Chapter 41: A Decisive Slash

Makomo's plan was to split up, with one person distracting the demon while the other delivered the finishing blow. However, this scenario would only work if Makomo encountered the demon first. Li Mo alone was more than capable of killing the demon.

The only issue was whether the demon would use its abilities to escape.

If Li Mo could charge in and decapitate the demon in one go, that would be ideal. However, if the demon managed to escape, it would be a blow to their reputation. If sneak attacks could perfectly kill demons, then the entire Demon Slayer Corps would adopt such tactics. But Li Mo was more concerned about Makomo's safety.

"I don't want you to do this, Makomo," Li Mo said after a moment of thought.

"Li Mo, do you think I'm weak? I've already figured out its patterns. Even if I can't cut off its head, I can still dodge its attacks perfectly."

Makomo didn't like Li Mo's earlier suggestion of her being "bait."

She wasn't bait; she was a hunter. Only those who couldn't fight back were called bait. Someone with strength should be called a "trapper."

"Alright. Be careful. We'll split up."

Seeing the determination in Makomo's eyes, Li Mo made his decision. He realized that Makomo wasn't just his subordinate. He suggested, "Whoever finds the demon first will make noise to guide the other."

With that, the two separated. Li Mo knew that splitting up was the right move.

His earlier attack had instilled fear in Kyogai, causing it to flee. The second time he attacked, he used his Breathing Technique, and the full power of Sun Breathing seemed to trigger some deep memory in Kyogai's bloodline.

Otherwise, Kyogai wouldn't have fled. Was it because of Muzan Kibutsuji's blood? Did the memory of Yoriichi Tsugikuni leave such a deep impression? But why didn't the Hand Demon fear him before? Oh, right, I didn't give it time to react.

Li Mo believed he had found the answer. He then hoped that Kyogai would appear before him and not Makomo. It wasn't that he didn't trust Makomo's strength, but... killing demons was inherently risky.

But it didn't matter. As long as he could get there quickly, everything would be fine.

Li Mo's eyes were no longer as lazy as before.

...

...

"What's going on? Why did I flee the battlefield?"

Was I scared? Was my body trembling with fear? It was as if a memory buried deep in my bloodline surfaced at that moment. In that instant, I didn't see the young man. Instead, I saw a tall swordsman, wielding his blade like a demon.

"No, I can't do this. If I'm scared off by two swordsmen who aren't even Hashira, how can I ever become a Kizuki?"

Kyogai knew that every Kizuki had killed Demon Slayers. The Upper Moons had even taken the lives of Hashira, and most of them had done so multiple times. Over the centuries, the Lower Moons had been replaced batch after batch, while the Upper Moons remained the same.

Kyogai wanted to become an Upper Moon.

*Thud!*

It slapped the drum on its back.

Space shifted once again. Kyogai's Blood Demon Art was tied to this mansion. The rooms flipped, rotated, and changed positions. It could even launch long-range attacks. Kyogai had once thought its Blood Demon Art was useless to Muzan, until that female demon appeared. Her spatial manipulation was far greater than Kyogai's.

Muzan hadn't stripped Kyogai of its Lower Moon status, and for that, Kyogai was grateful. It was only because Kyogai couldn't continue eating humans that it was demoted.

—If Kyogai could eat more humans, it could return to the Lower Moons. So Kyogai couldn't back down because of this setback.

"My journey begins with these two Demon Slayers."

Kyogai heard footsteps outside the door again. This time, it didn't use its drums to shift space. After some mental preparation, it pushed aside its fear.

"Ah, it seems I found you first."

"It's you. I thought the man would come first."

Makomo stood at the door, looking at the towering Kyogai with a calm expression. She tilted her head and said, "Are you looking down on me?"

*Clang—*

The back of the Nichirin Blade scraped against the sheath, followed by the sharp sound of metal clashing in the room. Having announced her presence, Makomo fully focused on the battle ahead.

*Thud, thud, thud!* The drums sounded, and the room began to flip. Invisible beasts extended their claws, and the air twisted as claw marks slashed across the walls and floor. In a short time, the entire room was covered in gouges from the claw attacks. Yet, none of them hit the agile girl.

Makomo danced gracefully through the room, the flipping space becoming her stage. With each attempt, she got closer to Kyogai, but the relentless claw attacks kept pushing her back.

Kyogai was a tough opponent. The narrow room limited Makomo's agility, and Kyogai's Blood Demon Art made it hard to adapt to the constantly shifting space. The claw attacks from the drum on its abdomen were especially troublesome in such a confined area.

"This is so annoying..." Makomo muttered.

"I find you annoying too! Now, let's begin! Rapid Drumming!"

Kyogai stepped into the room and began slapping the drums at high speed. Its hands became a blur as the dull drumbeats turned rapid and short. The room spun like a top, constantly shifting and changing.

Gravity shifted as the room flipped. What was once the floor became a wall, and then the ceiling. The definition of "down" kept changing, and gravity pulled in different directions. The room itself changed too—what was once a flat tatami mat became a pottery jar, then a desk.

The claw attacks came relentlessly, like a storm. The invisible slashes were like blades, sharp and deadly, something no human body could withstand. To adjust to the shifting gravity, Makomo had to dodge the attacks by the narrowest margins.

There were too many changes. Relying solely on her body's ability to adjust wouldn't be enough. Could she continue dodging these attacks so narrowly? Makomo took a deep breath and found a way to turn the tide.

"Water Breathing, Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow."

The Nichirin Blade danced through the air, creating ripples like water in the room. Using this technique, Makomo created additional points to push off from, helping her dodge more effectively. However, this approach didn't bring her closer to Kyogai.

—Defending was akin to a slow death. Could she really adapt to this dizzying chaos?

"Still holding on? You're agile, but you can't get close to me. Your speed is nothing compared to that man."

Kyogai's words stung. Makomo's eyes sharpened. She had a bold idea—use the Splashing Water Flow technique to reduce her points of contact, get close to Kyogai, and deliver a fatal blow.

But she only had one chance. If she failed...

—Then, a sudden change occurred.

As Kyogai stood above her, Makomo noticed wood chips falling from above.

*Crack—!!!*

Then came the sound of wood breaking.

The screen that served as the wall above Kyogai shattered into pieces. A figure dropped vertically from the "ceiling." In the brightly lit room, another light appeared.

It was something even hotter than flames.

"How did you get here so quickly? I...!"

Kyogai's words were cut short as it tried to slap the drum on its back. But Li Mo's Nichirin Blade was faster. In the blink of an eye, Kyogai's hand was severed, followed by its head.

With a single swing of the blade, Kyogai's head flew into the air. Its Blood Demon Art ceased, and the room returned to normal. Gravity shifted back to Li Mo's feet, and he landed safely on the ground.

Thanks to his rigorous training, Li Mo quickly regained his footing. Then he heard Kyogai's final question.

"Why?" The decapitated head of Kyogai asked.

"Why? Are you asking why I got here so quickly? Well, as your drums sounded, the room kept changing. The distance between me and the room kept shifting—sometimes close, sometimes far. I hated that feeling. But then I realized that the spatial shifts were confined to the room's boundaries."

Li Mo explained, "So, how do you define a room? Is it a closed, narrow space? What if I break down the wall between two rooms? Is it one room or two?"

The answer was obvious. In Kyogai's mind, a room was a space enclosed by walls. If all the rooms outside were connected, where else could it shift to?

"I see... I understand now."

With those final words, Kyogai's body disintegrated like burning firewood, disappearing completely.