Chapter 32: First meeting

Rui controlled the spider silk, cutting away the flesh around the wound on his head. As he did so, the suppressed regenerative abilities kicked in, and the wound began to heal rapidly.

"How is he so powerful?" Rui muttered, his voice trembling with frustration and anger.

The last time he faced Master Muzan, he had sworn to bring back the defector. But now, he found himself retreating, humiliated.

He knew he was no weaker than the defector in raw strength. But this battle felt grossly unfair. His attacks seemed to bounce off the defector with little effect, while each blow he received from Aoki struck deeply, cutting through flesh and bone.

How could he hope to win under such circumstances?

"Where do you think you're going?"

A calm voice floated into Rui's ears.

His face twisted in fury, and he instinctively swung his arms, sending five blood-colored silk threads slicing through the air.

But the sound had been deceptive. He hadn't struck his target.

Rui halted, spinning around to see Aoki standing calmly ahead of him. His eyes widened in confusion and shock.

"How did he get in front of me? The sound was definitely behind!"

Aoki looked at Rui's nearly healed wounds and shook his head slightly. He knew that the only way to counter the wounds inflicted by the "Demon Devourer" was to excise the surrounding flesh, allowing a demon's regenerative abilities to take effect again.

When fighting a Lower Moon demon like Rui, who had formidable recovery and physical strength, it was crucial to crush their resistance swiftly. Otherwise, even with the "Demon Devourer," the battle could drag on endlessly.

Aoki raised his hand, aiming at Rui's head. "I thought you might be more entertaining, but seeing you try to run spoils the fun. I'll end this quickly."

"End me in one breath? Such arrogance!" Rui spat back, though he was secretly on high alert.

Lord Muzan had mentioned that the defector possessed a blood demon technique that could significantly enhance his strength for short periods.

Aoki smiled knowingly.

Rui's strength lay in his ability to manipulate spider silk for ranged attacks, but he was weak in close combat. The best strategy was to close the distance and engage him up close, which was Aoki's specialty.

"Are you ready?" Aoki asked, then disappeared into thin air.

Before Rui could react, a powerful hand gripped his face.

"Got you!" Aoki's voice was smug, and he forced Rui's head downward with tremendous force.

Rui's neck twisted grotesquely, his head nearly driven into his chest.

"Get off me!" Rui screamed, his fingers shooting out bloody threads.

But Aoki vanished again.

Rui realized with a start, "Is this ability similar to the teleportation of the Infinity Castle?"

Understanding it was one thing; countering it was another.

Swoosh!

A sharp sound sliced through the air behind him, and Rui felt a searing pain in his neck. His vision spun as his head detached from his body.

"Aoki-ryu: Storm."

Aoki didn't relent this time, and there was no one to save Rui.

As Rui's head fell to the ground, his body was torn into pieces, and the writhing flesh at his severed ends struggled but failed to regenerate.

Yet he clung to consciousness, attempting to sprout arms from his dismembered head.

But before he could act, a heavy foot descended from above.

Crunch!

The dismembered body twitched once, then lay still, life draining from the severed pieces.

Aoki didn't hesitate and absorbed Rui using the "Demon Devourer."

[You have slain Lower Moon Five and gained 600 experience points.]

[Congratulations, you have leveled up.]

"The rewards for defeating a Lower Moon are indeed generous!" Aoki raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Earlier, the demon father had given him 180 experience points, and the other three demons had added another 209 points.

In total, the Rui family had provided 989 experience points.

This did not even include the bonus from defeating a Lower Moon.

As expected, hunting elite enemies was the best way to level up.

Of the 2 free attribute points he earned, Aoki first added 1 point to his constitution to balance his attributes, and the other to his strength.

He decided to save his free skill points for now.

[Name: Aoki]

[Strength: 14]

[Constitution: 13]

[Intelligence: 13]

[Agility: 13]

[Occupation: Hunter, White Walker]

---

[White Walker]

Quality: ★★

Level: lv7 (394/700)

Skills: Demon Blood III, Space Shuttle, Transparent World (not yet learned), Devouring Demons

Quest: The End of the Lower Moon (1/3)

Free Skill Points: 2

Looking over his system panel, Aoki felt a wave of satisfaction. "Just 300 more experience points, and I can upgrade 'Demon Blood' to level 4."

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Kanae Kocho paused and surveyed the mountain in front of her.

"Is this Natagumo Mountain?"

A crow perched on her shoulder, ruffled its feathers to shake off the snow, and nodded. "Yes! This is the place!"

"Let's head up the mountain, then!" Kanae Kocho turned to the members of the "Hidden" squad and signaled them to follow her.

Guided by the crow, they soon reached the site where Aoki had battled the spider demons.

"It seems the fight wasn't intense. The gap in strength between the sides must have been significant," Kanae observed, noting the sparse battle scars that the snow hadn't yet concealed.

"Found something! Over here!" A member of the Hidden squad called out, holding up a grotesque human-headed spider.

Kanae's face darkened. Ignoring its terrifying appearance, she examined it carefully.

After a moment, she stood up, her expression grim. "It's treatable, but recovery will be difficult, and there's a high chance of lasting damage."

The Hidden squad member said nothing. To him, it was miraculous enough that Kanae could even offer treatment. Master Kocho's prowess and kindness, coupled with her exceptional medical skills, made her a revered figure in the Demon Slayer Corps.

After directing them to tend to the wounded, Kanae set off alone to search for the remaining demons.

According to the crow, more than one demon inhabited the mountain. Moreover, it had witnessed a demon with golden eyes killing another demon during the battle—a sight that defied all logic for the Demon Slayer Corps.

Typically, demons only died from sunlight or the Nichirin Blades wielded by Demon Slayers.

Kanae moved swiftly, like a graceful butterfly weaving through the forest.

Despite her speed, she found no further trace of demons.

Then she stopped abruptly, her eyes falling on the chaotic scene before her.

Trees were slashed deeply, the ground was pitted and torn, and the snow was stained with blood.

"Another battlefield, much fiercer than the last," Kanae mused.

Feeling a presence, she looked up sharply.

High in the branches of a nearby tree stood a figure. Judging by its aura, it was unmistakably a demon.

Aoki looked down at her, recognizing the familiar yet slightly different figure.

The uniform, the haori, the similar hair ornaments and face—this wasn't the short girl from his memory, but a taller, more composed version.

"Is that Kanae Kocho?" Aoki wondered to himself, feeling a pang of nostalgia. Her gentle presence was like a soothing balm.

Aoki gave a slight nod to the girl, then activated his "Space Shuttle" ability, vanishing instantly from her sight.

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T/N: There is a patreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 15 chapters.

Patreon link:- patreon.com/ANelite

And also give me some power stones!!

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