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42.31% Looking Forward to Another World / Chapter 146: Upper Three

章節 146: Upper Three

"Th-This is—?!"

As astonishing murderous intent permeated the entire area, Tanjirou, Zenitsu, and Inosuke couldn't help but take a step back, their pupils trembling, seemingly shaken.

Since they each possessed exceptionally keen senses, murderous intent, which even some ordinary people could sense, undoubtedly had a magnified effect on these three youths, causing them a lot of distress.

In this situation, Tanjirou unconsciously gripped his sword, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Inosuke resembled an enraged beast, his entire body bristling with sweat-soaked fur.

Zenitsu hugged his head and squatted directly on the ground, his face pale, letting out a sharp scream of fear.

"You three, step back!"

Even Kyoujurou's expression was grave as he shouted at the three.

He quickly stood in front of Tanjirou, Inosuke, and Zenitsu, body lowered, hand already resting on the hilt of his sword.

Only Riezel remained calm, gazing ahead with cold eyes.

In front of them, the figure emerging slowly from the dust finally revealed his full form.

He was a young man with peach-red short hair, golden eyes, deep blue tattoos covering his entire body, and fingernails painted blood-red.

He wasn't tall and looked even younger than Kyoujurou, wearing a short, sleeveless dark purple-pink haori with an open chest, prayer beads hanging from his ankles, and bare feet.

He looked like a martial artist, clearly someone not to be trifled with.

However, that wasn't the most important part.

What was most striking was the characters engraved in his eyes.

In his pair of golden eyes, two Japanese characters were engraved.

Left eye - 'Three'.

Right eye - 'Upper Rank'.

This was the characteristic of the Twelve Kizuki, symbols of their rank and identity.

Upper Ranks have characters engraved in both eyes.

Lower Ranks have characters engraved in one eye.

Needless to say, the demon before them, without a doubt, was an Upper Rank.

"Upper Three?" Kyoujurou muttered solemnly.

Upper Three, meaning the third-strongest demon aside from the Demon King, was now standing before them.

"I am Akaza."

The Upper Three, Akaza, nonchalantly revealed his name.

However, as he looked toward Riezel and Kyoujurou, his face broke into a smile full of fighting intent.

"Ahh... I see..." Akaza seemed to understand something, his smile turned aggressive. "To think there are two guys with such fighting spirit here... No wonder a Lower Rank dies so easily..."

Akaza's words were clearly directed at Riezel and Kyoujurou.

Obviously, this Upper Rank had seen through it all, recognizing Riezel and Kyoujurou as the strongest individuals within the group. As for Tanjirou and the other two, Akaza didn't even put them in his eyes.

"You're the Upper Three, right?" Kyoujurou asked, his gaze fixed intently on Akaza. "Are you also the mastermind behind the Mugen Train incident?"

Kyoujurou speculated that Akaza had appeared here because he, along with Enmu, had orchestrated the Mugen Train incident.

Unfortunately, his speculation was wrong.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not like those weaklings like Lower Ranks..." Akaza shook his head. "I don't involve myself in such messy matters. I just happened to be nearby and received an order to come here because of the Lower One's blunder."

'Order?' Kyoujurou's mind stirred. 'Someone who can command Upper Ranks? Could it be...'

Before Kyoujurou could finish his thought, Akaza had already changed the subject.

"What are your names?"

Akaza surprisingly took an interest in their names, but of course, his question was directed only at Riezel and Kyoujurou.

"I'm Rengoku Kyoujurou, the Flame Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps." Kyoujurou stated his name.

"As I thought, you're a Hashira."

Akaza showed no surprise—or rather, knowing that the Lower One had been slain, regardless of who it was, they would suspect that the culprit was a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Within the Demon Slayer Corps, only Hashira-ranked swordsmen had the ability to kill the Lower Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki. Other ranks of swordsmen were basically incapable of threatening the Twelve Kizuki. Even Kinoe-ranked swordsmen were equally powerless against the Lower Ranks.

Therefore, for the Twelve Kizuki, the true threats were only the Hashira, and opponents worth noting were likewise Hashira.

"What about you?"

Akaza turned his gaze to Riezel, the smile on his face growing broader.

"Which Hashira are you?"

Unfortunately, faced with Akaza's question, Riezel remained silent, just watching him quietly.

"Don't want to answer, huh?" Akaza expressed some regret but didn't feel annoyed. "Well, strong ones always have a temper and privilege, and you indeed qualify to be arrogant."

With those words, Akaza suddenly raised his head, releasing his full-blown aggressiveness without hiding it.

"But... I'm also strong!"

*Crack!*

As he spoke, Akaza suddenly stomped on the ground, shattering it beneath his feet.

