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Boom!
Trees shattered, and mud splattered in all directions, yet Kaito's body had already drifted down from another direction.
"Have they appeared, those eyes." Kokushibō looked up at Kaito's red Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Those peculiar eyes of yours not only see through an enemy's movements but also unleash powerful genjutsu."
"Oh? Has Muzan already informed you about the Sharingan's abilities?" Kaito landed lightly, his crimson eyes flickering with a red glow.
"Then why do you still stare directly into my eyes without evading?"
"Genjutsu—a means for the weak!" Kokushibō raised his demonic long sword, covered with eyes.
"I can cut through it with a single strike!" Before his words faded, his blade instantly released several massive slashes of sword light, accompanied by countless small crescent-shaped attacks that spread out in all directions.
Simultaneously, a sharp aura emanated from his body, instantly shattering the genjutsu.
Kaito allowed countless slashes to pass through him, his body dissolving into a flurry of scattered paper fragments.
"Using your tempered spirit as a blade, guided by the sword in your hand, you directly cut through the illusion, didn't you?"
His voice came from another direction again.
"Truly worthy of a swordsman honed over centuries. Both your body and spirit have reached perfection."
"Even a clone that even the Transparent World cannot see through." Kokushibō turned to face the newly appeared Kaito. "It seems capturing you will be more difficult than what the master estimated."
"Transparent World?"
Kaito was curious about the new term and ventured a guess based on its literal meaning: "Is it an enhanced perception ability gained after martial artists cultivate to an extremely high level?"
"Everything is transparent in my eyes." Kokushibō raised his long sword once more.
"Including your body, the movement of your muscles, the flow of your blood, and the circulation of that unknown energy—all can be clearly seen."
Kaito feigned sudden understanding. "So that's it. This is an ability that only appears after one's spiritual power has been tempered to a certain level."
"Moon Breathing, Third Form: Loathsome Moon, Chains!"
Kokushibō swung his sword again. Overwhelming waves of large and small sword slashes destroyed the vegetation in the valley, once again reducing Kaito's body to paper fragments.
"Why have you not yet made a move?" Kokushibō looked at Kaito, who had appeared yet again from another direction, and laughed mockingly. "Do you intend to drag this out until dawn with such underhanded tactics?"
"Hmm? That's right! That doesn't seem like a bad idea!"
Kaito put on an expression of gratitude for the reminder, which visibly irritated Kokushibō.
"Are you angry?"
Kaito sensed the chilling aura around Kokushibō but remained unfazed as he continued speaking.
"To be honest, I greatly dislike fighting opponents like you, Mr. Kokushibō."
'Such a powerful swordsman, tough and unyielding, always reminds me of the days when I was "abused" by Mr. Onikiri in my youth. Those were truly unpleasant memories.' Kaito thought.
"In that case."
Kokushibō raised his long sword once more. This time, several branches sprouted from the blade.
"Then I will utterly destroy this place and see how you can continue to hide."
He swung his transformed blade again.
"Moon Breathing, Fourteenth Form: Catastrophe, Tenman Crescent Moon!"
The long sword instantly released countless massive crescent-shaped slashes that flattened everything in front of him, accompanied by innumerable giant crescent-shaped attacks spreading in all directions.
This widely ranged attack plowed through the entire valley, turning the soil upside down.
"This is just too exaggerated." Kaito's voice came from above once more.
Kokushibō looked up to see the young man in white hunting attire facing downward, standing horizontally on the cliff wall.
"Since Mr. Kokushibō is so enthusiastic, allow me to return the favor in some small way."
He tossed out a stack of paper talismans. The talismans scattered in the air, glowing faintly before trailing arcs of light like falling meteors.
"Moon Breathing, Ninth Form: Waning Moonswaths!"
Kokushibō swung his transformed blade, releasing a chaotic flurry of interlaced, formless slashes toward the sky. Multiple intersecting waves of sword light emerged, accompanied by countless crescent-shaped attacks.
The paper talismans were severed mid-air by the sword slashes. Before the sunlight sealed within them could erupt, Kokushibō had already retreated into a dark blind spot where the light could not reach.
In that blind spot, as soon as Kokushibō steadied his footing, a pentagram magic circle materialized beneath him.
"Bind!"
Several spiritual chains adorned with paper talismans shot out at incredible speed, converging toward Kokushibō standing at the center of the pentagram.
"Moon Breathing, Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy!"
Kokushibō's body spun rapidly, and equally swift, massive rotating sword slashes deflected the spiritual chains. Simultaneously, countless crescent-shaped attacks shredded all the paper talismans on the chains.
Sunlight erupted once more. Kokushibō leaped backward, but not before several large, charred scars from burns marked his chest and arms.
Swish!
A flash of his blade, and he instantly excised the parts of his body burned by the sunlight.
Before any blood could flow, his superhuman regeneration ability restored him to his original state.
"Ahh…" Kaito sighed in a deflated manner.
"At this rate, I'm losing motivation."
Without his tools at hand and devoid of Ryūmyaku energy that once fortified him, he still hadn't quite adapted to his current combat style.
Moreover, until he encountered Muzan, he had no intention of unveiling his trump card—the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Besides, an onmyōji isn't exactly the type of profession meant for front-line combat, right?
Kaito grumbled inwardly.
What a pity. His request to form a contract with that Hakuten was also rejected.
Otherwise…
His body rose as if riding the wind, effortlessly evading another wide-range slash from Kokushibō.
His mind continued to wander.
"Is this all you have?" Kokushibō's voice echoed. "Though your evasion skills are impressive, you are clearly not suited for direct combat."
Kaito paid no heed and continued dodging.
Should I summon Izuna? He happens to be in this region of the underworld for an exchange program.
He pondered.
I just don't know if he'll be angry…
And if he gets angry and uses Susano'o, it'll ruin my plans…
Kaito hesitated.
At that moment, Kokushibō suddenly halted his attacks.
"Why did you stop?"
Kaito once again stood horizontally on the cliff wall.
"That family at the foot of the mountain—their surname is Tokitō, correct?"
Kokushibō suddenly spoke, tilting his head upward.
"Oh?" Kaito narrowed his eyes. "You've investigated quite thoroughly, haven't you?"
Kokushibō continued, "Come to think of it, based on the aura they left behind in the house, they might be descendants of the bloodline I once left behind in the Tsugikuni family."
Tsugikuni?
Kaito asked, "What was your relation to Tsugikuni Yoriichi?"
"That man." Kokushibō's expression twisted with disgust. "He was my twin brother."
"…"
Kaito was speechless. Such crucial information, and that Hakuten fellow didn't even include it in the intelligence report!
"How similar…" Kokushibō went on. "The Tokitō family also has a pair of twins, doesn't it? A older brother and a prodigious younger brother—it's as if everything has come full circle."
Kaito exclaimed in surprise, "How do you know in such detail? It was only in the past few days that Muichirō began to display his swordsmanship talent."
How careless!
Over the past few days, he had only guarded the Tokitō household at night.
During the day, even though demons couldn't cross sunlit areas to reach the Tokitō residence, they could still observe from the shade of distant trees.
"Though they are descendants of my bloodline, they have been reduced to making a living as woodcutters." Kokushibō's tone was indifferent. "Even with talent, they cannot rise in this era. It's better that they cease to exist."
"Another demon has been sent to attack the Tokitō family on the road?" Kaito's expression changed.
"So, what will you do? From what I know, only one Pillar is escorting the Tokitō family. A single Pillar cannot protect several ordinary people for long against an Upper Rank."
Kokushibō lifted his head and stared directly into Kaito's eyes.
"Without defeating me head-on, you cannot go to their rescue."