"Demon, it's... it's... there really is a demon! Dead, everyone's dead, everyone, everyone... hiks hiks..."
Under the withered tree roots, a young man knelt on the ground, trembling and sobbing with his head in his hands.
His clothes were not only tattered but also stained with bloodstains. Beside his thigh lay a broken knife.
"Kawachi-senpai! There's someone here!" The sudden voice from above startled the kneeling young man, causing him to jump up in fright.
He grabbed the broken knife and swung it wildly, screaming hysterically.
"Come on! Come on! I'll fight you to the death! Die! Die!"
Clatter!
The knife fell to the ground.
It was just an ordinary person.
Judging by his attire, he should be one of the young villagers who had ventured into Shirai Mountain today, as Kawachi easily subdued the young villager whose spirit was on the verge of collapse.
Soon, Kawachi heard some very bad news from the barely calmed villager.
Out of the twenty-eight people who had entered Shirai Mountain, only one had escaped.
The others had been killed by the mountain demon. The terrifying scene made the escaped young villager tremble uncontrollably just by recalling it.
And that demon was at the Shirai ruins on Shirai Mountain!
After obtaining the information he needed, Kawachi expression turned grave.
He signaled another team member to comfort the still emotionally unstable young villager while he summoned his Kasugai crow.
The Kasugai crows of the Demon Slayer Corps members are specially trained, each one unique.
Therefore, these crows are easily influenced by their partners and exhibit various personalities.
For example, Kawachi Kasugai crow is very steady and can understand his sign language.
After understanding Kawachi intentions, the Kasugai crow spread its wide wings and soared into the sky.
*****
Meanwhile, on the other side of Shirai Mountain.
Shinichi quietly moved through the forest.
What struck him as eerie was the strange environment of Shirai Mountain.
How to describe it?
A normal forest should be full of vitality, with the sounds of small animals active even at night. But now, Shirai Mountain was deathly silent, although the trees grew very densely.
A sudden strong smell of blood filled his nostrils and Shinichi quickly darted into a bush.
Sure enough, inside the bush, he saw a gruesome human corpse.
Twisted like a pretzel, the body was contorted into an extremely bloody shape.
The horrific sight made Shinichi, even as a demon, feel nauseous.
Judging by the intensity of the blood smell in the air, this person must have been killed tonight.
That meant the demon was nearby!
Shinichi crouched halfway to the ground when suddenly, his brain issued an extreme danger warning.
The hairs on his neck stood on end, and instinctively, he ducked forward.
Swish! Crack!!
A flash of blade light passed and a tree as thick as a thigh was instantly cut in two.
Without thinking, Shinichi quickly retreated to create distance, moving over ten meters away in an instant.
Taking advantage of this moment, he saw who had attacked him.
To be precise, there were two individuals, not ordinary people.
Shinichi could sense the powerful aura emanating from the two humans wielding swords.
What made Shinichi heart race even more was the strange fluctuation coming from the long, colored swords in their hands.
The blue blades emitted a sharp sensation, akin to sunlight.
"Like sunlight? Wait, black clothing, Nichirin swords imbued with sun power—could these two be... Demon Slayer Corps members?!"
Seeing the familiar attire of the two sword-wielding humans before him, Shinichi instantly recalled the information he had obtained from Karasuma and deduced their identities—members of the Demon Slayer Corps!
"This is troublesome. How did I run into Demon Slayer Corps members?"
Shinichi took a slight step back.
If they were indeed from the Demon Slayer Corps, things were about to get bad.
After all, his current identity was that of a Demon. Running into the Demon Slayer Corps was like a deer walking straight into a hunter's trap—a direct hit.
While Shinichi was on guard, the two Demon Slayer Corps members in front of him were equally tense. Shinichi appearance clearly indicated that he wasn't an easy Demon to deal with. His earlier evasive speed had been so fast that the two couldn't react in time.
Coupled with the gruesome human corpse on the ground, the two young Demon Slayer Corps members couldn't help but feel nervous.
"Ryuchi, I'll take the left flank. You handle the right."
"Got it! Shingaku, be careful. This Demon won't be easy to deal with. We'll have to go all out."
The two Demon Slayer Corps members exchanged a glance, tightened their grips on their Nichirin swords, and then charged at Shinichi from both sides.
"Hey! What's going on? I don't want to get involved with you Demon Slayer Corps!" Shinichi quickly dodged backward, but the two Demon Slayer Corps members pursued him relentlessly.
It had to be said that the Demon Slayer Corps lived up to their reputation.
The two members, unleashing their full power, quickly flanked Shinichi from both sides.
Their coordination was impeccable, their Nichirin swords striking faster and faster, trapping Shinichi in the middle.
Shinichi had no intention of engaging with the Demon Slayer Corps.
In other words, his purpose for coming to Shirai Mountain was likely the same as theirs—to eliminate the Demons on the mountain. But even if he told this to the Demon Slayer Corps members in front of him, they probably wouldn't believe it.
A Demon helping humans hunt their own kind?
Have you lost your mind after drinking too much sake?
Swish! Clang!!
While blocking one Nichirin sword with his claws, Shinichi felt a searing pain as the Demon Slayer Corps member Shingaku seized the opportunity to slash his right arm.
The sharp Nichirin sword cut deep into Shinichi flesh.
"Now's the chance!"
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
The Demon Slayer Corps member Ryuchi shouted, holding his Nichirin sword horizontally.
A faint blue light emanated from the blade, spreading like ripples on a calm water surface. The wave-like attack surged straight toward Shinichi's neck.
"Damn it! Don't push it too far!"
Boom!!
A crimson wave of energy erupted out of nowhere, rapidly heating the previously cool air.
A scorching hand forcefully blocked Ryuchi full-powered strike.
Black claws pierced through the aqua-blue ripple attack and tore it apart with a forceful rip.
Crack!
Ryuchi expression turned to shock.
The Water Surface Slash... had been torn apart?
Bang!
Before Ryuchi could react, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
His body was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into a large tree with a loud thud.
He immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Ryuchi! Damn it! Die, you Demon!" Seeing his companion severely injured, Shingaku was furious.
He gripped his Nichirin Blade with all his might and charged at Shinichi with a frenzied determination.
But a black, lightning-fast figure pounced on Shingaku in an instant.
Grrr!!
Maru-ni, baring his sharp teeth, let out a low growl at Shingaku.
Perhaps influenced by Shinichi subconscious reluctance to harm humans, Maru-ni, who had knocked Shingaku down, did not take the opportunity to bite his neck.
"Damn it! What the hell is this? Get off me!" Shingaku was not about to appreciate Maru-ni mercy.
Instinctively, he flung the Demonized Shiba Inu off his body and scrambled to his feet, gripping his Nichirin Blade with one hand.
"Stop! I have no intention of being enemies with the Demon Slayer Corps! My purpose here is the same as yours—to hunt down Demons!" Shinichi growled.
Shingaku tightly gripped his Nichirin Blade with both hands, his face fierce.
"What kind of joke is that? You're a Demon! A man-eating Demon! Demons like you are absolutely unforgivable! All Demons must die! For my lost family, DIE!" Before the words even finished, the cold blade once again slashed toward Shinichi.