Chapter 98 Battle Against the Demon

"ah--."

Kanroji Mitsuri stared at the terrifying face before her, screamed in fright, and tears involuntarily streamed from her grass-green eyes. Her body reflexively slapped the demon across the face.

"Snap—".

Due to muscle tension caused by nervousness, Mitsuri Kanroji's strength was so great that she sent the unsuspecting Oni-sen flying several meters away.

"Heavens, what is that?"

Yuichiro Tokito, who rushed out of the woods, was completely bewildered as he watched a strange-looking thing fly towards him. He instinctively drew his sword and swung it out quickly.

"Breath of the Moon - First Form - Dark Moon Palace".

The red blade with a yellow crescent moon slashed out with his movement, but because the ethereal cry was too long, Tokito Ichiro was not used to holding the sword with one hand, and the blade was slightly tilted.

The red blade sliced ​​the demon's head in half, blood mixed with white brain matter splattering around it. Half of the head fell to the ground.

"Ugh, that's disgusting."

Tokito Ichiro took a few steps back, covered his mouth and nose with his blue sleeve in disgust, and waved it vigorously.

"Damn it, where did this brat come from!"

An angry voice came from the mouth of the half-dead head, and his eyes on the ground stared fiercely at Tokito Ichiro, his body swaying as he lost sight.

"You can't kill demons without a Nichirin Blade."

The Demon Slayer Corps member, trembling as she leaned against a tree trunk to get to her feet, spoke. Her vision was blurred by blood, making it difficult to see her surroundings clearly. She squinted when she saw the familiar figure of Tokito Ichiro. However, her injuries were still too severe for her to concentrate and clearly discern the person in front of her.

"Lord Xiazhu?"

She tentatively opened her mouth and saw the figure turn around, but the voice coming from the other person was somewhat different; the clear, boyish voice reached her ears.

"who?"

Tokito Yuichiro looked at her strangely, but she just shook her head. Her voice was different, so it seemed that he couldn't see clearly and his eyes were playing tricks on him.

In the instant the two were exchanging words, the ghost on the ground stretched out its hand, grabbed the head that had rolled onto the ground, and pressed it back down, its long black fingernails protruding.

"You brat, prepare to die."

The long-armed demon brandished its jet-black, sharp fingernails and slashed at Tokito Ichiro. The latter simply shifted slightly to the right, dodging the sharp nails. In the process, he gripped the Hollow Crying God tightly with both hands to block the sweeping arm.

"Oh, you've broken through?"

Tokito Ichiro curled his lips into a mocking smile, raising both hands and swinging the Hollow Crying God forward.

"Breathing of the Moon, Third Form, Aversion to the Moon, Erosion".

Two enormous red arcs, each bearing a golden crescent, swung forward, severing the ghost's swaying long arms and sharp nails. The long-armed ghost hastily took two steps back, watching as the two massive red blades grazed its body and sliced ​​through a large swath of trees.

"Such destructive power."

The man, being carefully supported by Kanroji Mitsuri, covered his injured forehead and exclaimed in amazement at the scene created by the Breath of the Moon.

He turned his gaze to Yuichiro Muto, who was drawing his sword, and his pupils contracted sharply. As the dust settled, the boy's sword-wielding hand slowly fell, and the face hidden by the blue sleeve looked exactly like the Mist Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.

"You...you."

The man stared in shock, unable to speak coherently. Tokito Ichiro looked at the man, finding his expression inexplicable. He raised an eyebrow, thrusting the Hollow Crying God forward, aiming a piercing blow at the demon's forehead.

"Are you sick? Haven't you ever seen a person before?"

Tokito Ichiro clicked his tongue, his hands continuing their movements, causing the long-armed demon to scream in agony.

"Aaaaaah—"

"hiss--."

The man felt a chill run down his spine and immediately shut his mouth. Although the other person looked exactly like the Mist Pillar in his memory, it was clear that they were not the same person.

The man's gaze fell on the knife in the other's hand. The chilling purple blade had a row of golden eyes that were still moving, clearly the product of a demon.

"Yes, Ichiro."

After waiting for a while, Yan Sheng decided to come and take a look. He appeared from behind the tree, his red eyes reflecting the images of the group.

The moment the long-armed demon saw Iwakatsu, he felt a powerful suppression. This pressure, belonging to the Upper Moon demon, made him tremble and stiffen his whole body. He dared not move even as Tokito Ichiro turned the blade.

"Brother, what brings you here?"

Tokito Ichiro looked at Iwakatsu, drew the Hollow Crying God, and flicked the blood off the blade. Unlike the dagger-sized Hollow Crying God, his physical strength couldn't handle the power of this sword, which meant he couldn't kill the Long-Armed Demon no matter what he did.

"Come...take a look."

Iwakatsu said casually, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before settling on Tokito Ichiro. Actually, Iwakatsu had just remembered that Tokito Ichiro couldn't use the Hollow Crying God normally.

He had expected the Demon Slayer Corps to cooperate, but he was worried about something unexpected, so he came to check. Just as he feared, the Demon Slayer Corps was too weak and couldn't help at all.

Iwakatsu glanced at the Nichirin Blade lying on the grass, then kicked it with his clogs, sending the blade flying before Iwakatsu caught it firmly in his hand.

"brush--."

With a casual flick of his wrist, Yan Sheng severed the neck of the seemingly invincible demon in the blink of an eye. The demon let out a scream and slowly turned into black smoke, dissipating in the wind.

"Bro, that's not fair when you finish someone off like that!"

Tokito Ichiro said unconvinced, handing the overly long, ethereal shrine to Iwakatsu.

"Wait, that knife."

The man watched as Tokito Ichiro handed the Hollow Crying God to Iwakatsu, and instinctively rushed forward to snatch the strange sword. But Iwakatsu quickly put the Hollow Crying God away.

He looked down at the man who was staggering in front of him, his pale gold pupils turning red.

It's a ghost; this isn't human presence at all.

The man looked warily at Iwakatsu, then glanced at Tokito Ichiro. He was certain that the boy who looked exactly like the Mist Hashira was human.

Why would humans walk with ghosts?

"Let's go..."

Seeing the other party's wary movements, Yan Sheng withdrew the oppressive aura he had just exuded. He didn't care about being feared or disliked by others.

When Kanroji Mitsuri saw Iwakatsu, she instinctively took a step forward to greet him, but was stopped by someone else.

Don't go.

Seeing that Iwakatsu was no longer paying attention to him, and that he had left with Tokito Ichiro, the man slowly released his grip on Kanroji Mitsuri's hand. As soon as he relaxed, his legs went weak and he sat down on the ground.

Are you alright?!

Kanroji Mitsuri asked with concern, unsure how to help the woman who was covered in blood. The man turned to look at the woman leaning against the tree trunk, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she was out of danger.

"You...cough cough cough, you're very powerful. Would you like to join the Demon Slayer Corps?"

Looking at Kanroji Mitsuri, the man recalled the scene of her slapping the demon away and said thoughtfully.

"I……"

Before Kanroji Mitsuri could finish speaking, several members of the Hidden Sect arrived and quickly lifted the two injured people onto stretchers.

"You can think about it. If you want, just take this to the location on the paper."

The man took out a letter and a wooden plaque and handed them to the other party. After the hidden member, Mitsuri Kanroji, took them, he quickly left the scene.

Kanroji Mitsuri watched the disappearing group, clutching the letter and wooden plaque tightly, surveying the chaotic scene.

Are all the Demon Slayer Corps members that powerful?