Cheng Mo's gaze shifted from Rokuro, who had turned to ash.
He looked at Zohakuten, still struggling in the lightning wisteria, and the cowering main body at its feet, huddled in a ball and emitting only meaningless wails.
Only he himself knew how crude that seemingly awe-inspiring lightning-earth giant hand, formed by mimicking Zohakuten's summoning of wooden dragons, truly was.
That was not true "control" or "creation" at all.
He merely injected a large amount of violent Lightning Release Chakra into the ground beneath his feet, using powerful electromagnetic force to violently absorb and compress the surrounding soil, sand, stones, and even tiny metal fragments, forcibly shaping them into a giant hand.
Then, he expended a large amount of mental energy to perform the most basic guidance—swinging, smashing, gripping.
The form was crude and unwieldy to control.
Not only was the consumption astonishingly high, but the precision was pitifully low.
It was far from Zohakuten's control over the wooden dragons, which was as effortless as moving an arm, agile and varied.
Moreover, he had been observing the battle until now, repeatedly analyzing with the Eye of Truth, yet he still couldn't see through the core logic of Zohakuten's clones.
How did those emotion clones come into being, how did they share consciousness, and how could they merge and eventually transform into this "Zohakuten"?
Aside from failing to precisely locate the deeply hidden main body in the first instance, this unresolvable clone mechanism was also one of the main reasons he chose to remain still and continue observing until now.
Sure enough, at the Upper Moon level, their Blood Demon Art is extremely tightly bound to their own soul characteristics, making them too unique, and their replicability has dropped to an extremely low level.
Cheng Mo calmly assessed.
He recalled replicating the abilities of the blood mud demon and the long-necked demon earlier; although adjustments were needed, it was nowhere near as strenuous as this time.
Let alone an Upper Moon, even replicating the mental-level ability of Lower Moon Two, Rokuro, was extremely difficult.
It wasn't just the problem of Lightning Release Chakra's violent nature, making it difficult to simulate other changes in properties.
He felt even more clearly that the strength and refinement of his mental level, or rather his "soul," were far from sufficient to handle the demands of precise control over energy, matter, and even the consciousness of others.
Improving the abilities at the soul level became more urgent than ever before.
In the midst of his thoughts, only an instant passed in the outside world.
Zohakuten was still roaring and struggling, trying to strike its taiko drums.
Cheng Mo no longer hesitated, having lost interest in continuing to observe.
startled insects was drawn again.
A flash of lightning.
Zohakuten's arm, reaching for the taiko drum, was severed at the shoulder!
Another flash!
Zohakuten's head flew, its face still frozen in shock and fury.
Finally, the tip of the nichirin blade precisely pierced the head of the trembling Hantengu main body beneath the tree.
All struggles and wails ceased abruptly.
Cheng Mo skillfully took out a specially made container, quickly collected blood and partially undissipated tissue samples from Zohakuten and Hantengu's main body, and stored them in the myriad realms compass's space.
Having completed all this, he turned and, without stopping, stepped into the shadows of the dense forest, hurrying in the direction of the Butterfly Mansion.
He moved quickly through the branches and leaves, the night wind brushing against his cheeks.
The black feather on his shoulder seemed to sense a hint of abnormality beneath his calm exterior.
It tilted its head slightly, and a deep, magnetic voice broke the silence: "Master, to glimpse the dawn of victory, necessary sacrifices are inevitable."
"Your strength and the future you can reach are the only certain way to tear through this long night, so please... do not worry too much."
It was referring to the matter of using the Butterfly Mansion and the Demon Slayer Corps as bait and an observation field, watching dispassionately until the last moment before making a move.
Cheng Mo did not stop, merely nodded slightly, and let out a very soft "Mm" from his throat.
He said nothing more... Butterfly Mansion ruins.
Fires were still burning sporadically, crackling.
The smell of charring mixed with the scent of blood, permeating the air.
The painful groans of the wounded and suppressed sobs rose and fell, many once familiar faces now lay forever silent in pools of blood and rubble.
The blood armor covering Himura Ruri's entire body slowly receded like a living thing, transforming back into flowing blood, returning to Himura Senichi.
He returned to human form, but his aura was extremely weak.
His body was covered in gruesome wounds from backlash and battle, black blood oozing out, and his recovery was extremely slow.
He staggered, finally unable to support himself, and fell heavily to the ground.
But his crimson eyes were exceptionally clear, staring intently, filled with worry and guilt, at his daughter a few steps away.
The strange power on Himura Ruri's body receded like a tide, and the intense feeling of weakness and the immense shock brought by the hellish scene before her instantly overwhelmed her.
Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, looking at the devastation and the injured, wailing people around her, tears streaming down her face like a broken dam.
"Dad..."
She choked, crawling on her hands and knees, and threw herself beside her father.
The young girl carefully avoided touching his terrible wounds, only crying helplessly.
Kochou Shinobu stood in place, the smile on her face long gone.
She looked at the embracing father and daughter, at the home destroyed as if by a hurricane, at the young but lifeless faces of the fallen Demon Slayer Corps members, her nichirin blade gripped tightly, her knuckles white.
Her hatred for demons was still etched deep, the pain from her sister's tragic death burning like a poisonous fire day and night in her heart.
But this father and daughter before her—the father willing to transform into an Asura and endure pain to protect his daughter, the daughter gaining power from her father to protect everyone... This extremely contradictory scene severely impacted her ingrained perceptions.
An unprecedented complex emotion churned within her heart.
Heaviness, sorrow, confusion, bewilderment, and a hint of... wavering that she herself was unwilling to admit.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to avert her gaze, suppressing all the surging emotions deep within her heart.
Now was not the time to dwell on this.
More people needed help!
"Prioritize treating the wounded, quickly! Everyone who can move, come help, check if there are any survivors!"
Kochou Shinobu's voice, hoarse from being suppressed, echoed unusually clearly across the ruins.
She was the first to squat down, accurately and swiftly examining the injuries of a severely wounded Demon Slayer Corps member beside her.
Only the focus and calmness of a healer remained in her purple eyes.
The surviving staff and lightly wounded Demon Slayer Corps members, suppressing their grief and fear, began to act as instructed.
Uzui Tengen also put his twin blades on his back and began to help clear the rubble.
While performing first aid, Kochou Shinobu's gaze subconsciously swept across the chaotic battlefield again and again, scanning every smoke-filled corner.
Teacher Cheng Mo... In this tragic battle, where exactly... were you?