Chapter 18: Jade Pot? Night Urinal!

“Jade Pot, your pot is the ugliest one I’ve ever seen!!!”

“Aaaah!!! You damn brat! You muscle-brained, artless little worm! How could you possibly understand my art……”

Before Jade Pot could finish speaking, a killing intent struck straight through his crown, freezing his body as if plunged into ice.

Zero’s crimson eyes glowed bloodthirsty in the night, paired with a sinister, furious grin that sent shivers down his spine……

“Brat? Hehehe… Hahahaha! Jade Pot, you dare call me brat?! The last demon who called me brat is dead—can you even survive my next rage?!”

Hum! Hum! Hum!……

Ripples warped the air around Zero; twenty [Destroyer Mini Drones] materialized behind him in midair.

But it wasn’t over—eight more [Dark Alloy Cross Hover Cannons] appeared to his left, right, and rear, guarding him.

He aimed his [Quantum Dual Pistols] at Jade Pot and said: “Jade Pot, brat—let’s play a little game. Ready to endure my rage?!”

Zero had decided: he wouldn’t just kill Jade Pot—he’d shatter his psyche first, make him wish for death, make him die with eyes wide open.

Hearing this, Jade Pot clenched his arms tightly and roared: “I am a Upper String Demon! How could I be frightened by a mere human?! Artless fool—die!!!”

Jade Pot’s hands suddenly produced two pots, from which two carp capable of living in air emerged.

“Blood Demon Art: Thousand Needles……”

Boom! Boom!

Before Jade Pot could finish chanting, Zero’s dual pistols obliterated the two carp, reducing them to ash that scattered in the air.

Jade Pot, about to rage, found Zero fired two more shots—shattering the two pots in his hands.

“Aaaah!!! I’ll kill you! How dare you destroy my pots……”

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Before Jade Pot could finish speaking, Zero fired multiple rounds in rapid succession.

Having witnessed the guns’ power, Jade Pot knew: if hit again, his regeneration would be suppressed—not for long, but enough to rob him of advantage.

So the moment Zero fired, he instantly vanished into one of his pots, reappearing in another direction.

“Hehehe… playing hide-and-seek? How amusing!”

Zero controlled the drones to fly in all directions, receiving every visual feed through his [Analytical Glasses].

From their earlier exchange, Zero had gathered some insight into Jade Pot’s nature—he guessed the demon was cruel, arrogant, talkative, fond of mockery, and reveled in defying natural order.

He sneered: “Jade Pot, you call yourself an artist? Then why hide like a coward?—Wait, you’re already a demon! And your pots? Utterly ugly, grotesque—not art at all. I doubt the world holds anything uglier!”

“Also, your pots are crooked—completely asymmetrical!”

Creak!

Inside his pot, Jade Pot exploded with rage—his arms and head clenched fists, bones cracking under pressure.

He would never tolerate anyone speaking ill of his pots—he believed them to be perfect art, the most exquisite in existence.

Enraged, Zero’s words forced him to surface: “You damn—”

Boom!

Before he finished speaking, a drone fired—a shot shattered the pot he’d just emerged from, reducing it to ash. He instantly reappeared elsewhere.

Then he surfaced again: “You—”

Boom!

“I absolutely won’t—”

Boom!

“If you have the guts—”

Boom!

“Let me finish my—”

Boom!

“Aaaah!!! I’ll kill—”

Boom!

“Damn it—”

Boom!

Every time Jade Pot surfaced, he spoke only half a sentence before another drone struck, shattering his pot.

He could only keep teleporting between pots, his mind fraying.

He’d planned to flee—but Zero’s next words enraged him further, pushing him past endurance—he must kill Zero to erase this hatred and fury!

“Jade Pot, you’re an Upper String Demon—and yet you’re so cowardly you won’t even show your face! Just hiding in your pots like a rat!”

“Your pots aren’t just ugly—they’re grotesque and stinking! You shouldn’t be called Jade Pot. Change your name to Night Urinal. That fits you and your pots better!”

Zero manipulated the drones to fire ambush shots while verbally tormenting Jade Pot’s psyche.

“Damn you, you bastard hunter of demons—”

Boom!

“How dare you say my pots—”

Boom!

“I’ll definitely—”

Boom!

“Do you think I’d—”

Boom!

Jade Pot was furious—each time he surfaced, his words were cut short by gunfire, his rage growing deeper.

