Before Roa could even approach, a cold voice came from inside.
"Since you're here, come in. Standing outside isn't how I treat guests."
It was a man's voice. Roa wasn't surprised that the other party could sense his presence—he hadn't been hiding his aura. With a bit of perception, anyone could find him. Roa casually tossed the female demon's head aside and said to her, "Wait here. I'll come back for you after I'm done."
With that, he walked inside.
The female demon was overjoyed. She knew who was inside—after all, they were on the same mountain. How could she not know about that demon?
This was Lower Moon Three of the Twelve Kizuki. Although the Lower Moons couldn't compare to the Upper Moons, being ranked as a Lower Moon still meant he was no pushover. At the very least, he was more than capable of wreaking havoc on this not-so-small mountain.
As Roa entered, he saw a demon sitting cross-legged on the ground, surrounded by scattered corpses. Most of them were dismembered, and there were hardly any survivors.
This demon had short black hair, three distinct scars on his face, and the kanji for "Lower Three" etched into the iris of his left eye. His ears were pointed, and he wore two golden earrings on each ear.
He slowly rose from the ground, his mouth splitting open to reveal sharp teeth as he grinned at Roa. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Byakko, Lower Moon Three."
Byakko said this, naturally expecting to see a look of panic on the human's face.
But to his surprise, Roa remained expressionless.
Roa said, "And?"
Byakko was slightly taken aback, as if he'd sensed something. He smiled and said, "Kid, you managed to kill the demon on the mountainside. That's commendable. But, demons are not all the same. You might not know this, but the strength of a Lower Moon is beyond your comprehension. Even if you cut off my limbs or pierce my heart, I still won't die."
Roa looked at him, his golden eyes staring straight at Byakko. At the same time, an overwhelming aura emanated from Roa, making Byakko feel uneasy. The pressure was so intense that it made him feel a sense of fear. Realizing the change in his own mindset, Byakko grew angry.
He roared, "Hey, kid, what are you looking at?"
Roa smirked, his right hand gripping the hilt of his katana. "Guess how many moves you'll last against me. Two? Or maybe just one?"
Byakko's playful demeanor faded. His pale face twisted into a sinister grin, as if he'd just heard a hilarious joke. His Lower Moon eye blinked as he said greedily, "Kid, I don't know where you get your confidence, but you don't have that annoying aura. You don't know Breathing Techniques, do you? And that sword of yours isn't a Nichirin Sword, is it? With just that, do you really think you can kill me?"
Breathing Techniques were the foundation of humanity's fight against demons in this world. Without Breathing Techniques or a Nichirin Sword, even someone with extraordinary talent couldn't effectively harm a Lower Moon.
This was why Byakko was so puzzled. But he wasn't just saying this to Roa—he was also trying to reassure himself that Roa wasn't an unbeatable opponent. That feeling of fear was just an illusion. Yes, it had to be an illusion.
Roa laughed. Byakko found it baffling. He thought the man in front of him was a lunatic—someone who, despite having nothing, dared to challenge him, a Lower Moon Three, all by himself.
But the next moment, a strong sense of danger washed over Byakko. His pupils contracted sharply. His heightened senses told him that the other party had already made his move, but Byakko couldn't react. Not just his body—even his thoughts seemed to freeze in that instant.
His neck felt a chill, and then his vision spun. His ugly head fell to the ground with a thud.
"Huh?" Byakko was stunned.
This was the first thing he said. The headless body standing in place reached out with both hands, groping at its neck, but found nothing.
The head on the ground looked up at Roa's hand in confusion. The katana that had been hanging at Roa's waist was now unsheathed. And in the moment it was drawn, Byakko's head had already been severed. It was so fast that he didn't even feel the pain before he was decapitated.
Even though Roa had taken Byakko's head in an instant, it wasn't enough to make him afraid. What truly terrified him was the killing intent that felt like a Sword pressed against his neck—the feeling that Roa could take his head at any moment if he wanted to.
But even so, even if Roa could decapitate him, as long as he wasn't exposed to sunlight and Roa didn't have a Nichirin Sword, the damage he sustained could still heal. Given enough time, he could still—
Byakko was thinking this, but Roa acted just as he expected. In an instant, the body standing in place collapsed. In an instant, Byakko felt his limbs being dismembered, his arms and legs separated.
