"Arrogant brat!!"
Rip—
The remnants of his suit on his upper body completely burst, revealing a pale yet powerful physique.
The next second, the skin on his back violently tore open, and nine dark-red whip-like tubes, each four meters long and covered in vicious bone spikes, shot out like giant, living venomous snakes.
They moved with a speed beyond the limits of visual perception, coiling around Cheng Mo from all directions, aiming to kill him!
The offensive was both swift and dense, almost completely blocking any space for evasion!
"Be careful!!"
Kyojuro Rengoku, who had been enduring his injuries and trying to assist, shouted urgently.
Even with his eyesight, he could barely make out the attack trajectory of the whip-like tubes, only feeling a shadow of death engulfing Cheng Mo!
A faint golden glow swirled in Cheng Mo's pupils.
The Eye of Truth clearly captured the trajectory of each whip-like tube.
He took a deep breath, and a thunderous hum resonated in his chest.
"Thunder Breathing, Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash!"
The jingzhe blade erupted with thunderous light!
In an instant, he seemed to transform into a thunder god, as dozens of violent lightning slashes emanated outwards from him.
The slashes were like a sudden blooming thunder-flower, precisely meeting the nine deadly whip-like tubes.
Clang, clang, clang, clang—
A dense, rain-like clang of metal exploded.
Sparks and lightning scattered wildly.
The fierce offensive of the whip-like tubes was actually blocked head-on by these all-encompassing lightning slashes!
What made Muzan even more uncomfortable was that the strange blue-white lightning energy, with each collision, spread like a persistent parasite along the whip-like tubes towards his main body!
A strong sense of paralysis and a burning pain that felt like it could tear his soul kept coming.
Although his powerful regeneration instantly suppressed it, it greatly interfered with his attack rhythm and precision.
"What kind of power is this?!" Muzan was both shocked and enraged.
This energy was neither like a Breathing Technique nor a Blood Demon Art.
It was tricky and domineering, extremely difficult to deal with, leaving him feeling frustrated and unable to find an opening.
Tanjirou, standing nearby, was already dazzled, cold sweat soaking his back.
His naked eyes simply couldn't keep up with the movements of the two, only seeing blue-white lightning and dark-red blood shadows wildly colliding and intertwining.
Deafening roars and impacts continuously spread.
The destructive aftermath constantly tore and shattered the surrounding ground, trees, and ruined walls!
Each collision's roar made his eardrums ache.
He clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.
Is this Teacher's true strength?
Is this... Kibutsuji Muzan's power?
The gap... is too great... Even Flame Pillar-san on the side can hardly intervene...
Kyojuro Rengoku leaned on his nichirin blade, his fiery eyes fixed on the battle, equally shocked.
He had personally fought Muzan and knew the despair-inducing power gap, having almost no ability to fight back.
Yet, the person before him could directly contend with Muzan, even holding his own!
What kind of strength was this!
Unable to quickly achieve victory, Muzan grew increasingly anxious.
The strength Cheng Mo displayed and the troublesome lightning made him feel a genuine unease.
If before it was just apprehension and curiosity, now he viewed Cheng Mo as a truly formidable enemy that must be eliminated quickly!
A faint glimmer of light was already faintly visible on the horizon.
Dawn was approaching!
He couldn't afford to get entangled any longer!
And that brat... that brat with the earrings...
Muzan's gaze swept over Cheng Mo, then coldly glanced at Tanjirou not far away, the heavily injured Rengoku, and the unconscious girl on the ground.
A malicious thought instantly formed.
His arms suddenly mutated, transforming into even more flexible and ferocious whip-like thorns, integrated for both offense and defense, their length suddenly extending to ten meters.
They were covered in sharp bone spikes that could change position and shape at will, instantly expanding his attack range!
But this time, his primary target was no longer Cheng Mo.
Instead, he cunningly directed most of the attack's aftershocks towards Tanjirou, the heavily injured Kyojuro Rengoku, and the unconscious Himura Ruri behind him!
"Oh no!"
Tanjirou felt an irresistible, terrifying pressure bearing down on him.
He didn't even have time to react before he was violently thrown back by a spreading blood-colored shockwave!
Bang!
His back slammed heavily against a large tree, his throat tasted sweet, and he violently spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
He felt as if his internal organs had shifted, and his vision swam.
"Ugh!"
Kyojuro Rengoku gritted his teeth, let out a roar, and forced out his last breath.
His burning nichirin blade slashed horizontally!
"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"
Crimson flame sword energy soared, barely blocking most of the aftershocks heading towards him and Ruri, but his already heavily injured body suffered another impact.
His wounds burst open, blood gushed out, and his body swayed precariously, held up only by sheer willpower.
Meanwhile, Cheng Mo, while parrying Muzan's frontal attacks, had to divert more of his focus and strength, swinging his nichirin blade to cut down the treacherous aftershocks aimed at Tanjirou and Rengoku.
His movements noticeably became a bit more sluggish and cautious.
"Hahahahaha!"
Muzan keenly caught this, letting out a wild and triumphant laugh.
"Do you see, Cheng Mo! It's this kind of boring emotion! These ridiculous bonds that restrict you!"
"In front of so many burdens, do you still want to continue fighting me? Can you truly unleash your full power?!"
His words were like poisonous needles, precisely stabbing at Cheng Mo.
Cheng Mo's eyes were icy, but his offensive involuntarily slowed for a moment.
Muzan's method was despicable but effective.
He truly couldn't stand by and watch Tanjirou and Rengoku die in front of him.
The movements of both almost simultaneously slowed down, and finally, with a tacit understanding, they each leaped backward, ceasing their engagement.
The lightning and blood shadows dissipated, leaving only the lingering smoke, scorched smell, and strong scent of blood in the arena.
Muzan felt Cheng Mo's aura withdraw, and the sarcasm and triumph in his eyes almost overflowed.
It had worked, indeed.
Human emotions were always the greatest weakness.
He thought Cheng Mo was intimidated by his words and dared not fight with full strength anymore.
Cheng Mo stood with his nichirin blade, the lightning around him gradually receding, his face calm, only his eyes growing deeper and colder.
His Chakra consumption was significant, and maintaining the Lightning Release Armor at high intensity was a huge burden on his body.
He knew very well that his main objective was rescue, not killing.
With his current strength, he simply couldn't kill Muzan, who possessed countless life-saving trump cards.
If the entanglement continued, once his condition further deteriorated, the others would undoubtedly die.
Seeing that Cheng Mo had no intention of attacking again, Muzan snorted coldly, saying no more.
He merely used his plum-red pupils to look at Tanjirou, who was struggling to get up, with a sinister and deep gaze.
It seemed he wanted to brand the appearance of this boy with the earrings, who reminded him of Yoriichi, deep into his soul.
Then, he transformed into a mass of dense, blood-colored darkness, receding like a tide and disappearing into the brightening dawn