Chapter 267: Blood Demon vs Flame Hashira - Fulfilling One’s Duty! (II)

Words : 1430 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

Chapter 267 - Blood Demon vs Flame Hashira - Fulfilling One's Duty! (II) Runic letters of cursed poison covered his entire body and his heart, making Kai feel pain like never before. Every single muscle and part of his bones felt like breaking down to the smallest particle. The maniacal grin on Kai's face widened. His long, white hair became red, the color of blood, and so did his eyes. Runic letters also covered his pupils, and an unimaginable feeling of power coursing through his veins, along with pain and already present Wisteria Poison. Little War Horn! ... Skill: Little War Horn Skill's Effect: 1. Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Perception: +5 points each (Time Limit: 60 seconds) 2. To use the Skill, one must discard their humanity. Only a truly demonic being can master the pain that the use of this Skill will bring forth on the user's body 3. After 60 seconds, Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Perception: -3 points each (Time Limit: 60 minutes) 4. Cooldown: 24 hours ... Strength: 20 (+5) Agility: 24 (+5) Stamina: 20 (+5) Perception: 22 (+5) ... His Strength, Stamina, Agility, and Perception each got 5 points, bringing Kai to a level he had never thought he would ever in this world. Kai eyed his prey, and with a pop, he vanished; just like Hashira had at the beginning of their fight, the ground exploding with a bang where Kai had stood before. Rengoku's eyes widened. He clenched his teeth, and the Flame Breathing exploded with a hiss. Kai's shrill laugh entered his ears, then, like the hiss of a serpent. Blood spurted from Hashira's left shoulder as he parried the Murasame even before Kai's figure materialized in front of him. Boom! Kai let go of the swords and slammed his fist into Hashira's stomach. Before Rengoku could react, the swords were in Kai's hands again. But the swords had changed hands, somewhere in between. Rengoku's figure blurred, and the demonic figure of Kai matched his speed. Tink-kk-Tinkaak! Within the clearing between the hut and the river bank, only occasional clashes of steel against steel and red and blue flashes could be seen. Rengoku hacked at Kai, his katana blazing, but Kai's tail got a hold of his ankle first. Kai whirled midair, slamming the tall Hashira into the ground with a bang, and then threw him away like a rag doll. Kai landed on the ground, his feet bursting apart the earth like mud. "Hahaha!" he laughed, his long, red hair flailing, and his tail blasting the air like a whip. "Hashira-O-Hashira, survive this..." Kai wrapped his hands around him as though hugging himself. Suddenly, a massive explosion happened inside him, the muscles of his arms ballooning up, becoming twice their original size. Twin-Saber Style - Forbidden Technique... Afar, Rengoku stood up, his bones broken. His left eye was shut tight, and blood was streaming down his chin, pooling under his feet. He eyed the monstrous figure of Kai and smiled. "Warriors who strive to save other people's lives are precious!" he shouted at the demon. "Their pure and single-minded dedication is separate from their natural talent. They don't risk their lives to earn praise. They simply feel that they must. "What they choose in that moment is a cry from the depths of their souls." Kai listened and ignored. He kicked, and his figure blurred, the ground bursting apart under him, pieces of earth breaking like paper. ... Serpent God's Wrath! "Hahaha!" Rengoku laughed, his chest swelling with the Total Concentration Breathing Art. Two flame-patterned Demon Slayer Marks appeared on his face, flashing red and hot. "Set your heart ablaze, Kagutsuchi!" he bellowed, smiling. "Flame Breathing - Ninth Form... "... Purgatory!!!" The world caught fire around the Hashira, flames covering his figure and his blade. He too kicked the ground, and his flame-covered figure looked like a flaming serpent; its mouth opened wide to devour Kai whole, carving out the ground in its wake as well. Boommmmmm! ... Time seemed to have lost its meaning as they clashed. A giant pillar of flame shot towards heaven, becoming a fire tornado. When the flames disappeared, two figures could be seen, one nearer to the hut than the other. The one closer to the hut had blue-black skin and a gash running down from its shoulder to the waist. It was Kai. His armor had vanished... and so was his right hand. Clutched in his left hand was Murasame... drenched in blood. Suddenly, his red hair became white, and the cursed runic markings over his body disappeared. 