You Have That Many of These Things?

"Ugh..."

Muzan frowned. He had not cared how much stronger Ye Chen became, because his regeneration was incredibly fast. Any severed body part could regenerate instantly!

Yes, it was not merely fast regeneration-he could recover instantly. In theory, even if Ye Chen cut off his hand, it would regenerate the very moment the blade struck. Forget losing a hand; there would not even be a scar.

But the blue-white flames on Ye Chen's blade were draining the energy from his blood, blocking his regeneration. That was how his hand had been severed.

"Hmph. Muzan? What a joke."

Ye Chen's face remained perfectly calm, though he was panicking inside. Two minutes had already passed, and time waited for no one. He plunged a syringe into Muzan's severed hand, collected some blood, and resumed his assault.

Is he collecting my blood... what exactly is he doing it for...?

Muzan's brow twitched, and his severed arm rapidly regrew, but his expression soured. The unknown was often frightening. Unable to figure out what Ye Chen wanted with his blood, he felt a faint unease.

Netherworld Breathing, Second Form: Qi Refinement Release: Crescent Moon Slash!!

Netherworld Breathing, Fourth Form: Demon Blade Rakshasa!

Ye Chen activated two techniques from his Breathing Style again. Both Qi Refinement Release: Crescent Moon Slash and Demon Blade Rakshasa boosted his attack power. Combined with the Demon Drug, the Might Seed, and his already active valor state, they strengthened him further. He had also abandoned all defense to focus entirely on attacking, and his offensive was now beginning to overwhelm Muzan.

Another of Muzan's tentacles was severed. Both Demon Blade Rakshasa and netherworld fire drained the enemy's energy, putting him under far greater pressure. His strength was not his only advantage-he also relied on his tremendous regeneration. Now that regeneration was being completely countered.

"Moon Breathing, Second Form: Vermilion Blossoms Playing with the Moon."

As Ye Chen relentlessly attacked Muzan, Upper Rank One struck again. Ye Chen glanced at him. This bastard had stopped him from killing Koyuki earlier, then stopped him from killing Doma. He was nothing but a meddling nuisance. Ye Chen had to deal with him first!

Even as those thoughts passed through his mind, his hands did not slow. He assumed a stance, then his Long Sword slashed out fiercely as the enemy's attack arrived.

Netherworld Breathing, Third Form: Mirror-Flower Sword Stance!

The Demon Drug and Might Seed had boosted his strength by far more than a little. With the added enhancement of Valor Style, his technique had transformed into another form. A blue-white wave of flaming sword energy shot out, shattering Kokushibo's sword energy before surging straight toward him with unstoppable force.

"Moon Breathing, Fifth Form: Moon-Sickle Vortex."

Kokushibo was shocked. His attacks had previously been evenly matched with Ye Chen's, yet now his technique had been broken with ease. It was unbelievable. He dared not hesitate and quickly unleashed his defensive technique.

Before Kokushibo even drew his blade, waves of crescent-shaped sword energy rose around him to defend his body. But when the blue-white flames arrived, he suddenly discovered that the defensive technique he took such pride in had been shattered in a single blow. He was sent flying, while the blue-white flames continued draining his energy, leaving him weak.

Netherworld Breathing, First Form: Cherry Blossom Spirit Blade Slash!!

Ye Chen knew Kokushibo still had second and third stages. To keep him from interfering again later, he immediately unleashed another technique, cutting Kokushibo into several pieces! The blue-white flames drained his energy, preventing him from regenerating quickly and denying him the chance to enter his later stages.

"It's almost been three minutes. The Might Seed is about to wear off."

Ye Chen estimated the time, then exchanged for another Might Seed and quickly swallowed it. His hands did not slow for an instant as he continued unleashing lethal techniques, attacking Muzan again and again.

Muzan gradually got a handle on Ye Chen's offensive. As long as he avoided those blue-white flames, nothing else posed much of a threat. What troubled him now was that strange golden armor. Even when his blood-coated tentacles struck it, they had no effect. His blood was far more than an ordinary poison to normal humans, yet it did nothing to that armor. It was unbelievable.

