The valley was eerily silent.
"Fools! You still haven't found it? All of you are fools!"
The chilling voice echoed through the cavern once more.
At the sound of that voice, the Manjushiro warriors crawling across the ground trembled instinctively.
Yet most of them those Manjushiro creatures that possessed little more than animalistic instincts showed no fear. They merely stared blankly around them, unable to understand why their powerful brethren were trembling.
Before the voice could speak again, a thunderous roar erupted from outside the cavern.
"Tear it apart!"
The words had barely fallen when an overwhelming force swept across the mountain.
BOOM!
The entire ceiling of the cave was ripped away as though it were paper.
Moonlight poured into the darkness.
The Manjushiro warriors looked upward in horror.
Under the pale moon, countless spiderweb-like threads stretched across the sky.
Standing atop those threads were thirteen figures.
Their eyes bore the engraved numerals of rank.
Their gazes looked down upon the creatures below with absolute contempt.
At the center stood Kokushibo.
His six eyes glowed beneath the moonlight, radiating a terrifying pressure that seemed capable of cutting the very heavens apart.
Beside him, Doma lightly closed his golden fan, rainbow-colored eyes shimmering with barely concealed excitement.
Akaza stared silently at the creatures below.
His expression remained calm, but the cracking of his fists revealed the battle lust boiling within him.
Daki wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"How ugly. These insects are disgusting."
Gyutaro immediately tightened his grip on his blood-red sickles while carrying his sister upon his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Daki. I'll kill every last one of them."
The moment the creatures realized who had arrived, the source of the voice instantly fled.
It abandoned all of its subordinates without hesitation.
Before escaping, however, it transmitted one final order through the cells under its control.
"Kill them!"
"Kill them at all costs!"
Kokushibo's hand tightened around the hilt of his flesh-forged Nichirin-like blade.
The memory of Muzan's betrayal resurfaced once more.
The same cowardice.
The same willingness to sacrifice subordinates for survival.
The same contemptible behavior.
His six eyes blazed with murderous intent.
"Just like Muzan…"
His voice was ice cold.
"Destroy them."
The command fell.
The remaining twelve members of the Twelve Kizuki immediately descended upon the Manjushiro army.
A great battle erupted.
The first to charge forward was Lower Moon Six, Nue.
With a bestial roar, he unleashed his Blood Demon Art.
Blood Demon Art: Nue Demon Transformation!
Violent demonic energy exploded from his body.
His muscles swelled.
His claws lengthened into razor-sharp weapons.
His face twisted into something monstrous.
His body grew larger and larger until he resembled a towering humanoid beast.
A serpentine tail writhed behind him.
The transformed Nue seemed to lose all rationality.
Like a feral predator, he seized dozens of Manjushiro warriors and tore them apart with brute force.
Blood and flesh exploded everywhere.
Unfortunately, there were simply too many enemies.
The commotion had not frightened the creatures.
Instead, it had attracted even more Manjushiro from every corner of the mountain.
Yubi's eyes immediately found Rui.
And unlike their previous encounter, Rui's aura had become considerably stronger.
The spider-like monster grinned viciously.
"Little spider. This time, I'll definitely eat you."
Countless strands of silk shot toward Rui like arrows.
Blood Demon Art: Thousand Imprisonment Net!
Rui remained completely calm.
His fingers moved.
Blood Demon Art: Cutting Thread Rotation!
The crimson threads collided violently.
The webbing intertwined before being shredded apart.
Sharp strands sliced across both combatants.
Yet neither suffered meaningful damage.
Their regenerative abilities restored the wounds almost instantly.
Yubi's blood-red mouth stretched into a grin.
"Little spider… you're mine."
Although he had been caught off guard, this was still the heart of the Manjushiro nest.
Countless creatures rushed Rui from every direction.
Rui knew that if he became completely surrounded, even his regeneration could be overwhelmed.
