I don't want to be an elf!

That bizarre appearance was like a nightmare; not only girls, but even ordinary men would be terrified if they saw it.

But Kotori Itsuka just looked at him indifferently, a disdainful smile on her lips.

Suddenly, the jade pot froze, as if it had sensed something, and jumped out of the jar.

Because flames rose up.

The moment the jade pot left the jar, a raging flame was released centered on Kotori Itsuka, illuminating the dark forest.

A flowing feathered robe and pure white demon horns appeared, and flames gradually covered the surrounding land, engulfing the girl's figure.

She is burning.

But he didn't show any pain; on the contrary, he looked so comfortable.

As if that were the way it should be.

"The secret we've kept for so long has to be exposed because of the two of you."

A massive, black and red war axe appeared in her hand. Kotori Itsuka pointed at Akaza and Gyokko, a hint of madness creeping into her smile: "Tell me, how can you compensate me for my losses?"

Once innocence and purity are burned away, what remains is the ferocity and savagery hidden within.

The disguise was torn off, and true nature was liberated.

The Balrog of Ratatosk here reveals her true form.

"Kotori... Kotori...?"

Staring blankly at Kotori Itsuka bathed in flames, Kyojuro Rengoku felt a snap in his mind, as if the string of reason had broken.

His sister is indeed the leader of Ratatoskr, the one who defeated Upper Moon Six and dominated the nine Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps.

How can this be? !

"finally found you!"

Unlike Rengoku Kyojuro's astonishment, Akaza's face showed surprise and delight.

His and Yu Hu's purpose in coming here was to find clues about Ratatosk.

Unexpectedly, the Flame Demon that Muzan Kibutsuji was looking for appeared right in front of them without any effort.

At this moment, Akaza no longer cared about Rengoku Kyojuro.

Beneath their feet, the Blood Demon Art: Destruction Formation reappeared.

"Destruction Kill·Sky Style!"

This time, Akaza held back and unleashed the full power of this move.

The air attack, now at 100% power, was even more ferocious than before, with gusts of wind scattering the flames and cleaving a path through them.

"Sword Needle - Fish Killer!"

Having met the person that Muzan Kibutsuji, whom he served, had specifically requested, Gyokko no longer stood idly by and used his Blood Demon Art to summon a strange goldfish that spewed poisonous thorns to assist him.

Having escaped the jar and entered its second form, the Jade Pot's power had greatly increased, and it let out a long roar as it pounced on Kotori Itsuka.

Watching Kotori Itsuka fight two Upper Moons at full strength single-handedly, yet still manage to overpower them without showing any fear, Kyojuro Rengoku stood there dumbfounded, momentarily forgetting even to offer his help.

His own sister was indeed that Flame Demon.

His intuition was correct.

But it was precisely because he hadn't made any mistakes that he felt reality was so absurd.

Why is Kotori a demon?

When did you become a ghost?

Why doesn't he know anything?

Why didn't the father and brother notice anything either?

Watching Kotori Itsuka fight like a berserker, Kyojuro Rengoku couldn't reconcile her with the image of his beloved sister.

They were like two completely different people.

At this moment, one question after another surfaced in Rengoku Kyojuro's mind, causing his thoughts to pause briefly.

He didn't know how much time had passed until a scream pulled him back to reality.

Half of the Jade Pot's body was split open by the Scorched Demon, and just as it was about to be repaired, the flames clung to its flesh like a malignant sore.

Seeing the scales of victory gradually tipping in Kotori Itsuka's favor, Kyojuro Rengoku realized that this was a golden opportunity to eliminate the Upper Moon demons and cut off Muzan Kibutsuji's wings.

He immediately grabbed his Nichirin Blade and joined the battle.

With the arrival of Kyojuro Rengoku, the situation immediately became one-sided.

Ten minutes later, Upper Moon Three and Upper Moon Five were completely at a disadvantage.

"It's now!"

However, just as Kotori Itsuka and Kyojuro Rengoku were about to launch their final attack, two doors suddenly appeared beneath Akaza and Gyokko's feet.

Suddenly, their feet lost their footing, and the two heavily injured Upper Moons fell into the space behind the door.

That's the Infinite City!

If that's the case, then it means that Muzan Kibutsuji is also paying close attention to this battle!

The next moment, two doors appeared beneath the feet of Kotori Itsuka and Kyojuro Rengoku.

However, Kotori Itsuka, who was prepared, did not fall. Instead, she grabbed Kyojuro Rengoku's collar and used her spiritual power to levitate in mid-air.

