"It's you."

After a brief silence, the demon finally spoke.

His voice was low, measured. Each word carried an invisible weight, pressing down on everyone present.

Takeo, standing at the front, bore the brunt of it.

Muscles tight with tension, he stared directly at the Upper-Rank demon and asked,

"You… came looking for me?"

"The user of Sun Breathing," Upper Rank One said slowly. "It must be you."

Sun Breathing? What is that?

Takeo had no idea what Sun Breathing was, but from the way the demon spoke, he guessed this was the real reason Muzan Kibutsuji had marked him—and why this demon had come for him now.

"I don't know what Sun Breathing is," Takeo growled, eyes flashing with a beast-like glint. "I only know—"

Before he even finished speaking, his figure vanished, reappearing instantly beside Upper Rank One.

"—If it's a demon, I must kill it!!"

Wolf Breathing, Sixth Form – Flame Wolf! Charged!

A fierce flame ignited beneath the moonlight, and a massive, blazing wolf roared to life, lunging toward Upper Rank One to tear him apart.

This was Takeo's strongest single-target attack to date— [Charged Attack]. He was confident it could catch even an Upper Rank demon off guard.

But what Takeo didn't yet know…

There are levels—even among the Upper Moons.

"Wolf Breathing, a self-created form…" the demon mused calmly. "Not bad. In that case—"

Without so much as lifting a finger, the moonlight shimmered, and countless crescent arcs rained down from above like falling blades.

They descended in a storm of deadly grace, beautiful and blinding, carving the night apart.

Moon Breathing, First Form – Dark Moon: Evening Palace.

A powerful slash, cloaked in the light and shadow of crescent moons, tore through the air and struck Takeo's sword-wielding hands.

The instant he sensed danger, Takeo instinctively changed tactics, activating [Overclocking] to retreat and widen the distance between himself and Upper Rank One.

But even so—he was nearly too late.

"Ug.."

Deep gashes had already sliced into his forearms, nearly severing his hands. Blood sprayed violently from the wounds.

"Master Kamado!!!"

Yamada's voice rang out in panic from behind. He tried to rush forward, but Takeo barked back immediately:

"Don't come any closer!"

Upper Rank One's focus was entirely on Takeo. So long as the others remained still, he didn't seem to care about the Demon Slayer Corps members behind him.

But if any of them made a move forward, that might change. A demon like this wouldn't hesitate to crush a few extra insects.

As expected, Yamada stopped in his tracks, and the Upper Rank One didn't even glance at him.

Those six golden-red eyes never left Takeo.

"Your speed… Not bad," the demon murmured. "And why is your recovery so strong?"

His gaze dropped to Takeo's arms.

Even as they spoke, the gashes on Takeo's hands began to regenerate rapidly—healing before their very eyes.

In less than ten seconds, the wounds that had nearly sliced through the bone were gone. Only the bloodstains remained.

Upper Rank One narrowed his eyes.

"Are you a Demon Eater? But Demon Eaters can't use Breathing Techniques."

"Like I said… I have no idea what you're talking about. Sun Breathing? Demon Eater?"

Takeo didn't waste another word.

The moment his arms were fully healed, he exploded forward again.

Charged attack—plus shockwave infusion!

Wolf Breathing, Seventh Form – Dancing Claws!

"—I don't understand any of it!!"

With his shout, dozens of shockwave blades flew forward, each one slashing through the air like the razor-sharp claws of a ravenous wolf, all aimed at Upper Rank One!

The shockwave was incredibly fast—once a slash approached the speed of sound, it was nearly impossible for anyone to dodge it.

Back then, Ling Yuzi of Lower Rank Four had died because of this very move from Takeo.

But now, it didn't even make Upper Rank One shift his footing.

The moonlight shimmered again.

Several crescent-shaped blades, accompanied by a massive, arcing moon slash, collided with the oncoming shockwaves and obliterated them entirely.

Moon Breathing, Eighth Form – Moon-Dragon Ring Tail.

With this technique, all of Takeo's long-range attacks were destroyed in an instant.

The massive moon wheel didn't stop—it continued flying straight toward him with terrifying force.

Overclocking!

Takeo didn't dare to hesitate. He immediately activated Overclocking, retreating in a blur.

As he moved, he kicked the other Demon Slayer Corps members—one by one—toward the deepest part of the warehouse to get them out of harm's way.

Then he grabbed Yamada and Sakura and hurled them to a safer position behind cover.

Takeo's reflexes were lightning fast. With Overclocking activated on top of his already high base speed, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the fastest person in the Demon Slayer Corps.

Even so—he couldn't escape entirely!

The edge of the crescent moon blade grazed his back.

"Urg.."

His haori and uniform were shredded in an instant, and a deep gash split across his back.

If it weren't for the Breathing Technique reinforcing his body, that single blow might have cleaved him clean in two.

However, Takeo ignored the pain burning across his back. What mattered was that he had managed to protect the Demon Slayer Corps members.

"For the sake of your subordinates… using yourself as a shield… you're quite admirable."

Upper Rank One's voice rang out, laced with something resembling praise.

He could tell that if Takeo had only focused on saving himself, he would have easily evaded the attack. But instead, this twelve-year-old boy had chosen to bear the brunt of it in order to shield others.

To be honest, if it weren't for Muzan Kibutsuji's direct kill order, Upper Rank One would've been tempted to turn this boy into a demon.

If such a child were to become a demon, he could likely surpass the original Upper Rank Six in less than ten years.

But Takeo wasn't interested in idle talk with demons.

He turned around once more, facing Upper Rank One head-on. With every breath he took, the wound on his back began to regenerate at a visible rate.

Before long, he stood fully healed again, ready for battle.

But this time, Takeo didn't make the first move.

Because he had realized something crucial—he wasn't strong enough.

At least, not yet.

Right now, he was no match for Upper Rank One!

All Takeo could do now was stall for time and wait for reinforcements.

Kyojuro was also stationed in Tokyo—if he could hold out until Kyojuro arrived, then perhaps, just perhaps, the two of them together might be able to barely contend with the Upper Rank One standing before him.

_________

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