Kurozawa saw where Gyutaro's head landed. His gaze flickered, and he sighed with a hint of disappointment before retracting the Blade of Despair.
The pitch-black blade receded like a tide, returning into his body.
Within his Fighting Spirit domain, he sensed Daki in the shadows. Daki, who had been beheaded by Kanae, hadn't died. Instead, she had stealthily hidden while everyone's attention was elsewhere.
Indeed, the next second, Daki emerged from the shadows, clutching her neck and picking up Gyutaro's head, which had been split in half.
Held by Daki, Gyutaro let out a sigh of relief. He turned his head, staring intently at Kurozawa: "Daki, let's go. Something's not right with this guy. He has a Demon Slayer Mark and can evade my senses like Akaza. Plus, he doesn't seem human."
Looking at her brother's ugly face, Daki mumbled something about him being useless, then glanced at Kurozawa and looked up at the shattered Kyogoku House: "I'll remember you!"
In Daki's mind, she had already decided to report today's events.
If it had just been Kanae, she and Gyutaro working together surely could have killed her here. But she hadn't expected there to be a Marked Swordsman lurking nearby the whole time, who then exploded with incredible power, instantly launching a surprise attack that nearly pushed Gyutaro to a dead end.
Now it seemed Kurozawa's Demon Slayer Mark was very obvious. She believed that person would definitely be very interested in him.
If he attracted that person's attention, then no matter who Kurozawa was, it would be a dead end for him. However, there was a slight possibility he might become one of them.
"When we meet again, that will be your burial!"
After saying her harsh words, Daki's figure spun around without a moment's delay. Clutching Gyutaro's head, she quickly fled into the dark shadows.
Daki was an Upper Moon known for her body, and her agility was not inferior to Kurozawa's. At this moment, she lightly tapped her toes on the treetops, disappearing into the darkness where the moonlight couldn't reach in just a few leaps and bounds.
When the strength gap wasn't very obvious, an Upper Moon focused on escaping was difficult for Kurozawa to catch, and he let them go.
At the same time, a sense of malicious scrutiny surged from all directions, almost completely enveloping Kurozawa.
This feeling flashed and then vanished, instantly startling his visual perception.
Kurozawa's expression changed drastically. He suddenly turned around, his gaze sharp as he scanned the area.
But he saw nothing.
His brows slowly furrowed. His Fighting Spirit domain fully expanded, yet he still found no anomaly.
Was it just my heightened vigilance causing an illusion?
After all, that pervasive sense of being watched, coming from all directions, was a bit strange.
"Kurozawa?"
From the ruptured wall of the fourth floor, Kanae poked her head out of the hole. She looked down at the scene below and happened to see Daki's retreating back.
The blood color in Kanae's eyes had dissipated for the most part, but upon closer inspection, some residual bloodshot veins were visible. She rubbed the corners of her eyes, seeming a bit uncomfortable.
Then, Kanae leaped forward, her figure gracefully landing on the ground without raising a single speck of dust.
She looked left and right, her gaze lingering for a few seconds on the pit beneath Kurozawa's feet. Then she said uncertainly, "Was that Daki who escaped? I clearly beheaded her."
When Gyutaro launched his surprise attack, Kanae saw the engraving in his eyes. He was also Upper Moon Six, the same as Daki.
Now discovering that Daki wasn't dead after being beheaded, Kanae's heart felt exceptionally heavy.
Kurozawa turned around, burying the earlier anomaly in his heart.
He looked down at his torn clothes and his dust-covered pant legs.
He shook his leg and said, "Yes, that was Daki."
"She was beheaded but didn't die. She hid while we were fighting."
Across from him, Kanae sighed with some disappointment: "Upper Moons... As expected, they are very different from regular Demons. Even beheading them doesn't kill them? Then besides sunlight, how can we defeat an Upper Moon?"
Even the lowest-ranked Upper Moon, Upper Moon Six, possessed strength no less than hers. Kanae wasn't arrogant, but as a Swordsman who had mastered the ultimate technique of a Breathing Technique, her strength was among the best in the entire Demon Slayer Corps.
