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The midday sun was quite scorching. Hachiman Hikigaya followed the Dragon-Seeking Compass, constantly circling Mount Natagumo.
"Next time, I'm definitely not choosing random equipment!"
Hachiman Hikigaya thought, gritting his teeth.
If he had known it would be such a pit, wouldn't it have been better to just get an Evolution Stabilization Potion and sell it for 1000 paradise coins? He shouldn't have been so lucky as to think he could draw some invincible equipment.
The Dragon-Seeking Compass in his hand changed direction again. Hachiman Hikigaya was already used to it and continued to follow the compass to search for traces of the Demon Slayer Corps.
And so, he returned to the starting point for the fourth time.
Random equipment equals Dragon-Seeking Compass.
Random equipment equals Evolution Stabilization Potion.
Evolution Stabilization Potion equals 1000 paradise coins.
Dragon-Seeking Compass equals 1000 paradise coins.
After a series of equivalent substitutions, Hachiman Hikigaya barely managed not to throw it away.
Just then, it distorted direction again. Hachiman Hikigaya helplessly looked in that direction; it was a man with a center part, secretly peeking at him.
"Your Stage One Mission - Find the Demon Slayer Corps has been completed."
"Stage Two Mission - Join the Demon Slayer Corps, learn a Breathing Styles."
"The mission is complete?"
Hachiman Hikigaya was a bit surprised. Was that person from the Demon Slayer Corps?
He actually found them?
… …
On the other side, Kisaragi Rin had already put down his chopsticks and handed a cup of warm water to Kanroji Mitsuri.
"Thank you."
Kanroji Mitsuri took the water cup and leaned on the bar, looking a bit dazed. The ramen bowls in front of her were piled up, exceeding her head.
He glanced at Kisaragi Rin again; he had eaten even more than her.
Although it started as just an invitation to eat, as one bowl after another was consumed, it inexplicably turned into an eating contest.
Finally, Kisaragi Rin defeated Kanroji Mitsuri by a slight margin.
Kanroji Mitsuri rubbed her lower abdomen. It was the first time she had eaten so heartily since leaving home.
Moreover, it was the first time she had been defeated in terms of eating capacity.
"Ms. Kanroji, why are you here?" Kisaragi Rin asked her.
"I'm looking for someone."
Kanroji Mitsuri replied, but then she started to panic, "Wait, do I know you?"
Kanroji Mitsuri fell into a brainstorm: How did this person know her name? Could he be someone she knew? No wonder he wasn't surprised by her eating capacity, but she had no impression of him at all! It was too rude to have forgotten someone...
"Looking for someone? Who are you looking for?"
Kisaragi Rin quietly asked beside her.
Kanroji Mitsuri said, blushing with embarrassment, "Just a moment, sir. I'm very sorry, I might have forgotten your identity. Could you give me a little hint?"
At the same time, she extended her finger, pinching a ball of air, and gestured, "Just a tiny hint, I'm sure I can remember."
"Actually, you don't know me."
There were too many people around, so Kisaragi Rin paid the Boss and planned to pull her away from there first.
Kanroji Mitsuri was pulled by Kisaragi Rin, white steam constantly rising from her head. She shyly guessed, "I don't know him, but he knows me. Could he be my suitor?!"
Thinking of this, Kanroji Mitsuri started to sweat all over. Kisaragi Rin felt a dampness on his hand and turned back to see Kanroji Mitsuri's condition.
He silently released her hand, forgetting that the views of this era were still conservative. Holding hands seemed to make Kanroji Mitsuri too shy.
Finding a random alley, Kisaragi Rin turned to her and introduced himself, "My name is Kisaragi Rin, and I'm planning to join the Demon Slayer Corps."
"Join the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Only then did Kanroji Mitsuri realize she might have misunderstood. She had originally intended to refuse Kisaragi Rin, as the Demon Slayer Corps's situation wasn't very good right now, but then she suddenly noticed the name he spoke.
"Your name is Kisaragi Rin!"
Kanroji Mitsuri suddenly became excited, quickly stepped forward, grabbed Kisaragi Rin's collar, and tears streamed down her face as she tearfully and incoherently poured out her feelings to Kisaragi Rin.
"I've been looking for you for so long... The people in this city are so strange... I even met a swindler and lost all my money..."
"Wait, Ms. Kanroji, why are you looking for me?"
