Kyojuro vs Four-Arm Demon

Of the three demons, one is a female with snake-like scales covering her body, her mouth filled with sharp fangs. The other two were more ordinary in appearance, with clawed hands.

Ryou, still in the Eighth form: Time Zone, synchronously executed the fifth form of his breathing style: Lightning Storm. Blue arcs crackled around his body as he transformed into lightning itself, vanishing from view.

Lightning arcs crackled around the surroundings with a sizzling sound, before Ryou's figure reappeared at the exact spot where he began the attack.

At the same time, the heads of the three demons at different places were sent flying into the air, disintegrating into ashes before they could even hit the ground.

Everything happened in a blink of an eye before anyone could hardly react. Kyojuro and the injured demon slayer were stunned by the strength shown by Ryou, as well as the Four-Armed Demon.

'+3 Demon Points!'

"What are you doing Kyojuro? I thought you would have finished by now," Ryou said, breathing out deeply to release the excess air from his lungs.

"Hahaha...You are strong, Ryou. I won't take much time!" Kyojuro laughed heartily before assuming a standard sword stance, firmly gripping his katana with both hands.

'I can't show weakness before my friend!'

"Sixth Form: Hellfire!" Rengoku muttered.

In a blur of motion, he appeared before the demon, delivering a powerful horizontal slash aimed directly at its neck.

Strangely, the demon showed no fear. Instead, it grinned wickedly and exclaimed, "Blood Demon Art: Iron Skin!"

'Bang!'

Kyojuro's sword clashed with the demon's defense, creating a shockwave that sent clouds of dust into the air. But to everyone's surprise, it only left a shallow mark on the demon's skin.

Only then did Kyojuro and Ryou notice a gleaming coat of metallic sheen enveloping the entire demon.

"The demon's not simple. It knows Blood Demon Arts!" Ryou muttered, then called out, "Kyojuro, be careful."

One of the demon's arms lashed out at Kyojuro, who swiftly reacted and resisted the attack with his sword. Despite his strength, the force behind the attack blasted him backward through the air.

Kyojuro landed a few meters away, skidding across the dirt before coming to a stop.

"Are you okay?" Ryou asked but showed no intention of intervening. It's Kyojuro's fight.

He would only step in if Kyojuro is exhausted or if something unexpected happens but considering his strength the possibility is close to zero.

"Mn. Good! I think this demon really has the strength of a Lower Moon as I haven't encountered such a strong demon before" Kyojuro said.

'Of course, it is.' Ryou rolled his eyes in response.

Blood Demon Arts are inherently different from the special abilities shown by demons. Unlike special abilities, the blood demon arts enhance their strength to another level, as well as their regeneration and increase their upper limit of human consumption.

The demon didn't exude even a fraction of the pressure of an Upper Moon demon like Doma. But, its Blood Demon Art is tricky and it may pose a significant challenge to Demon Slayers who rely on swords to slay the demons.

During Kyojuro's last strike, the demon's skin had hardened to the point of being impenetrable with the hardness of steel.

"An interesting Blood Demon Art," Ryou thought, feeling a surge of excitement to fight the demon. He wants to find which is stronger, whether his Tekkai or the demon's Blood Demon Art Iron skin.

"You two, aren't you taking me too lightly? Who do you think I am? Is it because I don't have any numbers in my eyes?" With disdain evident in his eyes, the demon spoke in an arrogant tone, looking down upon the two and the other Lower Moons at the same time.

"Don't compare me to the demons you kill every day. Even before I became a demon, I was called 'Shin Akuma' because I killed too many people and bathed in their blood.

After becoming a demon, I killed countless humans and devoured their blood to attain such strength. It won't be long before I ascend to the ranks of Lower Moons!" The Four-armed demon chuckled.

While his Blood Demon Art may seem formidable against Demon Slayers, it lacks a significant advantage against lower moon demons, despite his strength being on par with them.

Ignoring the demon's ramblings, Kyojuro assumed a high stance and performed an incredibly swift dash toward the demon.

'Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku!'

His sword released a torrent of flames that coiled around him like a blazing dragon. As he closed in on the demon, he unleashed a singular, devastating slash, aiming to cleave through its iron defense.

The force of the technique was so immense that it carved through the ground in its wake, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

The demon reacted by instinct, unconsciously crossing its four arms in a defensive stance, forming two layers of protection.

But to its horror, Kyojuro's sword cleaved through his four arms effortlessly and reached for his neck, slicing through his iron skin and tearing into his flesh.

For a brief moment, the demon thought he had met his end, but Kyojuro's sword halted at his neck bone, unable to proceed further.

Seizing the opportunity, the demon launched a swift kick at Kyojuro, who had no choice but to evade the attack by leaping backward.

Touching the blood-stained neck that's gradually regenerating, the demon felt a surge of humiliation at being nearly slain by a demon slayer who wasn't even a Hashira. As someone who spent most of his life on the battlefield, it's a shame.

Now he understands why the Lower Moons fear facing a Hashira in battle. They are strong, only the Upper Moons whose strength transcended to the next level can deal with them.

His senses sharpened to their peak, no longer underestimating the two Demon Slayers in front of him, even if they weren't Hashira.

"Ahh, so close. Just a bit more, and I would have cleaved his head," Kyojuro thought loudly with a disappointed grunt. "Looks like I need to intensify my training. I can't become a Hashira if I can't even cut through a demon's neck."

"Kyojuro, want to switch?" Ryou asked.

"No! I'm going to surpass my limits and defeat this demon," Kyojuro declared determinedly.

"Alright, but don't underestimate yourself. It's just this demon's Blood Demon Art is tricky." Ryou responded.

"It's true, but that's just an excuse for my weakness," Kyojuro admitted frankly. 

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P@tre0n/FanficMortal