Swish!
A dark figure darted swiftly through the mountain forest, stirring up countless withered leaves in its wake.
Two streaks of crimson light trailed behind, leaving long afterimages in the air.
Crack!
A crisp sound of snapping branches rang out as the dark figure came to an abrupt halt.
Beneath its gleaming razor-sharp claws lay a broken, dried branch.
The black wolf-dog, exuding a dense demonic aura, lifted its head and gently nuzzled its elongated snout against the leg of the figure before it, letting out a low growl from its throat.
"Good work, Maru-ni," Shinichi said calmly, reaching out to ruffle the wolf-dog's head.
To be honest, after demonization, Maru-ni wasn't as pleasant to pet anymore—his fur had become coarse and stiff.
But Shinichi and Maru-ni shared a keen telepathic bond.
Whatever Shinichi muttered in his mind, Maru-ni heard it loud and clear.
The black wolf-dog immediately butted its head against Shinichi's thigh in displeasure.
Staggering slightly from the impact, Shinichi cried out, "Ah! Sorry, sorry! Maru-ni, next time I'll block you before talking shit about you, alright?"
Leaving aside Shinichi's playful teasing of Maru-ni, the Demon Slayer Corps members along with Yuichiro, had split into two teams and were carefully combing through the mountain forest for traces of the Demon.
There was indeed a Demon lurking in these woods and Shinichi had long since pinpointed its location.
However, he had no intention of slaying it immediately.
He wanted to use this Demon's strength to test the current capabilities of the Demon Slayer Corps members.
During the half-year he had been missing, it wasn't just Shinobu who had become a Hashira—under the efforts of the other Hashira, the Demon Slayer Corps had expanded significantly.
Upon his return, Shinichi had seen many unfamiliar faces.
But a larger force wasn't necessarily a good thing.
If their skills weren't up to par, more swordsmen would only serve as easy prey for the Demons.
The Demon in these woods was neither too strong nor too weak—just the right level to test the members' abilities.
So Shinichi secretly directed Maru-ni to have the him drive the Demon towards the Corps members with his overwhelming demonic presence.
And then there was his disciple, Yuichiro.
To be honest, Shinichi was curious—how would Yuichiro react upon encountering a Demon again?
Would he rise to the challenge, or would he succumb to the shadows of his past?
Whatever the outcome, Shinichi wanted to observe his disciple closely.
As for safety concerns, Shinichi had none.
With him and the demonized Maru-ni present, even if that Demon tried to turn the world upside down, it wouldn't pose a threat to the Corps members.
****
"Watch out!"
Yuichiro suddenly shouted, reaching out to grab Arai Masahiko, who had nearly stumbled into a pit.
Yanked back abruptly, Arai blinked in confusion before realizing he had almost fallen into a deep hole.
A demonslayer of the Kinoe rank, needing to be warned by a mere boy—his face flushed with embarrassment.
"Th-thank you, uh, Yuichiro," Masahiko stammered as he offering a sincere, albeit awkward, expression of gratitude.
Yuichiro merely shook his head.
Around others, he was still somewhat reserved and rarely spoke.
During the subsequent search, Arai Masahiko looked at the silent boy Yuichiro beside him and finally couldn't suppress his curiosity.
"Hey Yuichiro, do you happen to have a brother named Muichiro?"
A cold breeze blew past as Yuichiro suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning to stare at Arai with wide eyes.
Seeing Yuichiro's shocked expression, Arai knew he'd guessed correctly—they really were brothers.
"Just as I thought. When I first saw you, I wondered if you might be Muichiro's brother. The resemblance is uncanny."
Hearing his younger brother's name, Yuichiro could no longer maintain his usual restraint.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he urgently pressed for information.
"Muichiro! How is Muichiro now? Is he alright? Have his injuries healed? Did he join the Demon Slayer Corps too? Has he... mentioned me?"
The barrage of questions startled Arai, who took a moment before responding.
"Ah? Well... Muichiro is... he's doing fine. A remarkably talented boy. The Insect Hashira, Shinobu-sama even—"
Before Arai could finish, his pupils suddenly contracted.
Every muscle in his body tensed instantly as his hand—already resting on his Nichirin Blade's hilt—drew the sword in one fluid motion.
Crackling electricity began sparking across his body.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!!"
Whoosh!!
The lightning-wreathed slash momentarily illuminated the forest's darkness, revealing the grotesque Demon lunging towards Yuichiro and Arai!
Crunch!
"Aaargh!!"
Arai's strike seemed to hit its mark, eliciting a howl from the Demon—which then vanished before their very eyes.
Swish!
Arai immediately pulled Yuichiro behind him, gripping his Nichirin Blade tightly as his eyes scanned their surroundings.
"Yuichiro, stay alert! The Demon's still nearby!"
As he spoke, he swiftly retrieved a signal flare from his belt and launched it skyward.
This signal would instantly alert other Corps members—and The Forest Hashira—to the Demon's presence.
"A Demon?!" Yuichiro's eyes widened.
In that instant, what felt like an electric current surged through his body, forcibly recalling that night—the night when his younger brother Muichiro had been viciously attacked by those Demons!
"I'll never let Demons harm anyone before me again!!" Gritting his teeth, flames of fury seemed to ignite in Yuichiro's pupils as he stepped back, tightly gripping the wooden training sword he always carried.
Arai remained oblivious to Yuichiro's transformation, his entire focus devoted to their surroundings.
The Demon was undoubtedly lying in wait nearby—likely possessing some Blood Demon Art that concealed its form.
Such Demons were notoriously difficult to combat, requiring absolute vigilance.
As for Yuichiro, Arai remembered The Forest Hashira instructions clearly: he wouldn't let the Hashira's apprentice come to harm.
And indeed, just as Arai suspected—beneath their very feet, a Demon nearly identical to the earth itself watched them hungrily.
Blood Demon Art: Earth Concealment!
Just by the name, one could tell this was a Demon capable of lurking within the earth!
"Damn it, what rotten luck! Not only did I run into a rival trying to steal my territory, but I also bumped into those damned Demon Slayer Corps!" The faceless Demon seethed as it prowled through the soil, filled with resentment.
Having been slashed once, it knew full well that the best choice was to flee immediately.
But behind that sword-wielding Demon Slayer, that kid holding a wooden blade—he looked absolutely delicious!
The earth-dwelling Demon drooled uncontrollably.
The usual lumberjacks and farmers it fed on were nothing compared to that tender youth.
Not to mention, the boy exuded an intoxicating, irresistible scent.
"That smell... Hiss—could it be... rare blood?"
In an instant, overwhelming greed consumed the earth Demon.
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