In an instant of breathing, a giant flower composed of countless petals burst from the ground.
The giant flower spun incredibly fast, and under the command of Lower Four's hand movements, its petals rapidly scattered, attacking all surrounding targets!
Blood Demon Art: Demonic Buds!
Clang, clang, clang! The petals were exceptionally sharp, cutting down trees, shattering houses, and destroying everything in their path!
Haruto gripped his nichirin blade in a reverse hold, swinging out a blue-violet blade-shield in front of him. The petals sparked against the shield.
The flamboyantly dressed young man and the three ninja-clad girls moved with great agility, dodging through the gaps in the petal attacks. Though it was arduous, they managed to stay alive.
"Don't push yourselves! Take them down the mountain; I'll deal with her!"
Haruto called out lightly as he turned. Such attacks were unlikely to cause him substantial harm, but these ordinary people… even with their superb footwork, were bound to make mistakes amidst the airtight assault.
"Just a little longer… just a little longer!"
Power gathered in Uzui Tengen's eyes. His hearing and vision were fully engaged.
Using the enemy's moves as musical notes, he would compose his own — Score!
Score was his unique combat calculation formula, allowing him to read the rhythm of an enemy's attacks during battle, record them, and write them into his own musical score!
Once the reading and analysis were complete, all of the target's habits and blind spots would be exposed in his Score!
Time… he needed time!
The giant flower in the center of the clearing continued to spin, its petals restricting Haruto and the others' movements.
Lower Four didn't miss this excellent opportunity, lunging at Haruto!
As long as she killed this pretty-faced little guy, the others weren't worth mentioning!
Ha… killing the Demon Slayer Swordsman who killed Yamai should earn her a favorable look from That Person! Perhaps she might even be rewarded with more precious blood!
Even if Yamai died by his hand, what did that prove? By eliminating Yamai, who also controlled plants, she should actually thank this swordsman in front of her!
"Come on, come on! Letting you die painlessly and entering my belly is my greatest mercy!"
Her face was filled with extreme excitement, a suspicious black glow shining from her claws as she lunged at Haruto.
Annoyed by the suppression from the petals, Haruto shifted his body, avoided Lower Four's sharp claws, and quickly unleashed a "Tear of Light."
"Clang!"
Blood buds immediately converged around Lower Four, forming a shield to block Haruto's attack.
Blood Demon Art: Evil Potato!
"Small in stature, but full of tricks…"
Haruto mumbled softly. His nichirin blade striking the shield didn't produce a metallic clang but rather a grating, teeth-grinding sound, as if sinking into something sticky and fleshy!
Lower Four grunted and took a step back, the blood-colored flesh buds rapidly retracting into her body. Even the spinning giant flower stopped ejecting petals and burrowed back into the earth.
Uzui Tengen, relieved from the indiscriminate attack suppression, let out a sigh. In his vision, Lower Four's attacks were increasingly fitting the Score!
Lower Four's expression was somewhat grave. The shield she had just conjured derived all its power from the human flesh and blood she had consumed in the past.
Previously, when facing Demon Slayer Swordsmen, even Pillar-level Swordsmen couldn't nearly cleave her Evil Potato in half with a single strike.
Yet, in the battle against this white-haired boy, he was able to remain unaffected by the spinning Demonic Buds, swinging his blade so calmly and steadily that he almost cut the Evil Potato in two!
A chill ran down her spine, and Lower Four's heart was suddenly filled with the desire to flee!
That Person would notice… This thought surfaced in her mind, instantly making her realize.
Yes, if That Person found out, let alone surviving, she would probably be instantly annihilated!
Haruto watched the female demon's fluctuating expression, not stopping his movements.
The current Lower Moon demon could no longer pose a significant threat to him.
Since defeating Yamai, his Breathing Technique application and swordsmanship had advanced to a higher level. Even if he encountered Yamai again, he wouldn't win as clumsily as he did that time!
Haruto's foot stomped heavily on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The force feedback to his foot propelled his body rapidly towards Lower Four.
The blade in his hand trailed a blue-violet afterglow as it cut through the air, starlight filling his chest, bringing a cool, mint-like sensation.
In Lower Four's vision, his figure suddenly flickered.
That flicker again! That flicker again!
The white-haired female demon suddenly turned, a pair of misty blue eyes abruptly opening beside her.
"Breath of the Stars, Second Form…"
A whisper sounded in Lower Four's ear. The starlight filling the sky seemed to become piercingly cold.
"…Prairie Fire."
The blade lightly grazed her limbs, the pain no more than a mosquito bite.
What was this? A mistake? Or the swordsman's inappropriate pity for a demon?
The white-haired female demon abruptly widened the distance between herself and the swordsman, opening her arms to Haruto.
"Look out!"
The syllables sounded as Lower Four's movements danced upon Uzui Tengen's already completed Score.
The most flamboyant move Score of the God of Flashiness was complete!
He loudly warned Haruto. The moment he received the warning, Haruto used "Tear of Light," quickly dodging behind Lower Four.
Countless flesh buds, thick with bloodlust, erupted from Lower Four's mouth, nose, and the holes in her chest beneath her clothes, piercing the area where Haruto had been like cannonballs!
Blood Demon Art: Gluttonous Species!
She missed!
Lower Four, who had already lost her beauty, turned her head in a daze. The sharp pain from her limbs quickly made her understand.
What mistake, what so-called pity, it was the swordsman's fierce resolve to slay demons!
A scorching sting converged from her limbs, as if she were nailed to a gallows. The hidden heat beneath her flesh, like a grass snake's trail stretching for a thousand miles, attacked her neck through her veins!
A sense of crisis unlike any before surged into her brain, causing Lower Four to make an astonishing move in her final moments of life.
Before Prairie Fire could sever her neck, she twisted off her own head!
"Boom!" A loud explosion rang out, and her entire torso was blown away!
But that head, streaming blood and tears, flew swiftly like a streak of light across the night sky, fleeing desperately, protected by floating blood buds!
"Hey!" Uzui Tengen, realizing her intent to escape, forcefully threw his twin blades. Such was his strength that the blades were firmly embedded in Lower Four's head, carried away with her as she vanished without a trace.
"Bastard! Give me back my blades!" Uzui Tengen's eyes widened, and he stomped his feet in anger: "Those blades were custom-made by me, the exceptionally flamboyant weapons of the God of Festivals!"
Equally surprised that Lower Four, one of the Twelve Kizuki, would "run with her head," Haruto, gripping his nichirin blade, only stared blankly for a moment before he couldn't keep up with her footsteps—no, her head-steps.
A demon that had lost its torso would need a very long time to recover its strength. During this period, patrols would need to be intensified, and Kagaya Ubuyashiki would need to be warned to prevent unrest as the New Year approached.
Haruto sighed in relief and turned around.
The flamboyantly dressed, jewel-bedecked young man stood beside him, looking at him with bright eyes.
"Flamboyant friend, I am Uzui Tengen. Thank you for your assistance."