He unleashed a Blood Demon Art, summoning two massive deformed goldfish from within his pot.

Each deformed goldfish stood seven to eight meters tall, with four massive legs beneath its belly.

Two extraordinarily powerful arms grew from its sides, and four enormous pots sprouted behind its fins.

Its mouth held rows of sharp teeth—these Blood Demon Art goldfish looked repulsive and hideous.

The two giants charged forward, smashing row after row of trees, thunderous crashes echoing.

As trees fell, a wide open space formed around them.

“Hehe… time for a barbecue!”

Zero switched the [Dark Alloy Cross Hover Cannons] from defense to attack mode, activating flame mode.

The cannons split into two groups, their tails spewing fire at the giant goldfish. The flames, infused with red energy crystals, reached nearly a thousand degrees.

Zero didn’t stand idle—he aimed his [Quantum Dual Pistols] at the giants’ legs and fired, shattering their biological functions into ash.

Without legs, the giants collapsed, helpless as fish on a cutting board.

Within seconds, the giants turned crimson, roasted, even emitting a faint aroma.

The assault wasn’t over—the drones flew in, relentlessly firing at the four giant pots on the giants’ backs.

The drones’ high-explosive rounds, infused with energy crystals, shattered the pots into ash, causing the giants to vanish.

“Hehe… that’s all?”

But Jade Pot’s attack wasn’t done—those few seconds bought by the giants allowed him to cast two more Blood Demon Arts.

“Blood Demon Art: Blood Prison Bowl!”

“Blood Demon Art: Octopus Pot Hell!”

Two Blood Demon Arts erupted from Jade Pot’s pots—a bowl of blood, alive, surged toward Zero.

Behind it came massive, writhing octopus tentacles.

Zero had already learned through his [Analytical Glasses]: the Blood Prison Bowl could trap opponents—its walls soft yet unbreakable, suffocating victims by blocking breath.

The octopus tentacles were flexible, elastic, and capable of crushing opponents to death.

Jade Pot’s plan was simple: trap Zero in the bowl, cut off his air, then crush him with tentacles—slowly turn him into art.

But what Jade Pot conceived, Zero already knew. Even without breathing techniques, Zero had no need to fear suffocation—he’d already prepared his counter.

Zero directed one [Dark Alloy Cross Hover Cannon] to intercept the Blood Prison Bowl.

Meanwhile, he pulled a [Dark Alloy Missile Launcher] from his nanospace and fired at the octopus tentacles.

Shhh! Shhh! Shhh! Shhh……

Boom!……

Ten missiles launched simultaneously, obliterating every tentacle. The explosion ignited the severed limbs, filling the air with the scent of roasted octopus.

“Blood Demon Art: One Hundred Thousand Sticky Flying Fish!”

As the tentacles exploded, Jade Pot pulled out ten pots engraved with sticky fish patterns, summoning ten thousand toothed sticky fish.

These fish devoured flesh and bone; when severed, they sprayed toxic fluid that penetrated skin and entered the body.

“Perfect! Try this! Ehehehehe!!!” Zero pulled a pre-prepared [Dark Alloy Gatling] from his nanospace and unleashed a rapid barrage at the fish.

Taptaptaptaptap……

The [Dark Alloy Gatling], infused with energy crystals and blazing red fire, rained bullets, colliding with the ten thousand sticky fish and detonating them.

Not only that—the deafening gunfire stirred dust storms, and the toxic spray from the exploded fish was entirely incinerated by the remaining seven [Dark Alloy Cross Hover Cannons], their flames burning it to nothing.

During this, Zero used his [Analytical Glasses] to command the cannon trapped in the Blood Prison Bowl to heat up, vaporizing the bowl.

Jade Pot stared, speechless at the man before him.

When the firing ceased, only devastation remained—smoke and gunpowder hung thick in the air.

But Jade Pot realized Zero had vanished from his spot—his heart sank with dread.

“That guy… where did he go? Where? Where the hell is he?”

As Yu Hu searched for Zero’s whereabouts, Zero suddenly appeared behind him and unleashed one form of the Dark Alloy Four Styles, slashing directly at Yu Hu’s neck.

“Oh no, oh no, he’s going to cut me!”

Plop!

Yu Hu’s head was severed, yet Zero felt no solid resistance—like cutting through thick paper, effortless and smooth.

