Part 2

"Complete Collection: Breath of the Wind..."

Asuka didn't want to waste any words. She let the breathing technique surge through her body, making her blood hot and scalding, and concentrated all her attention on the twin swords in her hands.

He could already sense the intense ghostly aura emanating from this place, which was even more ferocious and terrifying than the Red Swamp he had encountered before.

With a sharp reflex, Asuka stepped resolutely into the shrine's gate.

However, contrary to his expectations, he did not spend too much time looking for a target.

Because the evil spirit dressed in a dark-patterned kimono was sitting openly in the center of the courtyard.

"Oh, you're here."

The area in front of the shrine's main hall was already a mess.

Blood meandered and flowed, soaking the ancient stone bricks in the courtyard, and the air was filled with the lingering warmth of despair.

At the feet of the demon lay several mangled human bodies scattered haphazardly. One of the victims appeared to have been recently disemboweled, his abdominal cavity empty and his internal organs missing.

Gazing at the murderous-looking bird, the demon's eyes flickered, revealing numbers within.

The second of the lower moon: the well pulley.

Very strong.

Asuka instantly felt the pressure emanating from her opponent and tightened her grip on her long sword.

The air around it seemed to stagnate, becoming heavy and viscous.

The well pulley watched the birds fly by without speaking, and paused its chewing motion.

It leisurely tossed its unused arm into the pool of blood, then stretched out its long, scarlet tongue and licked its blood- and flesh-covered fingers with lingering relish.

"I thought it was a pillar, I was terrified, but it wasn't..."

"...Slash!!"

Before Lulu could finish speaking, the bird had already transformed into a streak of emerald green that tore through the air!

With both swords drawn simultaneously, the cyan wind blades whistled and spun, tearing apart even the dense ghostly aura!

however.

Children should not interrupt adults when they are speaking!

Faced with this slash that was powerful enough to tear an ordinary demon to shreds, Rokuro raised an eyebrow, seemingly somewhat displeased.

Just as the bird was about to strike, its form blurred eerily, like smoke being blown away by the wind.

Then, the mountain-splitting strike actually pierced through its body and slammed heavily into the vermilion-painted shrine pillar behind it, instantly sending wood chips flying!

"Your swordplay is too straightforward, kid." Rokuro's voice was almost close to Asuka's ear, tinged with mockery.

His bloodied palm slammed into the bird's back with swift, sinister force.

Asuka immediately twisted her body to protect herself, holding her Nichirin Blade in front of her chest!

clang--!!

The demonic hand of the windmill struck the flying bird's blade, producing a deafening clang of metal clashing against metal!

Asuka felt an unbearable force coming from his arms. He had no choice but to use the force to deflect it, avoiding a direct confrontation with the pulley, and once again used the Breath of Wind to try to fight back!

With a backward leap, Lulu did not intercept Fei Niao's sword strike, but landed lightly at the starting position where Fei Niao had just launched his charge.

"Wind? Ah...you're that person from back then..."

The windlass seemed to remember something, and looked at the flying bird with amusement.

"That woman with the high ponytail, what was her name again... Lingyin? I can't remember... Her swordsmanship is the same as yours, is she your master?"

"What a stupid woman! She almost killed me, but she exposed her weakness to save someone... She deserved to be killed!"

The teacher's daughter?!

This guy did it?!

Feiniao's breathing became heavy, and a murderous intent slowly rose in his eyes.

"Speaking of which, you wind swordsmen are really annoying... Senior [Guhuoniao] was killed by a group of wind swordsmen, right? Although you killed your opponent, why couldn't you..."

"Shut up!!"

This was the first time that the bird's emotions had fluctuated so strongly.

He felt his body trembling, the blood rushing uncontrollably to his brain, and the veins on his forehead throbbing!

During his two years at the Yeshan Training Center, he changed a lot. Most importantly, he experienced for the first time what it meant to have "family" and "friends".

