Emiya Shirou doesn't want to work overtime

But instead of relaxing, Rengoku Kyojuro's pupils contracted as he slashed the demon's neck, as if he had witnessed something unbelievable.

His Nichirin Blade suddenly lost power halfway into Asakusa Kae's neck and stopped at her throat.

Meanwhile, the severed neck on the other side was instantly repaired.

No matter how hard Rengoku Kyojuro tried, he couldn't pull the sword out of Asakusa Kae's neck. It was as if the sword was stuck in concrete; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move it.

At this moment, Asakusa Kaeko finally reacted and looked at Rengoku Kyojuro, who had appeared beside her.

The black snake behind her also reacted, staring intently at Rengoku Kyojuro, who was gripping the hilt of his sword and trying to draw it.

"drink!"

Knowing he couldn't continue the stalemate, Rengoku Kyojuro gripped the hilt of his sword with all his might, leaped up, and kicked Asakusa Kae in the stomach.

The moment he kicked, you could even see the whirlwind that erupted around Kyojuro Rengoku's feet, enough to feel the immense power within it.

But to Rengoku Kyojuro's surprise, his foot didn't feel any impact the moment he kicked Asakusa Kae.

It was as if she had kicked a sponge that was as solid as a stone slab; all her strength was absorbed into it!

Meanwhile, the black snake behind Asakusa Kae also pierced through the air and attacked Rengoku Kyojuro's head.

With no other option, Kyojuro Rengoku had to abandon his Nichirin Blade and retreat rapidly behind him.

Kaori Asakusa was like a newly born demon; her attacks were completely haphazard and utterly ineffective against trained individuals.

Her attacks were too slow, just as slow as her reactions.

It didn't resemble a ghost that had devoured hundreds of people at all; it showed no signs of fighting.

Just as the black snake was about to strike, Rengoku Kyojuro had already retreated more than ten meters away.

"What a bizarre blood demon technique!"

Kyojuro Rengoku felt he might not be able to defeat the demon in front of him, and could only try his best to stall until daylight arrived.

But it's possible that the Nichirin Blade alone wouldn't be enough to sever her neck.

However, the demon in front of him did something that greatly surprised even Rengoku Kyojuro.

She pulled the Nichirin Blade out of her neck, looked at it for a few moments, then bit down on the tip of the blade!

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Real Battle May Begin?

The hard Nichirin Blade seemed like nothing more than a piece of waste paper in her mouth; she swallowed it in just a few bites.

"That was forged from ore imbued with the power of the sun, are you sure there won't be any problems?"

Before Rengoku Kyojuro could finish speaking, Asakusa Kae clutched her stomach and rolled frantically on the ground.

His face was filled with pain, as if he had eaten something he shouldn't have.

Seeing Asakusa Kae in such pain, Rengoku Kyojuro wanted to quickly draw a Nichirin Blade and cut off her neck.

But the problem now is that I don't have a Nichirin Blade.

He quickly whistled, and following the moonlight, a black figure descended from the sky, streaking across the heavens like a bullet with a whistling sound.

"Tell the logistics team that I need a Nichirin Blade now."

Under normal circumstances, the Pillars are supported by logistics units when they are deployed. After all, the demons that the Pillars usually face are extremely powerful, and logistics units are often needed to clean up the battlefield afterward.

It's unethical to blame natural disasters for the destruction of the surrounding area after every battle, as that would be extremely unfair to the residents.

Of course, logistics units do not normally intervene in the battlefield. They are often far away from the battlefield and only arrive after being notified by Zhu's Iron Raven.

They lack the fighting power of the Demon Slayer Corps members. Their hasty appearance would not only distract the Pillars, but also give the demons a chance to escape, or even become nourishment for them.

In short, the logistics troops will only observe from a distance and will not come to the battlefield unless instructed by Zhu.

However, this is a special case. The Flame Pillar's Nichirin Blade has been eaten, and they need to get to his side quickly and deliver the Nichirin Blade to him.

However, the logistics troops are all ordinary people who have not practiced breathing techniques, so it may take them some time to get to the battlefield.

Seeing the demon in front of him writhing on the ground in agony, and being unable to kill it, Rengoku Kyojuro felt extremely anxious.

He hoped that the demon would collapse and die after eating the Nichirin Blade, just like it would after eating the wisteria flower, but seeing that it was still full of energy, Rengoku Kyojuro knew that it would digest the Nichirin Blade in a while.

There is a significant difference between the Nichirin Blade and the wisteria flower. The Nichirin Blade must sever the demon's neck to kill it, and the demon can regenerate if any other parts are damaged. However, the wisteria flower, if used in sufficient quantity, can dissolve the demon completely.

In contrast, eating the Nichirin Blade only damages the demon's abdomen; it doesn't sever the neck, so it has no effect whatsoever.

"Mr. Purgatory, your blade is here!"

After Emiya and the logistics troops evacuated the surrounding crowd, they quickly arrived.

The logistics troops were met with disdain from many people when they were evacuating the crowd. They didn't believe what the logistics troops said and continued to do their own thing.

Some people even tried to beat them up and drive them out of the area.

There were simply too many of these residents; their logistics force was far too small to stop them.

However, Emiya's appearance caused these people to change their attitudes in an instant. Even though a small number of people disagreed, they could only follow the crowd and be evacuated by the Demon Slayer Corps' logistics team.

