Chapter 73 - New Challenge For Ishida

The black flowers began to sink into the ground, and suddenly, thick vines of corrupted spider lilies erupted around Higanbana. The flowers on these vines were pitch black, dripping with a dark, poison-like substance.

"My garden's true power," she said softly, "lies in how it feeds on blood - both mine and my opponents'."

Where the poison droplets fell, the ground sizzled and decayed. The vines moved like serpents, quick and deadly, each strike attempting to pierce rather than slash.

[HP: 1200/1400]

[Fatigue: 70]

"Moon Breathing, Second Form: Pearl Flower Moongazing!" Ishida's defensive technique kept the vines at bay, but each time his blade cut through them, more grew in their place, drawing power from the blood dripping from his earlier wounds.

"Every drop of blood you shed makes my garden stronger," Higanbana explained, directing the vines with graceful movements. "Your own strength becomes your weakness."

Ishida noticed how the vines grew thicker and faster where his blood had fallen. He also saw how they all connected back to Higanbana, who stood in the center of her deadly garden.

"Then the solution is simple," he said, his blade beginning to glow. "Moon Breathing, Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy!"

The spinning attack created a vortex that not only cut through the vines but also cleared the blood-soaked ground around him. Without blood to feed on, the new vines grew thinner and slower.

"Impossible!" Higanbana tried to back away, but Ishida was already moving.

"Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace!" His attack cut through the remaining vines before striking Higanbana's neck. As she crumbled away, her garden withered with her.

"Such precision..." she whispered as she faded. "**** ***** was right to test you..."

[5th Opponent Defeated]

[EXP Gained: 200,000]

[Fatigue: 75/100]

[HP: 1200/1400]

The garden began to fade as Ishida sheathed his sword. "Two more," he muttered, watching the last traces of poison disappear.

[Transportation to Next Location Will Begin in: 30 Seconds]

"My Fatigue level went up very high this time, and as well as the HP went down quite much,"

30 seconds countdown came to an end, as just like the previous times, everything around him turned dark and after it faded, Ishida was left standing in a lone road, buildings all around the place , and in the first look it felt very much familiar to him, as he looked around him, "This Is the same place where the quest started," Ishida muttered, recognizing his surrounding and the similar buildings and road he had passed through for this quest, at the very beginning of it, and now he was once again back at the same place , but this time... This time , it was different. He was 2 times more powerful than what he was when he stood at the same place last time according to his level and other stats.

[HP : 1250⬆️/1400]

[Fatigue : 35 ⬇️]

[6th Opponent will be deployed In : 30 Seconds]

"Open Inventory," Ishida commanded, as he waited for the countdown to end, Ishida opened the system inventory, where he received some foods from the system earlier during the quest, and picked up something to eat while he waited.

The wind began to stir as the countdown reached zero, cherry blossoms swirling in an impossible dance given there were no trees nearby. A figure materialized within the whirlwind, wearing a pristine Demon Slayer uniform with a Hashira haori.

[6th Opponent Deployed]

[Name: Kaede]

[Type: Wind Hashira] [Level: 55]

[Warning: Hashira-Level Opponent]

Ishida's eyes widened slightly. "A Hashira? But..." He hesitated, his hand loosening on his sword hilt. "You're human."

Kaede stood calmly, her haori fluttering in the gentle breeze. "You seem troubled. Expecting another demon?"

"I've been fighting demons this entire quest," Ishida replied, his brow furrowed. "But you... you're a Demon Slayer. More than that, a Hashira. We're supposed to be allies."

"Sometimes the greatest tests aren't about physical strength," Kaede responded, her hand resting lightly on her sword. "What will you do when faced with a moral dilemma?"

Ishida's grip on his sword remained loose. "I can't... I won't kill another human. That goes against everything Demon Slayers stand for."

"And yet," Kaede drew her blade in one fluid motion, "this quest requires you to defeat me. **** ***** specifically wanted to see how you'd handle this situation. During Battle anything can happen, right."

"There has to be another way," Ishida said firmly. "The quest says 'defeat,' not 'kill.' Maybe—"

Before he could finish, Kaede vanished, appearing beside him with her blade already in motion. "In battle, hesitation means death!"

Ishida barely managed to draw his blade in time, the clash of steel echoing through the empty street. The force of Kaede's strike sent him sliding backward several feet.

The moonlight glinted off their blades as both warriors faced each other, the weight of this moral challenge hanging heavy in the air...

[Next time on Demon Slayer : LEveLing uP : Ishida faces his greatest test yet! As steel clashes against steel under the watchful moon, will he find a way to overcome this challenge without compromising his principles? Don't miss the next explosive chapter of this incredible battle!]