Is this all you've got?

Faced with Asuka's provocation, Zero was both shocked and furious, and roared hysterically:

"Blood Demon Art: Forest Dance!"

She dug the sharp nails on her two ghostly claws into the flesh, tearing open several deep wounds that exposed bone, from which blood gushed out! Her right hand was even ripped open and fused directly with the vines on the ground!

Blood, tinged with a strong ghostly aura, was poured into the ground without regard for the cost, and the rustling of leaves throughout the forest now sounded like a twisted and ferocious groan.

The vines and branches, soaked in ghost blood, were almost black, and their surfaces were covered with hideous bone spikes, making them even more tough and twisted!

Not only that, but a layer of writhing thorn armor covered in a deadly poisonous aura also wrapped around Ling Yuzi's body, and his entire right arm transformed into a giant hammer covered in barbs.

She was truly determined.

"What's wrong, human! If you're scared, get out of here now! I might spare your life!"

The berserk Zero let out a powerful roar, its body growing larger due to the thorny armor it was wrapped in, looking down at the bird.

Asuka remained unfazed, coldly watching as Zero's aura steadily rose, his form slowly expanding and transforming into its current shape, before he slowly spoke:

"Is this all you've given it your all?"

"What?"

Asuka lowered her body, gripping the hilt of the takoyaki tightly: "This is the Lower Moon Four demon. Can it unleash its strongest attack?"

"Don't get too cocky, you mere human!"

With a roar, she swung the massive vine hammer high into the air, sending it hurtling through the air along with the even more ferocious vines around it!

The bird, with eyes as cold as knives, showed no intention of backing down.

"If it's only this bad..."

He hadn't expected that there would be such a big difference in strength between the lower fourth and lower second classes.

What Asuka didn't know was that since he fully unleashed the Shikai of the monstrous beast, he had also released some of the spiritual pressure he had been suppressing over the past few days, and he was now much stronger than when he first faced Rokuro.

The relationship between a Zanpakuto and its user is one of mutual support and growth.

The peak of spiritual energy output occurs when the user and the Zanpakuto are truly in sync, with no mental barriers.

Sensing the rather unremarkable strength of the opponent in front of him, Asuka lost all interest in probing.

"...Barking!"

Sizzle—!

A streak of black light flashed past, and Ling Yuzi felt much lighter.

In just a moment, all the tough vines that had just been released were severed by the opponent's abnormally large Nichirin Blade!

Even Zero's own Thorn Armor was easily shattered by the opponent! A huge laceration was torn open in his abdomen, and his internal organs were spilling out!

"ah--!!"

Lingyuzi's shrill, distorted screams echoed through the forest, the power brought by his berserk state instantly overwhelmed by excruciating pain and a profound sense of loss.

boom! !

She crashed heavily to the ground, her ghostly entrails splattering everywhere in the forest, a truly gruesome sight!

"It's the Pillar! We're doomed, it's the Pillar!"

Before she could even sit up and recover from the immense pain, her right arm felt a chill again!

puff!

The thick, heavy hammer, formed by the twisting and fusion of vines and ghostly tissue, was hurled high into the air, spraying forth a fountain of purplish-black blood and broken vine fibers!

"It hurts! It hurts so much—!!"

She is a Lower Moon demon and hasn't been injured in decades!

The pain of losing an arm is excruciating!

The severed arm tumbled through the air and crashed down, thick ghost blood still gushing out, staining the withered leaves and mud, emitting a filthy stench.

But if it's just an injury, Zero can still endure it.

However, the sight before him silenced Ling Yuzi's agonizing screams, silencing her abruptly!

Asuka slowly stepped forward and plunged the serrated longsword directly into Lingyuzi's still twitching demon hand:

"The teacher said that even if a ghost's body is cut off, as long as its neck isn't severed, it can regenerate..."

Sizzle sizzle—!

A sound like a branding iron being pressed onto grease came, and Ling Yuzi felt as if her soul was being roasted by the sound!

No, it's not a hallucination! I really was being roasted!

For some reason, the severed arm on my right hand has not regrowed and is healing extremely slowly.

As soon as Asuka's long sword pierced the demon's hand, the thick demon arm began to wither and shrink at a visible speed! Even from this distance, Zero could feel the tearing pain from the severed arm!

The full muscles collapsed, and the purplish-black blood, along with the immense ghostly power and life force contained within it, was forcibly drawn away, like rivers flowing into the sea!

Thin but clear streams of gray-black air surged wildly into the serrated blade of the raccoon.

In just two or three breaths, the severed arm completely lost all life and moisture, turning into a charred, dry, and rotten remnant that would turn to ashes at the slightest touch.

At the same time, a strange tingling sensation came from the stump on the bird's arm that had been scratched by the poisonous thorn.

Sizzle sizzle....

The stubborn poison spots at the edge of the wound were rapidly fading and disappearing, and even the wound itself began to wriggle! It was healing at a speed far beyond human limits, almost like a ghost!

Although slow, the flesh and blood were indeed steadily moving towards healing!

"Ahhhhhh!!! You, are you a human or a ghost?!"

"Help! I'm so tired!! Help me!!"

Ling Yuzi clutched his bleeding, severed shoulder, staggering backward. All the ferocity and madness on his face were replaced by a look of horror as if he had seen his natural enemy.

"I'm your older sister!! Help! I'm so tired!!"

As if the heavens were mocking her cries for help, a rumble of thunder echoed across Spider Mountain, drowning out her plea.

In her extreme panic, she suddenly remembered a rumor that some kid had mentioned before, which she had dismissed as trivial gossip:

Recently, a demon hunter has been eating demons! He can become stronger by eating demon bodies. He has a fierce appearance and a brutal fighting style, so it's best to stay away from him!

Eating ghosts? Don't be ridiculous, how could a human eat ghosts? Before today, Lingyuzi would never have believed it.

"Is it you?! You demon-eating demon slayer! Did you come here specifically to devour Zero?!"

"Eating ghosts?" Asuka frowned, not understanding what was wrong with this female ghost.

However, after looking at the raccoon in his hand and his somewhat abnormal recovery, he accepted the other party's statement.

It's a pretty useful power, and he doesn't object to it.

As he approached the remaining pieces step by step, the opponent's will to resist was almost completely destroyed by fear.

She let out a shriek that was completely out of her mind.

His remaining left arm flailing wildly, the remaining vines whipping haphazardly at the birds, trying to obstruct his view.

At the same time, he used all his strength to turn around and flee for his life into the depths of the dense forest!

His steps were unsteady, his body staggered, and he was full of openings!

None of them are decent.

The wind gathered beneath my feet, and the bird's silhouette vanished from the spot.

The blade flashed.

laugh--!

The fleeing figure of Ling Yuzi suddenly froze.

The look of fear on her face was frozen in time, and her gaze began to spin and turn uncontrollably.

His head hit the ground.

What was she thinking before she died? Did she regret becoming a ghost? What kind of stories did she go through to get to this point?

The bird paid no attention to the corpses that had been burned to ashes, instead casting its gaze deeper into the mountainside.

There, an extremely powerful ghostly aura is erupting!