Chapter 319: CP·Captain Nue VS Demon Progenitor!
Large numbers of sharp Ice Pillars falling from Mid-air, and dense poisonous needles spat out by two floating 'Goldfish'.
These two waves of fierce ranged attacks were easily dodged by Captain Gus and Mekko with room to spare, thanks to their Perception Prediction using Observation Haki.
Only the six consecutive Shockwave launched from a distance by 'Upper Moon Three' Akaza forced Mekko to swing the Black Blade on her right arm to block them.
This made her look at her Opponent in surprise, noticing a circle of snowflake-like ice-blue array patterns appearing under his feet.
Akaza noticed the Gaze of the blonde Woman, maintaining his Martial Arts stance with his right arm extended, palm facing outwards, Left Fist pulled back to his Waist, and legs spread in a horse stance. A cold smile appeared on his face as he proudly spoke the Name of his Technique.
"Technique Deployment! Blood Demon Art: Destructive Kill: Compass!"
The 'Twelve-Cornered Snowflake Array' under his feet would sense the target's Battle Aura like a compass, making his own attack and evasion movements as precise as if attracted by a magnet.
Furthermore, the stronger the Opponent's Battle Aura, the stronger the Compass's Reaction, and the higher the corresponding Strength and precision. Both Mekko and Captain Gus, due to their Strength, naturally possessed extremely strong Battle Aura, and neither had the Ability to conceal their Aura.
Simply put, Akaza's Technique essentially nullified the evasion Effect of Observation Haki.
"Mekko, don't hold back, fight with all your Strength!"
At this moment, Captain Gus, who was fiercely battling 'Upper Rank One' Kokushibo and 'Upper Rank Two' Douma with his Black Armor-covered Fists, roared, his Voice echoing throughout the Infinity Castle.
"Understood!"
The next moment, Mekko raised her Left Palm upwards, and a jet-black Strings shot out from her palm, accurately sticking to the upside-down Corridor above her Head.
As the Strings retracted, she was pulled up at high Speed, simultaneously avoiding subsequent Blood Demon Art attacks. This wasn't all; while ascending, she directly opened her mouth and spat out a purplish-blue Energy Bullet towards Akaza's Position.
As soon as the Energy Bullet left her mouth, it instantly turned into a beam of light, not only blasting through the wooden Platform but also penetrating downwards, causing a series of Destruction to the Corridors, Rooms, and Stairs below.
This was the single-person Destruction Power of a 'Nue' Form Kabaneri!
"Don't be too arrogant, Monster from Overseas."
Several Afterimage were seen flashing back and forth between their respective Building at extremely high Speed, all targeting Mekko, who was clinging to the upside-down Stairs.
Upon closer inspection, they were the five 'Lower Rank': Enmu, Rokuro, Wakaba, Mukago, and Kamanue. Each of their Expressions was filled with Excitement.
This was in front of Lord Muzan! If they performed well, would they receive more rewards?
"Blood Demon Art: Compulsory Sleep Hypnosis Whispers!"
Enmu, the 'Lower Moon One', leaped into Mid-air. As soon as he got within ten meters of Mekko, he aimed his Right Hand, which had a mouth on it, towards her.
"Sleep!"
The upper and lower teeth of the 'mouth' snapped shut with a crisp 'crack', and a translucent ripple spread through the Air.
[Splatter----]
Suddenly, a black-blue Afterimage flashed past Enmu like Lightning. In the blink of an eye, his Head, Limbs, and upper Body were all severed, and large amounts of foul-smelling thick Blood splattered out.
"How... how is this possible?"
Enmu's Eyes, carved with 'Lower Rank' and 'One', were filled with confusion. He couldn't understand why Mekko hadn't fallen asleep, why his Blood Demon Art hadn't worked?
The truth was simple.
'Nue' Form Kabaneri were inherently strong in Spirit. Not only could they gather Mental Power into Energy Bullets, but they could also easily master Observation Haki. His level of 'Hypnosis' simply couldn't be effective.
[Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh...]
However, Mekko had no interest in providing an Explanation. Mimicking Captain Gus's method, she released a Net of black Strings, wrapping Enmu's severed Limbs and Body parts layer by layer, then quickly Hardening them to seal them in a Black Jar comparable to Steel.
This scene terrified the other 'Lower Rank'. They hadn't expected 'Lower Moon One' to be dealt with so easily!
"What a beautiful Head, it's mine for the taking!"
Just then, 'Upper Moon Five' Gyokko, staring greedily at Mekko's Head, finally got serious.
"Blood Demon Art: Octopus Pot Hell!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a large number of pink tentacles squeezed out from his Pot. Looking at the dense suction cups, good heavens, it was a giant Octopus.
As soon as it appeared, it shot out tentacles towards Mekko's Position. Their winding movements made Mekko feel nauseous.
At the same time.
'Upper Moon Six' Daki, whose presence had always been somewhat weak, also launched her attack.
