Either Muichiro or Tanjiro alone would have struggled against Gyokko without activating his Demon Slayer Mark. But there were two of them now, and they gave Gyokko no chance to fight them one-on-one.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! To think a mere two Pillars could overwhelm me! What a disgrace! A disgrace!"
Gyokko's face twisted viciously as he fought while retreating. Much as he hated to admit it, Muichiro and Tanjiro's combined attacks had indeed overwhelmed him.
The two were not particularly well coordinated, but that very lack of coordination made their next moves difficult for Gyokko to predict. Of course, the more important factor was the blades in their hands.
These red Nichirin Blades were different from the red blades wielded by Flame Breathing users. Being struck by them hurt far more than usual, and the goldfish, octopuses, catfish, and other creatures he conjured with his Blood Demon Art were all sliced into fillets by the two.
"Damn you! Don't get so full of yourselves!!!"
As Gyokko shouted, his entire body shriveled like a deflating balloon. Of course, he was not actually shrinking-he was shedding his skin.
Until now, Muichiro and Tanjiro had only been fighting Gyokko in his normal state. His true body had remained hidden inside his pot all along.
His true appearance was not drastically different from his usual form. His hands had developed webbing like an aquatic creature's, while his lower body had become a long tail resembling a water snake.
"Heh heh heh! Rejoice! Be delighted! This is my true form! In this state, my body's scales are harder than diamond. You have the honor of being the third and fourth humans to see me like this!"
Gyokko coiled his supple body around a thick tree and sneered. On the ground, however, Muichiro