Forced onto the defensive, he shifted his attention toward the approaching swarm.
That momentary distraction created the opportunity Yubi had been waiting for.
The monster immediately thrust his spider-like spear toward Rui's chest.
CLANG!
The attack was blocked.
Lower Moon Three, Byakuya, and Lower Moon Four, Zero, appeared simultaneously.
Byakuya sighed helplessly.
"Rui, be careful. Lord Kokushibo specifically ordered us to protect you."
Zero nodded in agreement.
"Seriously… why does it always feel like you're everyone's favorite?"
Before the battle began, Kokushibo had personally instructed the Lower Moons to ensure Rui's safety.
Among the Lower Moons, Rui's position was undeniably special.
Yet even with three Lower Moons standing together, they were still inferior to Yubi in raw strength.
Yubi rolled his neck.
Greed shone in his eyes.
He had already devoured numerous demons.
If he could devour members of the Twelve Kizuki…
His evolution would surely advance even further.
Perhaps he could even reach a completely new realm of power.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, every demon had found an opponent.
Rokuro's enemy resembled a giant beetle.
"Die!"
Rokuro slashed wildly with his claws.
The beetle-like creature remained utterly unfazed.
Its shell suddenly split apart.
A humanoid figure emerged from within.
Before Rokuro could react, the creature seized both of his arms.
Its face twisted into a triumphant smile.
"Weakling. You are no match for me."
"I am Haigra!"
The moment he heard those words, Rokuro's expression changed.
This creature possessed advanced intelligence.
Ordinary Manjushiro could only utter fragmented phrases.
This one could converse normally.
Kokushibo had already explained the danger.
Among the Manjushiro, intelligence and strength grew together.
The smarter they became, the stronger they were.
Before Rokuro could escape, a sharp horn erupted from Haigra's forehead.
CRACK!
The horn pierced directly through Rokuro's skull.
With a violent twist, his head was torn away.
Haigra laughed triumphantly.
But before he could devour the fallen demon, another figure suddenly lunged toward him.
A massive worm-like body burst from the darkness.
Haigra was forced to retreat immediately.
The attack narrowly missed him.
Enmu appeared with his usual unsettling smile.
Several gigantic flesh worms writhed behind him, devouring every Manjushiro unfortunate enough to be caught.
"That lord ordered the extermination of every one of you."
The mouth embedded in Enmu's hand opened and spoke with the same twisted grin.
"None of you will survive."
The giant worm launched itself toward Haigra.
At that moment, Gyutaro called out.
"Leave him to us!"
Swinging his twin sickles, he unleashed countless crescent-shaped blades of blood.
Enmu immediately understood.
He could sense it clearly.
Haigra was not an opponent he could defeat alone.
If an Upper Moon wanted the prey, he had no intention of arguing.
Enmu simply withdrew.
His attention shifted toward the trembling Manjushiro horde surrounding him.
His smile widened.
"Would you like to experience the most beautiful nightmares?"
The creatures froze as his Blood Demon Art began to spread.
Meanwhile, Gyutaro and Daki confronted Haigra directly.
The insect-like creature snorted contemptuously.
"You bring a woman into battle?"
Without hesitation, he charged.
CLANG!
Haigra used his hardened body to block Gyutaro's sickles.
Sparks erupted upon impact.
"As long as my sister and I fight together…"
Gyutaro's grin widened.
In the next instant, a sharp obi sash pierced through Haigra's arm.
Daki smiled coldly.
"We are invincible."
Blood Demon Art: Flying Blood Sickles!
Countless poisonous blood blades exploded outward.
Haigra was forced backward.
Deep wounds appeared across his body.
Dark poison immediately spread through his flesh.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Yet instead of fear, excitement filled his eyes.
His gaze moved between Gyutaro and Daki.
The hunger in his expression became almost tangible.
"You two…"
His grin widened grotesquely.
"Are worthy of being consumed."
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