This female Demon, who went by the alias "Warabihime" at Kyogoku House and played the role of an Oiran every day, was filled with Malice upon seeing Mekko, whose beauty was no less than her own.
Because her motto was 'an eye for an eye for those who hurt me, and steal the happiness of those who suffer misfortune', she now wanted to tear apart Mekko's face.
"Blood Demon Art: Eight-Layered Sash Slash!"
In an instant, eight pink sashes as sharp as Blades were released from her Body, immediately sealing off the space around Mekko.
"Comparing attack numbers?"
Mekko snorted coldly. Without a word, she released dozens of black Strings from the skin all over her Body, turning herself into a human Sea Urchin.
Some of these Strings were sticky; any sash that touched them would be tightly entangled. Others were as hard as Iron and as sharp as needles, easily piercing the thick Octopus tentacles.
[Boom!]
She first spat a 'Fear Energy Bullet' at the large Octopus, then ran across the Hardened black Lines, her entire Body trailing a faint blue Afterimage as she charged towards Daki at high Speed.
Because Mekko had noticed that this female Demon's Aura was the weakest.
"You! Don't come over here!"
The naturally naive and cruel Daki became Nervous when she saw Mekko's blue-glowing Eyes and ferocious Faceplate. She quickly released more pink sashes to try and block her.
But these sashes were either cut apart by the Black Blade on Mekko's right arm or easily dodged by her. In the end, while Daki was in a panic, a single slash cut off her beautiful Head.
"Ahhh, it was cut off again!!"
Daki's Head, flying in Mid-air, was still screaming loudly, full of frustration. But just as Mekko turned to hack her Body into pieces.
From the severed Neck, a male Demon emerged, gaunt in appearance, ugly-faced, covered in black spots, hunchbacked, and bare-chested.
Holding two crimson Scythes that looked like they were made of Blood and Flesh, he blocked the incoming thick Black Blade at extreme Speed and immediately engaged in close-quarters Combat with Mekko.
The clanging of metal echoed as countless Afterimage intertwined between the two sides.
The swirling Astral Wind and Energy/Force were like a giant black and red tornado, preventing anyone or anything from approaching.
Whether it was Daki's sashes, which had regenerated her Body and shot over, or the large Octopus's tentacles, or Akaza's Shockwave bombarding from a distance, they were all blocked by the outer edge of the tornado.
"What strong Battle Aura, is that the true Form of 'Upper Moon Six'? I knew that Daki's Battle Aura was a bit too weak, it didn't reach the 'Upper Rank' level at all..."
Akaza narrowed his Eyes, observing Gyutaro in Combat.
These 'Upper Rank' seemed to have close relationships, but due to Muzan Kibutsuji's Order, they had very little contact over the years. He also had no interest in fighting 'Daki', who was much weaker than him, so this was the first time he had seen Gyutaro.
However, as the fight went on, Gyutaro, who had always been proud of his attack Speed, clearly couldn't keep up with Mekko, who possessed Observation Haki.
The Scar left by the Black Blade on his Body increased, while his Blood Sickle basically couldn't touch Mekko. Even if it occasionally landed a hit on Mekko's Body, it would be defended against by the layer of Black Armor she wore.
"Blood Demon Art: Leaping Arc!"
The heavily injured Gyutaro unleashed his Blood Demon Art. The Blood on his Body seemed to be imbued with Spirit, turning into thin Blood Blade that rapidly rotated around his entire Body, forcefully pushing Mekko back.
As she flew backward, the dense Blood Blade also made sharp Whistling Sound, following closely with a strong foul smell.
This Gyutaro's Blood Demon Art could actually control his Demon Blood!
Meanwhile.
To Mekko's Left was 'Upper Moon Three' Akaza charging forward, to her Right was the large Octopus summoned by Gyokko, and behind her were Daki's sashes.
Only 'Upper Moon Four' Hantengu remained inactive.
There was nothing he could do. He could only summon his four high-Combat Power emotional Manifestations – Anger, Joy, Delight, and Sorrow – when pushed into a corner or even decapitated. Before that, he was just a timid and insecure 'Fear'.
Muzan Kibutsuji, who was observing the Combat, was aware of this and didn't think much of it...
Moreover, she could see that Mekko's Strength wasn't very high, and she could be taken down within a short time under the siege of three 'Upper Rank'.
As for those 'Lower Rank' who were like useless, she had long wanted to 'prune' them.
For so many years, it had always been these 'Lower Rank' getting defeated, with several rotations already. Given this, from now on, only Demon with 'Upper Rank' Strength would be allowed to join the Twelve Kizuki.
What kind of Strength qualified as 'Upper Rank'?
It was the Strength to defeat a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps alone!
Muzan Kibutsuji's Gaze was mainly focused on the Combat between Captain Gus and Kokushibo and Douma, because the former was actually suppressing the latter two!
The Physique of a Pirate World person, the 'Nue' Form Kabaneri, Rokushiki Body Techniques, coupled with Armament Haki and Observation Haki, made Captain Gus a complete hexagonal Warrior.