After mastering the Higan Suzume Eye, excluding the deceased Flame Pillar, Shinjuro Rengoku, and the Stone Pillar who was still guarding the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, Kanae's overall strength had surpassed that of the other Pillars or former Pillars.
Kanae hadn't felt a great threat from Daki and Gyutaro. Her true level was still slightly above theirs. But the fact that Daki didn't die after being beheaded was truly hard for Kanae to accept.
Seeing Kanae so worried, Kurozawa chuckled lightly: "Don't worry, they are likely a pair of conjoined Demons. Their presence is exactly the same, so it's highly probable you have to behead both of them simultaneously to truly kill them."
Kurozawa's confident expression made Kanae believe him somewhat: "You can sense their presence? It was the same before, you accurately found Daki's location in the crowded red-light district. You shouldn't be relying on a sense of smell similar to Urokodaki-senpai's, right?"
In Kurozawa, Kanae once again saw a familiar figure: the Demon Slayer Corps' Stone Pillar.
The Stone Pillar was blind, but his senses were incredibly sharp, beyond imagination. No trace of a Demon could escape his 'eyes'.
A long time ago, Kanae's entire family was killed by a Demon. It was the Stone Pillar who saved the Kocho Sisters and meticulously taught them a Breathing Technique for a period of time. Therefore, Kanae knew more about the Stone Pillar's situation than most people.
Twisting his neck, Kurozawa stepped out of the pit, which was over two meters in radius. He nodded at Kanae: "I wonder if you've ever heard of Fighting Spirit."
Fighting Spirit? Kanae's eyes moved, and she said: "I've heard of it. As expected, Kurozawa, you are very similar to the Stone Pillar. You both possess physiques far stronger than ordinary people and have mastered Fighting Spirit sensing."
Kurozawa wasn't surprised. He knew the Stone Pillar most likely had the ability to sense Fighting Spirit. Otherwise, how could a blind person fight Demons? Let alone become the strongest Pillar in the Demon Slayer Corps.
"I heard from the Stone Pillar that through Fighting Spirit, you can see a different world. The attributes of all things become clear and distinct, easily distinguishable without needing to pay attention."
"People who master Fighting Spirit can accurately attack the enemy's weak points, predict the enemy's actions, and precisely block their attacks. Unfortunately, I have never been able to master Fighting Spirit."
"Kurozawa, I remember when I first met you, you didn't know how to use Fighting Spirit. How did you come to understand it? I've never been able to sense its existence, let alone use it in combat."
Kanae's voice was faint, revealing a look of longing.
Any Swordsman, once they master Fighting Spirit, can instantly increase their strength by more than half.
The ultimate technique of Flower Breathing, the Higan Suzume Eye, actually had many references to Fighting Spirit. It was another path Kanae had unintentionally embarked upon.
Seeing the look of yearning in Kanae's eyes, Kurozawa tilted his head back, revealing a proud, imposing expression. "My Kurozawa has a natural talent. I just took a nap and naturally awakened my Fighting Spirit perception. What understanding? Completely unnecessary."
Kanae thought deeply for a moment, looking at Kurozawa. "Perhaps it's the result of years of accumulation. I became a Pillar within a year, but it's been difficult to make any further progress at my current level."
"I heard you've been training with Urokodaki-senpai since you were young, and your performance was always unremarkable. Now your strength is improving significantly, which must be related to your early training."
Kurozawa nodded in agreement. "Perhaps."
Only he knew how he truly gained his strength.
At this moment, Kanae suddenly furrowed her brow, reaching up to rub the corner of her eye. The remaining bloodshot veins in her eyes hadn't faded with time; instead, they stubbornly remained on her eyeballs, adding a layer of crimson to her already violet-tinged irises.
Seeing Kanae's abnormality, Kurozawa asked, "What's wrong? Were you injured during the fight?" In his Fighting Spirit perception, the Fighting Spirit around Kanae's eyes was noticeably weaker.
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