At the same time, inside the Infinity Castle, Muzan already knew that Kamanue had been slain by Ren.
However, just before Kamanue died, Muzan had seen Nezuko through Kamanue's eyes. A crazed smile immediately spread across his face.
"I have finally found that girl!"
After speaking, Muzan suddenly looked up. Reflected in his eyes was the six-eyed embodiment of envy, Kokushibo, along with the remaining five Lower Moon demons.
"Kokushibo, I have found that brat. I will send you there now. You must ensure he is thoroughly eradicated."
"As you command," Kokushibo nodded indifferently.
At this moment, Nakime, who was sitting nearby, also raised her head sharply. On her pale cheek was a single gigantic eye, looking exceptionally terrifying and eerie.
Within that solitary pupil, the character for "Three" was inscribed.
Evidently, following the death of Akaza, Nakime had inherited the position of Upper Rank Three. Although Nakime's combat power was not high, her control over the Infinity Castle was enough to rank her among the Upper Moons.
Nakime strummed her biwa strings, and Kokushibo instantly vanished from the Infinity Castle.
Only after Kokushibo had left did Muzan turn his command to the remaining five Lower Moons.
"You all saw that girl named Nezuko, didn't you? Go and capture her for me. I want to use her to threaten that brat."
"As you command!"
The five Lower Moons departed immediately, heading toward Nezuko's home, determined to capture her alive.
...
On the other side, just after Ren had finished bandaging Tanjiro's wounds and was about to leave quickly to get him to a hospital, the eerie, hollow sound of a biwa echoed beside his ears.
"You are... the brat who heavily injured Lord Muzan, correct?"
A deep voice suddenly sounded from behind. Ren whipped his head around and instantly locked eyes with Kokushibo's six eyes.
He didn't even need to look at the numbers in the pupils; just seeing those six eyes allowed Ren to identify him immediately.
It was Upper Rank One: Kokushibo.
"Honestly. First it was Upper Rank Three, then Upper Rank Two, and now even Upper Rank One is here? Muzan is truly a coward. He doesn't dare come himself, so he sends you lot to die instead. Is it really worth serving a coward like that?"
"Judging by your words..."
Suddenly, Kokushibo's figure flashed, and he appeared instantly in front of Ren, closing the distance to a mere three meters.
Simultaneously, his voice continued, "It seems you feel you can kill me at any time?"
"You got that right. That is exactly what I mean!"
Ren held Tanjiro with one hand while gripping his Nichirin Heavy Sword tightly with the other, feeling a tension rise in his heart.
Fighting Kokushibo wasn't the issue, but he was in a rush to get Tanjiro to the hospital and didn't have time to play around.
"Ren!"
At that moment, Shinobu Kocho suddenly ran over from behind. She saw Ren immediately, but she also saw Kokushibo standing before him.
Even from a distance, Shinobu could feel a terrifying pressure. Those six shimmering eyes made her tremble, unable to move a muscle.
"Miss Shinobu, why are you here?"
Ren asked, but his eyes never left Kokushibo. If Kokushibo made even the slightest move, Ren would swing his sword.
"Mr. Tomioka has already gone to the house. With him there, Nezuko will be safe. Considering Tanjiro might be injured, I brought the medical kit."
"Ren, this guy is..."
"Miss Shinobu, please take Tanjiro to the hospital first. I have some business to attend to here and can't step away."
"I understand!"
Receiving a firm answer, Ren immediately threw the unconscious Tanjiro backward. Shinobu dashed forward swiftly and caught him.
However, just then, Kokushibo made his move!
"You two really don't take me seriously, do you? Did you really think I would let you do as you please?"
"Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace!"
Kokushibo drew his blade in an instant. In a split second, a dark purple demon sword appeared before Ren, its blade covered in eyes.
It looked like an evil god from Cthulhu mythology, exuding an indescribable strangeness.
This was the demon sword forged from Kokushibo's own flesh and blood: Kyokokukamusari.
As Kokushibo drew the blade, he unleashed a crescent-shaped slash in the blink of an eye. The power was terrifying, slashing toward Shinobu and Tanjiro with devastating force, seemingly intending to cut them both in half right in front of Ren.
But Ren was not slow. With his superhuman vision, he knew from the start that Kokushibo's target was Shinobu and Tanjiro. He immediately swung his heavy sword to block the strike for them.
Bang!
When his Nichirin Heavy Sword collided with the unstoppable crescent sword chi, a deafening explosion resonated through the area.
Kokushibo's strike was heavy and powerful, but Ren was no pushhover. With strength twenty-five times that of a normal human, he could withstand anyone's attack, even Upper Rank One.
"Hmph, attacking my friends right in front of me? You aren't taking me seriously either, are you?"
Without the burden of Tanjiro, dealing with the first phase of Kokushibo was easy and manageable for Ren.
"Miss Shinobu, go quickly!"
With that, Ren decisively thrust his sword toward Kokushibo's throat, intending to kill him as fast as possible before he used his full power.
"Trying to seal my throat with one strike? Naive!"
Kokushibo activated the Transparent World. Ren's every move could not escape his perception.
'But what is with this guy? Is he really human? His muscle and bone density are far superior to a normal person. He is simply a humanoid beast!'
'Is he, like that man, also someone favored by the heavens?'
'Truly... hateful!'
Kokushibo couldn't help but think of Yoriichi, the man he could never surpass no matter how hard he tried, and his heart filled with monstrous jealousy and hatred.
Why? Why wasn't he the chosen one?
Filled with immense hatred, Kokushibo abruptly swung his blade to meet Ren's heavy sword. Blade and sword clashed repeatedly in the air, creating a string of sparks.
Every one of Ren's strikes was fast and ruthless, aiming straight for Kokushibo's throat. However, relying on the Transparent World, Kokushibo could always anticipate the enemy's moves, defending or dodging in time.
Kokushibo also tried to exploit Ren's openings to deal a fatal blow, but Ren used his abnormal five senses to detect Kokushibo's intent in advance.
In just over a minute, the two had exchanged dozens of blows, yet the result was an even match.
'Is this Upper Rank One? Truly formidable. To think he can fight a monster like Ren to a draw.'
'And he is fighting using a Breathing Style. Was he a member of the Demon Slayer Corps in the past?'
Harboring these doubts, Shinobu immediately carried Tanjiro on her back and fled the terrifying battlefield.
After Shinobu left, Ren laughed aloud. "Hahaha! Satisfying, truly satisfying! This is the battle I wanted! My whole body is hyped up!"
[Detected that Host is fighting an evil demon, Strength +3]
[Detected that Host is fighting an evil demon, Speed +2]
The system prompts echoing in his mind sounded like celestial music to his ears!
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]