"He's copying Muzan," Aoki said calmly.
He wasn't worried.
He had let Doma escape last time because dawn was coming.
That wasn't a problem this time.
Aoki vanished silently.
Doma ran desperately.
What samurai honor? It was trash to him.
He wasn't afraid of death, but he didn't want to die.
A figure suddenly appeared ahead.
Doma reacted quickly, waving his fans. "Blood Demon Art, Scattered Lotus!"
Tiny ice petals danced in the moonlight, like a dream. But the edges were sharp as blades, easily reaping the lives of those who touched them.
Aoki narrowed his eyes. He used the Transparent World and Combat Instinct to the fullest, finding a path and getting close to Doma almost unharmed.
Bang bang bang! The collisions were fast and fierce.
A black shape flew past.
Kanae and Giyu dodged instinctively. They saw it was Doma.
Then, another figure appeared, a fist slamming down with immense force.
Thud!
The ground shook, cracks appearing.
Kanae and Giyu stepped back, watching the dying Upper Moon Two. They relaxed.
They realized they had been too worried.
How could the enemy escape with Mr. Aomura's power?
Doma lay on the ground, a huge hole in his chest. Blood flowed from his mouth. His wounds writhed, but they wouldn't heal.
His stamina was gone, his regeneration broken. He was near death.
"I didn't expect to die at the hands of a demon."
Doma looked calm, even cold. His eyes showed no fear, resentment, or despair. They showed nothing.
"Is it a good thing to have no emotions at a time like this?" Aoki shook the blood off his hand.
Doma glanced at him indifferently. "Traitor, don't be too happy. That person will..."
Bang!
His head exploded like a watermelon.
"Muzan this, Muzan that. You're pretty loyal!"
Aoki said to himself. He pulled back his foot and held out his hand.
An invisible vortex appeared. Doma's body twisted and vanished, as if swallowed by a huge, invisible mouth.
Kanae and Giyu watched intently.
They knew Mr. Aomura could grow stronger by devouring demons, but this was the first time they had seen it.
It wasn't scary, just strange.
[Constitution +1.]
[Free Skill Points +2.]
[Killed Upper Moon Two, gained 2000 experience.]
[Congratulations, you leveled up!]
[Ended a battle, gained 42 experience.]
"That's great!"
Aoki sighed contentedly.
Upper Moons were the best.
The experience and rewards were amazing.
The double-digit gains from before were trash!
Martial Artist had gained 42 experience.
Not bad.
He had gained a lot.
Aoki ignored Kanae and Giyu and opened the system.
[Name: Aoki]
[Strength: 19]
[Constitution: 19]
[Intelligence: 19]
[Agility: 19]
[Class: Hunter, Aberrant Demon, Martial Artist]
[Free Stat Points: 2]
...
[Aberrant Demon]
[Quality: ★★]
[Level: lv15 (813/1500)]
[Skills: Demon Blood IV, Space Traverse, Transparent World, Devour Demon II]
[Mission: Upper Moon's End (2/3)]
[Free Skill Points: 5]
...
[Martial Artist]
[Quality: ☆]
[Level: lv3 (53/300)]
[Skills: Martial Heart, Combat Instinct, Body Control (Not Learned), Unyielding Will (Not Learned)]
He had gained 1 Constitution, balancing his stats.
He added the 2 free stat points to Strength and Intelligence.
Strength directly increased attack power. Intelligence had many benefits, including increasing mental strength.
With the stats set, it was time for the main event.
He had saved 2 skill points from the last level up, 2 from Devour Demon, and 1 from leveling up.
He had 5 free skill points. He could learn another skill.
Aoki looked at Level 5 Demon Blood and Level 2 Space Traverse.
Level 2 Transparent World said he didn't have the required skills. He needed to level up Demon Blood first. He didn't need to think about it yet.
He had planned to learn Level 5 Demon Blood.
It gave 4 stats, pushing all his stats past 20, and it broke his bloodline limit, overcoming his weakness to decapitation.
Level 2 Space Traverse only increased his travel speed. It didn't help in combat.
But his experience over the past three months had changed his mind.
His fighting power was good enough.
Doma was dead.
Kokushibo was about as strong as him. He would win a death match.
The only threat was Muzan.
But 4 stats wouldn't close the gap between him and Muzan.
His weakness to Nichirin swords didn't matter either.
He was allied with the Demon Slayer Corps. They had gotten along well for months. They probably wouldn't hurt him.
If he was in danger, he could just run.
He knew the experience gain would drop again after level 15.
But with Level 2 Space Traverse, his travel time would decrease greatly. The only thing slowing him down would be the Demon Slayer Corps' information gathering.
It took a while to explain, but Aoki had made his decision in less than a second.
"Learn Level 2 Space Traverse!"
He was sorry, Demon Blood.
It had come first, but Space Traverse was more important now.
The upgrade was uneventful. Aoki's mind filled with information, and it was over.
The only change in Level 2 Space Traverse was the ability to create space marks.
Teleporting through space marks ignored distance and used little energy.
Aoki felt a sense of déjà vu.
"Isn't this the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
They were similar, but there were differences.
First, space marks couldn't be placed on living things.
Second, it was almost impossible to erase a space mark without mastering space power. But if the object it was on was destroyed, the space mark would collapse.
"That's not entirely a bad thing," Aoki touched his chin.
The space mark collapsed in a process. He could still teleport before it was completely destroyed.
He should be able to sense that change.
He could use this to make "summoning items."
Of course, the enemy could use it too. He had to be careful where he placed space marks.
---
Hello there ShixT9 here, caught up already?
Extra Chapters in my patreon right now go check it out.
patreon.com/ShixT9
Don't forget to drop stones and a good review if you like the story so far ^-^