I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 237 Erii: Praise me!

Half-Heaven Dog and Jade Pot had, of course, arrived long ago.

Kikyo had already warned about this in the group chat.

but……

Their decision to assassinate Uchiha Hikaru at this time was not voluntary, but rather ordered by Muzan.

Otherwise, it's hard to say what would have happened to Gyokuko, but given Hantengu's cowardly nature, which is on par with Muzan's, it's impossible that he would have rushed out and attacked so decisively.

While the two Upper Moon demons distracted Hikaru Uchiha, Muzan didn't hesitate to betray his comrades and unleash his ultimate attack—

Self-destruct!

Five hundred years ago, he used this very move to "defeat" Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Even with the latter's almost divine swordsmanship, he still couldn't eliminate his 1800 pieces of flesh, leaving only 300 pieces of minced meat, which is why he has survived to this day.

And this time...

Thud—

Muzan's body began to swell rapidly, as if it were about to crack open at any moment.

Just then...

The black tomoe in Uchiha Hikaru's eyes spun gently, radiating a captivating magic.

Muzan had been watching her every move, wanting to escape in a direction far away from her, but when their eyes met, his expression gradually became dazed, and the next second he stopped all his movements and stood there stunned.

—Tsukuyomi!

It was at this moment, when Muzan was hit and stopped moving, that it happened.

Kikyo, dressed as a shrine maiden, rushed into the house, pulled out a stack of talismans from her bosom, held them between her fingers, and gently tossed them behind Muzan!

The talisman was applied, instantly transforming into pale golden runes that spread throughout Muzan's body. In just a few seconds, it had completely enveloped his swollen form.

the other side.

Tamayo, who had been lying in wait for a long time, also sprang out from her hiding place and inserted the syringe in her hand into Muzan's arm artery.

—In the original work, Tamayo concocted four kinds of deadly poisons to deal with Muzan: a drug to restore human health, a drug to accelerate aging, a drug to prevent self-destruction, and a drug to destroy cells. Now, because the timeline is slightly earlier, and because Uchiha Hikaru wanted to capture Muzan alive for experimental subjects, only the drug to prevent self-destruction was left in the syringe.

At last.

Uchiha Hikaru's shadow clone, which was left behind beforehand and wore a "mini bracelet," opened the Blood Jade Coral Barrier, trapping Muzan, who was wrapped in runes, inside.

This is the end.

The "Muzan Capture Plan" has been successfully completed.

Well...

With Muzan's strength, if he chose to fight to the death, he could still exchange a few blows with Uchiha Hikaru.

However, this guy was terrified from the very beginning by being "the reincarnation of Yoriichi Tsugikuni". After seeing the red-haired, red-eyed Uchiha Hikaru, all that was left in his mind was fear. So when faced with "Tsukuyomi", he couldn't even put up the slightest resistance and was immediately frozen for a few seconds, giving Kikyo and Tamayo plenty of time to make their move.

When I came to my senses...

Muzan was completely dumbfounded: "What...what did you just do?!"

"Don't be nervous, I'm just inviting you to stay and watch the show."

Uchiha Hikaru spoke softly, nodded slightly to Kikyo, indicating that she should stay here and keep an eye on Muzan, and then walked out.

A cold wind blew by.

He gently brushed aside her long, red hair.

Hantengu and Gyokko had already escaped to the courtyard using Blood Demon Art. They stared in astonishment at Muzan, who was imprisoned in the room, and Uchiha Hikaru, who was walking out. They were unsure how to react.

the other side.

Kokushibo and Akaza also appeared in the courtyard.

The former, draped in a haori, stood a short distance away in the courtyard, her expression serene as still water. But all six eyes were fixed on Uchiha Hikaru, as if trying to see right through her.

The latter was also looking at Uchiha Hikaru, but his eyes were somewhat frivolous, as if he was eager to try.

"So you are the human that Lord Muzan was talking about? Such refined fighting spirit is indeed extraordinary. I can't help but want to have a duel with you."

"……Oh."

Uchiha Hikaru smiled, glanced at Akaza briefly, and then looked away: "Don't get me wrong, your opponent isn't me... Yamato, this red-haired guy is Akaza."

