Four Ounces Deflect a Thousand Pounds

Earth Demon realized he had been played—especially with his own superior used to fool him. Simply eating this human was no longer enough to vent his hatred. He had to tear him limb from limb.

Earth Demon turned around, dropped to all fours, and kicked off hard with his hind legs. Like a beast on the hunt, veins bulged and his eyes protruded. Tsugikuni Kuuga had clearly enraged him badly.

Then Earth Demon shot straight toward Tsugikuni Kuuga like an arrow loosed from a bow. By then, Tsugikuni Kuuga had already run quite far away.

As he ran, Tsugikuni Kuuga placed one hand over his chest. A faint green glow lit up there, carrying the breath of life.

Even Tsugikuni Kuuga himself did not know what this ability was. He only knew he had been born with it, and that by consuming Mental Power, it could heal injuries.

Demons in this world could have Blood Demon Arts, so what was wrong with a transmigrator like him having a little blessing from heaven? Besides, he remembered that other Demon Slayer Corps members also possessed traits of Divine Aura.

After the gentle green light flashed, the pain in Tsugikuni Kuuga's chest disappeared. His broken ribs must have grown back, though his head was buzzing a little.

Just as Tsugikuni Kuuga thought he had gotten away, Earth Demon's deranged shout came from behind him.

"Kid, when I catch you, I'll tear off your fingers one by one. Then your toes. In short, I'll take you apart piece by piece!"

Earth Demon's chilling shriek raised goosebumps all over Tsugikuni Kuuga. He looked back and saw that Earth Demon was less than a hundred meters away. For a moment, Tsugikuni Kuuga wondered if he was simply too slow.

But after thinking it over, the other guy was Four-Wheel Drive while he was Two-Wheel Drive. It was perfectly normal that he could not outrun him. Tsugikuni Kuuga simply stopped, leaving Earth Demon somewhat at a loss.

"Kid, you're smart. You know you're doomed, so you stopped. For that, I'll lighten your punishment a little!" Earth Demon said to himself.

Tsugikuni Kuuga said helplessly, "I wasn't lying to you earlier. You just don't look very smart!"

"You're courting death!"

Earth Demon roared and pounced at Tsugikuni Kuuga. Tsugikuni Kuuga spread his left foot, crouched with the momentum, and a faint Tai Chi Bagua Pattern appeared beneath him. After a move of Borrowing Force to Strike, Earth Demon was sent flying.

The tree ahead crashed down, and Earth Demon plunged straight into the ground, truly living up to the name Earth Demon. Tsugikuni Kuuga exhaled a breath of stale air and withdrew his left foot.

Seeing Earth Demon's head buried in the dirt, Tsugikuni Kuuga could not help laughing.

"Oh? Why did you start eating dirt? Were you that hungry?" Tsugikuni Kuuga mocked.

Earth Demon was still in shock. The instant he came into contact with Tsugikuni Kuuga, he felt as though his strength had been sucked away, only for his own power to send him flying. Tsugikuni Kuuga now seemed bizarre to Earth Demon.

Suddenly, the dirt around Earth Demon's head floated into the air. As he rose to his feet, five balls of earth formed as well. Earth Demon twisted his crooked head back into place, his expression turning serious.

Tsugikuni Kuuga knew that only sunlight and Nichirin Blades forged from Iron Ore that absorbed sunlight could kill demons. Of course, there was also his Shinobu-wife's poison.

In times of danger, Shinobu-wife was in his heart, though that was only what Tsugikuni Kuuga thought.

But considering his current situation, it was nighttime, and even his Broken Sword had snapped. As for poison, he had no idea how to use it. This was a little tricky!

"Kid, you're impressive. You're worthy of dying after making me use my Blood Demon Art!" Earth Demon resumed his playful expression.

"Tch, can you even hit me? Nyah nyah nyah!"

Tsugikuni Kuuga stuck out his tongue. Earth Demon raised a hand, and one of the earth balls floated before it. With a push from Earth Demon, the basketball-sized ball shot toward Tsugikuni Kuuga. But that was no challenge for him; he sidestepped it with ease.

The tree behind him was not so lucky. A tree as thick as a bowl's rim fell at once. Earth Demon had only been testing him.

"You've got some skills, kid. But can you still dodge what comes next?"

Tsugikuni Kuuga did not want to give Earth Demon another chance to attack. He gripped his short blade and charged forward. Even if he could keep dodging, his strength would eventually run out, while a demon's stamina was limitless.

Earth Demon fired all four earth balls at once, but he had completely underestimated Tsugikuni Kuuga's flexibility. Tsugikuni Kuuga evaded the attacks in poses an ordinary person could never manage.

But at the instant Tsugikuni Kuuga dodged, Earth Demon appeared before him as well, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Kid, I never said I couldn't move!"

Earth Demon punched Tsugikuni Kuuga in the chest, smashing him straight into the ground. Just as the demon's foot kicked toward Tsugikuni Kuuga's head, Tsugikuni Kuuga clenched his broken blade and unleashed a sword technique.

It was as though everything had fallen naturally into place. Thinking of the Tai Chi he practiced every day and the five hundred sword swings he used to do, Tsugikuni Kuuga smiled. He had never managed to execute even one sword technique before. Even with the Sun-Breathing manual, he had only learned after truly practicing it just how difficult this Progenitor Breathing Technique was.

Sun-Breathing Second Form, Azure Sky. From below upward, a Circular Slash wreathed in flames severed Earth Demon's foot, and Tsugikuni Kuuga narrowly escaped with his life.

Earth Demon let out a heart-wrenching howl. Sun-Breathing could not only behead demons—the wounds it left on them were difficult to heal. Even if they did heal, the demon would forever endure a burning sensation.

Feeling the scorching pain from his severed foot, Earth Demon immediately cut off his entire right leg. Seeing Tsugikuni Kuuga swing his blade at him again, Earth Demon leaped backward, putting distance between them.

Tsugikuni Kuuga himself knew that strike could no longer hurt Earth Demon. His newly healed ribs had broken again. He forced himself to stand through the pain. His whole body hurt like hell. Being a Demon Slayer Corps member really was a High-Risk Profession—no wonder the Hashira kept dying out.

A warm current traveled up Tsugikuni Kuuga's throat into his mouth, followed by a mouthful of blood. He tasted something salty and metallic.

That guy really hit hard. If he had not used Tai Chi to lessen the impact, he would have been dead already.

The blood smelled metallic to Tsugikuni Kuuga, but to Earth Demon, it smelled fresh and sweet. The moment he caught the scent of Tsugikuni Kuuga's blood, his eyes lit up.

"I never thought you were Rare Blood, kid. I've hit the jackpot today. I don't know why someone outside the Demon Slayer Corps can use sword techniques, but you're definitely dying today!" Earth Demon said with a grin.

Compared to Rare Blood, losing a leg was nothing at all. Earth Demon was practically drooling.

Tsugikuni Kuuga had not expected himself to be Rare Blood. What terrible luck. Rare Blood referred to humans with rare blood; when demons ate them, it had the effect of consuming a hundred people, greatly increasing the demon's strength.

This was good news for demons, but terrible news for humans, since demons would certainly prioritize eating humans with Rare Blood.