"Ha, you rascal."
Akaza said, "That's quite an unexpected idea. To have Demon Slayer Corps members kill Demon Slayer Corps members who have turned into demons, I'm amazed you could come up with that."
"Even if we kill more Pillars, as long as the Demon Slayer Corps is still around, more Pillars will be added to the ranks soon," Ryūri said. "And what I want to do is destroy their beliefs."
Akaza looked at him for two seconds: "It's a good thing you're not my enemy."
Ryūri turned to look at him and smiled: "We have people we both hate, and I also really like Akaza-sama's personality."
Akaza stared at Ryuri's smile for a few seconds, then silently turned his head and said in a hoarse voice, "I don't like men."
Longli: ? ? ?
"no!"
Ryuji jumped up like a cat with its fur standing on end: "What do you mean, Mr. Akaza? What do you mean I don't like men? Do you think I'm that kind of pervert?!"
I like girls too, okay?!
"Speaking of which, I seem to remember that you were followed by a girl when you entered the Infinite City last time."
Akaza thought for a moment.
"Mr. Akaza has a really good memory. I thought the Upper Moons were all arrogant and wouldn't remember those minor characters."
"I hate weak people, but you and the girl behind you both give me a strange feeling."
"Those are my men."
Ryuri smiled and said, "But you could also say you're my little sister!"
Akaza said, "I thought you were a pervert like Douma."
Although Ryuji maintained a smile, veins were bulging on his face: "Mr. Akaza, please don't say things like that again. Please don't compare me to that kind of scum."
Akaza, upon hearing Ryuri's words, not only wasn't angry, but nodded in agreement: "Yes, it's my fault."
The two are remarkably aligned in their dislike of Doma.
"Does Mr. Akaza have a girl he likes?" Ryuji blinked. "I'm really curious. Mr. Akaza doesn't kill girls, does that mean there's a girl who's particularly important to him in his life?"
After all, Akaza-san gives me a completely different feeling from the other Upper Moons.
Akaza didn't answer Ryuri, but instead asked, "What kind of feeling do you get from the other Upper Moons?"
Ryuji pondered for a long time: "Upper Moon One's face is full of 'keep away' and he doesn't seem to care about my joining. Doma, that pervert, says he likes me, but his emotions don't fluctuate at all because of me. I won't comment on such rotten people."
Upper Moon Three... Sorry, I forgot that Upper Moon Three is Akaza. Upper Moon Four and Upper Moon Five both have a scent I absolutely hate. Those two give me the feeling that they don't deserve to live in this world—a strong, visceral evil.
Akaza narrowed his eyes: "Tell me your feelings about Upper Moon Three."
Ryuji raised his hands in surrender: "Mr. Akaza, you have to believe me, I don't have any bad impression of you."
He sighed and casually changed the subject: "But I was hoping to find Ubuyashiki's location to deal a heavy blow to the Demon Slayer Corps. But we didn't come here for nothing. Those Pillars must be feeling pretty bad right now."
"Longli".
Akaza suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Oh? What's wrong, Mr. Akaza?"
Akaza calmly said, "Let's continue our duel."
"Oh, at this time?"
Ryūri shrugged: "Mr. Akaza, if you're angry because of what happened earlier, I can apologize to you."
"No."
Akaza said, "I just rarely meet a friend like you with whom I get along so well."
Akaza smiled slightly: "When it comes to friends, of course you have to fight them together."
"Hehe, it's really something to be happy to be called a friend by Mr. Akaza."
Ryuri grinned and said, "But it's already daylight. If we accidentally damage the trees, it could cause trouble. Are you sure you want to do it now, Mr. Akaza?"
"There won't be much of a commotion."
Akaza assumed a fighting stance, his eyes gleaming with excitement and anticipation, and shouted, "Come on, Ryuri, fight me!"
There really aren't any normal Upper Moons. They'll drag you into a fight at the drop of a hat... Ryuji maintained a polite smile: "I really don't know how to refuse Mr. Akaza's invitation."
Whoosh! Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a cool breeze coming from behind him.
On instinct, he quickly twisted his neck, narrowly dodging Akaza's fierce fist from behind.
"Is it starting already!?" Ryuri pulled away from Akaza.
He touched his neck, his fingers stained with a bright red blood.
He smiled slightly and said in a slightly teasing tone, "How cunning! You didn't even say anything at the beginning?"
"Your vigilance is too poor." Akaza's cold voice came again from behind Ryuri.
Long Li's expression was solemn. He leaped into the air and looked down. He saw that the spot where he had just been standing now had a huge crater.
He was about to be above the level of the leaves overhead, and any higher and he would be exposed to the sun, so he quickly controlled his body to fall.
"There's an opening!" Akaza seized the opportunity, instantly appearing beside Ryūri and slamming a punch into Ryūri's face. Ryūri raised his arms to block, but his arms were instantly shattered by Akaza!
"Blood Demon Art - Thousand Blood Needles!" Ryuri roared, and the flowing blood quickly transformed into countless blood needles that pierced Akaza. Akaza was instantly turned into a hedgehog by the needles. Not only that, the blood needles piercing his body continued to affect his movements, making them sluggish. His fist, which had already reached Ryuri's face, was abruptly stopped.
"Interesting." Akaza's lips curled up slightly, revealing a hint of excitement. "But these tricks won't stop me!"
The next moment, his muscles bulged suddenly, and a powerful force burst forth, instantly shattering the blood needles on his body. Then he grabbed Longli's arms, raised his head, and slammed it down hard!
Long Li crashed heavily to the ground from the air. Lying on the ground, he felt dizzy and saw stars.
He quickly shook his head and stood up from the ground. His broken arms had already regenerated, but before he could prepare himself, Akaza was already in front of him again.
"Too slow! Too slow! At this speed, you'd be dead if you were facing more than three pillars!"