Chapter 36 – Slaying a Lower Moon Demon… Again
This marked the second time Hikaru had come face-to-face with a demon from the Lower Moons.
But despite that, his attention wasn't fixed on the one standing before him.
Instead, it lingered on someone behind him—a demon named Tamayo.
Tamayo didn't possess great strength in battle. But her potential contribution to this war far outweighed that of most.
—Tamayo.
If Hikaru remembered correctly, this woman came from the Sengoku era, several hundred years ago—she had lived during the same period as Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the First Breathing Swordsman.
For centuries, she'd dedicated her life to researching a cure.
A way to turn demons… back into humans.
And that knowledge—painstakingly gathered across generations—was nothing short of priceless.
It might even be the key to defeating Kibutsuji Muzan once and for all.
But Hikaru didn't say anything.
This wasn't the time to talk about it.
The night was quiet.
A blood-red moon hung in the sky. Spring winds rustled through the trees, brushing past leaves like a whisper.
The forest was still.
Only the faint, labored breathing of Lower Moon Three—Byouha—lingered in the air.
Hikaru stood without moving.
Behind him, Tamayo parted her lips to ask something—why a Demon Slayer would go so far to protect a demon like her.
But just the act of shifting triggered sharp pain from her wounds.
The words never made it out.
Not far away, Yushiro was still trying to stand.
"A Demon Slayer… protecting demons?" Byouha growled. His bloodshot eyes bulged, and the veins on his face throbbed grotesquely, distorting his expression.
"That's none of your concern," Hikaru replied coolly, raising his blade level with his brow.
Whatever reasons he had—none of them were for a demon to question.
"Tch… damn human."
Byouha sneered.
And in the blink of an eye—
The ground rumbled.
Dozens of tendrils burst forth, blood-red and writhing, stretching in all directions. They snaked toward Tamayo and Yushiro, wrapping around them like predatory vines and hoisting them into the air.
At that exact moment, Hikaru bent his knees and leapt skyward.
The earth below cracked open as thorned tendrils shot up like spears.
But in midair, Hikaru spun, slashing downward with a blade that shimmered like liquid moonlight.
The tendrils—every last one of them—were severed cleanly, scattering into droplets of blood and shards of withered bark.
Hovering above the chaos, Hikaru locked eyes on the demon below.
Byouha stood in the center of a spreading pool of blood, grinning wide.
The ground beneath him pulsed like a beating heart, crimson fluids seeping deep into the roots and soil.
The trees around them quivered, warped into twisted claws by demonic power.
"So… a Blood Demon Art, huh?" Hikaru muttered, eyes narrowing.
Naturally.
All high-level demons—especially the Twelve Kizuki—possessed unique abilities powered by their blood.
And this wasn't Hikaru's first time facing one.
But there was something especially foul about Byouha's ability. Corrupting the very flora around him, turning the land itself into a living trap…
"This entire forest belongs to me now!" Byouha roared. "If I devour a Hashira—someone from the Demon Slayer Corps—I'll become unstoppable!"
"With Muzan-sama's blessing, I'll ascend! No more Lower Moon… I'll take an Upper Moon's seat for myself!"
Tendrils erupted again.
A wave of attacks surged toward Hikaru from every direction.
He met them with another swing of his blade.
Each strike cleanly cut through the living vines, slicing them apart without effort.
But it was clear—the danger was escalating.
Byouha was leagues above the Lower Moon Six Hikaru had faced before.
And with every passing second, his blood soaked deeper into the earth, corrupting more of the forest, generating more tendrils, more attacks—faster, sharper, deadlier.
"Demon Slayer… I don't know why you're trying to protect us," Tamayo said weakly, "but… you should leave."
"You can't win this."
If the Flame Hashira were here, it would've been different. His burning blade could've incinerated these vines instantly.
But Hikaru… wasn't the Flame Hashira.
And Tamayo knew—the longer he stayed, the greater the risk to his life.
Unless Hikaru could end the fight in a single blow… they were all in danger.
And that was no small feat, even for a Hashira.
The Lower Moons might not rival the Upper Moons…
But they weren't weak either.
"You still have the nerve to worry about others?" Byouha laughed madly. "When none of you are getting out of here alive—!"
The air trembled.
Hikaru's sword flashed again.
The tendrils split and fell.
His feet landed on solid ground.
Not a word left his lips.
He focused—eyes locked on the demon in front of him.
And when the tendrils surged toward him again like venomous serpents, striking from every angle—
Hikaru leapt.
His blade rose.
"You're dead!" Byouha bellowed, lashing out with renewed fury.
Faster than before, the tendrils struck.
But Hikaru spun, slicing in a fluid, fog-like motion.
Everything in his path disintegrated.
He kept moving.
Faster.
Closer.
The gleam of his blade now reflected in Byouha's wide, startled eyes.
And in that instant—
The demon trembled.
But then… grinned even wider.
The wind shifted.
—Mirror Flower, Water Moon: Activated.
Hikaru's gaze remained steady.
The pressure in the air spiked.
But his blade didn't falter.
Then—
It happened.
Two tendrils struck from both sides at once—like a deadly crosscut, aimed directly at Hikaru's body.
Too fast for human eyes.
His sword stopped mid-swing.
His body froze.
"…So much for the big bad Hashira!" Byouha cackled.
From above, Tamayo stared, eyes wide in disbelief.
She exhaled shakily, unable to watch any longer.
"You bastard…!" Yushiro growled, still struggling against his restraints.
Hikaru's body stood still.
Unmoving.
The forest fell silent.
No blood.
No scent of blood.
Just…
Wind.
The moonlight shifted.
And the figure standing before Byouha—vanished.
"What…?" Byouha blinked, confused.
Too slow.
Something cold touched the back of his neck.
His body tensed.
A blade—unseen—sliced clean through.
A silver arc of light danced behind him.
Blood sprayed skyward.
Byouha turned, eyes wild.
There—standing behind him—
Was Hikaru.
Black hair.
Black haori.
When…?
But before the thought could finish—
His head was already gone.
Multiple strikes followed.
Rapid. Precise.
His body collapsed.
Then crumbled into dust.
Gone.
Tamayo stared, speechless.
Yushiro froze mid-breath.
Neither of them could fully process what just happened.
But they understood one thing:
—This Demon Slayer was far stronger than they had imagined.
The thorned tendrils writhed once… then collapsed.
The restraints on Tamayo and Yushiro vanished.
Hikaru lowered his sword… and sheathed it with one smooth motion.
The blood moon had faded.
The soft silver of night returned.
Moonlight fell gently on his shoulders.
His black haori fluttered in the breeze.
His Kasugai crow perched calmly on his shoulder again.
Hikaru turned to the demons behind him.
His eyes were clear.
Reflecting the moon above.
Everything had happened so fast… but in truth—
From the moment he drew his blade to the moment he sheathed it…
It all happened in a single breath.
Lower Moon demons…
No matter how grotesque or strange their powers—
—They no longer posed a threat to Hikaru.
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