Chapter 12: lower moon

Aoki took stock.

Seventeen demons had been besieged by him today, not counting the hand demon, yielding a total of 90 experience points.

"Experience rewards dropped so quickly. There's no need to specifically hunt these weaker demons in the future."

\[Ding Dong!\]

\["Mount Fuji Dungeon" completed. Rewards issued.\]

\[Congratulations on your level-up!\]

"It must be from the mission reward!"

Aoki exclaimed, pondered for a moment, then allocated his two free attribute points to intelligence and agility as planned this time.

A refreshing sensation coursed through him. His thought processing speed increased slightly, and his swollen muscles returned to symmetry.

No need to say anything about skill points; he allocated them directly to "Demon Blood," receiving another "all attributes +1" prompt.

Aoki was about to check the system changes when he suddenly froze.

An unprecedented feeling surged through him. It was as if he had shed numerous shackles, every cell cheering, and every drop of blood rejoicing.

Relieved! Free! Unburdened!

It felt like a new lease on life!

Aoki was struck by inspiration. "Could it be that Muzan's curse planted in my body has disappeared?"

Whenever Muzan creates a demon, he leaves a curse in their blood. Any demon uttering his name would succumb to this curse.

Moreover, he could manipulate the blood he imparted to demons, sealing their regeneration abilities and effortlessly killing them.

In essence, once you became a demon, Muzan held absolute control over life and death.

Currently, the only exceptions were Tamayo and Yushiro.

Tamayo had conducted numerous experiments on herself, leveraging her exceptional medical skills to break free from Muzan's grasp. Yushiro, on the other hand, was the only demon not created by Muzan and thus not bound by the curse.

This fact had long gnawed at Aoki.

Even after transforming into a demon himself, he hadn't managed to sever Muzan's control. His fate remained wholly in Muzan's hands.

Freeing himself from Muzan's control was more critical to Aoki than any additional attribute points.

"No, it's more than that!"

Aoki closely monitored his changes and gradually realized.

It wasn't merely about escaping Muzan's control but gaining complete mastery over his own bloodline, completely severing ties with Muzan.

"I was contemplating whether to seek Tamayo's aid, but I never expected this threat to dissipate so suddenly. The system never fails to deliver!"

Aoki exclaimed, glancing at the system panel.

\[Name: Aoki\]

\[Strength: 13\]

\[Constitution: 11\]

\[Intelligence: 12\]

\[Agility: 11\]

\[Occupation: Hunter, White Walker\]

...

\[White Walker\]

Quality: ★★

Level: Lv4 (118/400)

Skills: Demon Blood III, Space Shuttle (not yet learned), Transparent World (not yet learned), Devouring demon

"The novice stage is truly behind me."

Aoki instinctively attempted to learn a skill.

Transparent World.

\[Sorry, prerequisite skill level not met.\]

Space Shuttle.

\[Sorry, insufficient skill points.\]

"I still can't learn..."

Aoki abruptly refocused. "Space Shuttle. Can I learn it?"

He tried again, but the system message still read "Insufficient skill points."

"Does Space Shuttle have lower requirements than Transparent World? On second thought, it makes sense. Transparent World is much more complex than manipulating demon blood."

Aoki nodded to himself, delving deeper into contemplation.

Soon, he uncovered a troubling reality.

The prerequisites for learning and upgrading skills had escalated!

To acquire "Space Shuttle," he needed 2 skill points, and to upgrade "Demon Blood" again, 3 skill points were required.

"It seems the phase of rapid growth is over!"

Aoki mused thoughtfully.

The primary reason behind his substantial increase in attributes over such a brief span was the enhancement brought by "Demon Blood."

By learning "Space Shuttle" first, he could aim to upgrade "Demon Blood" once reaching Level 9.

Aoki set aside these intricate thoughts.

His expedition to Fuji Mountain had concluded triumphantly, yielding a more bountiful harvest than anticipated.

Now, it was time to depart.

This wasn't a place for lingering.

Aoki descended the mountain without regret.

Simultaneously,

In the bustling streets of Asakusa,

A raven-haired youth, finely dressed with a pallid countenance, strolled leisurely amid the crowd.

The surrounding people frolicked and laughed, oblivious to the fact that a man-eating demon lurked in their midst.

Suddenly, Muzan Kibutsuji halted, his head swiveling instinctively. His gaze seemed to pierce through space, fixated on distant Fuji Mountain.

After a moment, anger flickered in his eyes, mingled with disbelief.

"What's happening? How did he manage this?"

He had sensed a sudden severance of a particular connection. Upon probing, he discovered that it was a demon he had recently created, freed from his control.

"Could there be some secret about that human? I should have investigated more thoroughly back then!"

Muzan Kibutsuji's countenance turned frigid.

He abhorred change, particularly change that deviated so drastically from his expectations.

However, alongside his fury, a trace of regret seeped in.

"No matter. I must capture him! Is anyone nearby?No, one isn't enough. I need several. Ensure you capture him for me!"

Kibutsuji Muzan's expression turned ominously terrifying as he strode slowly toward a shadow-drenched alley. As his form cloaked in darkness, he silently vanished.

...

The moonlight melted, and the autumn night cascaded like water.

Two figures, one tall and one petite, strolled side by side, moving at an astonishing pace.

The image of Mount Fuji drew nearer from afar until they reached the mountain's base, where they halted.

The petite female demon sported short white hair, double horns on her brow, crimson eyes with violet pupils, and symmetrical red facial markings.

Beside her, the towering figure bore horns curved akin to a bull's head on either side of his temples, his visage savage.

"Is this the place?"

The female demon gazed up at Mount fuji, her brows furrowing deeply.

Wisteria blossoms!

And such a profusion of wisteria!

That adult had certainly handed them a challenging mission.

Not far off,

Two Demon Slayer Corps members donned in brown uniforms strolled leisurely.

"I heard something move over here just now."

"Could you be mistaken? Who'd venture here in the dead of night?"

"Maybe it's a demon?"

"Haha, demons assaulting a mountain draped in vines of wisteria? They'd recoil upon sensing wisteria blooms every few kilometers."

"That's not entirely certain. But just in case..."

Their conversation abruptly ceased as they spotted the two figures at the mountain's base.

"It's a demon!"

"Indeed, a demon!"

The two exchanged grave looks.

"They haven't noticed us yet."

"So..."

Nodding in unison, they slowly unsheathed their longswords.

"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"

They leapt simultaneously, launching an assault on the demons.

The two demons displayed no reaction.

Just when the pair believed they were on the verge of success, blood abruptly spurted from their mouths, sending them hurtling back, their chests visibly caving in.

The two demons pivoted slowly, their eyes alight with mockery and amusement.

The two Demon Slayer Corps members plunged into an icy abyss.

By moonlight, they discerned words etched in the demons' eyes: "Four" and "Six," respectively.