Lucien's breathing came in rapid, ragged gasps, the sound of wind and rolling thunder echoing around him. His chest, streaked with blood, rose and fell violently, multicolored threads weaving over his right cheek, repairing the damage from the last clash.
Akaza rose from the ruins, his side face already fully regenerated. The two combatants locked eyes, and in an instant collided again, golden lightning and azure-silver light erupting from the earth at the point of impact.
Boom, rumble.
Fists collided with flesh. Lucien spun, elbowing Akaza's head with Hardening. Akaza sneered, raising his left hand to block, tilting his upper body, and driving his right foot down toward Lucien's neck. Lucien countered with his hand, deflecting the blow, and they pulled apart, only to crash together again in a relentless cycle of violence.
Enmu, now only a severed head, watched from a distance, horror etched across his face. He was still recovering from his injuries, only now fully regenerating his head. The rest of his body—neck, upper and lower torso—would take hours to heal.
"I must become an Upper Moon," Enmu muttered, longing and ambition flashing in his eyes as he watched the brutal duel.
In the center of the battlefield, Akaza pinned Lucien's head, dragging him across the ground like an earth dragon overturning, scattering sand and stone. Lucien's left hand gripped Akaza's neck with unyielding strength, while his right, hardened into a sharp weapon, stabbed repeatedly into Akaza's chest, spraying blood in a gruesome display.
Boom, boom, boom.
Akaza faltered first, realizing the sheer force threatening his neck, his chest shattered like a hornet's nest under Lucien's relentless assault. Lucien's head, encased in a crystalline Hardening, absorbed the punishment with near-impervious defense. If this stalemate continued, even Akaza's superior regeneration would falter.
Making a decisive move, Akaza grabbed Lucien by the head, lifted him, spun, and hurled him. A small mountain erupted on impact, and Lucien was buried deep in rock and blood. Cracks spider-webbed across the Hardening covering his body.
Huu… huu…
Akaza knelt, blood constantly streaming from his mouth and nose, his body regenerating steadily. Close observation revealed that his regeneration was slower than usual, not as instantaneous as before.
Steam rose in thick waves as Lucien clawed his way from the mud and stone, panting heavily. He had expended a tremendous amount of strength, but his focus remained sharp. The horizon lightened; dawn approached, and it was time to end this.
Akaza stood, the twelve-pointed snowflake beneath his feet expanding. The coming sunlight threatened him; he had to defeat Lucien before the first rays touched the battlefield.
"I'll give you one more chance, become a demon," Akaza said, preparing for his final attack.
Lucien merely waved a hand, indifferent to the offer.
"Then go to hell."
"Destructive Kill: Annihilation Style."
The ground within forty meters fractured violently. Akaza became a meteor of pure destructive force, tearing through the earth, thunder rolling as if eternity itself rumbled, the crust crumbling under the overwhelming pressure.
Before his arrival, a hurricane of force swept the steam around Lucien aside.
"Bold demon, how dare you flaunt your tricks before an expert! Great Might Heavenly Dragon, World-Honored Ksitigarbha! Great Luo Dharma Incantation, Prajna Buddhas! Prajna Paramita Hong!"
Lucien drew in his abdomen, extending his right hand. A ten-meter-long divine dragon appeared behind him, body gleaming with golden lightning and crystalline Hardening. As Akaza's fist struck, the dragon surged forth, carrying unstoppable force like a landslide through the battlefield.
The dragon's roar shook the heavens. Sixty meters in all directions were obliterated, ravines forming a massive basin, and a mushroom cloud of debris and wind rose into the sky. At the moment of impact, Akaza's arm became a bloody mist. An overwhelming surge of force ripped through him, disintegrating his body into a shower of blood, leaving only his head tumbling into a nearby mountain.
Lucien retreated ten steps, aura diminished by over half. He had poured almost all his strength into this single palm, combined with Hardening and Thunder Breathing enhancements. The attack was devastating, but it left him drained, that emptiness dull and heavy in his chest.
High-temperature steam rose continuously. Lucien observed Akaza's head lodged in the mountain. Even in pieces, the demon's neck had begun regenerating. Dawn was approaching, but Lucien would not allow recovery.
"This battle was exhilarating, but compared to Kibutsuji Muzan, it still leaves something to be desired," Lucien muttered, recalling his previous encounter.
"You are strong," Akaza said calmly, unafraid of death.
"I know," Lucien replied. Sunlight spilled over the battlefield, and Akaza's head began to burn, as though paper caught in fire, turning to ashes.
Lucien turned his attention to Enmu. The demon had rolled into the shadows, sweat pouring from his brow, fear flooding him. He did not want to die.
Lucien's footsteps echoed. In his hand appeared an empty box that had once contained his cigarettes. He had finished ten boxes in total, and now it served a new purpose.
He roughly shoved Enmu into the box, sealed it, and secured it to the back of his bicycle. Lighting a cigar, Lucien straddled the seat and pushed off, pedaling toward the rising sun.
Though he had not exerted his full power, Lucien felt his Ki had refined even further. Once Upper Moon Six Daki was dealt with in Yoshiwara, he would experiment with Enmu's abilities; if meditation was impossible, the demon would lose all value.
Riding swiftly, a screen popped up:
"Successfully hunted the secondary supporting character Flame Hashira Kyojuro from the Demon Slayer world. Rewards Dice attempts based on circumstances. Congratulations, you have gained one opportunity."
"Successfully hunted the secondary villain Upper Moon Three Akaza from the Demon Slayer world. Rewards Dice attempts based on circumstances. Congratulations, you have gained one opportunity."
Lucien smirked lazily. These were mere secondary characters and villains.
The Dice spun, the model airplane hopping across three spaces.
"One ballpoint pen."
The second roll jumped six spaces. Lucien's expression shifted drastically.
"A face full of acne for one year."
Explanation: Men, puberty stage.
Damn it.
Lucien felt his face tingle and itch. He stopped the bicycle. A watermelon knife appeared in his hand. His previously elegant, striking face—jade-like, starry-eyed, flawless—was now covered in acne, transforming him into an ungainly figure.
Rage surged. His fingernails dug into his flesh, bloodshot lines spreading across his eyes, sanity nearly cracking.
One year. One full year of this face, dictated by the absurd cheat system.
Lucien's mentality teetered on the edge of collapse.
From the box on the back of the bike, Enmu shivered, feeling the oppressive murderous aura, his very soul frozen.
____
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