No longer daring to split his focus, Gyokko leaped back, dodging for his life. Producing a pot with a wave pattern, he unleashed his Blood Demon Art.
A torrent of high-viscosity liquid sprayed out, blocking all of Gusion's paths forward.
Blood Demon Art: Water Prison Bowl!
Gyokko was experienced in battle—his retreat and Blood Demon Art activation happened in an instant, and his tactics were sound. Gusion was lunging forward, making it hard to dodge the sticky liquid.
Even if Gusion changed his trajectory mid-attack, Gyokko would still be spared close combat.
His Water Prison Bowl's liquid was soft yet extremely tough—normal attacks couldn't pierce it. Anyone trapped inside would run out of air, rendering even the strongest breathing techniques useless.
As Gyokko decided that Gusion would either be trapped or forced to dodge in embarrassment, the unexpected happened.
With a crackling sound of thunder, Gusion's black blade, wreathed in golden lightning, carved a giant cross in the night sky.
Against such a blade, the Water Prison Bowl was split apart, scattering in all directions. Gusion, holding his attack stance, dashed through the gap, blade still locked on Gyokko's neck.
"Damn you!"
Now truly panicked, Gyokko's power exploded. With a thunderous crash, several massive octopus tentacles burst forth, some shielding Gyokko, others whipping toward Gusion to crush him.
Facing these massive, powerful tentacles, Gusion took a breath midair. With a thunderous roar, lightning flashed, slicing through the tentacles before they could touch him.
He leaped free of the tentacle pile and landed atop a fallen tree, not immediately pursuing. He checked behind him at Tanjiro and the others. "What are you waiting for? Go!"
Tanjiro snapped out of it, realizing this was no time to stand in awe of Gusion. He and Nezuko lifted Uzui and Zenitsu, racing down the mountain.
"Don't think you can escape."
Lower Moon Five, Rui, said in his gloomy voice, leaping and casting webs toward Tanjiro and the group. "Leave the girl behind."
But before his attack landed, a blast of blazing red flames struck him.
Boom—
Under the intense impact and heat, Rui crashed through several huge trees, most of his body charred black as he lay motionless.
Gusion lowered his hand. "I already said—the battlefield is mine now."
His killing intent locked onto the remaining demons. "Aren't you fond of fishing? Come on, kill me."
Under his overwhelming presence, the explorers instinctively retreated, their instinct for survival making them want to flee.
If they weren't mistaken, this was the man who had killed Upper Moon Six Daki and Gyutaro just two days ago—the prodigy of the opposing faction!
No report or rumor could compare to witnessing it firsthand. The eight explorers on scene were suffocating under Gusion's killing aura.
What an oppressive force!
No wonder Daki and the adventuring party of Dragon Brother lost so badly.
"Don't be afraid! He's only one person, but we have teamwork!"
One explorer shouted, trying to rally them, but no one dared make a move.
They had assembled an almost broken combo for the Demon Slayer world—an Upper Moon and Lower Moon One together. They had output, control, AOE, and single-target. But this wasn't their own power. The demons' cold nature meant Gyokko and Enmu wouldn't protect them. Gusion wasn't a native and knew about Enmu's powers—he wouldn't be easy to control.
Even if Gyokko and Enmu perfectly coordinated to kill Gusion, he'd probably still have no trouble killing a few explorers first.
"Lily, don't worry. I'll protect you."
One male explorer shielded his female partner. They were a couple, a two-person adventuring team.
"Ken, maybe we should run. Maybe we can cut off Uzui at the foot of the mountain and grab the loot."
Lily said in team chat. She felt this Thunder Hashira was too dangerous. At first, she thought the combo of Lower Moon One and an Upper Moon was unbeatable, but now she saw it wasn't invincible after all.
This battle was different from before—no more art performance from Gyokko. Enmu had already tried to act, but Gusion's skill was so great that he fought without once meeting Enmu's gaze.
Clearly, if an explorer knew Enmu's power and was strong enough, Enmu wasn't so threatening.
Now, they could only hope Gyokko could force Gusion to reveal an opening for Enmu to put him to sleep. If they succeeded, even if Gusion killed himself in the dream, that momentary break would be enough for Gyokko to finish him off.
As for loot, they didn't dare hope. Uzui's head might be up for grabs if he was dying, but Gusion was a monster. If he went berserk in his final moments, he might take them with him.
"Don't act rashly. The ones running down the mountain will be the Thunder Hashira's first targets."
Ken warned in team chat, his mind racing. He had devised the plan to use Enmu's powers with an Upper Moon to lure and kill a Hashira, so he knew the risks.
