Caught Red-Handed

Upper Moon Five thought that the young man in front of him could only act so carefree because he was almost dead... but he didn't expect that he still couldn't hide the arrogance in his bones.

In this world, there are countless people who can act recklessly just because they have a certain status or background.

The so-called social status fuels the ugly side of people's inner selves.

"All you care about is meat... Judging meat by its value shows you've never considered the soul, have you?"

"Long asked."

Before the other party could answer, a thin, shimmering blade of light sliced across Long's neck.

They wanted to cut off his head.

The heavy blade on the table, used for killing and dismembering, flew through the ghost's hand as if it were nothing, making no sound even as it sliced through the air.

However, the strike missed.

The man in front of her, whether he was unsteady or something else, suddenly leaned back and miraculously dodged the attack.

The handkerchief stained with coughed blood fell to the ground, and Long's lowered eyebrows gradually lifted, her gaze turning cold.

Looking at the ghost with a somewhat bewildered expression.

Just a moment ago, the demon's arm automatically extended... It must be a type of Blood Demon Art.

"Huh?"

Upper Moon Five was stunned. Before entering the room, this man had difficulty even walking down the aisle, yet he was able to react to his attack.

Although he wore samurai attire beneath a black haori, the clothing was clearly meant to highlight his status, and his personal mobility was noticeably inferior to that of ordinary people.

An Exhaust body, according to normal logic, should not be able to produce such a rapid reaction.

"Can't you see?"

Suddenly, Long asked with a smile, holding up one finger, "It's the soul..."

"My soul."

To make things mysterious.

Whoosh! Suddenly, Upper Moon Five attacked again, his right hand transforming into a long snake that surged and coiled wildly within the sealed space, wielding the blade and slashing furiously. In an instant, the small house was filled with streaks of silver light, all enveloping Oboro.

But... no matter how fast or sharp the blade is.

It still couldn't hurt Long in the slightest.

The man moved back and forth on his feet, navigating the narrowest gaps and the points of attack after a flash of blade, his movements as elusive as a ghost.

"It's breathing..."

The demon sensed Oboro's breathing.

His breathing caused some kind of change in his body.

"You're a member of the Demon Slayer Corps?!"

Upper Moon Five was startled and abruptly sheathed his sword.

But it's not quite like that, because the swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps all have uniforms.

The most iconic weapon is the Nichirin Sword.

At this moment, Oboro was empty-handed and carrying no weapons.

Without swords, even the Pillar-level swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps pose no threat.

Being seriously ill only means that Oboro's attributes are useless, not that his skills are gone... Low attributes may result in lower numerical values of damage, but they are not completely absent. As for skills, as long as they can be supported and utilized by the existing power system of this world, they will still have their own effects.

In other words, at least in terms of 'skill', Oboro is still at the pinnacle and has not regressed.

His experiences and growth in the Hunter x Hunter World over the years have become deeply rooted nourishment for his soul.

His unparalleled soul, or spiritual will, made Oboro exceptionally perceptive of everything around him.

Even though his crippled body couldn't support him in taking any action, he could temporarily break free of his 'shackles' by using Breathing Technique. The only problem was that once he used excessive breathing techniques, he had to finish the battle quickly, absorb fresh blood as soon as possible, and become a ghost.

Otherwise... he will surely die when the time comes.

Your body will definitely be ruined...

"Um?"

At this moment, the battle between the two inside the house was still ongoing.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out outside.

It was accompanied by villagers' attempts to stop it and their shouts.

Someone is coming.

Two extraordinary auras...

Demon Slayer Corps!

Oboro's ears twitched, and Upper Moon Five's gaze also drifted towards the doors and windows.

When he looked at Oboro again, his gaze had become even more ferocious... Clearly, he believed Oboro was a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, and someone of this level...

"Is it a pillar..."

Upper Moon Five muttered to himself, then removed the long robe he was wearing.

At first glance, the jacket looks like something he used to shield himself from the blood and filth that splattered when slaughtering corpses, but it was actually used to cover part of his body.

As soon as the jacket was thrown off, Long saw that on his stomach was a huge human face, with tightly closed lips running across his waist. After the skin split open, a huge mouth full of sharp teeth and covered with mucus was revealed.

"Three pillar-level beings, I'm really lucky... I didn't go looking for you, and you actually came here to die on your own initiative."

Upper Moon Five didn't panic; instead, he seemed extremely excited.

As the inhuman maw on its belly opened, another Blood Demon Art was activated, and the powerful suction swallowed all the blood and remains in the room at once, turning the room into a chaotic mess.

The oil lamp went out, and darkness fell.

The immense suction even caused the wooden planks to crack.

Oboro heard a wicked chewing sound.

After the suction dissipated, he found that the ghost in front of him had more than doubled in size. When it opened its mouth again, it spat out strange objects pieced together from chunks of flesh, which retained some human features but were even more bizarre.

For example, some have four legs, and others... their upper bodies are just seven or eight heads mixed together.

