Encirclement
Having been killed so many times within the illusion, it's easy to lose track of day and night. Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka opened their eyes blankly, staring at the ceiling for a long while before slowly sitting up. Touching the tatami mat beneath them, they felt a stiff neck and a throbbing pain throughout their bodies. They looked down at their fingers, instinctively touching the 'cut' wounds on their bodies—wrist, neck, abdomen, heart—none of them felt right. The throbbing pain was still vivid in their minds, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
So strong!
The Upper Moon is too powerful!
Both of them inevitably felt fear. Even the strongest person will feel frustrated after repeated failures. A gloomy expression was just the most superficial manifestation; even their legs were barely obeying their commands, and the lingering, dull pain was somewhat tormenting.
"Butterfly?" Giyu Tomioka looked at her, his eyes conveying a sense of 'Are you alright?', but in reality, he remained completely expressionless.
Shinobu Kocho was already in a state of confusion, and facing this guy who tried to communicate with his eyes but didn't say a word, her forehead throbbed. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and maintained her usual smile, saying, "I'm fine. How is Mr. Tomioka?"
"Is your face injured?" Why does it look like it's cramping?
“(╬￣皿￣)＝○＃（￣＃）3￣）It’s you!” Shinobu Kocho couldn’t hold back any longer and punched him in the face.
Yi Yong: (⊙o⊙)…Why are you angry?
With a soft thud, he flew out and landed in the courtyard. A familiar scent of wisteria wafted by, and the two, still reeling from their shock, saw that someone else was there. The girl stood beneath the misty wisteria blossoms, wearing a light purple Western-style dress, her hair styled in two buns adorned with pearl ornaments. A few unruly strands of hair brushed against her cheek, almost drowning her in the cascading wisteria blossoms.
Seemingly sensing the gaze, the girl turned around and walked gracefully through the sea of flowers in her low-heeled sandals. The surrounding fragrance made her presence very faint.
Giyu Tomioka just watched, thinking to himself: What a weak presence.
"You're awake. How are you feeling?" Luna came into the corridor and looked at the two of them with a slight smile.
"..."
"..."
Two pairs of eyes were fixed on her, clearly not a pleasant experience. Giyu Tomioka got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and kept glancing at Shinobu Kocho, looking like he wanted to ask something but didn't.
Shinobu turned her head away, too lazy to bother with that idiot. She regulated her breathing, trying to suppress her temper. She needed her older sister's smile to save her; the tranquility in the illusion had driven her hysterical and left her powerless.
I'm too weak!
Luna chuckled softly, her dark eyes half-closed, her gaze seemingly fixed on the scattered fragrant petals on the steps. Her tone was gentle and calm, and her still-childlike profile revealed an intellectual beauty.
"It's normal to die many times. How difficult would it be for you three to defeat an old ghost who's over a hundred years old in a one-on-one fight? When Mr. Beiming Island arrives tomorrow, the three of you can try the illusion magic circle. If the three of you work together, you can always find a way to defeat him."
"Can the three of us try it together?" Shinobu Kocho was taken aback. Was that even possible?
“The magic circle is fine, but Dream Weaving requires a high level of mental strength. You are not magicians, and trying it more than twice in a month or two could cause mental trauma. I don’t mind people with weak willpower going in to experience it, after all… being constantly killed is not a good experience. If it weren’t for the fact that you have to fight demons every day and there’s a very high probability that you will encounter that demon, I wouldn’t have agreed.” Luna felt that although this was not Tsukuyomi, putting Kokushibo in it made it on par with Tsukuyomi.
Butterfly, with her thick, raven-feather eyelashes drooping, quickly understood what the other meant: "I understand."
Ordinary team members, even those in the top league, should ideally not enter. Otherwise, they may not be able to recover for many days, and might even become completely demoralized.
"Didn't you say that the illusion array isn't realistic enough?" Giyu Tomioka remained expressionless, his emotions seemingly missing in some ways.