"Technique Development!"

Akaza assumed a martial arts stance, with a firm stance, performing a starting pose, causing a twelve-sided snowflake pattern to appear under his feet.

"Destructive Death - Compass Needle!"

As the snowflake pattern emitted a bright light, his pair of golden eyes gleamed brightly.

"Danger!" Kyoujurou reacted quickly and stepped forward without hesitation.

*BANG!*

In that split second, Akaza disappeared from the spot.

He broke through the ground, trampling the earth underfoot, darting out as fast as lightning. With a burst of explosive air, he rushed in front of Riezel.

Everyone felt their vision blur.

Akaza had disappeared a second ago, and the next second he suddenly appeared right in front of them, his face wearing an aggressive smile now seemingly inches away.

Tanjirou couldn't react.

Zenitsu couldn't react.

Inosuke couldn't react either.

Even though they had sensitive and keen senses, in the face of such absolute speed, their bodies couldn't keep up, let alone react.

Riezel, however, calmly moved his finger slightly, preparing to draw his sword. He had no choice since Akaza was coming for him.

*Whoosh!*

With a fearless smile, Akaza swung his fist toward Riezel.

His fist was so fast that even the sound barrier couldn't keep up until it was about to touch Riezel's face.

However, Riezel stopped the action he was about to take because—

"Flame Breathing - Second Form - Rising Scorching Sun!"

A flaming blade rose violently from bottom to top, slashing toward Akaza's fist, which carried a sonic boom. Seeing the trajectory, the flaming blade would definitely cut down his arm before his fist could touch Riezel's face.

"Hahaha!"

However, instead of being scared, Akaza laughed madly, twisting his arm and unabashedly striking toward the fire blade that was slashing toward him.

*DING!*

Akaza's fist carrying a sonic boom collided with Kyoujurou's flaming blade, ultimately resulting in a crisp metal collision sound, causing the two to flick away from each other, and creating distance.

"Flame Breathing - First Form - Unknowing Fire!"

Kyoujurou engulfed his entire body in flames and with a fierce momentum like a rocket, charged toward Akaza.

"Destructive Death - Disorder!"

Watching the blurred figure of Kyoujurou charging toward him at such speed that even his silhouette was indistinguishable, Akaza's fighting intent erupted. Instead of retreating, he advanced, striking out with both hands like a machine gun.

*BOOM!*

Amid the exploding sound, Kyoujurou's charge was blocked by Akaza.

Kyoujurou's fiery slash was deflected by Akaza's fist, resembling a barrage of bullets. It seemed as though he was engulfed in a storm of punches, nearly overwhelmed by the countless fist strikes aimed at him.

At this moment, the gazes of a swordsman and a demon instantly clashed, sparking intense friction.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

In the next moment, the fierce battle between a swordsman and a martial artist erupted without warning.

Unable to land a blow, Kyoujurou unleashed a flurry of flames, enveloping Akaza in a sky-covering, earth-hiding blaze. While it appeared that he was attacking every corner of Akaza's body, his intent was subtly focused on Akaza's neck, aiming most of his slashes at Akaza's vital points after feinting his attacks.

Unfazed, Akaza met Kyoujurou's sword with his bare fists, engaging in combat without weapons. His fists repeatedly struck Kyoujurou's sword, deflecting, knocking, smashing, and even blocking it, leaving numerous blood trails on his hands and spilling copious amounts of blood.

Despite the immense price of this battle, Akaza showed no fear, instead bursting with astonishing determination and fighting intent. With a smile on his face, he swung his fists wildly, unleashing fist strikes as powerful as toppling mountains and overturning seas toward Kyoujurou.

As for the wounds on Akaza's body, they were healed in less than a second by his terrifying regenerative ability as an Upper Rank.

"Hahaha! Your attacks are futile, Kyoujurou!" Akaza laughed loudly before suddenly giving a powerful punch.

*BOOM!*

Another explosion resounded as Akaza's powerful punch landed on the sword hastily raised by Kyoujurou, sending him flying after creating a shock wave.

"Ugh—!"

Kyoujurou couldn't halt his momentum as he was sent flying, his feet skidding along the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.

"Destructive Death—"

Akaza immediately assumed a defensive stance once again, preparing to unleash his fist toward Kyoujurou like a cannonball.

However, he suddenly halted because another figure had appeared in front of him, seemingly out of nowhere.

Maintaining a steady posture, Riezel stood in front of Akaza with a calm expression on his face, but his eyes betrayed a hint of indifference.

With this, Akaza's opponent was switched.


創作者的想法
VALRRR VALRRR

Support and read advanced chapters at:

pat*reon.com/VALRRR

章節 147: Becoming a Demon? Bullshit!

