Now, three demon silhouettes in Shiqiao Town were rampaging wildly. Under Akaza’s orders, aside from sparing the females, they killed anyone they saw—without even consuming their victims—merely unleashing unbridled slaughter.

  Where once the town had been quiet and peaceful, it now resembled an infernal battlefield. The terrified screams had woken the townspeople from their sleep, and they were frantically fleeing. Oil lamps from unknown origins had been knocked over, igniting houses; the raging fires turned the entire town a blood-red hue.

  Up in the mountains, Shinobu Kocho saw the flames rising over Shiqiao Town. Sensing something was terribly wrong, she immediately raced down. As she neared the town’s outskirts, she noticed a demon sitting on a tree, facing the burning town.

  “How many people have already perished…” she murmured.

  Recalling the warm hospitality of the townsfolk who had once welcomed her, Shinobu’s anger welled up inside her. Unable to contain it, she leaped into the air and swung her Nichirin Blade at the demon’s neck.

  But to her surprise, the demon—Akaza—reacted swiftly, contorting his body into an exaggerated angle and evading her strike.

  “Bang!”

  Akaza retaliated by throwing a punch at Shinobu. Though she managed to block it with crossed hands, the tremendous force knocked her down from the top of a Chinese fir.

  “What is this?”

  Akaza did not pursue; instead, he remained high on the branch, silently observing Shinobu.

  When Shinobu looked up, her heart sank. The demon’s face was marked by deep blue tattoos around both eyes, yet in his golden pupils she saw three characters: her right pupil bore the words “Upper Moon Two,” and the left, “Three.”

  “Twelve Kizuki… Upper Moon Three… The Fighting Demon…”

  Shinobu’s heart grew heavier. She had expected an ordinary demon, but to find Upper Moon Three—this meant that with him present, not only would the townspeople be unsavable, but even she might perish here.

  “I am too weak… I’m sorry…”

  Gazing at the burning Shiqiao Town, Shinobu’s sorrow deepened, though her face still bore a gentle smile; she did not wish her older sister to see the weight of her despair.

  After all, she was facing an Upper Moon…

  Akaza then lightly leaped from the treetop.

  “Demon Slayer?”

  Shinobu inhaled deeply and gripped her Nichirin Blade tightly, her nerves on high alert.

  Her own sister had died at the hands of Douma, Upper Moon Two…

  She was well aware of the overwhelming power of the Upper Moons.

  “Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, Insect Pillar—Shinobu Kocho.”

  No matter the disparity in strength, Shinobu could not allow Akaza to descend the mountain and harm innocent lives.

  Instead of charging straight at him, Shinobu held her Nichirin Blade at an angle and danced gracefully among the trees like a butterfly in flight. She sought any weakness in Akaza’s defense.

  Yet Akaza remained unmoving, his expression composed.

  “Is this a new Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps?”

  “You know, your Pillars change so quickly—I can hardly remember who is who…”

  The Demon Slayer Pillars were indeed peculiar—so many names, seemingly derived from various breathing techniques.

  Insect Breathing… have I ever heard of such a method?

  This was the first time he’d encountered it. “I hope it meets my expectations,” he thought.

  Akaza never kills women—so he wouldn’t target Shinobu Kocho—but he’s not opposed to “playing” with her, especially since other demons are busy carrying out the master’s orders. However, when it comes to Pillars, one must not be careless. Akaza retracted his qi-sensing from the town and concentrated it entirely on Shinobu Kocho standing before him.

  Shinobu, anxious inside, noticed that although Akaza remained completely motionless, in her eyes he loomed like a majestic, impenetrable mountain—she couldn’t detect even a single flaw in him. Yet while Akaza could afford to expend energy waiting, she could not; she had to strike proactively.

  “Hopefully the wisteria poison will work on him…” she murmured.

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  Quickly, she sheathed and unsheathed her Nichirin Blade, which produced an eerie, creaking sound. At that moment, the most potent and deadly variety of wisteria poison—hidden within the sheath—had been evenly spread over the entire blade.

  “Insect Breathing: Butterfly Dance – Tease!”

  Shinobu Kocho employed her signature breathing technique known as Insect Breathing, a derivative of Flower Breathing and an extension of Water Breathing. Insect Breathing has no fixed form but is named for its “dance.”

  Since her own strength was insufficient to decapitate a demon purely by brute force, she had studied extensive pharmacology and toxicology—not only to save lives but also to concoct a wisteria toxin lethal enough to kill even the most vicious demons.