With the help of the logistics troops, Emiya quickly evacuated the crowd in the area. Since he did not see Mr. Rengoku appear, Emiya decided to go there.

"Wait! If you decide to go there, take these two knives with you. You can use one yourself, and give the other to Mr. Purgatory."

Seeing someone so agile, the logistics team naturally assumed that Emiya was a combatant of the Demon Slayer Corps.

"Is that so? Thank you, young Emiya."

Kyojuro Rengoku caught the red Nichirin Blade that Emiya threw to him. At that moment, he also saw the bright red Nichirin Blade in Emiya's hand, which must have been given to Emiya by the logistics unit.

Just as Emiya arrived, Asakusa Kaeko seemed to have already digested the Nichirin Blade in her stomach. She slowly stood up from the ground, and several jet-black snakes quickly appeared around her.

"Xiang Hui!?"

Emiya was utterly shocked upon seeing her face. This was the girl he had met last night—how could this be—

"Young man Emiya, do you know her?"

Hearing Emiya's exclamation, Rengoku Kyojuro asked him a question.

“I was walking with her on the street yesterday, and at that time, she should still be human.”

Emiya was so shocked he was speechless. How could such a lively and active girl suddenly turn into a demon, and a demon that devoured hundreds of people overnight?

"No miserability!"

The name flashed through Rengoku Kyojuro's mind. Only this man, transformed into a demon, could possess such power in such a short time. His heart sank.

The demons transformed by Muzan will almost certainly become Upper Moons in the future, and he must nip this danger in the bud.

Thinking of this, Rengoku Kyojuro tightened his grip on the Nichirin Blade, making it even more powerful.

"Young Emiya, you haven't mastered the Breathing Technique yet, this battle—"

Before he could finish speaking, Emiya interrupted him.

“Mr. Purgatory, I am very grateful to you. If it weren’t for your guidance, I might have been studying how to learn breathing techniques instead of trying to figure out my own breathing method.”

"You've already mastered your own breathing technique?"

Emiya nodded. As the crowd was being dispersed, Emiya tried to breathe in accordance with the flow of his magic. He immediately felt a sense of clarity, and his breathing became much smoother.

He felt as if he had arrived in a wilderness filled with swords, but only for a moment before he was pulled back.

Emiya felt that in addition to his breathing becoming smoother, he also felt that a new magic circuit had been activated somewhere in his body, and he felt that his magic power reserves were also starting to rise.

"He's really talented!"

Kyojuro Rengoku was very happy about this and stopped stopping Emiya from participating in the battle.

In his own judgment, the demon in front of him might not be as good as some demons without blood demon arts in terms of combat. Apart from the eerie blood demon arts, Asakusa Kae might only be comparable to the demons in Fujikiyama.

She seemed to sense Rengoku Kyojuro's assessment of her, and became enraged, roaring as she charged towards Emiya and Rengoku Kyojuro's location.

"Be careful, young Emiya. Her Blood Demon Art is extremely strange; it can absorb force. My sword aimed at her neck and my kick at her lost their power the moment they hit her!"

At such a critical moment, information must be shared immediately, and Kyojuro Rengoku understands this principle well.

For Oni who had just met his first enemy, not passing the information on to his teammates was an extremely happy thing.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Devouring Demon Strategy

The indistinguishable, jet-black, snake-like substance swayed its body, letting out a suppressed roar, and shot through the air like an arrow, hurtling towards Emiya and Kyojuro Rengoku from behind Asakusa Kae.

Only then was Emiya able to fully grasp just how much his strength had changed.

The speed of this snake-like substance's thrust was no less than that of the two demons Emiya had encountered before; in fact, it could be said to be even faster.

Even at this speed, Emiya felt he could easily dodge, unlike before when he had to exert all his strength to block or dodge.

During his month-long stay in Yu Guo, Emiya persisted in his daily training, never taking a break from any of his physical conditioning, magic proficiency, or breathing techniques.

He feared that he would be powerless to fight the demons again, just like before. He clearly realized that the demons he had almost lost his life to win might just be some insignificant minions.

Therefore, Emiya never wanted to stop for a moment. Even if he returned to his residence very late due to certain matters, he still persevered.

During his travels, he had no point of reference and had no idea how much his strength had grown.

Just like children who are growing, they are completely unaware of their gradually increasing height. Only when they are measured do they discover with great surprise that they have grown so much taller.

Emiya is in this state right now, but there's not much time left for him to be surprised.

Kaori Asakusa's attack followed immediately.

Emiya and Rengoku Kyojuro quickly retreated to their sides, and the black snake passed straight between them.

Kyojuro Rengoku didn't just retreat to the side; as he did so, he adjusted his fighting stance, drawing his Nichirin Blade and placing it at his side, his entire being poised to strike like a tiger.

"Young Emiya, aim for the other side of her neck and chop!"

Rengoku Kyojuro carefully recalled the details of the previous battle. Although that attack did not completely sever his neck, it was only after cutting off half of it that he was restrained.

His thinking was very simple: if he could cut off half of the neck in an instant, and if he struck from both sides at the same time, he might be able to sever the head.

Emiya had not participated in the previous battles and was unaware of some of the details. Kyojuro Rengoku had to convey his thoughts to Emiya as quickly as possible.