Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Chapter 314 Opportunity

Every sound behind me was clear, the narrow corridor carrying each sound far away.

Mr. Giyu's reminder and Rinko's approaching footsteps were all heard by Tanjiro. He knew that danger was approaching from behind, but this opportunity would not come again. No one knew when Muzan would recover, whether it was this second or the next. Of course, he could give up his attack and turn around to deal with Rinko, who might kill him first. But then what? What if he lost the best opportunity to attack?

This was the most opportune time that everyone had worked so hard to secure for him.

Tanjiro didn't know whether the blade would hit him the moment it flew out, or whether he would sense any danger behind him first.

But at that moment, he had no better choice than to trust Yiyong.

The lungs are filled with air, the muscles are tense, and energy is being gathered.

It hurts so much, it really hurts so much, every muscle aches, every bone aches. After fighting Akaza, my whole body was sore and aching, I even fainted on the battlefield and almost passed out afterward, but I didn't have time to rest. I was constantly on the move, with demons constantly rushing out and news of people getting injured constantly being reported.

Miss Shinobu is dead. Genya is dead. No news of the others' deaths has come, but everyone knows how brutal the battle was. Right now, being alive is good news, but no one knows how badly they were injured, whether they can get out alive, or whether they will receive timely medical treatment.

Ultimately, he was in excruciating pain. With so many wounds, there wasn't enough time to properly treat each one. He could only barely bandage them and then scald them hard with a hot knife to stop the bleeding.

At that time, he could even smell the burnt meat!

It hurts so much, it really hurts.

The moment he released his power after accumulating it, the broken bone shifted due to his renewed force. It was already incredible that the broken bone didn't pierce his internal organs when he hit the wall.

But now he still wants to gamble that this attack won't cause further damage to his body.

But even if it causes harm, so what? Even if it causes harm, there is no turning back. There is no time or room for hesitation. Everyone is working hard and everyone is tired. The dead cannot be let down, and the living still need to persevere.

And all of this is because of the guy in front of me.

Even if his neck is chopped off, he won't die. He clearly killed Mr. Ubuyashiki, he was surrounded by everyone, and the blade was only a hair's breadth away from him. But just like back in Asakusa, he started running away endlessly again, leaving a bunch of trouble in front of others. He ran away, he escaped!

He killed so many people, destroyed so many families, and shattered all that was beautiful, so why does he never have to bear the consequences?

The moment Tanjiro swung his blade, he used almost all his strength. He didn't know how solid that fleshy ball was, nor did he know what state Muzan was in inside. But since the opponent was hiding there, the greatest role he could play at this moment was to inflict as much damage as possible.

The blade flashed, whistling through the air, and the body leaped into the air, spinning, trying to increase speed as much as possible, faster, faster, with more power, even more.

Ideally, we should destroy this cocoon-like fleshy mass, so that we can also injure the creature inside.

"Hinokami Kagura, Train!"

……

Silence. For a moment, all three breaths in the room seemed to stop.

Tanjiro's eyes widened.

It wasn't because he destroyed anything; on the contrary, it was because he didn't touch anything.

The giant ball wasn't real; it was an illusion. After the powerful attack, there was no feeling of the blade touching the real object.

How can it be!

Tanjiro quickly readjusted his sword after missing the target, and landed back on the ground. He turned to look at the space he had just passed through. When he looked up, the cocoon was still there, still there. But he knew clearly that he hadn't felt anything when he swung the sword; he had just passed through the middle of the cocoon and landed in the corridor on the other side.

fake.

how is this possible.

Is this fake? Is it Rinko's illusion? No, it's really there.

There was no time for self-blame or lamentation. All Tanjiro could do was immediately suppress all his thoughts, think, think, and desperately try to think to get a more accurate answer.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Tanjiro wasn't the only one surprised by this, but Giyu was too. He had witnessed Tanjiro decide to launch an attack, seeing that even knowing there might be danger behind him, Giyu still resolutely chose to attack, completely entrusting his safety to him.

And he did not disappoint that trust, successfully buying Tanjiro that brief moment. After gathering his strength, Tanjiro jumped and ran towards a higher direction, the higher part of this complex structure.

So it's hidden in the gap between the floors? As Giyu made his judgment, he rushed toward a knife on the ground, the knife he had just knocked down to attack him.

The boy was temporarily pinned to the wall, and even if he used this brief time to catch up, it would be pointless; without a weapon, he would only be a burden.

He picked up the knife from the ground and rushed towards the boy, but before he could unleash his sword technique, he first heard Tanjiro land on the ground and saw the surprise and bewilderment on the boy's face.

why?

what happened?

Why did Tanjiro have that expression on his face? Speaking of which, why was there no sound? Why was there no sound of something being cut? Why was there no sound of something being chopped? It was as if Tanjiro rushed up only to find that there was nothing there.

"It's strange, isn't it? Why is there no sound at all? Why does it seem like the plan has fallen through?"

The boy's voice came from in front of him, and without hesitation, Yiyong swung his blade and slashed at the neck of the boy who was pinned to the wall.

