Chapter 36 — Mukago Is Not So Easy to Deal With
The moment Asuka stepped into the mountain, a suffocating spiritual pressure settled over him like a heavy canopy.
The demon inside this place was certainly no ordinary one.
Judging by the aura alone, it was no weaker than the Lower Rank Two he had fought before.
That realization made him hesitate.
How far exactly am I supposed to investigate?
Just confirm the sighting? Sketch its appearance?
Or actually fight it?
"Tch… I should've asked that crow more clearly."
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a sudden cry from the forest ahead caught his attention.
The voice sounded panicked—almost on the verge of tears.
Asuka's pupils shrank.
The rhythm of Wind Breathing accelerated instantly in his chest.
By the time he silently slipped behind a massive tree like a ghost, the frantic figure had already appeared in his line of sight.
A slender figure plunged headfirst into the bushes ahead of him, trembling violently.
Her crimson kimono was torn in several places, exposing unnaturally pale skin.
Most of her face was hidden behind messy short white hair, leaving her looking utterly disheveled.
The moment she lifted her head—
Asuka didn't need any further confirmation.
He had already drawn his sword.
Those sharp horns protruding from her head.
Those blood-red eyes.
There was no doubt.
A demon.
What surprised him, however, was how fast she reacted.
His blade had only grazed her cheek instead of taking her head clean off.
Looking closer—
"Another Lower Moon."
Understanding dawned in his eyes.
Without wasting a single word, he flicked his blade and gathered the rhythm of Wind Breathing once more.
Dust Whirlwind Cutter!
—Whoosh!
The colorless blade, wrapped in a slicing gale, tore through the air and reached Mukago in an instant.
"One after another! Everyone's bullying Mukago!"
Though cowardly and timid by nature, Mukago was still a Lower Moon.
Her strength was far from weak.
Rage surged within her crimson eyes as she faced the incoming attack.
She let out a sharp, shrill scream.
"Get away! Stay back!!"
SHRRAA—!!
With a violent swing of her slender arm, the ground suddenly began to writhe.
Several thick vines burst from the soil.
Their dark-brown surfaces were covered with razor-like wooden spikes, and they lashed viciously toward Asuka's legs.
Asuka had originally intended to use the First Form to strike directly at Mukago.
But the moment he saw the vines dripping with viscous liquid, his blade trajectory changed instantly.
Instead, he spun the sword and slashed downward.
Shing!
The vines were severed instantly.
But the moment they split apart, ink-green fluid sprayed from the cut surfaces.
When the liquid touched nearby plants, it immediately began to sizzle violently, burning blackened holes into the ground as white smoke rose.
Poison.
Just as he thought.
Asuka's gaze sharpened.
But the assault didn't stop there.
More vines surged forward from every direction.
Even when he cut some down, Mukago quickly summoned new ones to replace them.
The attacks continued endlessly.
Within seconds, the entire forest had turned into her natural battlefield.
"Heh heh, well? Scared of my deadly poison now?"
Mukago watched with growing smugness as Asuka dodged her vine attacks.
His haori had already been burned with several holes.
She couldn't help letting out a pleased laugh.
Good, good!
As long as he's not a Hashira, there's nothing to fear!
"Blood Demon Art — Cage Bird!"
The ground trembled again.
More thick thorny roots erupted from the earth, each covered with venomous spikes.
While Asuka was busy fighting off the vines, the thorny plants rapidly intertwined and grew.
Within only a few breaths—
They formed a writhing thorn cage around him.
The cage pulsed and twisted, dripping with purple-black poison.
Its barbed walls slowly tightened, squeezing the space around Asuka smaller and smaller.
Mukago smiled faintly.
Victory seemed within reach.
"…Fourth Form — Rising Dust Storm!"
Suddenly—
A violent storm of emerald wind blades erupted inside the cage.
With Asuka at its center, countless wind blades spun violently as they rose with the motion of his sword.
In an instant, a ferocious emerald storm erupted from the ground.
Shhk—shhk—!
Under the relentless cutting of the high-speed wind blades, the thick thorny vines shattered one after another.
The deadly cage that had surrounded him moments earlier was completely torn apart.
Through the swirling gaps in the storm, Mukago met the swordsman's eyes for the first time.
The killing intent within them was cold—absolute and merciless.
She shuddered instinctively.
"Damn it! Stop him!"
Panic crept into Mukago's voice.
She retreated rapidly while waving both hands, ripping vine after vine out of the earth in an attempt to entangle Asuka's legs.
But once panic set in, her control faltered.
The vines became clumsy and sluggish.
Under the night sky, Asuka's asauchi carved deadly arcs of light, effortlessly cutting down every obstacle in his path.
His objective was clear—
The neck of Lower Rank Four.
No! I can't die here!
I haven't lived long enough yet!
Before Asuka's blade had even reached her, the cowardly Demon Moon was already seeing flashes of her life pass before her eyes.
"Damn it! Damn it! Why can't you just die quietly?!"
Mukago snarled viciously.
Her eyes gleamed with savage desperation as she suddenly bit down hard on her own wrist.
Blood burst out and soaked into the soil.
The withered branches and fallen leaves around her seemed to gain strength, twisting into more vicious forms.
With a grasping motion of her fingers, rows of wooden walls erupted from the ground.
They formed a defensive barrier sturdy enough to withstand even Asuka's slashes.
"You're just as annoying as that brat Rui! Die already!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As Asuka smashed through the wooden walls and continued pressing forward, several thin plants hidden within the shadows of the barricades suddenly seized their chance.
They shot forward like arrows.
Thwip—!
Though Asuka reacted instantly, a small branch tipped with a poisonous thorn still managed to slice across his forearm.
"Hah…"
Mukago grinned widely, revealing her demon fangs.
"Hah… hah…"
She panted heavily, but the panic in her voice had faded.
The arrogant confidence of a Demon Moon returned to her face.
"That scared me for a second… you damn human."
"Now just stand there and let the poison—"
"What are you doing?!"
Her blood-red pupils shrank to slits.
She stared at the human swordsman in disbelief.
That lunatic—
The moment he was injured, he cut the poisoned flesh from his own arm without hesitation!
Was he insane?!
But…
Why wasn't he bleeding?
"…Hold it down, Bakudatsu's Plunder."
At some point, the sword in Asuka's hand had already transformed.
The blade had become the massive serrated cleaver once again.
He planted the weapon against the ground.
A deep chunk of flesh had been carved from his forearm, exposing the pulsing blood vessels and tendons beneath.
Grey-black spiritual energy from
Bakudatsu's Plunder clung to the wound.
It gnawed at the darkened flesh along the edges while simultaneously sealing the bleeding.
It looked like a strange black bandage, wrapped tightly around his arm.
Asuka had no idea how potent the poison of Lower Rank Four might be.
He wasn't willing to gamble.
So the moment he was cut, he made his decision.
The pain was intense—
But compared to the risk of losing his arm… or his life—
It wasn't even worth hesitation.
"Y-you lunatic!"
Mukago screamed hoarsely.
"I don't want to fight you anymore! Just get away from me!"
Her hands rose again, dark green light gathering around her fingertips.
Clearly, she was preparing something stronger—
Something far more lethal.
Whether to finish off this dangerous hunter or simply clear a path to escape.
Enduring the searing pain in his arm, Asuka's eyes turned ice-cold.
He locked his gaze onto Mukago.
Then he spoke calmly.
"When demons get hurt… does it hurt?"
"…Sorry."
"I never show mercy to demons."
…
(Special thanks to space_guy)