"You two, stay back."
Yohan's voice rang out, steady and calm, as he addressed Tamayo and Yushiro.
"Mitsuri, I'll leave their protection to you."
"Okay! But be careful, Yohan," Mitsuri Kanroji replied, her usual playful tone replaced by a seriousness that surfaced only in battle.
Though she often bickered with Yohan over trivial matters, when it came down to real combat, she never questioned his orders. She gripped her Nichirin Blade tightly and moved to Tamayo's side, leaving the battlefield to him.
"You are…?"
Tamayo and Yushiro stared, clearly taken aback by the sudden appearance of these two humans.
Though they no longer harmed people and could survive on minimal human blood, the two demons had spent years hiding from the world. Their contact with humans was limited to quietly obtaining blood packs—they had never formed meaningful relationships, let alone encountered people who could wield such power.
Could it be… were they sent by that master?
It was true that Tamayo had once met Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the head of the Demon Slayer Corps. But she was certain she had never disclosed her whereabouts to him. Besides, the two before her weren't wearing the Corps' uniforms.
"You must be Miss Tamayo, right? I'm Mitsuri Kanroji, and that guy over there is Yohan," Mitsuri said with a smile.
"As for why we're here—well, it was Yohan who wanted to find you."
"He… came to find me?" Tamayo looked curiously at the man standing before her, shield slung across his back.
"Yup! But I think it's best if we let him take care of those two demons first. He can explain the details later." Mitsuri sounded breezy, completely confident in Yohan.
"Kanroji Mitsuri, was it?"
"From how casually you're chatting… are you implying these two demons will be easy to deal with?" Tamayo asked, a bit skeptical.
"Of course! Just sit back and watch." Mitsuri beamed with pride in her companion.
Meanwhile, Yohan faced the two demons—Susamaru and Yahaba—now standing ready, their killing intent thick in the air.
"Come on, human. Let's play!"
"Let's play until morning!"
With a shriek of laughter, Susamaru unleashed her six temari balls with monstrous strength, flinging them at Yohan with terrifying speed, like cannonballs in flight.
"Perfect." Yohan murmured. "Let's see how well Shadow Eclipse can handle this."
He raised his massive shield, Shadow Eclipse, to block the incoming strike.
Blood Demon Art: Koketsu Arrows.
Behind Susamaru, Yahaba activated his own blood demon art. Invisible arrow patterns surged out from the eyes on his palms. With a flick, the trajectories of Susamaru's temari balls changed midair—twisting past Yohan's shield to strike at his unguarded back.
"Watch out!"
"Die, human!"
Tamayo shouted a warning, while Susamaru burst into laughter.
Boom!
All six temari balls struck their target. The force kicked up a massive cloud of dust and rubble.
"Hahahaha! Foolish human," Susamaru cackled.
"That's what happens when you stand in the way of our mission!"
She turned her attention to Tamayo and Yushiro, not even bothering to check Yohan's condition.
Her blood demon art allowed her to control the temari balls with great precision. Their strength could easily destroy buildings—and paired with Yahaba's arrows, they became nearly impossible to evade or block.
As far as Susamaru was concerned, no mere human could possibly survive that onslaught. Surely by now, his corpse was pulverized beyond recognition.
Just as she was about to strike at Tamayo, Yahaba's voice called out sharply from behind.
"No! His aura… it hasn't changed!"
"Susamaru! That human is still alive! Be careful!"
Unlike Susamaru, who favored brute force, Yahaba relied on strategy and careful observation. He had sensed danger from the moment Yohan appeared. Whether it was finding Tamayo's hidden lair, unraveling her blood demon art, or confronting these two new enemies, he had always used his intellect to guide their actions.
That ominous pressure from the man with the shield—it had never wavered.
Iron Core: Steel
A blur of motion flashed past.
Yohan appeared right beside Susamaru in an instant, and with a thunderous roar, his fist—gleaming like darkened steel—smashed toward her skull.
Were it not for Yahaba's last-second shout, she would've taken the full blow head-on. She twisted desperately, narrowly avoiding a fatal strike.
But even so—BOOM!
Yohan's iron punch landed squarely on her side. The sheer impact obliterated half her body. Flesh, bones, and organs were pulverized into a mess of blood and viscera.
A stunned silence swept over the battlefield.
Everyone—except for Mitsuri—was frozen in shock.
"You… You're still alive?!"
Susamaru's face was pale, her body trembling in terror. That punch… it had brushed her past death's edge.
Yohan now stood tall amidst the settling dust. His left arm held the shield, while his right was encased in a deep black iron glow, as if forged from pure metal. Aside from a few rips in his clothes, he was completely unharmed.
"Completely unscathed?"
From behind, Yushiro gasped. He had seen it with his own eyes—six temari balls slamming into Yohan. He remembered how just one had shattered his arm earlier, the force enough to send him flying and coughing up blood.
But this man…
Took all six.
And now stood as if nothing had happened.
"…Is he really human?"