Kumamoto City, Ashikita Town.
Qingshui, carrying a wooden box on his back, entered Fujiaya.
Inside the box was a simple armored Puppet he had made to enhance strength, speed, and defense.
Referencing his previous fight with Uzui Tengen, where they fought to a draw, Qingshui now had a fairly accurate assessment of his own combat prowess.
Using only Breathing Style, he was stronger than all Lower Rank Demons, but if he faced an Upper Rank Demon, it wouldn't be as safe.
Fortunately, Breathing Style wasn't the only thing he knew.
Donning the armored Puppet would elevate his combat strength another level. Combined with his Scarlet Ore Iron firearms and the Ninjutsu he had mastered, as long as he didn't encounter Muzan or Kokushibo—the current combat power ceilings—he would definitely be able to protect himself.
If he really did run into them, he could only consider himself unlucky and pray for the best.
But that shouldn't be the case.
"It was an incredibly fast Demon, so fast I barely reacted, and one of my fellow squad members was poisoned. The rest of us had to stand back-to-back to finally block the attacks."
"It was then that we finally saw the Demon's true form: a wicked Demon with pointed ears and a body covered in scars. Its eyes bore the characters for Lower Rank Three. After realizing we had encountered a Lower Rank Demon, we unanimously decided that the older swordsmen would cover our retreat, allowing the younger swordsmen to escape first and bring back the news."
A sixteen or seventeen-year-old Class-D Demon Slayer Corps swordsman, missing an arm, tearfully spoke to Qingshui.
There had already been swordsmen lost in this area before, so Ubuyashiki Kagaya had dispatched four swordsmen from nearby, all of whom were high-ranking and powerful.
Two Class-D, one Class-C, and one Class-B.
This lineup was sufficient to deal with all Demons except the Twelve Kizuki, yet they still encountered Lower Rank Three.
But thankfully, they were strong enough that this young man managed to escape with his life.
"Qingshui-senpai, I know you're a Class-A Swordsman, but this is a Twelve Kizuki after all. Shouldn't we ask Master to notify a Hashira to come? It would be safer."
"No need. A Lower Rank Demon shouldn't be a problem for me."
Qingshui sat on the Tatami, pouring a cup of tea for the sixteen or seventeen-year-old swordsman who was destined to retire soon.
"Tell me, how did you find this Demon?"
"Alright, initially, according to information from the Kakushi at Butterfly Mansion, this Demon is very peculiar. It only likes to eat human hearts, and anyone it kills shows signs of being cut by a sharp weapon..."
Qingshui suddenly looked up.
This symptom of death... it was so familiar.
A Lower Rank Demon... could it also turn people into Demons?
Qingshui thought of the spider family on Mount Natagumo, who had been turned into Demons by Lower Rank Five.
It seemed he had found his enemy.
That night.
The night was dark and windy, with countless stars, but they were dim and lightless.
Qingshui sat cross-legged on the roof of a civilian house, already wearing his armored Puppet. His Nichirin Blade lay flat in front of him, and he closed his eyes, sensing his surroundings.
At one moment, Qingshui suddenly opened his eyes, looking towards a certain street.
"So it appeared after all?"
A blurry black Kage was carrying two young women, fleeing down the street.
*Whoosh!*
In just the span of a breath, a blue sword light flashed.
"Hm?"
The blurry Demon Kage quickly retreated, looking left and right at its severed arms and the two young women who had fallen not far ahead.
"A year ago, were you in the Koga Region?"
Qingshui glanced at the two unconscious women on the ground and stepped forward.
Lower Rank Three, Byouha, stroked his chin with his newly regrown hand, looking at Qingshui with interest.
"This long, sustained breathing... are you a Hashira? If I can eat you, I should become stronger, right? If I kill more Hashira, Master Muzan will surely grant me more blood, right? That way, I'll soon become an Upper Rank Demon."
Another sharp sword light flashed.
"I'm asking you a question."
Qingshui twirled his sword, glancing at the three faint claw marks on the surface of his armor, and said indifferently.
"Very impressive! As expected of a Hashira. A year ago? I remember now, there was a man who looked a bit like you. He actually dared to resist when he met me. I saw he had guts, so I rewarded him with a drop of blood. I wonder if he survived afterward."
"What, is he your family? Did you join the Demon Slayer Corps and become a Hashira to avenge him? What a touching story~"
Byouha touched his neck, thinking of the strike that had nearly cut his neck bone just now. While mocking, his eyes gradually became serious.
His fingernails quickly lengthened, like ten rapier blades.
"It's you, then there's no problem."
Qingshui's eyes were cold as he looked at Byouha.
Uesugi Shirakawa was, after all, the older brother of this body. And Qingshui had frequently relied on the Uesugi Clan's power in the Demon Slayer World. The favor owed had to be repaid, and the revenge due also had to be exacted.
"Separation Breathing: Second Form - Separation Dance!"
A dazzling blue light flashed across the street, aiming straight for Byouha's head.
"So fast!"
Byouha gasped in surprise, retreating quickly. He crossed his claws in front of him, only for them to be sliced apart again.
Fortunately, this bought him a little time and prevented him from being decapitated.
Qingshui frowned slightly.
His direct combat power was superior to Byouha's, but Byouha was quite fast, making him difficult to kill.
"Separation Breathing: Second Form - Ion Cut."
Another smooth, mirror-like blue slash appeared, but Byouha decisively sacrificed a small portion of his body to be cut, lunging instead towards the two young women lying on the ground in the distance.
Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao!
*Bang!*
A gunshot rang out, and Byouha's neck was instantly struck by a bullet made of Scarlet Ore Iron.
However, as a member of the Twelve Kizuki, his body's durability was far beyond that of ordinary Demons. Although a huge crater was blown into his neck, some flesh and blood still remained.
At this point, Byouha was truly terrified and vanished from Qingshui's sight in the blink of an eye.
*Zing!*
With a single hand, Qingshui performed Su Qin's Sword Behind the Back, blocking Byouha's attack with his sword.
"Interesting, a Blood Demon Art that grants invisibility?"
There was almost no sound around. Qingshui only reacted when he felt the air tear as Byouha attacked.
But at other times, even Qingshui couldn't detect any movement.
Adjusting his stance slightly, Qingshui guarded the two unconscious women, closed his eyes, and began to calmly sense his surroundings.
Swinging his sword several times in quick succession, Qingshui precisely blocked every one of Byouha's attacks.
"How can this be?!"
Byouha was stunned.
Meanwhile, a faint smile played on Qingshui's lips.
The Score technique was quite useful.
There was a bug in the previous content: it's not only Upper Rank Demons who can turn people into Demons; Lower Rank Demons can too. A prime example is the family transformed by Lower Rank Five, Rui.
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