"Breathe in water, take on the form of land, and create a swirling vortex."

The immense power destroyed the wall but failed to strike the boy. Giyu is least adept at dealing with this type of opponent; Upper Moon Three was like that before, and this one is too. But at least Upper Moon Three keeps fighting him; if he keeps running away, it will only cause trouble.

Yi Yong immediately adjusted his sword stance, spun around and landed on the ground. The moment his feet touched the ground, he attacked the boy again.

Rinko, lying on the ground, looked calm and indifferent. He gripped the blade of the knife that had pierced his abdomen with one hand. When Giyu turned around, he saw the boy slowly pushing the knife backward from his chest. The hilt slid down due to the weight of the boy and eventually left his body, landing on the floor.

Rinko casually sidestepped and kicked the knife away, clearly not as a friendly return, but as a dangerous weapon that was impossible to catch. Even the wind blades it generated could easily cut through the skin.

But Giyu didn't back down. A calm expression can be feigned, and a cold tone can be faked. But intentions cannot be completely hidden, especially when those eyes have moved away from him, making it even more obvious.

Because the body is like a child's, even the personality and behavior are affected, which is why there are always more flaws in these small details.

Giyu saw through the opponent's intentions. It wasn't that they were actually coming for him; on the contrary, it seemed more like they wanted to use a sudden attack to force him to retreat and create distance, just like before. Using the same move twice in front of him—did they simply look down on them?

Yiyong did not dodge backward; instead, he charged towards the knife, only adjusting his grip and changing his footwork.

"The third form, flowing dance."

He changed his footing, dodging the knife that flew straight at him. As expected, even a slight graze was enough to tear his clothes.

But at least this time the gap won't widen again.

Yiyong clearly saw the boy's eyes when he changed his pace, not retreating but chasing after him. The eyes were clearly etched, widening slightly before the pupils contracted.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The tide of battle can turn in an instant.

Rinko didn't know how far it was from hell to heaven, but the distance from the heart to the throat to the chest was probably not too far.

Because his heart, which had almost choked him to breathe, now felt like it had returned to his stomach, he was finally able to breathe smoothly.

Yiyong's knife was dodged, and in the instant he turned and exerted force, his attack, which did not stop, was probably enough to truly knock the opponent down.

As for his body, which was almost severed by the knife, he wasn't too worried; the healing process was underway.

All that's needed now is to solve the other remaining problem: Tanjiro.

Rinko lowered his leg, his soles pattering on the floor. He slowly walked forward, blood trickling down his body and mingling with the bloodstains on the ground, making it impossible to tell whose it originally belonged to.

"Tanjiro."

He spoke, and without even turning his head, he knew the sword was about to touch him. How could he not feel it? Such fierce killing intent was something Tanjiro had never shown before.

Was it because Giyuu flew away? Or was it because of Kyojuro?

For Tanjiro, which one is more important, which one needs to be protected, and which one would he choose if he had to make a choice?

Rinko belatedly realized that she shouldn't be distracted during battle.

He bent down to dodge the sword. His slender and agile body was more advantageous in close combat. When he bent down, he pressed his palms on the ground for support, lifted his legs, twisted his waist, and kicked Tanjiro with the momentum.

The two heavy blows were blocked by the blade, and the clanging sound echoed in the corridor.

But in any case, he won't be the one chosen.

Rinko tilted his head and looked into Tanjiro's eyes, he thought.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Everything changed in an instant. The seemingly improved situation was reversed in an instant. Mr. Giyu was nowhere to be found. They thought they had found Muzan, but it was just an illusion. They also didn't know what had happened to Mr. Rengoku.

And before them stood Rinko, a more troublesome Upper Moon than any they had ever encountered before.

This was almost the worst situation Tanjiro had ever encountered.

But is it just an illusion?

Or is it true?

Why does Tanjiro think he smells medicine?

The scent of herbs, mixed with the scent of wisteria, and something else... what is it?

As the blades clashed with limbs, the smell gradually intensified until blood splattered on his face. Tanjiro's eyes widened in surprise. It wasn't the smell of medicine, but the smell of blood, the smell of Rinko's blood. There was hardly any strong bloody stench; instead, it was filled with a medicinal scent.

why?

do not know.

But Tanjiro knows that Shinobu has been giving Rinko medicine. Is it the effect of those medicines?

So, is it because Rinko hasn't been able to kill him yet that she doesn't want to, but rather that she can't?

Tanjiro was well aware of his current state. Although he had mastered some new techniques, he had only scratched the surface and had not fully mastered them. His combat skills and awareness had improved, but his physical strength was completely insufficient. His body was covered with layers of injuries. Not only him, but also Giyu and Rengoku were in the same situation. However, Rinko, who was said to be untouchable even by several Pillars working together, was able to be held back by them.

Is it all thanks to Miss Ren?

Tanjiro gripped his sword tightly. He had to seize this opportunity; he had to do something before Rinko realized what was happening.