In this short period, Douma's Head had been smashed three times by his Fists. If it weren't for Kokushibo interfering, this 'Upper Rank Two' would have already turned into a Black Jar again.
It's worth mentioning that because Kokushibo was a Swordsman who used Breathing Style in his life, his self-created 'Moon Breathing' also had the Perception Ability to predict the target's movements.
This greatly offset Captain Gus's Observation Haki.
Despite this, given Captain Gus another ten-odd minutes, this 'Upper Rank One' would also be cut open by him and put into a Black Jar.
At this moment, Kokushibo felt as if he had encountered the third Opponent in his life who was so much Stronger than himself. No matter how he used various Swordsmanship techniques and unleashed dense Crescent Blade Wind, he simply couldn't do anything against this so-called Kabaneri.
[Swish----]
Just then, an incredibly fast Black Shadow shot towards the back of Captain Gus's Head. Its Speed was extremely fast even in the Perception world of Observation Haki.
In this critical moment, Captain Gus didn't have time to use any Martial Arts. He could only quickly turn his Body sideways, while simultaneously meeting the attack with his Right Fist covered in a layer of Black Armor.
[Rumble Duang!]
Only then did the deafening Sonic Boom sound in their ears, followed by the impact sound of the Black Fist colliding with the bone whip.
"What a hard Fist..."
Completely disregarding her unsportsmanlike sneak attack from behind, Muzan Kibutsuji retracted the whip formed from her Right Hand, while looking at Captain Gus in surprise.
"Heh, so you've finally made your move, 'Demon Progenitor'?"
Gus sneered, simultaneously flexing his Right Fist, which he had further 'Hardened' with Armament Haki.
He had to admit, Muzan's whip attack was very Strong. If he hadn't used Armament Haki just now, the Black Armor on his hand alone wouldn't have been able to block it.
If it had been Mekko, she would probably be dead by now.
"I heard you've lived for a thousand years, but why are you so weak, so weak that you're about the same as me?" Captain Gus said, completely ignoring the fact that his words also insulted himself.
Because he knew very well that in the Sea Star World, there were simply too many people Stronger than him.
"What an ignorant and arrogant existence, does being a little Stronger than these 'Upper Rank' make you so proud?"
As Muzan Kibutsuji spoke, her Body began to change from female to male. The black Kimono on her Body instantly shattered, revealing a muscular Body and arms covered in red patterns.
"You two go deal with that Woman. Don't kill her, and absolutely don't eat a piece of her Meat or a drop of her Blood!"
"Yes, Lord Muzan..."
Kokushibo and Douma quickly agreed upon hearing the Order, only able to glare hatefully at Captain Gus.
In the Court, only Muzan Kibutsuji and Captain Gus remained, facing each other from a Distance.
One was filled with Killing Intent, the other had a cold Expression. At the same time, the latter threw off his Kimono, revealing the Heart on his Chest glowing with dazzling Blue Light and the spreading blue Blood Vessel.
Seeing this.
Muzan narrowed her Eyes.
[Swish! Swish!]
The next second, both instantly disappeared from their original Position, then fiercely collided In the Court. The whips formed from their arms and the Haki-Hardened Black Fist, carrying surging Air Current and Sonic Boom, turned into countless Afterimage invisible to the naked eye.
[Bang bang bang bang...]
The collision sounds, many times more intense than the previous exchange between Mekko and Gyutaro, were continuous. The Strength of the Sonic Boom destructively shattered the Platform under their feet.
This expanded the Scale of their Combat to the entire Infinity Castle.
After the brief few seconds of hundreds of exchanges just now, Muzan Kibutsuji had completely realized that Captain Gus's Strength could not be taken down without going all out.
This caused her to release all nine whips on her back and the eight whips on her legs, in addition to the whips formed from her arms.
With nineteen terrifying whips that could cause Cell Collapse with just a single touch to a Human Body, she lashed out at Captain Gus, who was rapidly flipping through the Air using Moonwalk.
The Sonic Boom Air Current wrapped around each whip were like a Supersonic Fighter Jet rampaging through the Infinity Castle. The various Building within the Infinity Castle suffered unprecedented massive Destruction.
It even affected the Twelve Kizuki nearby, who had just caught Mekko, forcing them to frantically retreat and stay as far away as possible from the Battlefield of the two Big Shot.
"This... is this Lord Muzan's... true Strength? So Strong!"
Both the 'Lower Rank' and the 'Upper Rank' watched Muzan Kibutsuji and Captain Gus constantly intertwining and colliding, completely dumbfounded.
Among them, only Kokushibo and Akaza could sense the trajectory of their movements. In the Eyes of the others, there was basically nothing to see except the Air ripples splashing like Water Spray.
Outside the Infinity Castle, however, the Japanese Government was in a panic.
Because the extra-strong Sandstorm that appeared from the direction of Mount Fuji not only showed no signs of slowing down in momentum or Scale, but was also sweeping towards the Tokyo Area in a mighty torrent...
(End of Chapter)