"We just won't make any on-site adjustments; you guys have to start with the easy levels."
Luna shrugged. When humans face ancient monsters that have lived for an unknown amount of time, the first thing they must recognize is the gap between themselves and their opponents. Demons are far inferior to humans; their age represents experience, and their physical strength and recovery ability far surpass those of humans. To defeat a demon gracefully, one must use every means to bridge the gap.
Those that are fast should be restricted from being killed.
Those who are strong should surround and kill them.
When facing someone as powerful as Kokushibo, who seems to have no weaknesses, whether it's poisoning, siege, or sniping, killing him is a victory for humanity.
Shinobu Kocho looked into Luna's eyes, her gaze sweeping over the beauty mark at the corner of Luna's eye, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips: "You're right."
Yes, to defeat the opponent, one must first have the right understanding. She originally used poison, and it was already very fortunate that she obtained some of Upper Moon One's flesh and blood this time. Poisoning an Upper Moon is the Insect Pillar's pride and restraint.
Neither Tomioka nor Shinazugawa could cut Upper Moon One's neck, so in comparison, she was actually no different from them. Humans are inherently weaker than demons, and using intelligence to hunt demons has always been her pursuit.
Giyu Tomioka took this to heart. He knelt upright and looked at Luna with a blank expression: "I want to see your speed."
Shinobu Kocho's translation of this is roughly: Luna fought Upper Moon One. To emerge unscathed from such an enemy must mean she's incredibly fast, so he wanted to ask her for advice.
But that was said politely enough, so why does it sound like it's missing an arm or a leg?
“Okay.” Luna had no objection. She quickly put her hand on Tomioka Giyuu’s shoulder and watched him roll away. Then she moved in front of him and stomped on his waist.
Shinobu Kocho watched with a smile as Giyu Tomioka was touched five times, then swiftly reached out to put her hand on Luna's shoulder. But instead of touching Luna, she found her palm resting on Tomioka's bewildered face, her hairband undone, and her hair falling loose over her shoulders.
Giyu Tomioka's hand landed on Shinobu Kocho's forehead, and the two faced each other. An atmosphere filled the room, and Luna, behind them, secretly covered her mouth and chuckled.
Wow, I never thought I could ship couples like this!
Let's do this next time the snakes are together.
>>>>
A prestigious illusionary mansion like the Illusionary Mansion can't have just one boss, not even Upper Moon One. Furthermore, the Illusionary Mansion is located on a mountain near the Butterfly Mansion, so it's under their protection. Considering the wounded's recovery, Luna decides to go out and experience the power of other demons to update and upgrade the illusionary array.
Ubuyashiki, upon hearing the news, sent a message saying that each illusion would increase her salary by one level. She hoped Ubuyashiki would prepare more so everyone could practice. Dying in an illusion was better than dying in reality.
With Ubuyashiki being so helpful, Luna naturally couldn't ignore it. She had earned quite a bit of money in the ninja world, but she had spent almost all of it. First, she bought five kilograms of chakra metal of five different attributes, intending to make her own staff. That was real money, costing her eighty percent of her savings.
All she brought from the ninja world was a storage backpack containing only basic necessities, ninjutsu scrolls, and a notebook. The backpack was very sturdy, impervious to water and fire; she had broken off a branch from the Divine Tree and peeled off some bark when she went to steal from the White Zetsu.
Using Orochimaru's special abilities, the tree bark was transformed into a storage backpack, capable of holding items roughly the size of a 20-square-meter house.
In order to save some money on her own, Luna packed her things, carried Baobao on her back, and set off.
—Night—
In the thick, inky darkness, a demon was fleeing when he encountered a madman. The madman carried a blood-stained handkerchief and was wandering the streets at night when he saw a ghost and tried to escape. After using all his tricks, he discovered the man was still alive.
