Hunter [66]: Soul Sealing

Even with his Soul Condensation talent, it had taken Lin Jie a considerable amount of time to utilize Soul Power even at this rudimentary level. He didn't have to worry about his opponent replicating it anytime soon. Besides, preoccupied with avoiding his blade, Kokushibou couldn't even begin to fathom a countermeasure.

More importantly, Lin Jie's verbal taunts were meant to distract Kokushibou. While the demon struggled to comprehend his words, Lin Jie closed the distance between them to within five meters.

Five meters was nothing when bursting forth at full speed. In the blink of an eye, Lin Jie's blade flashed before Kokushibou's eyes.

Instantly, the demon blade in Kokushibou's hand transformed, its edges extending outwards with several intersecting blades.

"Moon Breathing, Second Form: Pearl Flower Moongazing!"

Kokushibou leaped and spun, unleashing two massive crescent moon blades towards his opponent.

Lin Jie threw himself backward, dropping to the ground as the two moon blades whizzed past him, barely missing. Pushing himself up with one hand, he spun around and kicked Kokushibou in the abdomen, launching him into the air.

"Moon Breathing, Tenth Form: Piercing Moon Ring!"

Mid-air, Kokushibou swiftly rotated his body and slashed with his evolved demon blade, launching two gigantic, rotating crescent moon-shaped sword energies. They resembled enlarged versions of the Water Breathing technique, the Water Wheel.

However, both attacks struck nothing but air. Lin Jie was no longer in his original position. Kokushibou quickly located him directly below.

Lin Jie could have attacked with his sword, but instead, he grabbed Kokushibou's foot and flung him away.

"This should be far enough."

Lin Jie's initial plan was to fight while retreating, leading Kokushibou towards the spider lily flowers they had dyed. He hadn't expected Kokushibou to attempt an escape.

"Seems Red is no problem. That means they can focus on cleaning up those demons!"

Rengoku Kyojuro remarked, observing Lin Jie effortlessly holding his own.

"Exactly! Let's go find those demons!"

Shinobu Kocho added with a smile.

Giyu Tomioka, without a word, had already sprung into action. Upon arriving, Lin Jie had warned them about the possibility of other demons appearing. He would handle the Upper Moon while they dealt with the lesser threats.

Since Muzan Kibutsuji's attention was drawn by the contractors, and they needed to complete their mission, it would be strange if those contractors weren't lurking nearby, waiting to seize an opportunity.

"That is..."

As Lin Jie had anticipated, Kokushibou's six eyes possessed extraordinary vision. Even from a distance, he had detected the spider lilies.

Lin Jie's relentless assault forced Kokushibou to abandon his thoughts and focus solely on the fight. From their brief exchange, Lin Jie realized that his opponent's enhanced swordsmanship primarily manifested through his techniques.

This held for most swordsmen in this world. The stronger the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, the more proficient they were in swordsmanship, mastering a greater number of techniques and even developing their own.

Examples included Giyu Tomioka's Eleventh Form: Dead Calm and Rengoku Kyojuro's Ninth Form: Purgatory.

Moon Breathing, Fourteenth Form: Catastrophe - Tenman Sengetsu.

"I must force him back. He lacks mid-range combat abilities. As long as I can push him away, he'll be an easy target."

Kokushibou swung his evolved demon blade with all his might, unleashing countless enormous crescent-shaped blades that seemed capable of obliterating everything in their path. These were accompanied by numerous giant circular moon blades.

Lin Jie focused his gaze, nimbly dodging the crescent-shaped blade winds. However, the overwhelming number of circular moon blades proved impossible to evade entirely. He brandished [Dawn], simultaneously dodging the crescent blades and defending against the circular ones.

Even so, the sheer quantity of circular moon blades made it impossible to block them all. Lin Jie, enduring the onslaught, charged towards Kokushibou. Though his body was now marred with numerous wounds, he had successfully closed the distance.

"Weren't you trying to run away just now? Could it be that I reminded you of someone or something you fear? Someone like Yoriichi Tsugikuni? You must still be jealous of that man, right? Even in his old age, he possessed the power to kill you, a demon who had lived for centuries! You should be grateful that he spared your life out of familial love, right?"

Lin Jie suddenly taunted and his words flowed in a torrent.

"Impossible! It wasn't because he showed mercy! It was only natural that he, with his decrepit body, couldn't defeat me!!"

