The End
The moment the words "Demon Slayer Mark" and "Crimson Red Blade" were spoken, the Upper Moons' expressions subtly changed.
Even though only Kokushibo had actually fought against these types of Swordsmen, and the rest of the Upper Moons had appeared after that era, it didn't stop them from knowing how powerful these Swordsmen were.
Around four hundred years before Yoriichi Tsugikuni was born, Demons were on the verge of being completely wiped out by him. Because of Yoriichi Tsugikuni's existence and the infectious nature of the Demon Slayer Mark, the Demon Slayer Corps saw a large number of Marked Swordsmen emerge. Many of these Swordsmen also wielded Crimson Red Nichirin Blades that were specifically effective against demonic bodies.
If Yoriichi Tsugikuni hadn't eventually retreated from the front lines, and if the Demons hadn't been so cautious in avoiding the Swordsmen's pursuit, they might have truly been completely eradicated.
Four hundred years ago was also the closest the Demon Slayer Corps ever came to success.
However, after that, as the Marked Swordsmen died off one by one due to the side effects, and no new Marked Swordsmen appeared, the Demon Slayer Corps began to decline, only slowly accumulating a few Pillars and gaining some confidence again recently.
"If that's truly the case, then we do need to go all out."
Kokushibo looked at the dark, stripe-like patterns on Kurozawa's face and said in a low voice.
He had initially thought the patterns on Kurozawa's face were Demon Marks, but now upon closer inspection, they were somewhat different, resembling the Demon Slayer Mark more closely.
The appearance of a Marked Swordsman usually required a source.
And Kurozawa himself was actually the source.
"You shouldn't go back. Stay in Asakusa and be vigilant in various areas."
"During this time, people from the Demon Slayer Corps will definitely come to investigate."
The emaciated Hantengu opened his mouth and let out a hoarse, grating sound, saying, "Then, since you have met a powerful Swordsman, do you know the specific situation of the strongest person in the Demon Slayer Corps right now?"
The image of the Stone Pillar immediately came to mind. Kurozawa considered for a moment and said, "There is indeed a Swordsman who serves as the Stone Pillar. He is very threatening."
"His physique has been trained to its limit. Aside from not having regenerative abilities, he is almost identical to a demonic body."
"He also possesses the highest realm of Fighting Spirit. Most importantly, his Breathing Technique, to me, feels like Sun Breathing, and it's still slowly getting stronger."
The Stone Pillar from the original timeline, while powerful, was at most on the same level as the top three Upper Moons. Furthermore, because he lacked regenerative abilities, in a prolonged battle, he would slowly move towards defeat. In a one-on-one fight, he was absolutely no match for the top three Upper Moons.
But after seeing him last time, Kurozawa felt that he was much stronger than he had imagined.
However, because it was almost dawn then, Kurozawa avoided engaging him in combat, so he didn't know the Stone Pillar's true strength. But judging from his powerful Fighting Spirit fluctuations, at the very least, he could truly hold his own against an Upper Moon.
Perhaps with the help of Divine Will, the Stone Pillar had another breakthrough, significantly strengthening him.
Akaza's face showed excitement: "The highest realm of Fighting Spirit? And a physique no less than a demon's? I can't wait to fight him and test it out."
He seemed to still be unaware that the highest realm of Fighting Spirit completely countered others who controlled Fighting Spirit.
If they truly fought, Akaza, whose abilities were all based on the use of Fighting Spirit, would likely be beaten black and blue.
Kokushibo glanced at Akaza indifferently, shook his head gently, and didn't speak.
Kokushibo also possessed Fighting Spirit and the Transparent World, but his focus wasn't on them. He merely treated them as usable abilities and hadn't thoroughly researched or developed them. What he trusted was only the blade in his hand.
Gyokko, the Upper Moon Five who looked like a fish monster, chimed in, "If Akaza went, he could definitely kill him."
Clearly, this one still harbored a dismissive attitude towards human Swordsmen. This deeply ingrained belief wasn't something Kurozawa could erase with a few words.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Gyokko looked around and then said, "Lord, why haven't I seen Gyutaro and that annoying Daki?"
Daki's strength wasn't great, and she loved to relentlessly mock Gyokko's appearance. The two were old rivals.
Not seeing those two Upper Moon Sixes at this Upper Moon meeting made Gyokko feel a bit strange.
In that case, he would be the lowest ranked.
Without mentioning that the original Upper Moon Six had already died, Hongyue simply said, "Upper Moon Six will be taken over by Nakime from now on."
She sliced her wrist, and strands of crimson blood flowed out and flew directly into Nakime's body as if alive.
At the same time, the half of Nakime's face that was visible showed obvious joy, and her aura climbed steadily, though her frail physical body still hadn't improved.
Kurozawa's Fighting Spirit swept over, and he felt that the various buildings in the Infinity Castle had become more solid and dynamic. Nakime's improvement was still in the area of the Infinity Castle.
"A new Upper Moon... The Upper Moon ranks haven't changed in over two hundred years."
"Perhaps Gyutaro and Daki have already died at the hands of the Demon Slayer Corps."
Except for Doma, who knew the truth, the expressions of the several Upper Moons subtly changed simultaneously as they speculated this.
Actually, this thought wasn't wrong. After all, when Kurozawa killed Daki and Gyutaro, he still barely counted as being part of the Demon Slayer Corps.
It was because they learned of the death of an Upper Moon comrade that the surviving ones felt a glimmer of crisis.
Even though Upper Moon Six was the lowest ranked, as an Upper Moon, their strength was beyond doubt. Their deaths indicated that Swordsmen could indeed threaten the lives of Upper Moons.
Seeing the solemn expressions of the demons present, Kurozawa was somewhat satisfied.
Afterward, after discussing some details about sealing off Asakusa and the Upper Moons' areas of vigilance, the Upper Moon meeting slowly concluded.
A larger portal slowly opened, and Hongyue and Kurozawa stepped through first, followed closely by the five Upper Moons.
Stepping through the Infinity Castle portal, their vision instantly changed, returning to Hongyue's residence.
The air rippled like a water surface, and the figures of the Upper Moons gradually emerged from within.
"Go to where you should go."
"Each of you may leave," Hongyue said emotionlessly.
"As you command!"
In an instant, the figures of several Upper Moons flickered, disappearing into the vast night in just a few breaths.
Kurozawa looked up at the night sky, which resembled a layer of black velvet, his eyes narrowing slightly.
After a few seconds, he withdrew his gaze and looked at Hongyue, whose skin was snow-white and whose face seemed to glow with a faint light.
"Hongyue, I will teach you Sun Breathing."
"Alright." Hongyue smiled faintly.
She had never asked Kurozawa if he had obtained Sun Breathing, because she trusted him.
Returning indoors with Hongyue, Kurozawa pondered for a moment before saying, "Have you learned any Breathing Techniques before?"
Hongyue nodded and said, "I learned Moon Breathing from Kokushibo for a while."
"But I felt it was time-consuming and strenuous, and didn't help improve my strength, so I gave up."
Hongyue's physique had already reached the peak limit of this world. The effect of Breathing Techniques in improving the physique was not evident, even if she learned it to the final stage. Unless she went on to learn Sword Forms, Breathing Techniques were useless to Hongyue.
However, Hongyue's abilities were entirely in her demonic body. A Nichirin Blade was not even as hard as her body. Using Sword Forms would actually lower her combat power, so she didn't bother learning them.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read 777+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------