Then, the person suddenly vanished, and a gleaming sword slashed towards his head. Half his skull was sliced off, and the other person even said, "Sorry, it's my first time using it, I'm not used to it."
Oh my god!
QAQ Why play with ghosts?
Pfft!
The longsword sliced off the neck, the demon's head rolled off, and gradually dissipated.
Luna stood atop the wall, brandishing her newly acquired Sunwheel Sword. Her weapon was custom-made; she had provided a considerable amount of materials and negotiated extensively with the swordsmith to create this magical sword. The blade was thick, double-edged, and both the hilt and guard were a foot long. The excessively long hilt gave the greatsword a distinctly European style, a seamless, cold glint of steel.
It is made from branches of the Divine Tree, forged from pseudo-chakra metal. Although it has a metallic appearance, it is much lighter, and symmetrical magical runes are carved on it, allowing some low-level spells to be cast instantly.
This was just the beginning. In a whole month, Luna killed 30 demons. She successfully spread the tragic story of being 'teasing and dying' among the little devils.
"I heard that a mentally ill person has recently appeared."
She was holding a piece of blood-stained gauze in her hand.
"Isn't it a handkerchief?"
"Whatever, it's something that's trying to seduce us anyway."
Once the ghost takes the bait, she pretends to flee in a sorry state. When the ghost has exhausted all means and is determined to succeed, she kills the ghost with a single blow.
"Is it really necessary? If you're going to kill, then kill! What's the point of playing games with ghosts?"
"QAQ That's it!"
Luna set up over twenty illusion arrays based on the various demons' blood demon arts, ensuring that even lower-level wounded soldiers would have suitable opponents. Dressed in her Demon Slayer Corps uniform, Luna happily carried her sword and went out to 'accidentally' encounter a Lower Moon.
An ugly fish appeared before her, and her mind went blank for a moment; she couldn't immediately recall who it was. But that didn't stop her from dodging, pressing her palm into the ground and leaving a magic teleportation circle.
A crescent moon the size of a bathtub hurtled towards her forehead. Luna dodged it and saw the magic circle on the ground shatter. She raised an eyebrow and looked at the black shibo on the roof, a slight smile playing on her lips.
She drew her sword and swung it, the crimson crescent moon horizontal scroll sweeping away the swarm of fish that rushed towards her.
First Form: Dark Moon: Night Palace!
"Lord Kokushibo?" one of the potters exclaimed, clearly incredulous. Then he realized that the crescent moon wasn't something Lord Kokushibo had slashed.
Type Two: Pearl and Moonlit Night!
Luna didn't let the pot go, and continued to slash with her sword. Each slash was accompanied by a crescent-shaped sword aura that launched a small attack, sending the pot flying several meters away.
Kokushibo stood quietly on the rooftop, his face grim. A complex feeling stirred within him; he had never found a successor while alive, yet someone had mastered it so easily.
Or the most hated genius!
But he didn't move. Muzan's orders were for Gyokko and Hantengu to probe the magician's weaknesses, after which he would be responsible for capturing him alive. Magicians were fast and had many ways to escape; Muzan needed to know more. Such a novel experimental subject, having come across this, couldn't be let go.
"How terrifying, so terrifying!" Over there, another extremely ugly old man, hunched over and short and stout, stared at Luna from the doorway.
"Wow, there are three!" Luna smiled, planted the Sun Wheel Sword into the ground, a magic circle lit up on the hilt, and a burst of flames broke through the encirclement as she headed towards the pot.
The Sixth Form: Long Night, Lonely Moon, and Endless!
Her crimson crescent moons were chaotic and disordered, resembling a high-density area-of-effect (AOE) attack, so dense that it was impossible to defend against.
Hearing Gyokuko's screams, Kokushibo remained unmoved. These two were sent precisely because they were not easy to kill. He stared at the girl wielding the greatsword; the way Tsukuyomi severed the Blood Demon Art stirred emotions within him.
Hmph, your moves aren't polished enough yet.
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