At this moment, Akaza was very, very excited.

It was because of the man who had appeared in front of him.

"That's a massive and inspiring fighting spirit!" Akaza couldn't help but exclaim.

Sensing 'Fighting Spirit' was the driving force of Akaza's Blood Demon Art.

Those proficient in martial arts would naturally possess fighting spirit, it was just a matter of more or less.

Just like how anger generated wrath, when someone had murderous intent toward another, they naturally emitted a murderous aura. Similarly, martial artists naturally emitted a fighting spirit, whether they were swordsmen or something else.

Akaza's Blood Demon Art, known as 'Destructive Death - Compass Needle', could sense his opponent's fighting spirit like a compass, making his attacks and evasive actions as precise as if being drawn by a magnet. The stronger his opponent's fighting spirit, the stronger the reaction of the Compass Needle, and the higher the intensity and precision of his corresponding technique or attack.

With this Blood Demon Art as the foundation, Akaza used a series of precise, swift, and powerful martial arts to strike his opponents by sensing their fighting spirit.

For example, the previously used 'Destructive Death - Disorder' was one of them, a technique based on sensing fighting spirit, capable of striking with unparalleled precision, causing excessive damage.

Akaza's perception of his opponent's fighting spirit was extremely keen and sensitive, and he could easily discern his opponent's strength with this technique.

In his perception, the human standing before him emitted a tremendous and awe-inspiring fighting spirit. Such a massive fighting spirit, even for him who survived for hundreds of years, he had never felt it from anyone else.

Not even from that 'person'.

Therefore, Akaza was very interested in Riezel, and facing him like this excited him even more.

"Although it's not yet condensed, not refined enough, unable to reach the highest domain yet, judging solely from the scale of your fighting spirit, you must be the strongest in this world."

Akaza spoke with his eyes gleamed as he stared at Riezel.

"You must be very strong, extremely strong, even have a chance to reach that highest domain, such an existence like you being just a human, it's truly a pity."

At those words, Riezel raised his eyebrows slightly but said nothing.

"Hey, what do you say? Wanna come over to our side?" Akaza extended his hand toward Riezel, smiling invitingly. "I'll introduce you to that 'person' and make you a demon, how about it?"

As soon as he said that, before Riezel could speak, others became excited.

"Don't listen to him! Big Brother!" Tanjirou was the most excited, so excited that he even overcame his fear and finally managed to shout.

"Bento Boy!" Kyoujurou, who was always calm, also shouted, his usual laid-back attitude was nowhere to be seen.

"By the way..." Akaza turned to face Kyoujurou. "Why don't you join us too, Kyoujurou? Though you may not match up to this guy, your fighting spirit is equally massive. I've slain so many Hashira, and among them, you surely rank among the best. It's such a waste for humans, really. Just become a demon, and I promise you'll become even stronger."

"I refuse!" Kyoujurou answered without hesitation. "I can't think of any reason to become a demon."

His remark surprisingly caught Akaza off guard.

"Are you kidding me, Kyoujurou?" Akaza chuckled. "Reasons to become a demon can be listed without much effort. Yet you claim there's no reason at all? Truly absurd!"

In a sense, his words weren't wrong since there were indeed many reasons to become a demon.

For example, once someone became a demon, they wouldn't die or age. As long as they avoided sunlight, they would live indefinitely. Moreover, no matter how severe their injuries or illnesses, becoming a demon guaranteed recovery. Not to mention, they also gained inhuman strength, which was another advantage.

Compared to fragile and powerless humans, becoming a demon, in the eyes of most people, wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

However—

"To become a demon means living in darkness for eternity, unable to see sunlight, and having to feed on human flesh just to keep your sanity. That's the true absurdity." Kyoujurou countered, his expression serious.

"But compared to the benefits gained, how significant is that cost?" Akaza said nonchalantly. "Even humans spend roughly half of their days indoors, and the rest is wasted on meaningless sleep. Considering just the active hours, humans and demons aren't so different, right? Humans during the day and demons at night."

"As for eating humans, it's just a way to get nutrition and become stronger. It should be a good thing. What's absurd about it? Don't humans do the same to livestock like chickens or pigs?"

Akaza's words earned a furious glare from Tanjirou and a disapproving headshake from Kyoujurou.

"Our values and perspectives are like the difference between heaven and earth. Continuing this talk is meaningless." Kyoujurou stated firmly. "Regardless, I'll never become a demon!"

Upon hearing that, Akaza's smile instantly vanished from his face.

"How foolish... Human existence is nothing but a burden."

"Limited life."

"Limited talent."

"Limited time."

"Limited body."

"Everything about humans is limited."

