Chapter 46: The Ninth

The cold moonlight spilled onto the ground, illuminating the pristine, glowing threads that stretched across the clearing. These threads, resembling spider silk, were tougher than steel.

Li Mo swung his Nichirin Blade, the blade glowing red as invisible flames spread across its surface. With a twist, the threads snapped, no longer taut, and fell to the ground.

He began to run. The opponent manipulated the taut threads with both hands, using them as sharp weapons. The threads chased after him, but Li Mo used their tension to slice through trees as thick as a person's embrace. The towering trees fell vertically, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured the battlefield. Rui lost sight of the swordsman.

Anger did not cloud Rui's combat instincts. Among demons, there existed a "Blood Battle for Position," a fight that determined the hierarchy of the Kizuki. Lower-ranked demons could challenge higher-ranked ones through this agreement. Victory meant taking the higher rank, while defeat meant death.

Rui had experienced the "Blood Battle for Position" and emerged victorious.

His combat instincts told him that the swordsman had used the falling tree to obscure his movements, using the dust to distract him.

—So, where was he?

Rui lowered his head and saw the swordsman leaping into the air.

The opponent was fast, but not fast enough to outpace Rui's reflexes. The demon jumped backward, the threads in its hands turning red as blood. The crimson threads thickened instantly, weaving together like a massive loom.

"Blood Demon Art: Threaded Wheel!"

The dense threads tightened in an instant, forming an inescapable net that enveloped the swordsman in mid-air. The red threads created a web that surrounded him from all six directions, leaving no escape.

"My family, my loved ones, everything I had—you destroyed it all! Die, Demon Slayer! From this day forward, I will hunt down every last one of you!"

Rage needed an outlet. The death of this man wouldn't be enough to satisfy his anger. He needed to kill more, many more, to vent his fury. After that, he would find a new family.

Rui landed on the ground, watching as the red threads closed in on the swordsman, waiting for the moment the threads would tighten and blood would rain down.

—But the sound that came wasn't the slicing of flesh.

"Why do you think I'm dead?"

"Whoosh—!"

The crimson threads were replaced by scorching flames. The swordsman adjusted his position in mid-air using his sword techniques, landing perfectly before launching himself forward like an arrow aimed straight at Rui.

"You're still alive?!"

Rui retreated into the forest, its fingers nimbly manipulating the blood-red threads as they lashed out at Li Mo. But the swordsman always managed to cut through the threads with his Nichirin Blade.

In the past, it was the threads that severed the swordsman's blade. But tonight, the tables had turned. It was the swordsman's blade that cut through the threads.

Muzan-sama had said that Rui possessed the strength of Lower Moon One. He hadn't even found a new family yet—how could he die here?

"Sun Breathing—"

Li Mo closed in on Rui, now within striking distance. Both hands gripped the hilt of his Nichirin Blade, assuming the stance for the first form, "Dance."

Memories surfaced deep within Rui's mind, etched into its bloodline. It seemed like a long, long time ago, it had been cut by a swordsman using a similar technique. Like a flashback, the pain of those twelve forms cutting into its flesh was unforgettable.

—Unbearable pain.

Rui's thoughts returned to reality just as the Nichirin Blade, reflecting the cold moonlight, reached its neck.

It was going to die.

No, it had to cut off its own head before the opponent could!

"Clang—!"

"You know, when you say 'I'll kill you,' you'd better already be in motion. Saying it after the fact is too late."

"See? I killed you."

The Nichirin Blade slid across Rui's neck, producing a metallic sound. At the same time, its body was sliced into multiple pieces. The thirteenth form of Sun Breathing, created by Yoriichi Tsugikuni upon seeing Muzan, was a one-hit kill technique against the Demon Progenitor.

Rui's head fell to the ground, its eyes filled with confusion.

Why was the opponent so fast? Wasn't he just a few meters away?

It was all because of that moment—why had it spaced out? What was that vision it had seen? It had never encountered that tall swordsman before!

With that, its confusion could only die along with its fading life.

From Li Mo's perspective, Rui's health bar had completely disappeared. This meant that all the demons of Natagumo Mountain had been eradicated. The moon in the sky was full, still in the eastern part of the sky, not yet reaching its zenith.

"Ninth one."

"Damn it, I forgot to count when I killed the mother earlier. This is so annoying!"

Li Mo complained to himself. It felt like eating instant noodles only to find there was no seasoning packet. It didn't ruin the meal, but it was still irritating.

But then again, he had killed nine demons in one night. Such efficiency was worthy of a perfect hunter. Did Natagumo Mountain really have that many demons? He couldn't remember there being so many.

His memories were hazy, but he was grateful he could even recall the name of the place.

Under the moonlight, he called his Kasugai Crow, instructing it to notify the Kakushi to clean up the battlefield. Then he stood where Rui had died. There was no trace of the demon's body, only the destruction left behind from their battle.

In the fight against the Lower Moon, "Force Redirection" hadn't been particularly useful. Rui's red threads were as sharp as blades, and any contact would have resulted in severe injury. But with "Total Concentration: Constant" and Sun Breathing enhancing his physical abilities, the Lower Moon posed no real threat. It just couldn't deliver a one-hit kill.

As for Rui, when Li Mo had cut off its head, he suddenly remembered its name. Human thoughts and memories were often erratic. One moment you could forget something, and the next, it would come back to you an hour later.

Remembering was one thing, but it was useless now. Rui was dead. Could he go to hell and joke with it, saying, "I sent your whole family to hell. Are you happy?"

He'd probably end up being dragged down to hell himself, becoming a joke alongside Rui.

For the rest of the night, Li Mo wandered around Natagumo Mountain, even catching a rabbit for a meal while waiting for the Kakushi to arrive. The humans hanging in the wooden house and the bodies of the Demon Slayer Corps members along the way needed to be dealt with.

When dealing with the Kakushi, they somehow confirmed that Li Mo had killed Lower Moon Five. This meant that Li Mo would soon return to the Demon Slayer Corps and could potentially become a Hashira.

—Of course, that would only happen after meeting the leader.