According to what Xia Xi, and even Igarashi, had told him before,
Upper Rank Three's raw strength
was definitely greater than that of any of the current Nine Hashira.
In a one-on-one fight, there was almost no chance of winning.
Logically, Upper Rank Four, ranked just below Three, could not be much weaker.
Kazetoriin reckoned that, as the second weakest of the current Nine Hashira, he certainly stood no chance against his opponent.
But...
There certainly were a lot of them, these four demons before him who had become younger.
Yet why did they feel... not all that strong?
They were only a little stronger than the Lower Ranks he had killed before.
Whether it was Uzui or Kanae, either could probably win easily in a one-on-one fight.
Could he actually kill an Upper Rank alone?
That swelling confidence had only surfaced for an instant
before Kazetoriin's reason suppressed it.
With the enemy performing like this... there had to be a trick!
Bang!
The long whip tore through the air like a silver snake, violently knocking the monk demon's ringed staff out of his hands.
Then his figure flashed.
He appeared before another demon, the one wielding a spear.
His legs clamped around the demon's neck, and he spun with the momentum.
Like swinging a sling, he hurled the demon away bodily.
Whatever the case, he needed to drive them away from here first.
There were too many wounded.
And ordinary residents were nearby, too.
He absolutely could not let the battle escalate here...
"These useless fools are actually being toyed with by a woman!"
Rather than retrieve his ringed staff, the monk demon swung his arms down at Kazetoriin, who had yet to draw back his Nichirin Blade.
There might not have been much technique involved,
but faced with