Looking down at the open doorway beneath her feet, Kotori Itsuka chose not to risk entering.

Now is not the time to fight Muzan Kibutsuji.

After taking one last deep look at the pair of scarlet eyes deep within the doorway, Kotori Itsuka, carrying Kyojuro Rengoku, left the place.

"I didn't expect it to have the ability to fly. What a pity."

Deep within the Infinity Castle, Muzan Kibutsuji, who had gathered a group of Upper Moon demons, withdrew his gaze with a hint of regret.

However, the regret only lasted for a brief moment.

"Choosing to avoid battle, it seems your strength isn't that great."

A malicious smile crept across Muzan Kibutsuji's lips.

"The next time I see you, it will be the day you die."

Chapter 33 Kyojuro: I feel like I'm being manipulated.

Kotori Itsuka had already guessed that Muzan Kibutsuji was secretly watching, as soon as the two Upper Moons appeared.

That is why she did not use her full strength when fighting Akaza and Gyokko.

If she were to unleash her full power, even the two Upper Moons, who only possess physical attacks, wouldn't be able to break through her defenses.

However, if Muzan Kibutsuji were to see this, he would surely be filled with fear and shrink back.

To lure a mouse out of the shadows, you need not only tempting bait, but also to make it believe it has the ability to eat the bait.

Through her battles with the two Upper Moon demons and her decision to avoid fighting instead of entering the Infinity Castle, Kotori Itsuka believes that Muzan Kibutsuji is secretly pleased, thinking he has grasped the true power of the Flame Demon.

This makes the success rate of the plan to lure him out almost a certainty.

This problem is no longer a concern.

After some time, Kotori Itsuka flew out of the forest and landed on a plain, where she put down Kyojuro Rengoku, which she had been carrying.

The problem I need to worry about now is how to explain the situation to my cheap older brother.

“You’ve been silent since the beginning.”

Kotori Itsuka looked somewhat helpless and sighed, saying, "To be honest, I didn't expect to reveal my identity to you so soon."

Tonight's encounter with the moon was purely accidental.

This undoubtedly completely disrupted Kotori Itsuka's original plan.

Originally, she planned to keep her identity a secret from Rengoku Kyojuro until after the final battle.

Before leaving this world, she would leave a letter telling Rengoku Kyojuro that the Enma was Itsuka Kotori, and create the illusion that she and Kibutsuji Muzan perished together, making the disappearance of the character "Itsuka Kotori" seem reasonable.

However, plans cannot keep up with changes.

Now, thanks to Akaza and Gyokko, she has no choice but to explain everything to Rengoku Kyojuro face to face.

"Are you really Kotori?"

Kyojuro Rengoku pinched the bridge of his nose, looking as if he couldn't accept it for a moment: "I'm sorry, all of this is too illogical. I can't imagine that the Balrog of Ratatosk is my sister."

"As you can see, I am the Balrog, and the Balrog is your sister." Kotori Itsuka shrugged. "The real Kotori Itsuka, you have to believe it even if you don't."

Then came a long silence.

Kyojuro Rengoku's expression was very complicated. Countless questions in his mind were like a ball of needle and thread without a end, and he didn't know where to begin.

Compared to encountering two Upper Moons in one night, whom he hadn't seen in decades, his sister's hidden identity shocked him so much that he was speechless.

"When did you become a ghost?"

After a long while, Kyojuro Rengoku finally spoke and asked a question.

Upon hearing this obvious question, Kotori Itsuka's expression became somewhat subtle.

This is precisely why she was unwilling to reveal her identity, and instead chose to write a letter to expose it when she was about to leave this world.

Because she didn't know how to answer.

After all, she wasn't a ghost at all, but an elf.

Although she does resemble a demon after summoning her Divine Armor, and the abilities granted by the Self-Healing Flame are completely similar to those of a demon, she is not even a native of this world, but a transmigrator.

Her identity in this world was created for her by the system after she used an identity fabrication voucher.

In the original plan, when Rengoku Kyojuro saw the letter she left behind, he would certainly have the same doubts. However, since she had already left this world by then, even if he had doubts, Rengoku Kyojuro could only make up a reasonable explanation in his mind to convince himself.

But now, Kotori Itsuka must provide a reasonable explanation for each of his doubts.

"Do you remember the fire at the Itsuko family home eleven years ago? All my relatives were burned to death, and I was the only one who survived the fire."