At the same time, Upper Moon Five also picked up another item of his, which appears to be one of his weapons.

The scales, except for the knife.

He vomited foreign objects out of his stomach at an increasingly faster rate, and in just a short while, seven or eight of them landed on the ground, further reducing the usable area in the room.

"The number of pillars I've eaten... if you three are included, it will soon exceed twenty. I imagine that lord will be very pleased."

Upper Moon Five looked at Oboro, who was like a lamb to the slaughter, and said coldly, "Your flesh is still worth a lot of money. It's not as bad as you say. At least... I like it."

"Let's start with you."

Having said that, he was about to take action, aiming for a swift and decisive victory, and to eliminate Oboro first.

Several mixed-blood monsters in front of him also made a move to pounce.

"Sigh... I was actually thinking of playing around with it."

Long smiled slightly, his fingers forming a sword shape, and the breath he exhaled became long and drawn out with each breath.

The villagers outside couldn't stop the Pillar-level swordsman at all. If the Upper Moon was killed, it would be troublesome for him to get blood again.

In addition, he discovered that his combat mindset had some aftereffects... When he saw the target's ability, the first thing he thought of was not Blood Demon Art.

Instead, the brain subconsciously evoked the Nen of reproduction, adapting to change, and Emission.

To defeat this kind of opponent, you absolutely cannot afford to waste time.

A protracted war of attrition and positional warfare would be very troublesome...

"You don't even have a knife, yet you want to..."

Looking at Oboro's stance, Upper Moon Five felt a slight unease for no reason, but still forced himself to remain calm and let out a cold laugh.

The main reason he remained calm was that... Oboro had no weapon.

Moreover, the man's stance was not that of someone drawing a sword.

He was just standing there...

"Soul Breathing, Third Form, Night Parade of a Hundred Demons."

Lonely stirred.

A cloud of blood immediately burst from the muscles in his legs, and even his leg bones made a cracking sound as they broke, but this did not hinder his speed as he sprinted forward, and he reached the ghost in an instant.

With two fingers, as light as a dragonfly skimming the water, he tapped Upper Moon Five's forehead.

As for the two monsters made of flesh and blood that lay in the middle, they instantly disintegrated.

It was as if it had been forcibly torn apart by brute force, as fragile as paper.

Due to her low physical attributes, even if Oboro could forcibly amplify her values using breathing techniques, it would only be within a limited range.

Although the ghost didn't react in time, he still saw it... As the man approached, he destroyed the flesh slave he had created with his Blood Demon Art with his bare fingertips!

And as they got close, their fingers pierced different parts of their own bodies, finally landing on their foreheads...

What's most astonishing is the 'momentum' this human displayed during the attack.

It was as if a group of eerie and terrifying ghosts had suddenly swarmed into the small room, embracing his body and beginning to devour it.

He had fought many Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen and understood this kind of 'momentum' very well.

This so-called momentum is mostly something that swordsmen can only use naturally when they coordinate their breathing techniques with their sword skills and body movements.

During the fight, if the angle of a single blade strike is incorrect, or if the limbs fail to keep up with the rhythm, the sword's momentum will be affected.

Not to mention the oppressive aura created by the sword's momentum.

Breathing, swordsmanship, and the person themselves must all be synchronized to form the complete picture of a swordsman's breathing technique.

And now... this seriously ill man doesn't even have a sword; he's more like a bare-handed martial artist. How could he possibly unleash his 'sword' power? "It doesn't matter. He doesn't have a sword. Relying solely on brute force, even if he hits me, I can withstand it... As long as I can keep my head, he's nothing." With this thought in mind, looking at Oboro who was so close to him, Upper Moon Five grinned, revealing a mocking smile.

When did the Demon Slayer Corps get such an idiot?!

His explosive power is quite terrifying.

It wasn't nearly as frail as it appeared; it was as if it had suddenly transformed from a lamb into a tiger.

Or are you trying to stall me while waiting for the two people outside to come to my aid?

Oboro's attack was even lighter than he had imagined. It looked intimidating, but when his fingertips touched his forehead, it felt like being bitten by a mosquito.

Even he was stunned.

"You..."

He was about to open his mouth to mock Long for doing something foolish when suddenly his pupils contracted.

Immediately afterwards, his eyes glazed over, and he lost consciousness.

"Don't rush... This move of mine is just for crowd control, not for dealing damage."

Before his mind went blank, Oboro said something.

Immediately afterwards, he spat out blood and collapsed.

Ghosts have a very special constitution. In other words, the effects of acupoint striking and meridian manipulation will definitely be weakened. When their flesh and organs feel 'damage', they will automatically adjust and merge. This damage naturally includes acupoint impact. They may be able to break free of 'control' in less than a second.

The main problem is that Oboro's current attributes are too low. Although the skill effects are there, the level of damage from these skills still depends on the base attributes.

