Chapter 18 Behead the immortal upper moon, the black hole prisoner!
Hearing Akaza's reply, Kyojuro Rengoku's face darkened, and his tone turned cold.
"It seems our judgment of the value of things is completely at odds."
"The strong have a responsibility to protect the weak, not to abuse their talents to bully them, and certainly not to line their own pockets!"
Akaza's face still bore that cynical smile.
He placed one hand on his hip, just about to speak again, when he suddenly felt a sharp flash of light streak past him, incredibly fast!
Chii!
In a flash, Arthur, who had severed the demon's head, appeared silently several meters behind Akaza, the fine electric arcs dancing around him slowly fading.
"If you can fight, don't argue, Kyojuro. Why are you wasting words on a demon?"
Arthur's movements were so fast that neither Kyojuro Rengoku nor Akaza could track him.
Kyojuro Rengoku opened his mouth, momentarily unsure how to respond.
As the Flame Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, he had never hesitated for a second when slaying demons.
But this demon was Upper Rank Three, a powerful entity that no Pillar-level swordsman had managed to slay in nearly a century!
After sensing the abnormally intense and ominous demonic aura from the opponent, Kyojuro Rengoku had originally intended to stabilize the situation first and stall for a moment.
Once Goukou shounen called for powerful reinforcements, they would then work together to annihilate the opponent.
Who would have thought that Arthur would solve this Upper Rank demon with just one strike?
"Eh?"
Arthur turned around, looking at the headless demon body that still stood upright, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Although its head had been severed, why hadn't it turned to ash and dissipated yet?
Just as he was about to deliver another sword strike to completely finish off the opponent, the headless demon suddenly darted back more than ten meters!
The flesh at its severed neck rapidly wriggled and gushed, and in a blink of an eye, a brand new head reformed!
"Ha… ha! That was just…"
Akaza gasped for breath, his newly formed face filled with terror and lingering fear.
He subconsciously raised a hand to touch his neck.
That strike just now was too swift, so swift that even he himself thought he was certainly dead.
Unexpectedly, at the brink of death, his tenacious survival instinct and intense unwillingness erupted!
It transformed into a strange power, forcefully helping him overcome the fatal weakness of demons dying when beheaded!
…
Kyojuro Rengoku and Tanjiro, who had rushed over, instantly changed their expressions; the sight before them made them almost disbelieve their eyes.
An Upper Rank demon could even regenerate its head!
Tanjiro exclaimed in shock: "How can such a thing happen!?"
"A demon that can't be killed even by beheading… Is the only way to completely eliminate it with the sun?"
Arthur observed the heavily panting Akaza with interest, a flicker of thought in his deep eyes.
"So that's how it is. When a demon becomes powerful enough to a certain stage, it can even overcome fatal injuries like beheading?"
"Upper Rank Three, you've provided me with quite important information."
Akaza, upon hearing this, immediately flew into a rage.
"Bastard! How dare you treat me as your experiment!"
Technique deployment!
Akaza suddenly took a stance, and a giant snowflake array pattern instantly appeared under his feet, glowing faintly.
This was his unique Blood Demon Art, which allowed him to keenly sense every trace of fighting spirit emitted by his opponent through the array.
In this state, Akaza's sensory abilities would receive an incredible boost.
He could quickly capture the enemy's every move and deliver precise and deadly strikes in an instant.
The snowflake array burst forth with intense light; in his perception, the fighting spirit emitted by Kyojuro Rengoku and Tanjiro was clearly visible, with nowhere to hide.
Hmm? No, wait!
Where was that guy with the platinum longsword?
Why couldn't he sense his fighting spirit!?
Akaza suddenly looked up; there were indeed three people in his vision.
But Arthur, standing not far away, seemed to blend with the surrounding night and vegetation, his aura ethereal, like nature itself.
Akaza's internal alarm bells rang loudly, as if he had thought of some terrifying possibility.
He stomped hard on the ground, his body shooting out like a cannonball, fearing that even a moment's delay would result in a thunderous strike!
Accompanied by a piercing sonic boom, Akaza, moving at high speed, charged directly towards Tanjiro.
He clearly intended to eliminate a weaker opponent first!
Flame Breathing · First Form · Unknowing Fire!
Kyojuro Rengoku's fighting spirit was high, without the slightest retreat.
He also met the attack head-on with a burst-sprint sword technique, precisely intercepting Akaza's surprise attack.
In a flash, the two briefly clashed in mid-air before quickly separating.
Akaza did not stop, his body twisting, and he once again fiercely attacked Tanjiro!
"Destructive Kill · Annihilation Type!"
"The farce ends here."
A calm yet undeniable voice sounded, and Arthur's figure ghost-like cut into the battlefield.
Dragon Breathing · Water Form · Raging Scales!
Akaza's unstoppable fists slammed heavily onto the flat side of Arthur's raised sword.
The feeling was as if he had instantly fallen into an endless, deep-sea vortex with surging undercurrents!