The advantage was that the Hashira lacked intel on Enmu. Even if enemy explorers wanted to warn them, it was hard to explain their knowledge. Even if the Hashira knew, there would be a delay in countering Enmu's ability. Explorers weren't as tough as demons. Once injured, they couldn't heal. So even if someone as strong as the Stone Hashira was hit, a single blow from Gyokko would be fatal, and Enmu's repeated control could wear them down.
Unless three or more Hashira arrived together, their combo could handle it. After all, Enmu's Blood Demon Art was area-wide, and Gyokko had plenty of AOE attacks.
The plan seemed sound, but there was a risk: after killing two Hashira, the Demon Slayers would eventually send an overwhelming force next time.
His plan was to kill Uzui, lure one more, then retreat.
He never expected the second Hashira to arrive would be the freakish Gusion—with a record of soloing Upper Moon Six without a scratch, possibly as strong as the Stone Hashira. Plus, as an explorer, Gusion was on guard against Enmu, never falling for his tricks.
Ken thought that, with limited vision, Gusion should have a hard time fighting Gyokko. But Gusion's combat power seemed completely unaffected, putting them on the back foot.
He had to prepare for Gyokko's defeat. What to do?
Gusion, unaware of their internal deliberations, swept his gaze around and settled on Gyokko.
[Twelve Kizuki, Upper Rank Five: Gyokko]
Constitution: 35
Strength: 31
Agility: 35
Spirit: 36
Charm: -5
[]
Gyokko's stats matched Gusion's guesses—among the Upper Moons, he was squishy.
When he first saw Gyutaro's stats, Gyutaro had 36 Constitution (even after splitting his power with his sister), and after Daki's death, Gyutaro's stats rose to 37.
Gyokko wasn't as strong as Gyutaro in raw power, but his Agility and Spirit were higher—a caster-type Upper Moon, relying on Blood Demon Arts.
No wonder Muichiro, the Mist Hashira, could solo Gyokko after awakening his mark in the original story. Gyokko's vision was blocked by mist, he didn't adapt to the sudden boost in Muichiro's power, and got his head cut off in one stroke.
If he had the toughness of Upper Moon Four or higher, maybe Muichiro couldn't have severed his head in one blow and he'd have kept fighting.
As for Gyokko's skills, Gusion didn't look in detail. He already knew the original, and he couldn't let his gaze linger in one place for long—he had to guard against Enmu.
He'd always thought Enmu's ability was powerful, and had joked that Muzan's side never fought as a team—even though Enmu's Blood Demon Art was perfect for group control.
In the final battle, if Enmu were still around, Muzan's side might not have lost. The control skill was just that nasty.
The enemy clearly chose this lineup carefully. Gusion had to admit they were clever—it wasn't easy to deal with.
If it were one-on-one with Gyokko, Gusion was confident he could kill him within a minute. But with Enmu in play, he had to be cautious, which was a hassle.
"You're not as good-looking as the last guy—barely low-grade art."
Provoked, Gyokko's veins bulged. "I'll turn your head into a chamber pot!"
"Oh? With a mug like that, you dare walk around? And your pots look like trash—how can you call yourself an artist?"
Gusion's tone was calm as he pointed at the pot under Gyokko. "The patterns on the sides are obviously asymmetrical."
"What!?"
Gyokko was enraged, but couldn't help checking his pot for flaws.
"Gyokko-sama, be careful!" one explorer cried, fearing Gusion would exploit the distraction. But he also added, "Your pots are perfect—he just doesn't understand art!"
But Gusion didn't attack during the distraction. Instead, he moved.
With the speed of Thunder Breathing, Gusion sliced through the sweltering air, a gale splitting the flames as he swung at the explorer who had just flattered Gyokko.
Because everyone's attention was on Gyokko, and because that explorer wasn't that strong, he couldn't react in time. Gusion decapitated him instantly.
[You've gained 1,200 End Coins]
A notification sounded in Gusion's ear, but the severity of the battlefield didn't allow for joy. Gyokko's furious attack descended from above.
"How dare you kill my confidant!"
Gyokko, in a rage, unleashed Blood Demon Art: Ten Thousand Soaring Fish—the same technique that had badly wounded Uzui. A torrent of grotesque, sharp-mouthed fish surged at Gusion.
At the same time, Gyokko began to molt inside his pot. His body grew larger, the little hands on his sides vanished, replaced by two arms connected to his torso, and his lower half became a fish tail, covered in transparent scales.
Gusion didn't take the attack head-on. Relying on Thunder Breathing's speed, he dodged, sidestepping and leaping, his body flipping parallel to the ground as he planted his feet on a tree trunk.
A cloud of hot steam escaped from his teeth. His Zanpakuto had long since released, and his stats were still rising.
Facing such a control combo, he had to end it quickly.