After landing, Zero stared at the vessel and realized it was now only a skin—then he remembered the [Analytical Glasses]’ earlier data: Yu Hu had two forms.

He guessed that at the instant his neck was about to be cut, Yu Hu had completed molting.

Indeed, as Zero suspected, Yu Hu reappeared on another tree after molting.

Post-molt, Yu Hu had webbed palms, a serpentine lower body, and skin covered in scales harder than diamond, yet his body remained supple.

Zero also recalled another data point: Yu Hu possessed the “Divine Hand,” which could turn anything his fist touched into fish.

Yu Hu slithered up a tree, coiling his serpentine tail around the trunk, looking down at Zero with mockery: “Hehehe~ That was just my carelessness. Now you’ll see my true form!”

“(?_?) Oh~ Now I see. And then? Night Vessel, what do you want to say?”

Seeing Zero’s expression, Yu Hu flew into a rage, shouting: “Shut your mouth, you artless fool! How dare you insult me! I will—”

But before Yu Hu finished speaking, Zero pulled out the [Dark Alloy Gatling] again, aiming it at Yu Hu—the eight barrels began spinning, ready to fire.

“Night Vessel, what were you just about to say? I didn’t catch it… Could you repeat it? What exactly were you going to do?”

Yu Hu clenched his fists, furious—he never imagined this demon slayer carried so many bizarre weapons.

Not only had he been humiliated moments ago, but the insults were unbearable.

Yet Zero didn’t care what Yu Hu thought and mocked again: “Night Vessel, you’re just like that cowardly Kokushibo. I bet Kokushibo’s a useless monster neither human nor demon!”

“Come to think of it, I once uncovered something: three hundred years ago, Kokushibo was chased all over the place by a swordsman named Higurashi Ena—he didn’t even dare to let out a fart! He hid like a coward!”

Hearing this, Yu Hu grew even angrier: “Shut up, you damned human! Don’t you dare insult Lord Kokushibo! I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you!”

Hearing Yu Hu utter Kokushibo’s name, Zero confirmed his earlier suspicion: Upper Moon demons who speak Kokushibo’s name do not die.

But Yu Hu thought differently—in his heart, Kokushibo was the noblest, most artistic being alive.

He would not allow anyone to speak ill of Kokushibo.

“Die!”

Swish!

Yu Hu’s blindingly fast attack suddenly appeared before Zero—he retreated instantly, evading the blow.

Yu Hu’s fist struck the ground, cratering it and turning the earth into a swarm of fish.

Zero dared not use his weapons to block—it was unknown whether they’d turn to fish upon contact.

Besides, he’d given his [Quantum Shield] to Aunt Kui Zhi—he couldn’t risk it. He never gambled without certainty!

“Hehehe~ Why are you running? Weren’t you so brave just now? I haven’t even used my full power yet! Anything my Divine Hand touches becomes fresh fish! No matter how strong your weapons are, it won’t help!”

Ugh~

Zero smelled a foul stench in the air and began gagging.

“Your fish… smell worse than my comrade Number One’s unwashed socks after months! Ugh~ No wonder, Night Vessel—your fish stink just like your asymmetrical night vessel!”

Hearing “Night Vessel” again, Yu Hu’s fury exploded—he’d lost all reason!

“Blood Demon Art: Array of Fish Scales!”

Yu Hu’s scales glowed red; he twisted and moved at blinding speed, leaving only afterimages.

He leaped rapidly, using his smooth scales to make his trajectory unpredictable, while launching attacks at Zero.

But Zero had no intention of complying—he commanded the [Dark Alloy Cross Floating Cannons] into defense mode, surrounding himself with rapid rotation, faster than Yu Hu’s strikes, keeping him at bay.

After Yu Hu’s assault ended, the Cross Floating Cannons encircled him, while twenty drones hovered above his head—he had no escape.

“Night Vessel, game’s over.”

Click!

All Cross Floating Cannons switched to attack mode, their ends aimed at Yu Hu, firing high-temperature rounds; the drones unleashed a frenzy of high-explosive bullets.

Yu Hu had no time to flee—he could only shield his head with his arms and his body with his tail.

Meanwhile, Zero drew Forms One and Two, appearing behind Yu Hu, and slashed his neck with alternating blades…

“Huh? What’s going on? Why is the world upside down?” Yu Hu still didn’t understand—he only saw Zero holding two glowing red blades.

