Just as Iori had said.
If the Dust Demon had truly only escaped in one direction, then the path Iori chose might not actually be the one the demon took.
In that case, it would likely be Takeo who encountered the demon—and if so, there would be no need for him to worry about Iori's safety.
On the other hand, if Iori were the one to run into the demon, then with her current strength, she should still be able to hold him off.
If they both took the same path, the demon could emerge from the other path and go after the running Asato carrying the injured, or flee the mountain to settle elsewhere, killing more people and becoming stronger.
What Takeo needed to do now was trust his teammate.
Demon hunting was not always something that could be done alone. That's why the role of a comrade was so important—especially in situations like this. At this moment, aside from trusting Iori, Takeo didn't seem to have any other choice.
"All right… but if you end up running into that demon first, make sure you shout as loud as you can. I'll come as fast as possible."
Takeo gave her one last reminder, then slipped into the tunnel on one side.
He moved swiftly.
He had to make sure that as long as he hadn't found the Dust Demon, he could still return quickly to back up Iori.
That way, even if she did encounter the demon, she wouldn't need to hold him off for long.
Unfortunately, up to now, Takeo still hadn't gained 2B's recognition. If he had access to Overclocking, his speed would no doubt be even faster.
As Takeo disappeared down one tunnel, Iori watched him go before taking a deep breath and heading toward the other entrance.
What she hadn't told Takeo was that… she was actually a little scared.
After all, that demon was powerful enough to potentially become one of the Twelve Kizuki. A demon of that level really shouldn't be something they were dealing with at all.
But just as Asato had said, the Demon Slayer Corps existed to kill demons.
Once you joined, your personal life came second—hunting demons always came first.
Maybe not everyone believed that. But Asato did.
And Iori...
Actually, she did too.
She had never told anyone about her past, not even Takeo.
And she probably wouldn't tell anyone in the future either.
She would bury the hatred she held for demons deep in her heart and continue to smile and act goofy in front of others.
Maybe it was because of the fear and tension that her mind began to wander. But soon, she pulled herself back together.
At the same time, she tried to reassure herself.
It wasn't guaranteed she'd run into the Dust Demon... right? Surely, she wouldn't be that unlucky.
As that thought crossed Iori's mind, she suddenly recalled everything that had happened to her since she first came out for the Final Selection—and started feeling less certain.
Running into the Bandage Demon right after leaving home, encountering the Hand Demon during the exam... her luck had honestly been downright abysmal.
If her luck was still that bad, then this time—
"Tch. I didn't expect you to be the one who caught up… That guy's not with you, and you still dared to come after me alone?!"
Just as Iori reached the end of the tunnel, she heard the Dust Demon's voice.
She immediately smiled—but it was the kind of smile that looked just about ready to fall apart into tears.
As expected...
She really shouldn't have trusted her luck!
...
Takeo was sprinting through the winding tunnel.
His speed was impressive, but eventually, he had no choice but to slow down.
Another fork had appeared in front of him.
Staring at the forked paths on either side, Takeo decisively yanked off the cloth mask he'd been using to block out the dust. Ignoring the fine particles floating in the air, he took a deep breath.
Then, without hesitation, he advanced toward the direction where the scent of dust was strongest.
Inhaling that dust into his lungs wasn't exactly pleasant, but fortunately, Takeo's recovery ability was strong. The discomfort quickly disappeared with a single cough.
For someone like Uncle Logan—who could survive even when buried at the bottom of the ocean—thin or polluted air was certainly unpleasant, but still within bearable limits.
The same applied to Takeo.
And so, after adjusting to the current environment, Takeo picked up his pace.
The Dust Demon's scent was even stronger than expected. Now that he'd acclimated, Takeo might not even need Iori to track the demon's location.
If he could confirm that the Dust Demon was indeed down this path, this extermination mission could come to an end.
Assuming the one he encountered was the real body.
"There you are!"
After advancing through the tunnel for a while longer, Takeo finally spotted the Dust Demon's fleeing figure ahead of him.
He didn't have time to determine whether what was in front of him was a clone or the real body. The moment he laid eyes on the demon, Total Concentration Breathing surged through his entire body.
Swoosh!
With a thrusting form of Wolf Breathing, Takeo instantly closed the distance between them. His blade pierced the demon's nape with perfect accuracy!
The moment the blade entered flesh, he twisted without hesitation and yanked it hard to the side.
With a faint gust of wind, the Dust Demon's head was once again sent flying.
But there was no joy in Takeo's heart—no sense of having slain the demon—because the head quickly crumbled into dust, along with the body.
It was a clone!
Realizing this, Takeo took a deep breath. He looked up at the tunnel that had come to a dead end ahead, then turned around without a moment's hesitation.
If this one was just a clone, then on Iori's side... it was highly likely she was facing the real body!
…
It is the real one!!!!
Just as Iori's blade finally reached the Dust Demon's neck and swiftly sliced through it, she instantly knew—the demon in front of her was the real one!
As for why…
Because she couldn't cut through it!!
It wasn't that the Dust Demon's neck was physically uncuttable—but rather, a layer of compacted dust had formed a protective shell around it. That layer had fused with his flesh, as if it had grown directly from his body.
Iori wasn't sure if the clones had the same kind of protection around their necks. But what she was certain of was that with her current strength, even if a clone had that kind of defense, she would still be able to cut through it.
The fact that she couldn't now meant only one thing: This was the real body!
Even with a 50/50 chance, her bad luck had hit the worst outcome. Her luck really was the worst.
"Die!!!"
Before Iori could even finish mentally cursing her fate, the Dust Demon launched his attack.
The swirling dust condensed into countless invisible whips. They lashed out in a dense storm from all directions, converging on Iori at the center.
Twisting her body, Iori quickly pulled back out of the Dust Demon's range.
As gleaming water light erupted around her, she spun, and her Nichirin sword followed her motion, striking with precision against the incoming dust whips!
Water Breathing, Sixth Form – Whirlpool!
The swirling vortex blocked nearly all of the attacks aimed at Iori. However, in the end, not every dust whip was deflected.
"Ugh.."
Two of them struck her body—but that didn't matter. They hadn't hit any vital spots.
But one of the whips grazed the side of her cheek.
It wasn't a fatal hit—just another wound on her face. And yet, for Iori, that single strike was the most critical… and the most dangerous.
Because the scarf she'd wrapped around her face to block the dust was knocked off by that blow. It fell to the ground and was quickly buried under layers of dust.
Her mouth and nose were now fully exposed to the air.
The thick dust suspended in the air surged into her nasal passages.
_________
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