Kokushibou's pupils constricted as he roared at Lin Jie.

Lin Jie sensed the turmoil in Kokushibou's aura and seized the opportunity, slashing at his throat. He hadn't launched into his tirade without reason. These demons all harbored deep-seated emotional baggage, making them susceptible to psychological attacks.

"You…!"

Kokushibou, seeing the gleaming blade magnified before his eyes, realized he had fallen for it. It was a tactic that would inevitably affect him, no matter what.

He was undoubtedly faster than Lin Jie, but not by much. Failing to detect Lin Jie's attack intention immediately, he had missed the optimal window to dodge. All he could do was contort his body and retreat simultaneously.

"Pity..."

Lin Jie lamented inwardly as [Dawn] cleaved through Kokushibou's left arm instead of decapitating him.

Though further verbal attacks would likely be met with heightened vigilance, Lin Jie couldn't resist adding another jab, laced with mockery, "If that wasn't the case, why did you vent your rage on your own brother's remains? Was it fueled by burning jealousy?"

He had underestimated the power of words. Upon hearing this, a surge of murderous intent erupted from Kokushibou's six eyes as his body underwent a grotesque transformation.

Kokushibou had assumed his complete demon form. Several blood-red, tail-like appendages sprouted from his back, while his shoulders and arms bristled with deadly spikes. His jaw unhinged, revealing rows of sharp teeth, and a pair of horns, one large and one small, protruded from his head.

This monstrous form, originally meant to emerge after his death due to his lingering obsession, had been prematurely triggered by Lin Jie's words.

"Don't tell me… Haha, I see! So that's another way to utilize Soul Power!" Lin Jie noticed something peculiar about Kokushibou's transformed state.

The severed left arm had regenerated. However, it hadn't undergone the same grotesque mutation as the rest of his body. It remained unchanged, hanging limply at his side as if still severed.

He hadn't noticed this detail when he had struck Kokushibou's chest earlier. But with the severed arm, the anomaly became glaringly obvious.

Unlike the concept of a concentrated soul residing within the mind's sea as depicted in Martial Cultivation novels, a living being's soul permeated their entire body. Only those who had mastered soul-based abilities could manipulate or alter its form.

The Soul Power imbued in Lin Jie's attack hadn't just inflicted soul damage, it had also severed the soul energy within the arm from Kokushibou's main body.

The severed arm lying on the ground only contained a fragment of soul energy. The newly regenerated arm possessed only life force, devoid of a soul. Essentially, it was a foreign object to Kokushibou, rendering it impossible to control effectively.

Lin Jie also realized that once the Soul Power at the wound dissipated, the arm would return to its normal state. The severed soul energy would reintegrate with the main body, restoring the connection.

However, this process would result in further soul loss. Therefore, the optimal course of action for Kokushibou would be to preserve the severed arm and reattach it once the Soul Power dispersed.

This characteristic effectively served as a temporary handicap to his opponent's combat prowess, which was a significant advantage. Pleased with this discovery, Lin Jie decided to press his attack while Kokushibou was still recovering.

The scenario of Kokushibou succumbing to his monstrous transformation as depicted in the original story was unlikely to occur. The current Kokushibou was solely focused on killing him.

Suddenly, Kokushibou vanished from sight, his speed exceeding Lin Jie's perception.

Clang!

Their blades clashed. Materializing behind Lin Jie, Kokushibou unleashed a downward slash, which Lin Jie barely blocked with [Dawn]. However, the sheer force of the blow sent him staggering backward.

"Closing your eyes! Are you understimating me, just like him? I won't lose again!"

Seeing Lin Jie suddenly shut his eyes mid-battle, Kokushibou interpreted it as an insult, further fueling his rage.

The smile that spread across Lin Jie's face only solidified his belief.

It was a genuine smile. One might assume that forcing Kokushibou into this enraged state prematurely would increase the difficulty of the fight. However, in this form, Kokushibou was more reckless, his thought process closer to that of a mindless beast than a skilled swordsman.

He was far easier to deal with than a composed Kokushibou who had mastered his swordsmanship and attained the World Limit.

Lin Jie had closed his eyes not to taunt, but because his physical sight could no longer keep up with Kokushibou's speed. Relying on his eyes would only lead to misjudgment. He needed to rely on his Soul Sense to perceive his opponent's intentions and the lingering Soul Power, using them to anticipate his attacks.