui Tengen chased after the bullets and cut them down, his breathing becoming heavier and heavier.
He was approaching his limit.
Under the influence of the Blood Demon Art of that Lower Rank Three demon, everyone within the Public Security Office had fallen into dreams, becoming hostages under the control of the three demons before him.
In order to protect those hostages, he had been constantly rushing back and forth throughout the entire Public Security Office since last night.
There were three enemies in total.
Two of the demons possessed abilities that controlled illusions and dreams.
Whenever the Illusion Demon activated its Blood Demon Art, it would drag him into a special illusionary space. The only way to return to reality was to locate and destroy the incense burner hidden within that space.
The Dream Demon's ability was slightly weaker.
Once he was dragged into a dream, the dream could not withstand external interference. If Uzui Tengen experienced a strong sense of danger, his survival instinct would allow him to break free from the dream.
If it were a one on one battle, Uzui Tengen was confident that he could kill both of these demons within three minutes.
But unfortunately, reality did not offer such conveniences.
By coordinating their abilities, the Dream Demon and the Illusion Demon forced him into a constant dilemma where he had to determine whether the current situation was a dream or an illusion.
If it was a dream, he could kill himself to escape.
If it was an illusion, he absolutely could not do that.
He had already tested it.
Any injuries suffered inside the illusion would carry over directly into reality.
If he made the wrong judgment, he might very well kill himself.
"No. This can't continue."
Breaking free from the dream once again, Uzui Tengen slashed the bullets out of the air while facing a difficult decision.
After fighting intensely for the entire night, he had not only dragged the battle into daytime but had also conveniently destroyed the roof of the Public Security Office.
Under the blazing sunlight, the three Lower Moon demons had extremely limited places where they could stand.
Even if they wanted to move, they had to hold large pieces of broken wall above their heads to block the sunlight.
With Uzui Tengen's strength, if he chose to launch a full offensive, he could easily destroy their footholds and expose them to direct sunlight.
However, doing so would mean that nobody would be left to protect the security officers still trapped in dreams behind him.
Looking at the three Lower Moon demons forming a triangular formation around him from three directions, ready to attack at any moment, Uzui Tengen's breathing grew heavier.
He did not want anyone to die.
But he also understood one thing very clearly.
His own survival was the most important factor.
If he exhausted himself and died here, then the security officers would also die.
"I'm sorry, everyone. It looks like I won't be able to save all of you."
Glancing at Hairo and the Ubume standing on his left and right, Uzui Tengen focused his gaze on Hairo.
In terms of abilities, the coordinated attacks of Hairo and Ubume were the most troublesome, even downright despicable.
But in terms of immediate lethality, this Lower Rank Two demon who hid countless firearms within his shadow was the most dangerous.
Since he had already decided to stop protecting everyone, then if he wanted to save more people, he needed to eliminate Hairo first and prevent him from firing into the crowd.
"Hey. Have you lost your mind?"
Noticing the change in Uzui Tengen's expression, Hairo's face grew serious.
The one without a retreat was not just Uzui Tengen.
He himself also had nowhere to escape.
At noon, when the sunlight was at its strongest, the ruins of the Public Security Office were the only refuge he had.
"How about we both step back?"
As if feeling threatened by death, Hairo's tone was no longer as arrogant as before.
"We'll stop attacking. When night falls, you let us leave. How about that?"
"Not happening."
Uzui Tengen grinned as his figure blurred and shot straight toward Hairo.
During this battle, he had clearly realized how terrifying these three Lower Moon demons were.
When their Blood Demon Arts worked together, their effectiveness was far greater than a simple one plus one plus one equals three.
If he allowed them to escape, countless more people would die.
"Damn it. You lunatic."
Seeing Uzui Tengen actually charging forward, Hairo roared and immediately pushed his Blood Demon Art to its limit.
In the next moment, the shadow beneath his feet expanded and transformed into a curtain floating behind him.
Hundreds of gun barrels of different sizes extended from its surface.
"If you want to fight, then everyone can die together."
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Deafening explosions rang out continuously as a sky filling barrage of bullets turned into a deadly rainstorm, shooting toward Uzui Tengen and the security officers behind him.
But at that exact moment, the prepared Uzui Tengen raised both hands and flipped up a massive slab of broken wall that he had been passing by.
The enormous wall became a shield, blocking the entire storm of bullets.
Seizing that instant, Uzui Tengen rushed directly in front of Hairo.
Sound Breathing, Fourth Form: Constant Resounding Slashes.
His dual Nichirin Blades flashed with cold light.
In a single instant, more than a dozen slashes descended.
The twin pistols in Hairo's hands were cut apart, and the shadow defense blocking his front was also shredded.
Under Uzui Tengen's relentless and overwhelming assault, Hairo's body was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground not far away, where the sunlight immediately illuminated him.
"The first one."
The moment he finished dealing with Hairo, Uzui Tengen turned around without hesitation and rushed toward the rear.
As demons who had long abandoned their humanity, Hairo and Ubume did not attempt to escape.
Seeing Uzui Tengen launch an attack toward the other side, they simultaneously lifted pieces of broken wall above their heads and charged toward the group of hostages.
In a life or death struggle, both sides pushed their speed to the absolute limit.
The demons even had the support of their Blood Demon Arts.
If nothing unexpected happened, Hairo and Ubume would reach their targets before Uzui Tengen.
However, at that exact moment, a violent roar suddenly erupted behind Uzui Tengen.
Before he could even react, he saw a golden beam of light flash past him.
Boom.
Like a falling meteor, the golden beam instantly swallowed Hairo and Ubume, smashing both demons heavily into the ground nearby.
Exposed to the sunlight and having lost their cover, the two Lower Moon demons turned into ash and slowly dispersed.
"Good afternoon, Tengen."
Standing beneath the sunlight, a black haired youth wearing a lightning patterned haori turned around with a smile.
"Today, you don't seem quite as flamboyant as usual."
...
Read advance 60 chapters on p@treon
[email protected]/guilt_free_daoist
Join disc0rd link in synopsis.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.