His originally determined and furious attack was mysteriously absorbed and stuck by the sword's flat side; his desire to pull back was now a luxury.
Beneath the calm surface of the sea, undercurrents surged, and sword shadows reflected shimmering ripples in the night.
In just an instant, Akaza was dismembered, his severed limbs flying in all directions!
"I don't believe it!"
Akaza, having lost his arms and legs, let out an unwilling roar, frantically circulating his blood, attempting to regenerate.
"There's no significant increase in strength, speed, or defense; it's merely overcoming the weakness of beheading?"
Arthur took a step forward, his longsword stabbing down like lightning, firmly pinning Akaza's attempting-to-reconstruct body to the ground!
He spread his right hand, magic power surging in his palm, and a complex and precise spell pattern took shape.
"Simulated Celestial Body · Black Hole."
The profound spell transferred from his palm to the ground, instantly transforming into a pitch-black void that swallowed all light.
Akaza, who had been struggling violently and trying to get up, only felt an irresistible terrifying suction, his body slamming back to the ground, unable to move even a single finger.
…
After finishing the binding spell, Arthur leisurely squatted in front of Akaza, unhurriedly taking out a small medical pouch from his inner shirt pocket.
"You're here for the blue spider lily too, right? Can Muzan Kibutsuji talk to me personally?"
Akaza, spread-eagled and firmly suppressed on the ground, gritted his teeth, his face contorted in a grimace, seemingly bound by some force and completely unable to speak.
Arthur casually snapped his fingers, slightly reducing the magic power supplied to the spell.
As the binding force slightly lessened, Akaza immediately roared hoarsely.
"How did you do it! Answer me!"
"How did you step into that 'highest realm'!"
Akaza's expression in his roar suddenly froze; his originally furious and deranged expression instantly receded, but his gaze was fixed on the blue spider lily in Arthur's hand.
Arthur looked at the demon's drastically contrasting and strange behavior, nodding thoughtfully.
"So that's how it is; too far away, so no way to directly perform precise control?"
"Listen carefully, Muzan Kibutsuji, I'll only say this once."
Arthur's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
"One month from now, at midnight, on the summit of Mt. Natagumo. I will be waiting for you there with the blue spider lily."
"If you haven't appeared by the deadline, then say goodbye to the eternal life you most desire."
With that, Arthur put away the medical pouch and turned to walk towards Kyojuro Rengoku and Tanjiro, who were waiting nearby.
"The important information about Upper Rank demons not dying even after beheading must be communicated and popularized throughout the Demon Slayer Corps as soon as possible."
"How much longer until the members of the Kakushi arrive?"
Kyojuro Rengoku cast a solemn glance at the completely suppressed Akaza, then looked at the deep night, and said seriously.
"They will surely arrive before dawn. As for this Upper Rank demon… how should it be handled?"
Arthur smiled helplessly: "Since it won't die even if its head is cut off, we'll just have to wait for the sun to come out and see."
Kyojuro Rengoku nodded heavily, stepped to Akaza's side, and stood solemnly.
"In that case, I shall guard him here, just in case!"
Actually, Arthur wanted to tell him that as long as his magic power was not exhausted, this binding spell would not dissipate on its own.
But considering that all the passengers had been safely rescued and the three of them had no other urgent matters, he simply let him be.
Tanjiro looked at the calm Arthur and the vigilant Kyojuro Rengoku, involuntarily gripping his Nichirin Blade, his eyes filled with unwillingness and disappointment.
On the Infinity Train, he was easily hypnotized by a Blood Demon Art.
Facing the fierce attacks of Upper Rank Three, he was even more powerless to fight back.
If not for Arthur and Kyojuro-san repeatedly coming to his rescue, he would probably have died long ago.
"Cheer up! Goukou shounen!"
Kyojuro Rengoku extended his large, fan-like hand and slapped Tanjiro's shoulder hard, his voice booming like a bell.
"You are still young! I believe your future will become incredibly strong!"
"Tsk! How could such a weak, pathetic brat become strong!"
Muzan Kibutsuji's will had clearly departed; Akaza, lying on the ground, regained consciousness and immediately spat out a sarcastic taunt.
"The weak must know their place! Weaklings are simply… "
Bang!
The suction force of the black hole spell suddenly increased dramatically; Akaza, who hadn't managed to close his mouth, cried out in pain, having bitten off his own tongue.
After the opponent 'obediently' buried his head in the mud, he dared not say another word.
Arthur nonchalantly clapped his hands, as if dusting off non-existent dirt, and turned his head to look at Tanjiro, who was still a little downcast.
"What? You're not actually taking this guy's demonic nonsense seriously, are you?"
Kyojuro Rengoku also encouraged him again: "After we get back, let me personally train you, Goukou shounen!"
"Um… Kyojuro-san, my surname is Kamado… Kamado Tanjiro."
Tanjiro corrected softly, but then, as if remembering something, he suddenly looked up at Arthur, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
"Arthur-san, what was that 'highest realm' the opponent mentioned just now?"