Kisaragi Rin was a bit dizzy from her shaking and tried to pry her hands open, but found her strength astonishing. With Kisaragi Rin's 11 points of strength, he couldn't break free for a moment.
"Master sent me. He said I would meet someone named Kisaragi Rin here."
Ms. Kanroji's expression had turned into an exaggerated facial expression.
"Wait, what exactly is going on?"
The Master of the Demon Slayer Corps is naturally Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
Kisaragi Rin knew that the Ubuyashiki Kagaya family had a peculiar precognitive ability. Through that precognition, the Ubuyashiki Kagaya family acquired a large amount of funds through business, which enabled them to form the Demon Slayer Corps.
But he came from paradise, and he also had the blessing of the Workshop. How could he have been foreseen?
"One day, a swordsman named Kisaragi Rin will appear near Mount Natagumo with his two subordinates, ending the thousand-year-old Demon King… That's what Master said."
Kanroji Mitsuri recalled what Master had said and recounted it to Kisaragi Rin.
Kisaragi Rin touched his forehead; there was no lightning symbol there. How did he become the Savior?
… …
After a while, Kisaragi Rin calmed down the agitated Kanroji Mitsuri and asked her, "Ms. Kanroji, are you a Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"No, I'm still a Kinoe-ranked swordsman."
Kanroji Mitsuri replied.
She was still a Kinoe-ranked swordsman, so had the plot not started yet?
However, there was no need to guess now; he could just ask Kanroji Mitsuri directly.
"Please explain clearly the current situation of the Demon Slayer Corps and why this world has become like this."
Kanroji Mitsuri's verbal expression ability was a bit weak. After a long, incoherent narration with much gesturing, Kisaragi Rin roughly understood the timeline of changes in this world.
Two years ago, Kanroji Mitsuri joined the Demon Slayer Corps. At that time, everything was normal. Japan was still ruled by the military government, demons hid in the darkness eating people, and the Demon Slayer Corps was hunting demons everywhere.
Until a year ago, Upper Moon One and Upper Moon Two suddenly attacked the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
At that time, the ones remaining at headquarters were Stone Pillar Gyomei Himejima, Tengen Uzui, Serpent Pillar Obanai Iguro, and a large number of ordinary swordsmen.
The strongest Stone Pillar immediately died in battle to protect Master. Tengen Uzui escaped by chance with Master's children, and Serpent Pillar also died in battle to cover Tengen Uzui.
Since then, the demons suddenly stopped hiding in the shadows. The Twelve Kizuki divided some cities, and ordinary demons openly hunted humans in the wild.
The so-called Master's prophecy was made by the new Master, who was only 6 years old.
"But I remember that the Demon Slayer Corps also faced several near-annihilation crises in its thousand-year history, and the demons still remained hidden in the dark."
Kisaragi Rin voiced his doubts.
For a thousand years, the Demon Slayer Corps's power has always been somewhat insufficient against demons in terms of high-end combat strength.
The Demon Slayer Corps's Pillars could kill Low Moon, but against Upper Moon, especially the top three, they basically had little power to resist.
The Demon Slayer Corps's Pillars and the Twelve Kizuki's Low Moon constantly changed, while the Upper Moon among the Twelve Kizuki had not changed for nearly 130 years.
It wasn't until the protagonist Tanjiro Kamado brought the Transparent World, Mark, and Crimson Blade set that the Demon Slayer Corps truly had the strength to decisively battle the demons.
Even with such a disparity in combat strength, why did the demons always hide in the dark and not appear openly?
Because this was their Boss, Kibutsuji Muzan's, request.
A thousand years ago, when Kibutsuji Muzan first became the Demon King, he was also a character who considered himself invincible.
Until a swordsman named Yoriichi Tsugikuni appeared before him.
Born with a Mark, he created Sun Breathing, and mastered the Transparent World and Crimson Blade.
With just one strike, the invincible Kibutsuji Muzan once again felt death and immediately shattered his body into over eighteen hundred pieces, scattering and fleeing, thus avoiding being cut down by Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Since then, the invincible Demon King became a pathetic Boss.
He always hid in the dark, even creating the Twelve Kizuki to deal with the Demon Slayer Corps, never taking action himself, only pursuing the Blue Spider Lily, wanting to become the ultimate being that was not afraid of sunlight.
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