The area around Dust Mountain was vast, and the mountain paths weren't particularly easy to traverse.
After all, it seemed that not many people had been here before.
Takeo pushed aside a thick patch of grass that was obstructing his view and finally arrived at a slightly more walkable trail. He sniffed the air lightly and furrowed his brow.
He still couldn't smell anything.
His nose was filled only with the scent of rain and vegetation—nothing else.
Raising his head to look at the current sky, he gazed at the round, bright moon, and felt somewhat more at ease.
The only good news right now was that the weather tonight was nice. The moonlight wasn't obscured and spilled down to the ground, so visibility wouldn't be too limited.
Otherwise, if it had been a crescent moon, it might not have been pitch-black, but it would've been close enough.
"Takeo! How is it? Did you find anything?"
Asato's voice came from farther ahead. Having found no leads himself, he called out to Takeo.
Takeo replied, "No. What about your side?"
"Can't even see a rat's shadow. Weird… did the demon already escape?"
Many demons would flee the moment the Demon Slayer Corps got involved. Once discovered, they usually changed locations quickly.
The Demon Slayers had come here just last night to hunt this demon. If it wasn't a fool, it shouldn't still be lingering here—unless it was a particularly arrogant one, or had some reason it couldn't leave.
Takeo pondered while continuing his search. Just as he was about to shift directions, a sudden scream came from Yoshizuru Asato's direction.
"Ah!!"
It was unmistakably Asato's voice.
Upon hearing it, Takeo immediately dashed toward the source. At the same time, Sakoma Iori also arrived from the opposite direction.
When they reached the location where Asato had been, they found a deep pit in the ground, just wide enough for one person to fall through.
It was obvious—Yoshizuru Asato had fallen in.
"Hey! Asato-senpai! Are you alright?!"
Iori called down from above, her voice echoing through the hole. A moment later, Asato replied:
"I'm fine! But you two should come down and take a look! It's... huge down here!"
"A demon hiding underground?" Takeo muttered, considering the possibility.
He exchanged a glance with Iori, then the two of them jumped down one after the other.
The pit wasn't very deep—less than ten meters. For those trained in Breathing Techniques, it was no trouble at all.
They landed and saw Asato standing ahead, holding a lit firestarter to illuminate the space.
He was positioned at a crossroads, his expression serious as he examined the branching tunnels stretching in several directions.
When Takeo and Iori joined him, Asato said grimly:
"These tunnels don't look like they formed naturally."
"A demon's doing?" Takeo asked.
"Most likely. I'd say the demon is hiding somewhere in here—assuming it hasn't already fled."
Asato's words left the three momentarily silent.
The demon likely was hiding down here—but the problem lay in the branching tunnels ahead. Including the path they came from, there were four or five different routes.
This was essentially an underground labyrinth.
Trying to track down a demon in a place like this meant they had no choice but to split up.
But splitting up was dangerous. If this demon was truly responsible for wiping out the team that came yesterday, then any one of them encountering it alone could spell disaster.
All three of them were thinking the same thing. Then, Iori and Asato turned to look at Takeo.
They didn't even need to say anything—Takeo knew what they wanted to ask. He twitched his nose slightly, then his expression turned serious as he said:
"I don't smell the demon, but… one of the tunnels has a strong scent of blood coming from it. Maybe…"
"Then what are we waiting for?" Iori drew her sword without hesitation. "Let's check it out!"
The smell of blood…
Unlike the eager Iori, Asato's expression only grew more solemn. His brow furrowed, and a deep concern flickered in his eyes.
Even if a demon were injured, they would normally heal quickly—there was no way the scent of blood would still linger after an entire day.
So it wasn't hard to figure out what the source of the blood Takeo smelled might be.
Asato clenched his fist and placed one hand on the hilt of his sword. He inhaled deeply through the thick, dusty air, glanced at the other two, and without a word, stepped into the tunnel where the scent of blood was strongest.
The path ahead was narrow and winding.
It was wide enough for one person to walk comfortably, but if two tried to move side by side, they'd be pressed together. So the three proceeded in single file.
Asato led the group, carrying the only source of light—a small flame in a fire striker. Iori followed in the middle, while Takeo covered the rear.
"Take the left path."
"Now the right."
"Keep going straight."
From the back, Takeo called out directions to Asato up front. The underground maze was full of branches and turns—whoever had dug this must've spent considerable time.
With so many intersecting paths, it would be easy to get completely lost.
If Takeo weren't tracking the subtle scents left along the way, even finding their way back might've been impossible.
They continued forward for a while, when suddenly, Asato stopped in his tracks.
"What is it, senpai?" Iori, who had been just as cautious, asked upon seeing him halt.
Asato didn't answer immediately. He crouched down and picked something up from the ground.
As the firelight drew closer, the two behind him saw what he held—and they fell silent.
It was a torn piece of cloth. More precisely, it was a fragment of a Demon Slayer Corps uniform.
There were slash marks across it—one particularly deep cut had nearly split the fabric in two, leaving only a thin strand still connecting it.
The entire scrap was covered in dust. Just a light touch was enough to blacken one's fingertips.
Asato held the fragment in his palm, exhaled softly, and tucked it away. Then he turned to Takeo and asked, "It's just ahead, isn't it?"
"…Yeah."
The scent of blood had grown even stronger. At this point, it was overwhelmingly pungent to Takeo, nearly unbearable. If Asato and Iori focused, they could probably detect the iron tang in the air as well.
However…
The smell of dust in the air had thickened, far more intense than before.
It had begun to drown out the blood scent.
If the air ahead was like this all the way, even breathing might become a struggle.
Takeo paused for a moment, glanced at the two in front of him—both only wearing standard Demon Slayer uniforms—then tore off a portion of his own haori and fashioned it into a makeshift mask. He handed the pieces over.
"Before we go any farther, put these on."
Asato and Iori didn't argue. Each took a piece and tied it around their mouths, then followed Asato's lead as he resumed moving forward.
After walking another minute or so through the winding tunnel, the path finally came to an end.
Emerging from the passage, they found themselves in a wide underground "chamber."
Dust swirled thickly in the air.
Hanging from ropes across the ceiling like slabs of smoked meat were the corpses of several Demon Slayer Corps members and some ordinary civilians!
And beneath this grotesque forest of flesh, a small figure—child-sized—stood, gazing up at the hanging bodies.
The child wore a dark brown kimono, had bare feet, and short hair that barely reached his ears.
Perhaps having heard them approach, he turned to face the entrance.
The moment he turned around, the three immediately confirmed his identity.
The child's face appeared human at first glance, but protruding from his forehead was a twisted horn growing straight out from between his brows.
His eyes were even more telling—his sclera were entirely black.
It was the unmistakable hallmark of a demon. Most demons bore similar features.
There was no doubt about it—this child was not human.
He was a demon.
_________
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