"Kanao, I smell a demon's presence. Hoshi is likely below. Let's go down." Rengoku Kyoujurou said to Kanao, then turned and jumped down. Kanao followed closely.
...
Inside the underground space, Hoshi landed with a superhero's descent. Though his knees ached, he'd managed to look impressive.
Upon landing, Hoshi surveyed his surroundings. The place was constructed entirely of fresh, red blood, with many bones and dismembered limbs scattered about.
He touched the blood on the ground; it was still slightly warm. He was too late. The villagers of Wangjiang Town were likely all dead. There wasn't a single living soul here.
The potent smell of blood assaulted Hoshi's nostrils, making him feel slightly nauseous. In his past life and this one, Hoshi had never witnessed such a scene.
He had once thought the saying "mountains of corpses and seas of blood" was an exaggeration. Now, Hoshi was seeing a true mountain of corpses and sea of blood.
"If there is a hell on earth, this is it. The demons here are so ferocious, surviving even a second longer is cruel to humanity."
Just then, Rengoku Kyoujurou and Kanao also descended. Seeing the scene, they were inwardly shocked. Kyoujurou was relatively composed, his heart filled only with growing anger.
Kanao, however, looked rather pale, unable to adapt to this scene of carnage.
"Hoshi, what's going on here?" Kyoujurou walked over, hoping to glean some information from Hoshi.
Hoshi smiled faintly, "Brother Rengoku, we're too late. The people of Wangjiang Town are probably gone. The blood here is still fresh."
His smile conveyed a sense of helplessness and sorrow. Rengoku Kyoujurou simply patted Hoshi's shoulder, urging him not to be too upset. The true culprits were the demons here, and the priority was to find and kill them.
"Yes, you are too late. I've eaten all these people! Hahahaha!"
A demon's face suddenly appeared in the air, its eyes filled with smugness. It surveyed the underground space with madness, as if admiring a work of art.
Hoshi's heart sank. This demon was definitely a pervert. This space was created by the demon. They had fallen into a trap.
Seeing the demon's face in the air, Kyoujurou's rage surged. He drew his Nichirin blade, emblazoned with the words "Demon Slayer," and lunged upwards.
"Flame Breathing, Fifth Form, Rengoku!"
Kyoujurou swiftly unleashed an incredibly fiery, massive slash, like a ferocious tiger. However, the attack missed, causing no harm to the demon's face.
"Brother Rengoku, that's likely a decoy. This is a space created by the demon. Let's break out of this space first. Kanao, check around for anything unusual."
Hoshi materialized his Star Cloud and held it in his hand, slashing towards the sky. A surge of sword energy shot upwards, but it was useless, like a stone dropped into the ocean, causing only ripples.
"Hoshi, did you notice anything?"
"Hoshi, you still haven't learned. This is a Blood Demon Art. And you know Blood Demon Arts, don't you?"
"There are too many Blood Demon Arts for me to recall them all one by one. Quickly tell me what it is and its weakness."
"Blood Demon Art: Hell. The Blood Demon Art of the Greedy Demon. It creates a space, shaping it into a hell. It can move and absorbs the life force of living people."
Hoshi turned to look. Indeed, Kyoujurou and Kanao's faces were already pale. They wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.
Then, Hoshi continued, "Its weakness is that the Greedy Demon cannot enter hell; it can only observe through demon clones. To leave here, one needs a strike that can sever the void."
"Severing the void? Perfect. I am the second Heavenly Dao in this world. Greedy Demon, it's time for you to go to true hell." Hoshi smiled lightly, placing the sword at his waist and crouching slightly.
Iaido.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form, Refined: Thunder God's Flash!"
Hoshi leaped upwards with all his might, forming a pillar of yellow light in this hell. This strike, infused with the power of Heavenly Dao, was destined to break the cage.
*Clang!*
The space here seemed to shatter like glass. With a moment of disorientation, Kyoujurou and Kanao found themselves on the ground, or rather, in a large pit, blasted out by Hoshi.
"A beautiful attack, young Hoshi!" Rengoku Kyoujurou shouted upwards at Hoshi.
Kanao said nothing more, but ran to Hoshi's landing spot, intending to catch him.
"Impossible! How could anyone break my hell!" Greed plummeted from the space, his eyes filled with disbelief and rage. This person had destroyed his masterpiece.
"Is this the Seven Deadly Sins demon Hoshi spoke of? Truly powerful. However, this Rengoku Crimson Blade will burn you to ashes!" With that, he lunged at Greed.
After landing, Hoshi felt somewhat depleted. That last strike had felt like overexertion, concentrating all his strength into one sword. If not handled carefully, it could backfire. The mental exertion was immense.
"Kanao, go help Brother Rengoku. Don't worry about me, I need a moment to rest."
Upon hearing this, Kanao also drew her blade and charged towards Greed. Similarly, a look of anger appeared in her eyes, though it was unclear who she was angry for.
"Flame Breathing, First Form, Unknown Fire!"
"Flower Breathing, Fifth Form: Unfruitful Peony!"
Kanao unleashed a nine-hit combo, stabbing at the same point simultaneously, like blossoming peony petals.
"Blood Demon Art: Spatial Lock!"
Greed waved his hand. The sound of countless chains echoed from the air. Kyoujurou and Kanao were instantly immobilized, as if bound by invisible chains.
"Blood Demon Art: Lust!" Suddenly, a pinkish light flashed. Kyoujurou found himself beside an exceptionally alluring woman, or rather, a female demon.
"Lust, are you trying to steal my prey?" Greed roared. He was furious that another demon had snatched the humans he had painstakingly captured. His art had been destroyed!
Lust ignored Greed, caressing Kyoujurou. "Such a robust Demon Slayer. Are you a Hashira? Why don't we enjoy some pleasure together?"
"Hmph! I am Rengoku Kyoujurou, the Flame Hashira. I will not associate with demons!"
Immediately, flames erupted, forcing Lust to flash aside.
"Flame Breathing, Ultimate Technique, Ninth Form: Purgatory!"
At the same time, Hoshi stood up. "How dare you touch my wife? You're dead."
"Snow Breathing, Final Form: Absolute Zero!"
In an instant, Lust was engulfed in flames, while Greed was frozen by ice. In the massive crater, a beautiful and spectacular display of ice and fire unfolded.
Kanao was also rescued and immediately continued her unfinished attack.
"Flower Breathing, Fifth Form: Unfruitful Peony."
Greed, unable to use his Blood Demon Art and frozen by Hoshi's ice, found his blood congealing.
After activating his Cursed Mark, Hoshi's strength had increased by more than a little. If he encountered Gluttony again now, he could defeat him in three moves. Greed was only surviving due to his spatial Blood Demon Art; otherwise, he wouldn't have lasted this long.