For Shinobu, there were many things she could do—but in her current condition, the number of things she could actually manage had dwindled.
While most of her external wounds had been healed by Ryuji's Dragonfire, the inner damage was another story. Her depleted mental energy and exhausted body couldn't simply be restored with a flame, no matter how mystical its power.
That much was obvious.
And yet, just as Shinobu was writing a letter to her superior—intending to recommend Ryuji as a candidate for a Hashira— new news arrived.
Tengen Uzui, the flamboyant Sound Hashira with three wives, appeared before them.
"Yo, Shinobu. Sorry to interrupt, but we've got a situation," he said casually, his dual swords strapped to his back, armor gleaming—clearly prepared for battle.
Shinobu looked at him, confused for a second, then quickly pieced it together.
"Is this about the Flame Hashira? Has something happened near Mt. Natagumo?"
Recently, the Demon Slayer Corps had been stretched thin. Establishing human safe zones, investigating demonic activity, supporting local nobles against bandits, and training new recruits… the workload was immense. Shinobu, whose strength came more from her mastery of poisons than direct combat, had fewer front-line missions than most. But this also made her feel insecure.
"Yeah," Tengen nodded. "Rengoku found what looks like a demon nest deep in the Natagumo region. But the place is swarming with strange poisonous insects and bizarre creatures. We need your skills. Figured you'd be the best person to handle it with your toxins and antidotes… wait, you didn't get the message?"
Tengen tilted his head. Demon Slayers used intelligent crows—kasugai crows—for communication. These birds were smart and could even speak human language. Shinobu should have received the message already.
"Ah… about that…"
Shinobu glanced away, embarrassed. She'd been… preoccupied. Her crow had likely sensed that too—and had tactfully stayed out of the way.
"…Something came up. I'm sorry."
Tengen raised an eyebrow, glancing between her and Ryuji, who also looked awkward. Though Tengen wasn't particularly interested in Shinobu, he was surprised. Shinobu had always been as cold as ice—many had tried and failed to get close to her. Yet somehow, this man, managed to leave such a… tangible impression?
"Well, alright. No time to pry. The situation's urgent. Right now, it's basically just Rengoku holding the line out there."
Shinobu nodded. She wasn't the type to shirk duty, even if her body still ached. That's what it meant to be a Demon Slayer.
But Ryuji looked her over and shook his head slightly. Then he stood.
"Let me go ahead. My flames have healing properties. I'll go with you first," he said to Tengen, then looked at Shinobu, "You can follow after, once you've recovered a bit."
Tengen raised an eyebrow again at how familiarly Ryuji addressed her—"Nobu," really? But what surprised him even more was how comfortable Shinobu looked with it.
"I'll go too!" Mai suddenly stood up.
Still restless and unsure of herself, she was eager to prove her worth—to show that the Shiranui style wasn't as weak or trivial as Ryuji had implied. Even if he'd agreed to learn her martial art, she didn't want him to think it was something he could just pick up casually.
But Ryuji shook his head.
"No. You stay here and help look after Shinobu. And take this opportunity to study the demons of this world."
His tone was final.
The reason was simple. As powerful as Mai was—strong enough that in a one-on-one duel, she might even hold her own—she simply wasn't suited for this enemy.
These weren't human foes. They weren't bandits or rogue warriors. They were demons—monsters.
Ryuji has extremely high three-dimensional attributes, and with Dragonfire protecting him, he could withstand many "first-encounter kills" that others couldn't. His mastery of the blood energy technique allowed him to resist poisons and parasitic creatures, and his ability, Life Return, could regenerate even damaged internal organs over time.
Even deadly poisons or insidious parasites could be purged from his body through sheer control of his blood energy, and then healed by his Dragonfire or regenerative arts.
But Mai had none of that.
If he wasn't careful, she could die instantly from one misstep. That's not a risk he was willing to take.
It wasn't about strength. It was about compatibility.
It was like comparing a Monster Hunter to a street-fighting martial artist—both powerful in their fields, but not necessarily interchangeable. Specialization mattered.
"Don't underestimate me!" Mai snapped, her exhaustion from a poor night's sleep only amplifying her frustration. Being dismissed so bluntly enraged her.
But Ryuji didn't back down.
"Tell me then," he said coldly, "If I hadn't been there during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons—how long do you think you would've survived?"
Mai fell silent.
That night had been chaos. A hundred yokai had descended. Even if she could defeat one or two in single combat—even the strongest among them—there was no way she could have survived the entire horde.
She knew that.
An unreasonable woman might've kept arguing anyway, but Mai wasn't one for blind stubbornness. She looked down and admitted quietly:
"…I wouldn't have made it."
"Exactly."
Ryuji gave a soft grunt and turned his attention to Tengen.
"So? What's your take? Or do you need to test my strength in a fight first?"
He casually rolled his wrist, a flicker of heat radiating from him. His greatsword may have been broken—but a katana would do just fine.
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P.S. Next chapter is also going to be short but after that back to normal length chapters.
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