Seeing those blades, a strange memory surfaced in his mind…

Only when his head hit the ground did he realize he’d been decapitated.

“Cut… severed? I was cut! My head was cut off! Impossible! This can’t be! I don’t believe it!!”

Yu Hu refused to accept it, screaming from his severed head on the ground.

“How could this happen?! How could a pathetic little brat sever my neck?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

Zero: (▼ヘ▼#)

Hearing the demon call him “brat” again, Zero spoke directly to Yu Hu’s head on the ground: “You pathetic little demon, wait and see!”

He retrieved from his nanospace a custom-made syringe, at least half a meter long and ten centimeters wide, walked to Yu Hu’s still-intact body, and plunged it in, drawing blood.

“Aaaah! Stop! What are you doing to my body?! Stop!”

Zero ignored Yu Hu’s screams, filling the syringe completely; Yu Hu’s body, drained of blood, accelerated into ash.

Zero placed the full syringe into his nanospace, then called to the hidden crow perched in the tree nearby: “Snow, go check the area again—see if any other demons remain.”

“Yes, Master.” Though Snow didn’t understand why, she obeyed.

She would soon report Zero’s slaying of an Upper Moon demon to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters—so every member would know.

Watching Snow depart, Zero approached Yu Hu’s chattering head, removed his [Analytical Glasses], and opened his mouth—but hesitated.

He carefully scanned the surroundings again—no one else was present—and finally relaxed.

He took a deep breath and began screaming: “Shut up, you filthy, disgusting thing! Look at yourself—what kind of monster are you?! Neither human nor demon—you make me want to vomit!”

“Other demons have three heads and six arms—you’ve got one head and two arms! You’re ugly, and your vessel is just as ugly!”

“Your vessel isn’t even symmetrical! And even if it weren’t, it’s disgustingly gaudy! And even if it were gaudy, the stench it emits is like you blew up your own toilet!”

“If you’re so powerful, why don’t you fly up and shoulder-to-shoulder with the sun?! If you’re so capable, why don’t you rocket into the sky with fiery spirals?!”

“Ugly and full of delusions, you still brag about how great you are! From now on, don’t call yourself Yu Hu—change your name to Upper Moon Five Night Vessel!”

“You keep yapping—your art dream is so far away, just roll the hell away from here!!!”

With one-third of his head gone, Yu Hu stopped screaming and began to cry.

Not from pain—but because Zero’s words pierced his heart, sharp and cruel.

Each sentence was a knife, plunging deep into his soul.

The more he thought, the sadder and angrier he became—he screamed again: “Aaaah! Damn you! I can’t accept this! I can’t accept it!”

“You dare cry?! If you’re not satisfied, roll away and never come back!!!”

Thud!

He kicked Yu Hu’s still-intact head, sending it flying into a tree trunk, then bouncing back.

“You dare come back?! Get lost!!!”

Thud!

He kicked it again—this time it didn’t bounce back. But fate intervened: a tree, already damaged, collapsed and landed directly on Yu Hu’s head.

Yu Hu’s head, like a bar of soap squeezed in a hand, bounced off the trunk and landed right in front of Zero.

“(ー`′ー) Get… away!!!!!!”

Boom!

This kick was fiercer—he sent Yu Hu’s half-vanished head soaring into the air, then commanded the drones to detonate it…

Watching Yu Hu’s head obliterated into nothing by the drones’ high-explosive rounds, Zero felt a faint sense of satisfaction.

He retracted all weapons into his nanospace, walked to the five slain swordsmen’s bodies, arranged them properly, and covered them with white cloths from his nanospace.

Dawn broke. Zero stood vigil beside the bodies, refusing to leave, until Snow returned with members of the Hidden Division.

“Zero Pillar!” one Hidden Division member bowed respectfully.

They’d heard on the way—he’d slain an Upper Moon demon alone. They were in awe.

“Bury them properly…”

“Yes, Zero Pillar!”

“If I’d found them sooner, arrived earlier… maybe these five kids wouldn’t have died…”

The Hidden Division members felt heavy in their hearts.

“Zero Pillar, please don’t say that… they all knew the risks…”

Before the man finished, Zero raised his hand to stop him.

“I know. I understand. Finish clearing this place quickly—I must return to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters to treat the Lord’s curse.”

“Yes, Zero Pillar! May your martial fortune flourish!”

…