As Ryou finished off the demons, his perception suddenly picked up a human presence approaching from behind. Hmm? When he turned around, he saw the highest-ranking Demon Slayer from the group of five running towards him.
The young slayer was around 19 years old and had a muscular build, with his black hair trimmed into a buzz cut. He had introduced himself earlier as Kazuki.
Now, he was rushing towards Ryou in a disheveled state, shouting, "Ryou-sama!"
Ryou squinted, activating his Transparent World to assess Kazuki's condition. Aside from some superficial injuries, there's nothing major that would threaten his life.
"What happened?" Ryou asked calmly as Kazuki reached him, gasping for breath. He handed him a small gourd of water stored at his waist.
Kazuki drank some water and spoke in a shaky voice, "We were attacked by a powerful wolf-like demon. It's unlike anything we've encountered before."
Even before Kazuki's explanation, Ryou activated his Nature Mode while his perception extended across several kilometers. He discovered the corpses of two of the Demon Slayers, but what caught him off guard was a massive, werewolf-like figure chasing two other Slayers, both heading in his direction.
Within seconds, the two demon slayers appeared within his line of sight and shouted in desperation as they sprinted toward him. "Ryou-sama, save us!"
"Stay here!" Ryou said to Kazuki, moving in a flash to the side of the two Demon Slayers. With lightning speed, he intercepted the werewolf's incoming claw strike with his Nichirin blade and delivered a powerful kick to the creature's stomach.
"Bang!" The force of the kick sent the werewolf-like beast flying, crashing through several trees before skidding to a halt, a considerable distance away.
Ryou already felt something was wrong, as this creature's strength was even better than some Lower Moon Demons. 'A werewolf-like demon? It's very strong. Is it some kind of Muzan's experimental product?'
In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the wolf demon and swiftly severed its head with a single, precise strike.
At the same time, one of the Demon Slayers he had just saved suddenly attacked him from behind with a sword. The strike was fast—too fast.
Ryou barely dodged the slash aimed at his neck by a hair's breadth with his inhuman strength and reaction. If not for his Nature Mode being active, he would have either been gravely injured or killed by the strike.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead as the hairs on his body stood on end. His heartbeat raced at the near feeling of death, and it was abnormally loud.
He hadn't felt such a near-death sensation in a long time.
"Kiyoshi, what are you doing? Why are you attacking Ryou-sama?" Kazuki asked, stumped—but there was no response.
Without a moment's hesitation, Ryou drew his blade and beheaded the supposed slayer in one swift motion. Though the man looked no different from an ordinary human, Ryou's Nature senses told him the truth: he was a demon.
A demon with a Blood Demon Art that allowed him to perfectly disguise himself as a human.
Seeing the body crumble into fly ash, both Demon Slayers froze in shock. The unmistakable sign confirmed that he was a demon.
But how? They had been with him the entire time.
If that was a demon... then where is the real Kiyoshi? The same thought echoed in both their minds. No doubt, the real Kiyoshi should have been killed by the demon.
'Demons attacking with a plan? Is this assault targeting me specifically... or the entire Demon Slayer Corps?' Ryou muttered, his brows furrowing in thought.
Either possibility was disturbing. If the demons were to execute such a deceptive ambush, it would be dangerous, as even a Hashira could fall into their trap.
Without delay, he summoned his Kasugai crow and sent an urgent report to the Headquarters, detailing the incident and his hunch.
--
A few minutes later, the Kakushi arrived at the scene. They carried away the bodies of the fallen Demon Slayers for a proper burial and tended to the wounds of the two survivors, who had sustained only minor injuries.
Afterward, Ryou's life returned to its usual routine, but he knew this was far from over. And as he feared, the incident had merely been the beginning.
Similar attacks soon began to happen across various regions, each well-planned. The primary targets were Hashiras. Fortunately, thanks to his timely report, the Corps had been prepared. None of the Hashira were harmed, but the same couldn't be said for the lower-ranked slayers—many lost their lives in the onslaught.
It seemed the death of an Upper Moon had angered Muzan deeply, pushing him to target the demon slayers.
After a few days, the calmness once again returned as the demon activity ceased and the situation reverted to what it had been before
The situation didn't worry Ryou too deeply as the final fight would happen within a few months. Once Muzan finds Nezuko's situation, he will definitely come.
--
Nearly two months had passed.
Ryou received a letter from Kanae that Tanjiro, along with his friends and the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, had gone to the Entertainment District.
After the events of the Mugen Train, Kagaya Ubuyashiki became convinced that Tanjiro was special. So he had requested that Ryou remain within the region to provide backup in case anything went wrong.
'So they've already gone to the Entertainment District, where Upper Moon Six resides. The letter must have been delayed by at least a day due to the distance. If I set off now, it will take time to reach them.
Let's hope they haven't provoked the Upper Moon yet.' Ryou mused and uttered, "It's time to head to Yoshiwara, Tokyo."
--
Entertainment District,
As Ryou neared Yoshiwara, the sounds of battle reached him from a kilometer away. Using his Nature perception, he observed the battle in detail.
Tengen was engaged in a fierce fight with Gyutaro using some flashy moves, while Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke were battling Daki.
'Thankfully, I arrived on time!'