Upper Rank One-Kokushibo

Almost identical Moon Blades clashed in midair and canceled each other out.

Two years later, dressed in that purple-black outfit, Tsugikuni Kokushibo appeared before her once more.

"Upper Rank... One..."

Staring at the number engraved in his pupils, Yuko slowly spoke the words aloud.

Perhaps it was to make finding the Blue Spider Lily easier. Or perhaps Yoriichi's existence had finally made Muzan realize the importance of cultivating a personal guard.

Thus, the Twelve Kizuki were born.

And as the strongest among them besides Muzan, Tsugikuni Kokushibo smoothly took the position of Upper Rank One.

The gentle expression on Yuko's face visibly darkened.

With six eyes that made his expression impossible to read, Kokushibo said blandly, "Yuko, you're going to die."

Kokushibo's eyes easily saw through Yuko's physical condition.

Yuko tightened her grip on the sword, her expression frighteningly calm.

"So what?" She took half a step forward without leaving any trace and blocked the trembling Namiko from view.

"Why do you refuse to become a Demon?" Unlike most Demons who had lost their memories from life, Kokushibo had retained his memories in full.

"Your body would recover as soon as you became a Demon."

"And the pinnacle of swordsmanship you seek would no longer be a dream."

He could not understand why his younger sister resisted so vehemently.

A layer of gloom spread across Yuko's eyes. "So, just for those things, you can eat people with a clear conscience?"

"How many people have you... cough, cough... eaten?" Whenever she spoke too hurriedly, Yuko's lungs were prone to acting up.

A Demon's strength was often proportional to the number of people they had eaten.

That saying was correct. Except when Muzan bestowed his blood, eating people was the fastest way for a Demon to grow stronger.

After two years, the aura around Kokushibo had become even more profound—and even more foul.

As a result, merely standing before him made the weaker Namiko feel short of breath, her entire body trembling nonstop.

This was not a worldview a normal person should have, even in this era of man-eating.

But Kokushibo could not understand.

As a samurai and a member of the ruling class, Kokushibo was utterly incapable of understanding Yuko's concern for ordinary people.

Even when he joined the Demon Slayer Corps, it was not to slay Demons and save people, but to surpass Yoriichi.

Unable to find even the slightest trace of remorse on Kokushibo's face, Yuko stared intently at him and asked in a low voice, "Namiko, can you move?"

"Leave this place and go down the mountain for help."

Hearing Yuko's voice, Namiko came back to her senses from her terror.

"But, Miss Yuko, you..."

Yuko cut her off. "That isn't a Demon you can handle. You'll only have a chance if you go down the mountain and contact the Demon Slayer Corps."

Namiko hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself. In the end, she nodded through her tears. "I understand. Please be careful."

"I'll be right back!"

While Yuko and Kokushibo faced each other, Namiko rushed out the door.

Kokushibo made no move. "Even at a time like this, you're still thinking about others?"

Bring reinforcements? By the time they arrived, everything here would have ended long ago.

Yuko said nothing, merely watching him warily.

At that moment, Kokushibo moved. His ghostlike figure rapidly closed in on Yuko.

"So fast!" Yuko was startled and was just about to raise her blade when Kokushibo passed straight by her.

His target was... Namiko!

Yuko's pupils contracted sharply, and she hurriedly turned around.

"Kokushibo! You!"

In this situation.

"Snow Breathing: Fifth Form—Snow Run."

Her snow-white figure reached Kokushibo in the blink of an eye.

Too slow...

Kokushibo's speed is too slow...

In a daze, Yuko thought this instinctively.

But everything was happening in the blink of an eye, leaving her no time to think.

The next move of Snow Breathing was about to be unleashed, aimed straight at Kokushibo's neck, while Kokushibo continued running forward as if completely unaware.

Suddenly, a piercing pain surged through her lungs, as if someone had given them a vicious squeeze.

Yuko's steps instantly fell into disarray. After staggering several paces, the world before her tilted.

At that moment, she recalled Kokushibo's strange actions from earlier.

Had he used the Clear World to see the rhythm of her breathing and deduce when her next attack would occur?

Yuko's wine-red eyes narrowed slightly as she watched helplessly while Kokushibo stabbed toward Namiko's back.

She could almost see the scene of him piercing Namiko's heart from behind in the next instant.

The wine-red depths of Yuko's eyes grew darker...

Just as Kokushibo calmly brought his long blade to within half an inch of the woman's back, an angry voice suddenly exploded beside his ear.

"Get away!"

Almost at the same time, a flash of red abruptly appeared at the edge of his vision.

"When?!" A ripple of shock stirred Kokushibo's otherwise placid heart.

A snow-white blade swept rapidly across his vision. A severed arm flew high into the air, scattering blood across the sky.

Namiko sensed the movement behind her and instinctively turned around. She saw Miss Yuko displaying a grimness she had never shown before as she faced the Demon.

She clenched her teeth and charged forward with her head lowered.

She would only burden Miss Yuko if she stayed here. She could not betray Miss Yuko's expectations.

Kokushibo stopped where he was and silently looked at the severed arm.

Regeneration... has become so slow.

Does Snow Breathing really suppress regeneration this strongly?

No, that isn't the important point.

He could not understand how Yuko had reached his side in that instant.

If that blade had been aimed at my neck...

Yuko held her blade in both hands, a dark shadow crossing her face. "This wanton slaughter of humans—is this your answer?"

Kokushibo controlled the regeneration of his flesh. With his concentration focused, he recovered completely in a mere few seconds.

"See? As long as you become a Demon, even a severed arm is only a minor injury."

"I'm not here to watch you perform magic." The gloom in Yuko's eyes remained as she raised her Nichirin Blade into a starting stance.

"I see..." Kokushibo sounded slightly disappointed as he took up his blade and faced her. "My name is... Kokushibo."

The next instant, one white and one purple figure collided.

"You will die, Yuko." Kokushibo parried Yuko's attacks with ease. "Does it not matter if your dream can never be achieved?"

Yuko let out a cold laugh. "Do you really think becoming a Demon will let you surpass Yoriichi?"

Kokushibo's pupils contracted slightly.

"You should understand. Even as a Demon, you still can't surpass Yori—"

Before Yuko could finish speaking, an indescribable sense of danger instantly spread throughout her body.

The Clear World unfolded before her eyes. She saw Kokushibo's entire body tense, while the rhythm of his breathing became steady and powerful.

"Moon Breathing: Form Eight—Moon Dragon Tail!"

Kokushibo stepped forward, and a gigantic blue-purple crescent, vast as a galaxy, swept out, nearly engulfing everything before him.

This was a Sword Style Yuko had never known. Its power was greater than anything she had ever seen!

But Yuko, having seen through the movement of Kokushibo's muscles, was prepared. She bent backward.

Boom!

The massive crescent shredded the building behind her, and a streak of blood appeared on Yuko's forehead.

She flipped backward and landed steadily, wiping the blood from her brow.

Merely being grazed by the lingering force had already...