"Huh?!"

Yamato's eyes lit up, and he suddenly looked at Akaza, a look of surprise on his face: "So it was you?"

"...?"

Akaza was stunned for a moment, somewhat confused about what was going on.

But the next moment, Yamato had already pulled out his spiked club, and with another powerful stomp, he swept across the dozens of meters between them and unleashed a "Thunderous Eight Trigrams" attack!

Bang--!!

At that moment, the ground inside the mansion seemed to tremble.

At the critical moment, Akaza reacted with astonishing speed, retreating almost simultaneously with Yamato's attack, barely dodging the blow. The two-meter-long spiked club crashed to the ground, creating a crater nearly a meter deep, and the flying debris, like bullets, tore apart Akaza's arms, which were held across his chest.

Fresh blood splattered.

When Akago landed, the several bloody cuts on his arm had mostly healed, but the expression on his face became one of utter horror.

"This guy..."

Is it really human?!

What's with those horns on her head and her nearly three-meter height? Why does she seem even more monstrous than me, a real ghost?

"You dodged it?"

Yamato was unaware of Akaza's thoughts, only slightly surprised by the latter's quick reaction, before his fighting spirit was reignited: "Again!"

This time, the distance between the two people—or rather, the two "ghosts"—was less than twenty meters.

So Yamato charged straight at Akaza, then rammed into him, sending him flying!

bang bang bang...

From the perspective of Uchiha Hikaru and the others, all they saw was a nearly three-meter-high human-shaped hole appearing on the wall of the mansion. Then, Yamato and Akaza disappeared through the hole. All that could be heard was a series of crackling lightning bolts exploding in the air, leaving behind spots of blood along the way.

"..."

Uchiha Hikaru silently mourned for Akaza for a second in his heart.

This Upper Moon Three is actually quite strong.

Without holding back, he could take on at least two Pillars like Kyojuro Rengoku without his Crimson Blade unsheathed. Even so, he'd only be able to take a beating from Yamato; the only difference would be how long he could withstand the attack thanks to his regenerative abilities…

Next.

Brand followed suit, swinging his sword and charging towards the jade pot next to the main house.

The latter teleported to the side several times with the pottery jar, releasing a large number of strange fish monsters and countless poisoned needles, but almost all of them were blocked by Brand's sword.

A few sharp needles landed on Brand's dark green armor, leaving tiny white marks before bouncing to the sides.

Although it didn't directly pierce his body, Brand was still on guard—in one timeline, he had died from General Liva's poisonous "Blood Blade Kill." So Brand quickly activated "Possessed by Evil Spirits" and chased after Yu Hu, fully armed.

No sooner said than done,

From the moment Yamato made his move to the moment the three demons paired up and sought another battlefield, less than half a minute had passed.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Kokushibo remained standing still, his eyes fixed on Uchiha Hikaru.

"wrong……"

"What's wrong?"

Uchiha Hikaru tilted his head.

"...You are not him."

Kokushibo said in a strange tone.

"Huh?"

Has his identity been exposed?

That's true. Kokushibo is, after all, Yoriichi's older brother, and in a sense, the person closest to him. Muzan only met Yoriichi once, but Kokushibo had spent many years with him and naturally knew what kind of person he was.

but……

Uchiha Hikaru, however, became playful. After letting out a soft sigh, he looked at Kokushibo with pity in his eyes: "To abandon your human identity and associate with these demons, just for this kind of power? How pathetic... Brother."

"?!?!"

Kokushibo's expression shifted drastically, all six eyes widening to their limit, as if he were transported back to that night over 400 years ago. In his memory, the white-haired figure had uttered the same words before his death—

"Is it... pathetic?"

Close your eyes, then open them.

Kokushibo gripped the hilt of his sword with one hand: "Perhaps."

"How can you, born into this world as the favored children of the gods, understand the hardships that ordinary people endure to gain power? After that incident, I spent 400 years honing my swordsmanship, all for this moment... Whether you are him or not, let me witness what true power is!"

"Breath of the Moon - Land Form...Eternal Night, Lonely Moon - Abyss!!"

The words fell.