Images flashed through his mind of Arashizaki Tesshin, who would often stare blankly at his empty room, his cloudy eyes filled with reminiscence, and Rika's silent tears at the graves of Kamino Masachika and Arashizaki Suzune.

Teacher, Rika, Kenichi, Shinsuke... and the people they cherish, Asuka will care about them just the same.

And now, the ghost on the other side is insulting his family.

"Don't you dare say their names with that filthy mouth again!"

"Wind Breathing - Eighth Form - First Fierce Wind Slash!"

The colorless Nichirin Blade in Asuka's hand trembled and turned blackish-red under his extreme rage!

He unleashed another burst of power, his blade striking with all its might, a furious slash aimed at utterly shattering the evil spirit!

The rapidly spinning cross-shaped wind blades emitted a terrifying shriek that crushed the air, plunging through the ground and devouring the ghostly figure in the center of the courtyard!

The hard stone bricks crumbled inch by inch, and the sheer force of it surprised even the pulley on the opposite side.

"This kid...something's not right..."

Rokuro survived from the end of the shogunate era to the present day not because of any powerful military force or exceptional intelligence.

It all comes down to four words: being extremely cautious.

It clearly judged from the feedback generated after the Blood Demon Art was destroyed that the person on the other side was definitely not a Pillar-level swordsman.

Such a powerful swordsman, still under control, would be most nutritious to eat; otherwise, it would have run away long ago!

However, at this moment, the strongest sword aura that Asuka unleashed was imbued with his killing intent and rage, and at least from this attack, it still posed a certain threat to him.

boom--!!

Two devastating wind blades slammed into the spot where the windmill stood, and the shattered floor tiles mixed with dust exploded with a roar, causing the entire main hall of the shrine to shake violently!

But the windlass itself was not harmed in any way, or rather, it was neutralized by it.

Its figure, like the faceless ghosts it conjured, suddenly became blurred and distorted, then vanished from the spot—like a wisp of smoke scattered by a gale.

A moment later, the solemn-looking Rokuro reappeared, but this time he was several body lengths away from the flying bird.

"Blood Demon Art: Mirage Tower... Kid, you're pretty good. Can you just let me go like this?"

It had already received part of its reward, so there was no need to go head-to-head with this clueless ghost hunter.

I'm the second lower moon, so the other side should back down, right?

If we're all doing well, wouldn't it be better if we all survived? If we run into each other again, we can always talk about it if things really don't work out.

However, the well-intentioned act of the well-winding wheel, when heard by the bird, became a spark that ignited the pyre.

"Walk?"

Asuka shook the still-humming Nichirin Blade, her gaze fixed on Rokuro's yellow pupils.

He gripped the Nichirin Blade tighter, his knuckles turning slightly pale.

"The Demon Slayer Corps' order: to subdue the demons of the Sendai region, is that you?"

"With Hayama's hatred attached to you, you can't leave."

Rokuro's fake smile froze for a moment. He patted his dust-covered, dark-patterned kimono and looked at Asuka with some confusion:

"Young man, don't be so stubborn. We're both working for the adults, why should we fight to the death?"

"The strong prey on the weak, it's only natural... Those workers, and that female swordsman you care about, died because they weren't strong enough, unlike you and me."

"I can see you're a promising young man! Take a good look at me, I'm a Lower Moon! It's not worth it to fight to the death!"

"Why don't we part ways here? You can go back and say you defeated the Lower Moon! As for me... I'll just find somewhere else to enjoy myself. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

Although these utterly shameless remarks could not sway Asuka.

However, after two encounters, he realized how big the gap was between his strength and that of his opponent. Even if the opponent stood there and let him attack, his Breath of Wind could not hit that strange phantom body.

"Blood Demon Art, is that it...?"

Asuka murmured, the Nichirin Blade in her hand gradually faded, and she sheathed it.

To Lulu, this was a sign of compromise, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief, already thinking about which city to go to next.

But the next second, Lulu's face froze.

Because the kid on the other side has a different aura now.

It's even more dangerous than before!

The broken longsword in his hand was emitting a terrifying buzzing sound!