"With such limitations, how can you chase infinite power and reach the highest domain?"

Akaza's voice was cold, but his voice carried intensity.

"Only demons, those with infinite time and life, can free themselves from the shackles of the human body, constantly improving themselves, continuously getting stronger, until they reach that highest domain."

"You are such powerful beings, would you really be willing to watch your strength fade away, only to disappear when your body ages and your lifespan ends?"

"If that's truly what you desire, then you are truly foolish."

Akaza's words made Tanjirou unable to hold back anymore.

"Where's the foolishness?!" Tanjirou exclaimed angrily. "Our lives may be limited, but it's because of that limitation that many valuable things emerge! That's not something as shallow as being summarized by mere strength!"

However, his impassioned words only earned a cold response.

"Shut up."

*Whoosh!*

Akaza suddenly swung a powerful punch at Tanjirou.

His punch, although clearly striking through the air, caused a resounding boom in the atmosphere. In no time, his punch transformed into a gust of wind, roaring toward Tanjirou's head.

*BOOM!*

Akaza's powerful punch hit, creating an impact like thunder. However, this punch didn't hit Tanjirou, but Kyoujurou, who arrived just in time and blocked it with his sword.

"Mr. Rengoku!" Tanjirou shouted at Kyoujurou, who appeared in front of him.

"Be careful, Young Kamado." Kyoujurou didn't turn back, just gave a word of caution.

Akaza maintained his punching posture and spoke to Tanjirou with a cold voice.

"Weaklings should recognize their weaknesses. It's your weakness that makes you see trivial things as important. As a weakling, how can you grasp that the path of the strong can't tolerate anything unnecessary? Those are just obstacles holding people back from getting stronger."

After saying that, Akaza looked again at Riezel, who hadn't moved at all.

"You must understand what I'm saying, right?" Akaza smiled. "No, it's okay if you don't understand. When you encounter a situation where you cannot move forward no matter what you do, you will know that your human body is just a shackle. Only by becoming a demon can you continue to grow stronger, until—"

"Until you reach that so-called highest domain?"

Akaza couldn't finish his sentence since Riezel interrupted his words, finally speaking up.

"Yes! Exactly!"

Akaza, seeing Riezel finally speak, immediately showed a happy smile.

"You still have a chance now, you can gain more time to improve yourself!"

"Come on! Become a demon and you can be like me, always fighting, always getting stronger!"

At this point, Akaza had already opened his arms wide, ready to accept Riezel at any moment.

Unfortunately—

"Do you know how much time it took me from being just an ordinary human that you looked down upon to having the power I have now?"

Riezel asked in a calm tone, leaving Akaza stunned.

In the next moment, Akaza got the answer.

"Four months."

Riezel continued, suddenly smiling at Akaza.

"I've grown from an ordinary human with no power to this point in just four months."

With those words, not only Akaza but even Kyoujurou and the other three showed expressions of disbelief.

"Impossible!" Akaza vehemently denied it. "Your massive fighting spirit is obviously the result of years of training! It's basically impossible to achieve it with just a human body in a mere four months!"

He simply couldn't believe Riezel's words.

"Just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't..." Riezel said calmly, raising his eyebrows. "The fact remains, whether you deny it or not."

Akaza's face immediately darkened.

"What I want to tell you is... what you can't do, don't preach it to others as an absolute truth."

Riezel continued in the same calm tone.

"You can't become consistently strong with a human body? You can't reach the highest domain unless you become a demon? Who told you that bullshit?"

"At least, I haven't encountered any bottlenecks yet, let alone know what limits are, so there's no reason to abandon my human body."

"Besides, in my opinion, what you call the highest domain is not such a difficult domain to reach. Perhaps the next time you see me, I will have already reached it."

"Of course, that is..."

Riezel paused, gazing at Akaza's face for a while before continuing with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"...if you can leave here alive today."

Upon hearing that, Akaza's complexion immediately turned ugly.

"Technique Development."

He stopped talking and assumed a stance.

"Destructive Death - Compass Needle."

A snowflake pattern appeared under his feet, causing his fighting spirit to surge.

Seeing this, Riezel narrowed his eyes and suddenly shouted.

"Rengoku! Lend me your sword!"

Kyoujurou hesitated for a moment, then quickly threw his sword to Riezel.

Riezel reached out and caught the sword.

"As I thought, this kind of sword is more suitable, huh..."

Riezel weighed the sword in his hand as if confirming something, murmuring to himself.

"Huuu... Haaa..."

Shortly afterward, Riezel started to breathe in and out, and gradually, the air around him began to grow increasingly hotter.


創作者的想法
VALRRR VALRRR

Support and read advanced chapters at:

pat*reon.com/VALRRR

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