Chapter 33

"When!"

The bloody crescent moon that was about to eliminate Sanemi Shinazugawa collapsed under the flash of a sword light.

*Buzz!*

The Nichirin sword blade in Sanemi's hand trembled. It was such a strong blow that, if he hadn't used a force-relieving technique in an instant, the blade might have broken. Even with the knowledge of the enemy's abilities, a single Hashira could never win alone.

"Oh~ that's impressive. You actually blocked it. I was really angry and used all my strength," said the demon, his body as gaunt as wood. Despite his haggard appearance, his hands and feet were full of muscle. He wielded a sickle made of flesh and blood, his teeth sharp like a shark's, and his voice hoarse and grating.

"Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, you're a little stronger than the ones I've eaten before."

"Brother! Waaah!"

The fallen princess, Daki, whose head was pinned down by Sanemi, wailed, "Brother, this demon hunter tore my body into eight pieces and crushed my head under his foot! Waaah, it's too much! He barged into my room and started causing trouble! Waaah! Kill him, brother! Kill him quickly!"

"Brother—"

"It's too much, it's too much. My sister is so adorable and she wasn't doing anything wrong while staying in her room," Gyutaro ground his sharp teeth as his sister cried, the clicking sound harsh.

"She wasn't doing anything wrong, yet you barged into her room and bullied her. You've wronged my sister, and now I'll settle all debts with you. When you die, I'll tally how much you owe."

At this point, Gyutaro bent down, like a predator preparing to strike.

"Listen up, my name is—"

"Too much talking! I'm not interested in knowing your name. Get out of here!"

"Breath of Wind: Eighth Form—First Fierce Wind Slash!"

Before Gyutaro could finish, Sanemi launched an all-out attack. The strong wind, accompanied by the Nichirin sword, wrapped around Gyutaro and his disproportionately small waist.

"Haha! Foolish! You didn't cut my neck."

Gyutaro's body was smashed through the wall by the force, and he sneered mid-air.

"And you left your back exposed—go to hell!"

He swung his blood-colored sickle toward Sanemi's back. Just as it was about to make contact, a dark blue Nichirin sword intercepted it.

"Huh?"

Gyutaro's pupils contracted suddenly.

*Boom!*

At that moment, Gyutaro crashed into the house across the street, already engulfed in flames. The burning wooden building collapsed, burying him beneath.

"Are you alright?" Giyu Tomioka landed next to Sanemi.

"He's just the weakest Upper Rank demon. How could anything happen to me?" Sanemi glared at the collapsed wooden building.

"Two Hashira?! Two Hashira have arrived!"

The collapsed wooden building exploded, and Gyutaro walked out of the burning wreckage, his ferocious face even more menacing under the firelight.

"Huh!"

Gyutaro looked around for a moment.

"Ah... what a pathetic demon. He's lived for hundreds of years, but how many people has he eaten? Amitabha," the blind monk, Gyomei Himejima, lamented as tears streamed from his white eyes. His hands, gripping an axe and a meteor hammer connected by a chain, made rattling sounds.

"This is my first time encountering an Upper Rank demon. Truly terrifying," Shinjuro Rengoku said as he drew his Nichirin sword from his waist.

"Well, he's strong. He feels stronger than me," Giyu said, his face emotionless.

"Heh, it looks like I arrived just in time," Tengen Uzui said, patting the glowing Vision on his waist.

"What?! That's a Vision!" Iguro Obanai's eyes widened.

"Huh? Tengen! That's a Vision!" Sanemi's gaze snapped over instantly.

"Amitabha, it's a pity that I cannot see it. How sad."

"..." Giyu only gave it a glance before refocusing on Gyutaro.

"Congratulations, Mr. Uzui," Kanae said warmly. She believed that Mr. Uzui's wish must have been pure.

"A Vision... Although I envy you, my wish has already come true. Now, I only want to eradicate all the demons and then return home to live in peace," Shinjuro said, smiling.

"Then, let's do it together now and kill this guy as quickly as possible!"

"Why are you just standing there?"

"We have all the Hashira here—there's no way he can escape!"

Gyutaro glared at the people surrounding him, grinding his teeth so hard that they made an awful noise. Scratching his face with his fingers, streaks of blood appeared.

"One, two, three, four, five, six! Seven! Eight! Eight Hashira!"

"So many Hashira, so many came. Did you all know I was here and prepare to ambush me?! Ah!"

Gyutaro's voice was hysterical, and panic set in. It was the first time since becoming an Upper Rank that he had felt such fear.

At most, he had only faced two Hashira at once. With two, he and his sister could cooperate to win. But against eight Hashira, even if he could deal with seven, he would be hindered and unable to assist his sister.

Though his sister had eaten seven Hashira, she still wasn't a match for these warriors.

What should I do?!

"I'll head to the underground to rescue the women and prevent her from devouring anyone else," Iguro said before sprinting towards the Kyogoku House, disappearing in an instant.

"I'll capture that demon and prevent her escape," Shinobu added, coating her blade with wisteria poison and shooting towards Daki, who was reassembling her body.

*Da da da—*

The sound of needles pierced the floor, and simultaneously, Daki's torn body was riddled with wisteria-coated needles, turning her into a hedgehog.

"Ah! Damn demon hunter! What did you poison me with? My body can't regenerate!"

Daki screamed.

"Brother, what are you doing?! Kill them quickly!"

"Don't touch my sister!"

Hearing Daki's cries, Gyutaro lunged at the nearest Hashira in rage.

He had to use his strongest move to push all the Hashira back, then escape with his sister as fast as possible!

"Blood Demon Art: Circle Slash!"

The blood vessels in Gyutaro's twisted body swelled and burst, releasing a large volume of blood that shot in every direction.

In that moment, the blood formed countless crescent blades as thin as cicada wings. The crescent blades were extremely dense, covering a 360-degree area with no blind spots.

Even if there were eight Hashira, they couldn't completely block his strongest move. During this window, he had enough time to escape with his sister!