Kokushibo suddenly drew his sword and slashed down, instantly tearing through the air and unleashing countless arc-shaped sword energies that flew towards Uchiha Hikaru!

Uchiha Hikaru casually drew the Dragon Bone Blade from his back, and with a flick of his wrist, countless identical vortexes of energy immediately formed, colliding with the sword energy opposite him.

A continuous series of whooshing sounds rang out.

Streaks of sword energy continuously detached from the blade, only to vanish without a trace.

Next, Kokushibo exerted his strength and lunged forward with a fierce momentum, engaging in a fierce battle with Uchiha Hikaru.

With a playful attitude, Uchiha Hikaru strolled leisurely, activated his Sharingan, and while observing Kokushibo's "Breath of the Moon," he began to imitate it at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Sword energy scattered in all directions.

At this moment.

Esdeath, who had been unable to find a worthy opponent, turned her gaze to the outside of the mansion.

That direction, where Mitsuri Kanroji and Shinobu Kocho were responsible for defense, also seemed to be the site of a battle. Because it was already night, the specific situation was not clear, but several flashes could be vaguely seen, which appeared to be ice spikes forming in mid-air and then falling down.

——Blood Demon Art: Winter Ice Pillar

—This is Douma's Blood Demon Art!

"...Is that Upper Moon Two? Is he over there?"

Esdeath frowned slightly.

After exchanging a glance with Uchiha Hikari, she conjured a patch of ice beneath her feet and soared into the air, flying towards the direction where the flash of light had appeared.

After a while.

Then, boundless frost rose into the sky from that direction, forming a fierce blizzard that swept across the entire headquarters compound and even the surrounding vast valley in an instant!

Hmm... there's actually another ghost in the courtyard.

It's just a half-day dog.

As previously agreed, he is Erii's rival.

Therefore, Erii, unusually, entered battle mode at this moment. Her eyes, usually clear and innocent like a deer's, now shone with a molten gold hue. She shouted a dragon-script word at the trembling Hantengu lying on the ground:

"die!!"

Hantengu's Blood Demon Art operates by splitting.

Under normal circumstances, he would act like a timid and harmless old man, and most Pillars could easily behead him. However, after being beheaded, he would split into four demons in succession: "Accumulated Wrath," "Cola," "Empty Joy," and "Despair." Each of them had strength close to that of a Pillar, and when they were combined into one, they would form the powerful "Zangbo Ten."

Even if you kill "Zengbotian", Hantengu still has two forms: "Tiger Demon" and "Hate Demon". Only by finding his tiny, finger-sized true body can you truly kill him.

Mechanistically speaking, this guy is even harder to kill than Akaza.

but……

Erii's Word of Power: Judgment is a conceptual absolute death!

Almost the instant Erii opened her mouth, a terrifying force erupted from her body, instantly forming a long, narrow vacuum channel.

The half-heavenly dog ​​at the end of this passage split open.

That's right.

It means "to split open" literally.

After his body was torn to pieces, this guy seemed to want to use the different parts of his body to form four ghosts: "Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Happiness".

But Erii spoke a second time and waved her slender right hand.

More cracks appeared on several parts of the Half-Heaven Dog's body, wrapping around him like a spider web.

then……

click-

Hantengu, the Upper Moon Four, became the first demon to die tonight. The frail old man's body was crushed to pieces by "Judgment," turning into countless fragments of flesh and blood that disintegrated, with the crimson blood blooming like flowers.

This scene left not only Kagaya Ubuyashiki and Tanjiro present speechless.

They only knew that Erii possessed dragon blood and was a hybrid, but they knew almost nothing about the "Word Spirit" ability in the dragon world. They also never expected that this seemingly obedient and harmless red-haired girl was actually a powerful fighter.

Even Kokushibo, who was "entangled" with Uchiha Hikaru, and Muzan, who was trapped inside the house, were clearly shocked at this moment.

Erii, having finished all this, lowered her arm without batting an eye, carefully checked whether Hantengu was alive or dead, and then turned to look at Uchiha Hikaru with a smile.

Although he didn't speak.

But that bright smile clearly said, "Praise me!"

(End of this chapter)