Kyojuro Rengoku leaned on his cracked nichirin blade, panting heavily.
Each breath tugged at the gruesome piercing wound on his left shoulder, bringing a heart-wrenching pain.
But his piercing eyes shone astonishingly bright, fixed intently on Cheng Mo, who stood with his blade sheathed.
The aura emanating from the other man, not intentionally concealed, was powerful, profound, carrying the ferocity of lightning, yet strangely originating from the same source as Breathing Technique, even purer.
Combining the sporadic information from the Kasugai Crow and the miraculous lightning power, Kyojuro already had a guess.
He forced a breath, his voice still booming, breaking the deadly silence: "Mhm! Thank you both for your timely assistance. I am the Flame Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kyojuro Rengoku!"
His gaze burned as he looked at Cheng Mo, "You must be the important ally Mr. Cheng Mo, whom the Master mentioned!"
Although it was a question, his tone was very certain.
Cheng Mo nodded slightly, acknowledging his enthusiasm.
His gaze swept over the continuously bleeding wounds on Kyojuro's body, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
"It really is you!"
Upon hearing this, Kyojuro Rengoku's face immediately broke into a joyful, unclouded smile.
It was as if his severe injuries didn't even exist.
"That's wonderful! It's a great fortune for the Demon Slayer Corps to have such a powerful ally as Mr. Cheng Mo! The path to slaying demons will surely become brighter, hahahaha!"
His booming laughter tugged at his wounds, making him cough, but he still couldn't stop his joy.
Cheng Mo said nothing more, stepping forward, squatting down, and unreservedly examining the gruesome wounds on Kyojuro's body.
Especially the piercing wound on his left shoulder, where the skin and flesh were rolled back at the edges, faintly revealing splintered bone fragments.
Without the slightest hesitation, he seemingly casually reached into his embrace (actually from the myriad realms compass space) and took out disinfectant, highly effective hemostatic powder, and clean bandages.
Tanjirou, standing nearby, instinctively glanced at the seemingly unremarkable inner lapel of his teacher's clothes.
He had long noticed that his teacher could always pull out various unexpected things from his embrace, from gems to medicinal herbs, and even... But he was smart enough never to ask a single question.
Cheng Mo's movements were quick and steady: cleaning the wound, sprinkling powder, bandaging and securing, the process flowed as if rehearsed a thousand times.
The specially formulated hemostatic powder was extremely effective, almost instantly slowing the blood loss.
Although Kyojuro Rengoku's face was pale from blood loss, his spirit remained high.
Feeling the cooling sensation from his wound and the comfort of being properly treated, he couldn't help but praise loudly: "Thank you, Mr. Cheng Mo's medical skills are indeed as remarkable as rumored! The effect of this powder is unprecedented, it's a great help!"
Just then, Tanjirou had already stumbled to the side of the girl lying on the ground—Himura Ruri.
The girl's face was ashen, her breathing so faint it was almost imperceptible, and the ground beneath her was stained crimson with a large pool of blood.
Tanjirou's heart clenched. He trembled as he extended a finger, carefully reaching for her neck.
When his fingertip finally felt that extremely faint pulse, like a flickering candle in the wind, about to extinguish at any moment, Tanjirou's tears almost burst forth instantly.
"Teacher, she's still alive! But... her breath is so weak, it's like she's about to..."
He suddenly looked up, urgently calling out to Cheng Mo, his voice filled with uncontrollable sobs and panic.
Cheng Mo had just finished bandaging Kyojuro's last major wound and immediately stood up upon hearing this: "Support her head and neck, keep her airway clear, don't move her carelessly, I'll take a look..."
Before he could finish—
"Hoo... Ugh ah ah—!"
The newly transformed demon, who should have completely lost his mind and been dominated by the demon's predatory instincts, suddenly sprang up from the ground.
In an extremely awkward yet unusually swift posture, he stumbled and blocked the path between Cheng Mo and his unconscious daughter, Ruri!
His completely mutated body had swelled, his skin covered in bizarre black and purple patterns, and his fingernails had become like sharp claws.
Saliva dripped from his mouth, and his clouded eyes held no trace of human reason, only bestial madness and hunger.
But even though his claws were not far from his daughter's throat, and even though the saliva dripping from his mouth was full of a craving for flesh and blood... he ignored it, and instead let out a low, threatening growl at Cheng Mo, who intended to approach and whose aura was powerful.
It was as if, should Cheng Mo dare to take another step, he would expend everything of this newly transformed demon body to launch an attack!
This scene was too bizarre.
Too... shocking!
Tanjirou was completely stunned, his mouth wide open, his mind blank.
He looked at the man who had clearly become a demon, exuding a bloodthirsty aura, and then at the girl he was protecting beneath him.
He sniffed hard with his nose; the air was mixed with the stench of a demon and a... an extremely faint yet resilient scent of sorrow... Tanjirou's tears gushed out: "He... even after becoming a demon... is still protecting his daughter?!"
Upon hearing this, Kyojuro Rengoku's face, though pale from blood loss, instantly brightened astonishingly.
"Don't you understand, young man! This is a bond, a light from the soul that cannot be completely extinguished even when one transforms into a demon and loses reason. How... incredibly moving this will is!"
His words were filled with genuine respect and unspeakable emotion.
Cheng Mo's footsteps halted.
Looking at Himura Senichi, who was blocking his path and emitting threatening growls, his eyes flickered.
He slowly reined in the sharp aura around him, attempting to convey a harmless signal.
He even whispered in a calm tone: "Calm down, I'm not here to hurt her."
However, the demonized Himura Senichi was clearly unable to understand language; his remaining consciousness was completely filled with the obsession to protect and the ferocity of demon blood, responding with maximum hostility to any powerful presence that approached.
The low growls in his throat became more dangerous, his claws trembling slightly, as if he would pounce at any second.
Seeing that appeasement was ineffective, Cheng Mo no longer hesitated.
Zzzzt—
An extremely faint electrical sound rang out.
A hair-thin azure electric spark shot from his fingertip, precisely embedding itself into Himura Senichi's body.
Himura Senichi's body suddenly stiffened, intense numbness instantly sweeping through him, rendering him unable to move.
He could only let out more anxious and angry roars in vain, his crimson eyes glaring fiercely at Cheng Mo, full of warning.
However, he then saw that the man exuding a dangerous aura was not harming his daughter behind him.