  In short, Shinobu abandoned the orthodox breathing forms and, by combining lightning-fast thrust techniques with poison, she pioneered Insect Breathing to compensate for her limited physical prowess in severing a demon’s head.

  Her thrusts, far quicker and more powerful than even the strongest “Shizuku Hamon Thrust” of Water Breathing, were capable of piercing stone.

  Yet her Butterfly Dance was not merely a piercing attack—it consisted of five rapid, agile slashes designed primarily to lacerate a demon’s flesh, allowing the wisteria toxin to seep into their blood.

  In Akaza’s eyes, Shinobu seemed to transform into a flurry of purple butterflies, her wings fluttering gracefully as they advanced. Hidden among that enchanting swarm were five dynamic slashes striking Akaza’s body from different directions. If even one could break his skin, there would still be a chance…

  At the moment Shinobu launched her slashes, Akaza tilted his body sideways; remaining in position, he planted his left leg firmly and, with his right leg coiled with the weight of a thousand pounds, kicked toward Shinobu.

  “Destructive Kill: Foot Technique – Flowing Flash Cluster!”

  In that instant, several fierce kicks were unleashed toward Shinobu, the force so tremendous that the air seemed to burst with flashes and resounding sonic booms.

  The phantom image of a butterfly was scattered instantly, revealing the true Shinobu Kocho within—she was now wielding her Nichirin Blade to slash at Akaza, closing the distance to within striking range.

  The blade of her Nichirin collided with Akaza’s powerful leg; yet, not only did Akaza block every thrust, he added an extra kick that struck Shinobu’s abdomen.

  Shinobu spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and was thrown backward. However, her blade left several marks on Akaza’s leg.

  “His skin’s been cut…” she observed.

  Akaza’s abilities were all in his fists and feet—every gesture carried devastating force. But he was reluctant to kill women and had deliberately held back; otherwise, that single kick might have already felled Shinobu.

  The Upper Moons are terrifying indeed—especially the first three, who possess the power to kill ordinary Pillars in an instant. Only when several Pillars unite can they hope to vanquish them.

  As Shinobu was thrown backward, she used her Nichirin Blade to scoop up a handful of dust, obscuring Akaza’s vision.

  “Insect Breathing: Bee Fang Dance – True Draw!”

  As the dust cleared, Akaza retracted his leg—but in his view, Shinobu had vanished.

  “Destructive Kill: Luo Needle!”

  “Technique, unfold!”

  Akaza stomped his leg so forcefully that the entire ground trembled. Beneath him, a twelve-cornered snowflake formation spread out, centered on him.

  Within his Luo Needle perception, he sensed a stream of fighting spirit plummeting rapidly from above his head.

  “Overhead.”

  Thanks to his Blood Demon Art, Akaza’s offensive and defensive maneuvers were impeccably precise, so every movement Shinobu made was clear in his qi-sensing.

  Taking advantage of the falling momentum, Shinobu simultaneously launched her Bee Fang Dance—a thrust as deadly as a venomous bee’s stinger—aimed to pierce Akaza’s skull and inject the wisteria toxin directly into his brain to poison him.

  But Akaza moved; he did not lift his head to face her, yet his attacks and evasions were executed with exacting precision.

  “Destructive Kill: Foot Technique – Crown Preemptive Slash!”

  In a sudden, powerful motion, he vaulted upward with his leg, evading Shinobu’s Bee Fang Dance while simultaneously aiming a precise kick at her head.

  He carefully controlled his force, intending to stun Shinobu—he would never kill a woman, even if she were a Demon Slayer Pillar.

  Yet, just as Akaza’s kick was about to connect with Shinobu’s head, he felt his heart leap as something surged along his leg, spreading violently through his blood vessels straight to his heart.

  Shinobu blocked his kick and, riding the rebound, soared outward gracefully before landing lightly on the ground.

  Still, Shinobu’s concern lingered; she wondered how potent the wisteria toxin would be against an Upper Moon.

  “Upper Moon Three, is it?” she whispered, her mind racing.

  “You’ve been struck by my wisteria toxin—tell me, how does it feel? The more you move, the faster the toxin spreads, and the sooner you’ll meet your end,” she taunted.

  Shinobu, having landed, did not hesitate for a moment to charge again. Her words were meant solely to shake Akaza’s resolve.

  After all, he was Upper Moon Three—an immensely terrifying demon—and Shinobu dared not let her guard down in his presence.

  And so the clash continued…