Takeo's relentless attacks seemed to have finally made the dust demon realize—this opponent wasn't going to be easy.
Instead of striking again immediately, the demon retreated deeper into the stone and began using the echoing acoustics of the cave to throw his voice from all directions:
"So this is how it is… You all are strong indeed. I suppose… you're worthy of my contempt."
His voice was muffled, likely due to being buried within the cave wall, and Try as he might, Takeo couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from.
He glanced back toward Sakoma Iori. She had just finished helping Yoshizuru Asato back to his feet and now looked at Takeo, shaking her head slightly.
Even with her sharp eyes, the cave's dim lighting and swirling dust were too much. She couldn't see where the demon was hiding.
Takeo's expression grew serious.
This was the first time in this mission that he truly felt how dangerous this demon was.
But then, a thought sparked in his mind—he remembered how the demon had reacted with rage earlier, when Asato had dismissed him.
The corner of Takeo's mouth curved upward.
Feigning contempt, he raised his voice mockingly:
"Oh, really? I don't see what's so special about you. If you hadn't hidden yourself so fast, you'd already be dead."
"SHUT UP!!!"
The demon's furious roar echoed violently through the cave.
Takeo's taunt worked exactly as planned.
The dust demon couldn't stand being mocked. Enraged, it immediately manipulated the swirling dust again, launching another attack—this time, clearly aimed at killing the one who dared look down on him.
But just as the assault began, Iori's voice rang out sharply:
"Upper left, ahead!"
Wolf Breathing: Third Form – Wolf Hunt!
Takeo's Nichirin blade lashed out in a flurry of strikes, all directed at the point Iori had indicated. This time, his attacks hit true.
A sharp, shrill scream tore from the walls:
"AAAHHH!!"
The howl of pain was quickly swallowed by the cave, but the blood seeping from the rock said everything—they'd wounded him.
Unfortunately, Takeo hadn't been able to determine where the demon's head was. He had gone for a wide-area strike instead, and the force of the attack had been spread out.
It wasn't enough to deal a fatal blow.
And with a demon's infamous regenerative speed, it wouldn't be long before the dust demon recovered.
"Damn you!!!" the demon howled again, his voice filled with fury.
The childlike, high-pitched voice echoed through the dark cave, sounding unnervingly eerie in the oppressive silence.
Despite his furious curse, the dust demon didn't launch another attack. Instead, his presence faded, vanishing completely from view—it was impossible to tell where he had gone.
Takeo stood tense, his eyes scanning the surroundings with heightened vigilance. Just then, Yoshizuru Asato, having recovered somewhat, walked over and said gravely, "Haah.. haa.. Unless we find the real body, none of us can actually defeat him."
The dust demon was a serious problem.
Not only could he manipulate dust to suppress their Breathing Techniques, but he could also create clones from the dust—and, worst of all, he could fuse into the cave walls to evade attacks entirely.
Of those three abilities, the last one was the most troublesome.
If the demon slipped into the stone, then unless Takeo could come up with a way to slice through both the wall and the demon in one strike, he'd have no choice but to let the enemy escape.
And even if he did sever the demon's head, how would he know it wasn't just another clone?
Just as Asato said—until they found the real body, no one could kill him.
Asato steadied his breathing, scanning the swirling dust and the jagged stone, preparing to provoke the demon again with another taunt.
But before he could speak, Iori suddenly pointed upward at a dark shape clinging to the wall.
"Wait… look! That person—he's still alive!" she shouted.
"Eh!?"
Both Takeo and Asato were startled by Iori's sudden exclamation. They followed her pointing finger upward, but they couldn't immediately identify who she was talking about—there were simply too many bodies hanging above them.
Seeing their confusion, Iori pointed again and clarified, "That one, near the edge—his chest is still moving. He's breathing!"
"…You can tell that from this far away?" Asato stared at her in disbelief.
Earlier, Takeo had mentioned Iori had excellent eyesight. At the time, Asato hadn't thought much of it, but now he finally understood what Takeo meant.
"The demon… doesn't seem to be here anymore," Takeo said cautiously, eyes sweeping the surroundings. He couldn't sense the dust demon's presence anywhere nearby.
It seemed the demon had realized how troublesome they were to deal with and temporarily retreated.
"There's no way he'll give up on all these bodies," Asato said with a grim tone. "He probably can't absorb so many all at once. That's why he's been stockpiling them here. In other words, this place is his nest. He'll definitely come back."
"But before that," he continued, "we need to get the survivor to the surface."
Asato looked up at the Demon Slayers hanging from the ceiling. After a brief moment of thought, he leapt into the air and slashed at the ropes suspending them.
Several bodies dropped to the ground. Asato caught the one Iori had pointed out and quickly checked him.
There was still warmth… and a heartbeat.
He was definitely alive.
"Damn you!! What did you do to my food?!"
The dust demon's furious roar rang out just as Asato had finished lowering the last of the bodies.
Swoosh—!
At the same time, a massive cloud of dust came surging toward them from the direction of the tunnel entrance like a storming sand dragon!
Asato had just landed and was holding the injured Demon Slayer in his arms—he couldn't respond in time.
But Takeo and Iori moved in perfect sync, stepping forward to shield him. Each of them unleashed their respective Breathing Techniques, scattering the incoming dust wave.
"You go first!"
"You go first, senpai!"
Their voices rang out nearly in unison.
"...?" Asato was taken aback. Holding the severely wounded comrade in his arms, he shouted back, "I'm an Upper-Rank Corps member! You two are just Mizunoto! If anyone's leaving, it should be you—"
"Quit talking nonsense!! I can smell the demon, and Iori can track its movements! What can you even do by staying here!?"
Takeo didn't mince words as he barked at Yoshizuru Asato.
Even though the air was thick with dust and his face was partially covered, making it harder to catch the demon's scent, Takeo's skills spoke for themselves. Of the three, he was the only one capable of decapitating the dust demon in a head-on clash.
Iori's combat strength might have been close to Asato's, but she had the advantage of sharp eyesight—able to spot things Takeo might miss. If the demon tried to run, she'd be the first to catch its trail.
Only Asato lacked a unique edge. His presence in battle wouldn't tip the scales much. Better to serve as transport—get the wounded out safely.
"…You brats!! I'll remember this!! Just wait till I get back!! You two are not allowed to die!! Be safe!"
Unable to argue, Asato shouted furiously at the two of them. Still, he didn't hesitate—turning and dashing off with the injured comrade in his arms.
"You're not going anywhere!!"
Seeing one of its precious "meals" being carried away, the dust demon lost it completely. Much like a child unable to regulate its emotions, the demon had remained in a perpetual state of fury since the start.
Now, enraged beyond reason, it emerged from the walls—its body darting through the rock like a shadow, headed straight for the fleeing Asato.
But that single movement was all Iori needed to catch the demon's trace along the wall.
"Takeo! Left front wall! Left—now left rear! It's moving too fast—!"
Iori shouted three directions in quick succession. Each one was accurate, but because the dust demon was moving at such high speed, her updates came rapidly to keep up.
Takeo heard her report and made his decision in the span of a breath.
Wolf Breathing, Second Form - Lone Wolf's Last Stand!
Activating Second Form, his body flashed across the space like a phantom, appearing instantly at the farther section of the left wall!
Swoosh!
Without pause, he shifted to Third Form—Wolf Breathing, Third Form: Wolf Hunt!—a barrage of relentless strikes rained down like a violent storm, each blow hammering the stone wall with pinpoint precision!
"AAAHHH!!!"
A gut-wrenching scream tore from the wall—he'd hit the demon again, and this time it was in real pain!
_________
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