The sun had just set when a group of Demon Slayer Corps members found Shinichi—a single Kinoe-ranked and three Tsuchinoto-ranked in total.
"Shinichi-sama!"
The four members bowed respectfully to Shinichi, which piqued the curiosity of Yuichiro who stood behind him.
The leader, Kinoe-ranked demonslayer Arai Masahiko, appeared much older than Shinichi, yet his attitude towards the young man was one of utmost respect.
Yuichiro knew little about the Demon Slayer Corps, as Shinichi had never explained it in detail.
Yuichiro only vaguely understood that "Hashira" was a title reserved for the most powerful swordsmen within the Corps, but he was unaware of the specifics.
While Arai Masahiko and the others reported the situation to Shinichi they also noticed Yuichiro hiding behind him.
The other members didn't think much of it, assuming the rumors were true—that the Forest Hashira had indeed taken on a disciple.
However, Arai Masahiko was somewhat startled.
Yuichiro's appearance was far too distinctive, almost instinctively reminding Arai of another boy.
In his memory, the two youths' features overlapped almost perfectly.
Had he not been certain that the boy named Muichiro had gone on another mission with the Insect Hashira, Arai might have believed he had encountered Muichiro again.
But soon, the Forest Hashira's cough snapped Arai out of his daze.
Right! This wasn't the time to dwell on such things—hunting Demons was the priority!
After briefly summarizing the intel, Shinichi stood up and called to Yuichiro behind him.
"Let's go, Yuichiro. Your master will take you Demon hunting."
"Coming, Master!" Yuichiro hurried to catch up with Shinichi.
The other members exchanged glances before gripping their Nichirin Blades and following the Forest Hashira.
As Shinichi rose, Maru-ni who had been snoozing nearby woke up.
After a big yawn, the fat creature shook off its plump body and nimbly dashed into the mountain forest.
"Yuichiro? Even the name is similar. Could they really be twins?" Arai muttered at the back of the group, watching Yuichiro's retreating figure.
Truth be told, the boy named Muichiro had left quite an impression on him.
Perhaps only someone like that could be called a true genius.
Shaking his head to dispel the idle thoughts, Arai quickened his pace to rejoin the team.
****
The thin moonlight, filtered through layers of drifting clouds and dense tree canopies, barely illuminated the dark mountain forest.
Because of this, the Demon Slayer members had to light lanterns to see the path beneath their feet.
As for flashlights, such advanced gadgets hadn't yet reached the small island nation at this time.
But for Shinichi, this level of darkness was no hindrance at all.
Within the passive gaze of his Forest Eyes, nothing could hide.
Taking advantage of the Demon Slayers' search for traces of Demons in the forest, Yuichiro seized the opportunity to learn much about the Corps—and many stories about his master.
Only now did Yuichiro realize just how strong his master truly was.
The title of "Hashira" is an honor bestowed upon the strongest swordsmen within the Demon Slayer Corps.
To become a Hashira, one must either slay fifty Demons or defeat any one of the Twelve Kizuki.
What are the Twelve Kizuki? They are the twelve strongest Demons in existence.
According to these Corps members, The Forest Hashira had not only slain dozens of Demons but had even killed two Lower Moons and clashed with an Upper Moon.
Such formidable achievements left Yuichiro utterly stunned and his gaze towards Shinichi grew increasingly respectful.
"Master is amazing!"
"And that's not all," a young demonslayer excitedly explained to Yuichiro. "Shinichi-sama has made immense contributions to the Demon Slayer Corps. I heard that before his time, the Final Selection was brutally harsh—only one or two candidates would survive each batch.
But after Shinichi-sama reported to Oyakata-sama and personally intervened, the survival rate of the candidates skyrocketed! Even after Shinichi-sama went missing following his battle with an Upper Moon, Oyakata-sama never forgot his contributions and vowed to uphold his legacy.
Since then, every Final Selection has been overseen by a Hashira, responsible for monitoring the entire event and protecting the participants as much as possible!"
Yuichiro: "Master is amazing!"
Another demon slayers added, "And there's the Butterfly Mansion—founded jointly by Kanae-sama, Shinobu-sama and Shinichi-sama. It has been a tremendous help to us. The timely medical care provided there has saved countless injured members and helped many who suffered psychological trauma to regain their fighting spirit."
Yuichiro: "Master is amazing!"
"And also—"
Listening to the endless stream of praise behind him, Shinichi felt his face burning with embarrassment.
He quickly feigned indifference and irritation and finally snapping, "Enough chatter! Focus on the mission—save your energy for staying alert!"
Scolded abruptly, the Corps members and Yuichiro immediately fell silent.
It was at that moment that Arai at the front of the group noticed something unusual.
"Shinichi-sama! There's blood here!" Arai called out, lifting his lantern to point at the dark red-stained soil beneath a tree.
Instantly, Shinichi and the others rushed over.
Shinichi reached out, gauging the hardness of the blood-soaked earth.
The scent of blood in the air was faint, but his heterochromatic eyes flickered—for a brief moment, the peach-red hue of his right eye deepened into a crimson shade.
The fleeting trace of a Demon's presence went unnoticed by the others.
No one could perceive the existence of their own kind better than a Demon itself.
Shinichi gazed into the depths of the forest.
Amids the overwhelming vitality of the woods, faint threads of dark, deathly energy lingered—scattered yet all pointing in the same direction.
Without hesitation, Shinichi ordered the team to split up and continue searching for traces of the Demon.
"Huh? Split up? B-but, Shinici-sama, we still don't know how many Demons there are. Wouldn't dividing the team be too risky...?" Arai asked worriedly.
But Shinichi simply patted his shoulder.
"I'm here. Don't worry."
"Master! Master! Maru-ni is missing!" Just then, Yuichiro suddenly remembered something and shouted at Shinichi.
***
At the same time, deep in the mountain forest, a pair of crimson blood-red eyes scanned the surroundings, their low growls echoing faintly through the trees.
A sleek, black lightning-like figure darted swiftly among the dense forest.
Thud!
A muffled sound erupted as an ugly, wrinkled head suddenly burst from the ground.
Its grotesque face twisted with intense wariness and its pitch-black fangs ground together in frustration.
"Damn it! When did such a powerful wolf demon appear here?! This bastard! Is it trying to drive me away?!"
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