The Ōku mushi and its slug clones turned to ashes and vanished into the air with the dust.
Mitsuko felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he slumped to the ground.
This battle proved to be more difficult than anticipated.
Mitsuko tried his best to remain calm during the battle, hoping to defeat Yujumushi with the swordsmanship he had learned over the years and the only Blood Demon Art he had mastered so far.
However, they were once in a dead end.
If it weren't for the sudden appearance of memories of Muzan Kibutsuji and Yoriichi Tsugikuni in his mind, which gave him new attack methods and the knowledge that he could kill a demon by severing its head with a Nichirin Blade, then...
This battle may have been lost long ago.
Mitsuko sat on the ground, resting for a while while thinking.
Why does the person who severely injured Yukimatsu gain memories of Yukimatsu's human days?
Including the demon that attacked the village last time, although he only regained his memories after defeating the demon, Mitsuko had already lost his mind before defeating the demon.
Unable to understand, Mitsuko could only attribute this ability to gain memories to the genes inherited from the demon within him.
After resting for a while, Mitsuko stood up from the ground and left the cave.
Mitsuko looked up at the sky. It was still dark, but dawn was not far off.
The noise of the battle woke up the nearby residents, but none of them dared to go out, fearing that their lives would be threatened.
When the residents saw Mitsuko emerge from the cave, they were surprised that it was a child, but no one dared to ask, since Mitsuko was holding a knife.
Even a child is dangerous if he has a weapon.
Mitsuko ignored those stares, dusted himself off, and left silently.
When the sun shines brightly on the earth, one can only survive in the corners.
After leaving the town.
Several months.
Mitsuko traveled to many places and encountered several demons, all of whom were much weaker than Yujuchong and had no special abilities, only knowing how to attack with brute force.
After easily injuring the demons, Mitsuko obtained the memories of each demon's human past.
After obtaining these memories, Mitsuko chose to mercilessly kill all the demons.
When these demons were still human, their behavior was no different from that of demons.
All the evil deeds he committed during his human life disgusted Mitsuko utterly.
at the same time.
Mitsuko also began to feel somewhat lost about his future.
Master Kūkai once said that too many kind people were forced to become demons.
But so far, all the people Mitsuko has encountered are evil, and they have all become demons willingly.
Repeated disappointments led Mitsuko to question the path between humans and demons.
...
In the darkness of night.
Mitsuko stepped into the next town.
To Mitsuko's utter surprise, all the doors of the houses in the town were open.
Every passerby had a smile on their face.
This year is the 33rd year of the Meiji reign, which is also 1900.
The entire country is breaking away from feudal society and developing towards a modern society.
The changing times inevitably lead to political turmoil, and numerous heinous incidents occur in various places.
Moreover, it's right outside the town.
Mitsuko encountered a group of people carrying torches, their expressions fierce as if they were searching for something.
The fact that doors in the town were left unlocked at night piqued Mitsuko's curiosity.
An old man was lying on a deck chair outside, comfortably fanning himself and enjoying the cool breeze.
Seeing Mitsuko, who looked travel-worn, they greeted him warmly: "Hey, kid, have you just arrived in our happy town?"
Mitsuko approached the old man and replied, "Yes, sir. Is the town called Happiness Town? It's a very fitting name. Everyone seems to be very happy."
The old man said with great pride, "Of course, everyone living in our town is very happy. However, our town is called Naganuma Town, and 'Happy Town' is our nickname for it."
Mitsuko asked doubtfully, "But is it really okay to leave the door open so late at night? I encountered a group of menacing-looking people outside the town, not far from the town. They should be coming to this town."
Upon hearing Mitsuko's words, the old man's kind and warm demeanor vanished, replaced by a look of disgust: "I didn't expect those guys to still be so persistent!"
"Old man, do you know them?"
The old man said angrily, "Of course I know them! Half a year ago, this town was not so happy. On the contrary, the public security was very chaotic. It was all because of a group of thugs who formed gangs and did all kinds of evil in the town. Everyone in the town hated them. And the group of people outside the town were the family members of those thugs!"
The reason why Naganuma Town is so peaceful now is because a major event happened in the town a year ago: a group of thugs started disappearing every few days.
Now, all those thugs and hooligans have disappeared, there are no more villains, and the town has been peaceful for half a year. It must be the divine intervention that has taken action to punish them for their misdeeds!
And those guys actually want to bring back the bastard who's been wreaking havoc in town! That's utterly absurd! Don't you agree, kid?"
Mitsuko didn't respond, but curiously continued to ask the old man, "Grandpa, you just said that a major event happened in the town a year ago. What was it?"
The old man started talking and began to tell Mitsuko his story in detail:
"In our town, there was a family called Ogiya who had been selling rice cakes for generations. There were three people in the family. Overnight, the husband and wife died tragically, and their son disappeared."
Based on the investigation of the scene, the police believed that the missing child, Junpei Ogiya, was the perpetrator.
But none of us believed the result, because the Ogiya family had a very good reputation in town, especially the couple, who were known as kind people in town, and we liked the family very much.
Junpei inherited their personalities, being very kind and having a very good relationship with his family. There was absolutely no reason for him to kill his own relatives.
Although a reinvestigation was conducted, it yielded no results, and the police still issued an arrest warrant for Junpei.
The old man sighed deeply, feeling sorry for the tragedy that befell the Ogiya family.
Mitsuko simply took it as a story and did not believe it was the work of a demon.
After all, if there were demons, why would they specifically target thugs and hooligans?
Mitsuko asked, "Grandpa, are there any inns in town?"
The old man pointed ahead with his fan: "Of course there is. Just keep walking straight along this street and you'll see the inn."
"It's getting late, sir, so I'll take my leave now."
Heading to the hotel the old man pointed out, Mitsuko used money he had obtained through some underhanded means to book a room.
Mitsuko lay comfortably on the soft bed in the room.
Because I spend most of my time in the wilderness, I haven't had a proper rest in a long time.
Mitsuko planned to stay at the hotel for one day and leave the town after dark the next day.