Seeing Muzan begin to control the tempo even under these circumstances, Ye Chen had to admit that this Trash Boss was truly formidable. Ye Chen's own strength was already about equal to Upper Rank One's. After taking the Might Seed and Demon Drug, activating his valor state, and even abandoning all defense in favor of offense, he had easily sent Upper Rank One flying. Yet this Trash Boss was still holding out. It was ridiculous.

By his estimate, Upper Rank Two, Doma, should have been B-rank like him, though slightly weaker in raw strength. Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, should have been about his equal, also B-rank. If given the chance to enter his second and third stages, he might reach B+. Muzan, however, probably skipped A- altogether and stood at a solid A-rank. That was terrifying-at the very least, he was stronger than Ye Chen had expected.

Still, Ye Chen was not flustered. He had prepared well in advance. As a Demon Slayer, he did not rely on brute force alone. After all, the most popular approach in Monster Hunter was fighting dirty. While he had been inside the house earlier, he had not forgotten to have Xiao Hua make some preparations outside.

Muzan narrowed his eyes and stepped back twice, evading Ye Chen's slash. He was slowly getting a grip on Ye Chen's rhythm. Next, he needed to find a way to break through that strange armor.

But his body suddenly sank. He discovered that a Pitfall Trap had appeared beneath his feet at some point, and electricity kept surging from it, paralyzing his body.

Muzan struggled fiercely. With his strength, escaping this Pitfall Trap would probably take less than two seconds. But two seconds was already plenty for Ye Chen.

Netherworld Breathing, First Form: Cherry Blossom Spirit Blade Slash!!

The Cherry Blossom Spirit Blade Slash, enhanced by his valor state, struck swiftly, cutting Muzan's body into several pieces in one go. Meanwhile, the blue-white flames on Ye Chen's blade kept burning Muzan, draining the energy from his blood.

But Ye Chen knew that was nowhere near enough. He swiftly hurled several Poison Knives, driving them deep into Muzan's body, then took out a syringe and viciously plunged it into him.

Muzan's expression changed drastically. Ye Chen's blue-white flames were still burning around his wounds, slowing his regeneration, and he could feel his strength being drained away!

After Ye Chen injected him with a syringe's worth of liquid, Muzan quickly escaped the Pitfall Trap. The Poison Knives caused a slight stinging pain, but that was no real problem; he could recover quickly. The main issue was that he had no idea what drug Ye Chen had injected into him. Though he felt no discomfort, he had a persistent feeling that it was nothing good.

The moment he broke free of the Pitfall Trap, Ye Chen raised his Long Sword and attacked Muzan again. His Might Seed had worn off once more, and nearly seven minutes had now passed. Yet he remained unruffled, taking out another Might Seed and swallowing it. Muzan broke into a cold sweat at the sight. Damn it, you have that many of these things?

Netherworld Breathing, Fifth Form: Ground-Rushing Slash!!

Ye Chen rapidly scraped his Long Sword along the ground, sending a massive shock wave hurtling toward Muzan. Unwilling to confront him head-on, Muzan leaped back a step, but Ye Chen reacted just as quickly, taking out a sphere and throwing it at him.

Whoosh!!

A flash of white light swept across the battlefield, and Muzan's vision instantly went dark. This was none other than a Flash Bomb from Monster Hunter.

An item that interferes with vision...?

Still, Muzan did not panic. He detected Ye Chen's location through heat sensing, then turned slightly in midair and slowly landed on the ground farther away.

Snap!!

But the moment he landed, his expression changed again. His body sank once more, and he discovered that another Pitfall Trap had appeared beneath his feet at some point. Waves of electricity surged from it, continuously paralyzing him.

"Heh heh. I knew you couldn't sense these traps."

Seeing Muzan fall for it again, Ye Chen laughed. His hands remained just as quick as he raised his Long Sword and launched another attack.

Netherworld Breathing, Fourth Form: Demon Blade Rakshasa!

Netherworld Breathing, First Form: Cherry Blossom Spirit Blade Slash!

Enhanced by Demon Blade Rakshasa and carrying his netherworld fire, Ye Chen's Cherry Blossom Spirit Blade Slash cut Muzan into several pieces once again.