The reason why acupressure can make a ghost lose its senses is that acupressure is only a supplementary method. The real power lies in the intimidating force released by the ghost's soul.

This feeling is similar to a demon encountering Muzan; one's mind will unconsciously lose control, resulting in various symptoms such as limb numbness, rigid thinking, and profuse sweating.

Oboro's soul strength is definitely higher than Muzan's.

After finishing his breathing exercises, blood flowed from Long's seven orifices, and his vision became blurred.

Both legs are now useless.

But such trivial matters posed no obstacle to him whatsoever.

Before the surrounding monsters could get close, he, who was lying prone on the ground, raised the blade that had fallen from the Demon Hand, cut open a piece of skin on the ghost's calf, and bit it.

At this moment, the ghost is completely relaxed and defenseless.

Otherwise, ordinary sharp weapons would hardly be able to injure his body.

Glug glug.

His throat bobbed as he slowly sucked.

There's no way to find it now, so Upper Moon Five it is... Anyway, the effects of the blood will definitely be much stronger than those of a low-level demon.

Whether it was psychological or not, the salty, fishy blood entering his throat gave Long a strange, almost sweet, feeling.

"Here!"

There's someone inside!

Suddenly, a loud shout came from outside the door.

The shrine door was chopped down with a long sword, and two figures, one in front and one behind, violently broke in.

Both men looked very wary, with a mixture of fear and anger.

But when the two pillars saw the scene inside the house, they were both stunned.

Look at the man lying pathetically at the ghost's feet, seemingly... sucking the ghost's blood.

The scene was too eerie... Both of them could tell that the man on the ground was an ordinary person, not a ghost, while the ghost standing in the center of the room seemed like a motionless stone sculpture, devoid of consciousness.

Whoosh! One of them reacted first, swinging his knife and taking down several disgusting monsters pieced together from flesh and blood.

Then, you should reach out and grab Xiang Long, pull him away, and maintain a safe distance.

His choice was to prioritize saving lives! "Tanjuro!"

Just as Flame Pillar Rengoku Tenjuro was about to pick up the man on the ground, his companion's extremely solemn voice sounded from behind.

"It's... the Upper Moon."

Those few simple words sent Tanjuro flying backward as if he'd been electrocuted, and he was back at the doorway.

Only then did Tanjuro see that the large, robust figure's pupils were trembling, as if it was gradually regaining consciousness, and numbers appeared in the whites of its eyes.

The Twelve Kizuki, the Fifth Upper Moon! It's actually... the Upper Moon!!

Tanjuro's brain felt like it was about to explode; he was unable to process or digest the information from this scene.

Before they arrived, they never expected that their opponent this time would be the Upper Moon... and the Fifth Moon no less! Tanjuro immediately came to his senses and wanted to step forward to save the man on the ground again, but was pulled back by his friend.

So far, none of the Pillars in this group have defeated an Upper Moon. Not to mention the Upper Moon, even the Lower Moons... many have been lost.

"His leg is useless, his physical condition is very poor, and he can't move..."

Tanjuro looked at Kawai Ichie and said in a deep voice, "We must save him."

In contrast to the Flame Pillar, the Water Pillar, who was only in his early twenties and of similar age, appeared very calm and collected as he analyzed the information of the scene he was seeing.

First, Upper Moon Five seems to have lost its ability to move for some reason, but its consciousness is gradually returning.

It was about to 'awaken', its eyeballs were already rolling down, as if resisting some kind of force.

Secondly, the things the man on the ground did were very bizarre and strange.

They were not killed.

Moreover, the floor and the interior of the room showed obvious signs of a battle.

It seems like it just happened recently.

"He doesn't need us to save him."

He glanced at the water column and said indifferently.

The man on the ground and the upper moon have some kind of relationship.

"Call..."

At this moment, Oboro, who had been sucking blood, finally let go and exhaled a breath of stale air.

They were not disturbed by the sudden intrusion of the two.

Noticing the gaze directed at her from behind, Long stretched out an arm to support her upper body and slowly turned her head... Blood still stained the corner of her mouth, her eyes deep.

To Tanjuro and Shiwei, this expression was full of sinister intent.

"It's really unfortunate that you all saw me like this."

The gazes of the two Pillars fixed on him began to turn complicated, but he smiled nonchalantly.

After drinking the blood of the Upper Moon demon, his mutilated body was as if it had been filled with a large bowl of molten iron; his appearance changed even as he spoke.

His veins bulged one after another, his muscles and skin began to twitch, and his five senses began to distort...

The cells in Muzan's blood became abnormally excited and active.

Not everyone can be transformed into a demon; many people die because they cannot withstand the assimilation of Muzan's cells.

Becoming a ghost is also a matter of chance.

Of course, this was not a difficult task for Oboro.

Because... the will attached to Muzan's genes makes it impossible to control him.

Tanjuro and Shiwei remained silent.

Seeing Long's words and witnessing the transformation into a demon, even the most foolish among them would understand at this moment that this was the path the man had chosen himself.