Tatsuo quickly assessed the situation.
The ceiling and floor of the cavern had been brutally destroyed and no longer functioned as they should, and the cavern itself was collapsing.
He was still suspended in midair, that strange weightless sensation clinging to him, while blood demon attacks rained down from every direction.
The demon’s body attacks, or its Blood Demon Art, kept surging toward him without pause.
To cut through an attack, he needed a certain amount of force, speed, and time to swing his sword.
Even if he blocked the attack flying at him now, the next one would come half a beat earlier, before he could prepare for the follow-up.
Tatsuo found the chain of attacks, flowing like water, terribly annoying.
“I just need one opening. One opening is enough.”
As Tatsuo kept swinging his sword in a thoroughly defensive stance, two massive root tendrils shot toward him.
He made a wide swing and cut both roots down in a single stroke, only for the demon’s hand to come flying through the gap.
He twisted his head to avoid it, but the demon wasn’t aiming for him.
“If I cut down everything before my attack can reach you, wouldn’t the answer be to stop you from attacking at all?”
The demon’s target was his sword.
“You shouldn’t swing your blade in such a huge motion. See? I can grab it like this.”
The demon’s enormous hand had clamped onto his blade.
With one hand pinning the sword in place, the demon drew back the other fist to strike.
The situation was on a knife’s edge. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before that fist smashed into Tatsuo’s face.
“Now.”
The moment the thought flashed through his mind, Tatsuo released one hand from the sword he had been holding with both hands and swiftly slammed the underside of the hilt.
“Ghk!”
He forcefully swung the blade through the slight opening created as the demon’s hand was cut.
Tatsuo severed both of the demon’s arms in the same instant the fist came down.
“Use the attack that’s coming right away.”
Instead of following up, Tatsuo leaned his body back and crouched low.
The demon had been using Blood Demon Art to keep up relentless pressure and close the speed gap between them.
That meant, based on everything so far, the root attack would come immediately at this point.
And sure enough, roots formed by the demon’s Blood Demon Art appeared at the same time.
He stamped down on the root that shot toward him like a bullet, using the crouched leg as a foothold.
Pain shot through his ankle. It couldn’t be helped. To break free of the cycle of attacks, he had to accept this much damage.
He kicked off the root and soared high into the air.
As he flew, he cut through more of the collapsing ceiling and landed in the center of the staircase that had been used to descend into the cavern.
“First, get out of here.”
He had no time to stand still.
His legs moved as he rushed toward the surface.
Then his instincts rang the alarm. Following that warning, he threw his body to the side, and something shot up from the ground and grazed his cheek.
[Blood Demon Art - Hundred Blood Light Orbs • Reforged]
It was the demon’s Blood Demon Art. Blood-colored orbs had already formed and were being fired upward from below.
The rising blood orbs soon began to shine brightly, then exploded.
“Explosions... That was definitely not a power it had before.”
That was only the beginning. Blood orbs poured upward in a wild barrage.
As Tatsuo dodged and climbed, his speed naturally began to drop.
A wet, surging sound came from below the staircase.
That too was the demon’s Blood Demon Art. He clearly remembered it as the technique that generated blood waves.
“There’s no way it would use such a pointless attack at a time like this.”
From their previous exchange, Tatsuo knew that the wave technique might be monstrous in power, but it wasn’t fast.
No matter how much his speed had slowed from dodging the blood orbs on the way up, it still shouldn’t have become slow enough for that attack to catch him.
Then, through the cracks in the staircase, a tiny light began to leak out.
“Its body got stronger, so its Blood Demon Art got stronger too. The roots became thicker and faster, and the orbs started exploding.”
Seeing the light, his brain seemed to accelerate as some realization clicked into place.
“Explosions... There was light when the orbs exploded too. Which means...”
The moment Tatsuo thought it, brilliant light began to swallow him whole.
**
Kocho Kanae was running at full speed.
Kuuuuung!
It felt as though the ground itself was shaking beneath a massive explosion.
Kanae’s steps stopped on instinct, and she turned her head toward the direction of the blast.
Not far away, thick red smoke was billowing into the sky.
“Is that the place? That kind of explosion... What on earth is happening over there? Whatever it is, I hope we’re not too late.”
She sprinted toward the site of the explosion.
When she arrived, she could make out the silhouettes of two figures facing each other.
One would be the blood demon of the Twelve Kizuki, and the other the man named Tsunokake Tatsuo.
Kanae was startled when she saw the demon’s appearance.
She had spent years with the Demon Slayers, but she had never seen a blood demon that looked like that.
“Is that... really a blood demon...?”
Then she looked at the other person, the man who must have been Tsunokake Tatsuo.
“So this must be him...”
Kanae thought as she looked at the handsome man with black hair and golden eyes.
A line of blood ran down his cheek, and his black uniform was stained red in several places, likely from the attack.
He seemed to have injuries all over his body, yet he wore a faint smile as if he didn’t care at all.
**
“Blowing away an entire space, huh? Not bad, demon. Thanks to that, my blood’s started boiling.”
Tatsuo spoke with a slightly excited voice.
“Wow~ I didn’t think you’d survive an explosion like that. I’ve got regeneration, so it doesn’t matter to me, but humans don’t, do they?”
The demon answered while scratching its head.
Tatsuo licked the blood running down his cheek with his tongue and swallowed it.
“From here on out, this is the real beginning. Keep fighting me, demon.”
“Whoa... You’re seriously insane. Are you sure you’re human? Not a demon?”
The demon replied in admiration, then pointed behind Tatsuo with a finger.
“But who’s the woman behind you? Your partner?”
Only then did Tatsuo sense the presence behind him.
He glanced back, and a woman came into view.
“Good day. Tsunokake Tatsuo. I am Kocho Kanae, the Flower Hashira. You’ve endured a great deal until now.”
Kanae drew her Nichirin sword from her waist.
The blade left its sheath with a pale violet glow, announcing its presence.
“From here on, I’ll take over. Please recover behind me. The Kakushi will arrive soon.”
Kanae said this while pointing her Nichirin sword at the demon.
“Do not interfere.”
“Pardon? What did you say?”
“I said, do not interfere.”
Tatsuo turned his head and looked at Kanae.
“What on earth do you mean by that...?”
The instant Kanae met Tatsuo’s eyes, she could no longer continue speaking.
She felt as though an overwhelming force was pressing down on her body.
Unconsciously, she brought a hand to her throat.
“This one is my prey. I’ll deal with it.”
At Tatsuo’s declaration, Kanae could only stare blankly, clearly shaken.
“...I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I understand for now. However, if I judge that you’re in danger, I will intervene immediately.”
Kanae steadied herself and said, looking at Tatsuo.
Tatsuo seemed to ignore her words and turned back to the demon.
“What, you two aren’t on the same side? What’s with this atmosphere?”
The demon laughed as if amused.
“There was a bit of a disturbance. My apologies.”
Tatsuo gripped his sword with both hands.
“As a substitute, I’ll give you a gift.”
“My name is Tsunokake Tatsuo. The name of the one who’s been having a delightful fight with you. Remember it well!”
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