1 minute of Little War Horn was over, and his Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Perception all lost 5 points from their original values. Kai's knees slammed on the stones, and he coughed out blackened, burned blood. Behind him, Rengoku was standing tall, with Afro's Tachi stuck in his stomach, Kai's right hand still dangling at its end. His entire body was covered in cursed poison now. And then, like a plucked petal, he fell face forward, meeting the earth with a dull thud. Kai looked over his shoulder, his vision going in and out of existence. If it wasn't for Aphrodite, letting him know these Hashiras could use another Breathing Art to control their blood flow, then he would have never used Murasame, to begin with. Telling the Hashira that he would die in one nick was nothing but an exaggeration by Kai. It was especially so when he had already confirmed that One Cut Killer wasn't enough to kill a Hashira-level Character after seeing the demon survive his attack on the cliff a few days ago. Kai, trembling, falling, again and again, pushed himself up using Murasame. Squelch! Kai called out the Afro's Tachi and his right hand, plucking it out from Rengoku's stomach. "You lost... Hashira," he said, barely holding on to his senses. "Go back. You will... not believe me, but I have no intention to harm them." Kai sheathed his katana and grabbed the right hand that had just arrived. He pried its finger open, and sheathed the Afro's Tachi, too, throwing the lifeless hand away like trash. Then, he walked towards the hut, almost crawling like a blue, beaten ghost. The mountain fell on his shoulders out of nowhere. ... What else could it be? An unsurmountable, unmeasurable, and unimaginable pressure like that of a mountain crushed his shoulders, making him kneel. Resisting the headache that was trying to burst his head open, Kai gritted his teeth and looked back. Somehow, and somewhere in between the few steps Kai had crawled towards the hut, Rengoku had stood up, the two flame patterns on his face flashing furiously, and a third one appearing with a visible pace. The runic markings of the cursed poison were visibly burning as if lit by a match. Then, the Hashira said the words that changed Kai's life, and his understanding, and toppled his knowledge of the Primordial Tower. These words made him realize why the Sponsor Aphrodite, a Contestant from the 18th floor, had mistaken Kai's personalized Random World for a C- or C grade mission. These words told the world and all the observers, watching Kai and this fight from their seats, what kind of personalized Random World was worthy for a Contestant like Red in the Tournament of Worth. A Contestant, who had an Item coveted by an Old One, the Tales of Beedle the Bard; who had over half a dozen Abilities, including an Elite one; who had a hidden Skill, like Dementor's Progenitor. A Contestant, who had Cosmic Authority, with its lore, and a Title like the Outer One. A Contestant, who had the Color of Observation, and that too under the 1st Threshold; an impossibility! A Contestant, who had the Color of the Supreme! A Contestant, who had Worth over 230! ... And a Glitch!!! These words from the Flame Hashira justified everything. Only these words could match the abomination, code-named Red. Rengoku lifted his sword, which looked like molten fire. "Until the last breath..." he snarled, smiling, his voice hoarse, "... I will fulfill my duty!" The burning Spiritual Pressure engulfed the entire clearing, and even the river, boiling its frothy waters. Rengoku gave a last look to Kai before running his fingers over his blade. Only then did he say, perhaps slowly and calmly, but Kai couldn't tell. Those abysmal words were... "Ban...Kai!!! ... ... Roar! Hi-no-Kagutsuchi!!!" ************ Hi-no-Kagutsuchi - lit. God of Fire

Chapter 267: Blood Demon vs Flame Hashira - Fulfilling One’s Duty! (II)

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