Blood gushed out, pouring from his body like water.
At this point, Byakko was completely unable to stay calm.
"No, no, no! This can't be! How can you be so fast?"
Byakko's eyes widened, but the only response he got was Roa's left hand grabbing his head and lifting it up, expressionlessly walking away.
The headless body on the ground twitched, and in the blink of an eye, it grew arms again, lunging fiercely at Roa.
Roa kicked the body hard, and Byakko's half-destroyed form flew away as if hit by a truck.
It crashed into a wall, bricks and tiles shattering, the wall collapsing.
Byakko quickly thought of a countermeasure in his mind. The other party's strength was great, his physical fitness was strong, and his sword was incredibly fast. But even if he couldn't win, escaping shouldn't be a problem.
But Roa didn't give him time to think of a plan. Roa tightened his grip on the head, and a tremendous force came, causing a piercing pain to spread from his nerves. Roa said indifferently, "It seems you demons are quite something. Even like this, you still won't die."
Roa gripped the hilt of his sword again, and that bone-chilling killing intent returned. Even though his head had already been cut off, he still felt as if a katana was resting on his neck.
For a moment, fear washed over him like a tidal wave. Byakko was a demon who cherished his life greatly. Whenever he encountered a strong Demon Slayer, he would run away and hide. But he never expected that even hiding in the depths of the mountains to hunt, he would still encounter such a monster.
[Lightning Sword]
The ultimate technique of the Sword God Style, said to reach the speed of light if mastered to perfection.
The Sword God Style, which pursued only extreme speed and lethality, was questionable whether it could truly reach the speed of light, but the speed of the sword was incredibly fast.
Even Roa in his complete form couldn't wield the Lightning Sword, let alone in his current state. What Roa used was only a half-baked version of the Lightning Sword, as his strength didn't allow him to reach that level yet.
His sword might not even reach the speed of sound, but even so, this half-baked Lightning Sword was enough to solve most problems.
Carrying the head, Roa yawned and walked out the door, picking up the female demon's head.
One in each hand—now they were a pair.
Byakko muttered in disbelief, "No, no, no! I absolutely cannot accept this reality. It's impossible. Your sword can't be that fast. A sword that fast shouldn't exist in this world…"
Roa glanced at him, placed the female demon's head on the ground, and took out a red rope from his bag, stuffing it into Byakko's mouth, which was still babbling incessantly.
Byakko was stunned, then furious. His veins bulged on his forehead in anger. He wanted to control his body with his consciousness, but Roa's words dashed his hopes. Roa said indifferently, "If you move again, I'll skewer you like a kebab."
Byakko fell silent.
Then, in a fit of rage, he suddenly realized—he was a demon! The other party was just a human. Although he didn't know how this human had such immense strength, as long as he could keep regenerating, the other party would never be able to kill him.
So, Roa took his sword and brutally pierced through Byakko's skull.
The front half of the katana completely penetrated his skull, and Roa lifted him up, continuing to walk forward. As he walked, Roa said, "You're quite disobedient, aren't you?"
The female demon beside him trembled in fear. Although demons' perception of pain was greatly reduced, having such a long and thick sword pierce through you was no joke.
Seeing that the two had calmed down, Roa nodded in satisfaction. He glanced at the sky and said regretfully, "It's not dawn yet? What a shame."
Looking around, he found a crooked tree, hung the two heads on it, set down his bag, took out the sakura mochi inside, and sat on the ground unceremoniously, starting to eat.
Byakko struggled. His face showed a mix of fear and ferocity. He tried to control his body to move closer to Roa's position.
Although a Lower Moon's body could regenerate limbs, being damaged still had an impact. Moreover, once the head was cut off, it couldn't regenerate—it had to be reattached manually.
The blood oozing from his face undoubtedly caused Byakko pain, but the pain also stimulated his not-so-bright brain. He suddenly remembered that at this moment, the other party didn't have a sword. If he charged forward fearlessly now, he could take him down.
Alright, let's do it! Try it and die!