A large black dog, fully half the height of a man, and a large bat nearly the same size. When these two move together, you know they are nothing good.
The large black dog sniffed incessantly through the streets and alleys in the dead of night—sniffing left, sniffing right—searching for its target.
The large bat occasionally flapped its massive wings, flying and then stopping, following the dog's footsteps at a leisurely pace.
Whether it was truly leisurely, or simply impatience born of anxiety, only the bat knew in its heart.
The ferocious-looking black dog sniffed its way along the base of a wall. Suddenly, it seemed to catch a scent. Its canine eyes lit up, and it darted into a nearby alley!
The large bat hanging from the streetlamp behind saw the dog's movement. Its eyes also lit up with excitement. Flapping its huge wings, it flew after the dog.
Could it be that the black dog found the target?
Actually, that wasn't the case at all. Actually...
The black dog rushed into the depths of the alley. At a glance, it spotted a dark lump on the ground. It sniffed carefully, confirming what it was! Excited, it couldn't help but lean in closer.
The large bat followed, landing behind the dog.
The bat saw immediately what the dark lump was that the dog was sniffing.
It turned pale with shock (if a bat could turn pale), flapped its wings, and with a sudden burst of speed, unceremoniously clawed at the black dog's back!
Squelch!
Three bloody gashes were torn into the black dog's back!
The black dog roared in pain and fury, forgetting the dark lump on the ground. It leaped away, spun around, and glared at the large bat now hanging from a tree. Filled with rage, it actually spoke in human language:
"Why did you hurt me?!"
As it spoke, the wounds on its back rapidly healed and closed.
The large bat hanging upside down from the tree glared back with unkind eyes, also speaking in human language:
"You bastard! A dog really can't change its habit of eating shit!
"Don't forget, you are a demon! Not a dog! At most, you are a demon who can turn into a dog!
"Are you really going to act like a dog and eat shit!?"
Yes, the dark lump on the ground that had attracted the black dog was a pile of feces!
And human feces at that!
Who knows which immoral person couldn't be bothered to use their own toilet or a public restroom, and instead decided to relieve themselves deep in this alley?
Being lectured by the bat like this, the black dog felt a bit embarrassed.
"This... Hehe, I couldn't help it. I just couldn't help it.
"Normally I'm fine, but once I turn into a dog, I lose a bit of control.
"Especially when I'm overusing my nose. Once I smell that scent, I don't know what happens... the dog's nature just takes over, and I get drawn to it.
"Really, it's quite distressing for me too! Sometimes I just can't help myself!"
As it spoke, the flesh of the large black dog began to writhe. It transformed from a dog into a humanoid form—a blue-faced, fanged demon covered in black fur.
The large bat hanging from the tree also began to change.
With writhing flesh, that creature also took on a humanoid form, becoming a blue-faced, fanged demon with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, dark skin, and malicious eyes.
Indeed, neither of them were animals. They were truly two demons. We can refer to them simply as the Black Dog Demon and the Bat Demon.
Even after transforming into human form, the pile on the ground still held a certain attraction for the Black Dog Demon. He quickly took a few steps back to put some distance between himself and the feces.
While backing away, he continued to complain.
"Honestly, this dog nature that pops up occasionally makes me miserable. If I really accidentally ate that stuff and word got out, how could I show my face as a demon anymore!?"
The Bat Demon maintained his upside-down posture, his tone unfriendly.
"If you really ate that stuff, I wouldn't team up with you even if you beat me to death. At worst, I'd go solo!"
"Solo?" The Black Dog Demon laughed smugly. "That won't work. Lord Muzan's orders were for us to team up and cooperate to find Lord Hantengu.
"Who told us to have such specific Blood Demon Arts? Who told us both to specialize in tracking and searching?
"There's no helping it. Our situation is that together we benefit, divided we suffer.
"If we cooperate, the chances of finding Lord Hantengu rise significantly. If we go our separate ways, it will be hard to find him.
"Failing to find him is secondary; if we anger Lord Muzan, do you think either of us will survive?"
The Black Dog Demon's words were irritating, but they made sense.
Even though the Bat Demon was angry, he had to admit it.
"Fine. Even if what you say makes sense, we do have to cooperate. Otherwise, if too much time passes and we haven't found Lord Hantengu, we're both dead.
"Alright, Old Dog, let me ask you: Are you certain Lord Hantengu's scent is in this town?"
Getting down to business, the Black Dog Demon became smug, patting his chest confidently.
"Of course!
"After searching for so many days, although there were traces of Lord Hantengu's scent in other places, the scent is strongest in this town!
"I can be certain that even if Lord Hantengu isn't in this town right now, at the very least, he stayed here recently. And he stayed here within the last three days!"
The Bat Demon seemed skeptical.
"Are you sure?"
"I am absolutely sure!
"Once I turn into a dog, the sense of smell granted by my Blood Demon Art isn't much worse than a real hound's. The scent of Lord Hantengu in this town is indeed very strong!"
The Bat Demon still expressed doubt. He pointed in another direction.
"But a few days ago, that's not what you said.
"A few days ago, you said Lord Hantengu's scent was faintly coming from that direction.
"But this town and that direction are completely opposite to each other!"
Incidentally, the direction the Bat Demon pointed to was exactly where Mt. Momoyama was located.
faced with this question, the Black Dog Demon's confidence wavered slightly. He scratched the black fur on his head, looking troubled and hesitant.
"That... well, that is true.
"A few days ago, I vaguely smelled Lord Hantengu's scent, and the trail indeed led in that direction.
"But it is also a fact that Lord Hantengu's scent is very strong in this town."
At this point, the Black Dog Demon suddenly spoke with impatience.
"We can't rely solely on my Blood Demon Art for tracking!
"My art is good for following trails, yes, but it's not great for broad searches.
"Occasionally, you should activate your Blood Demon Art too. Listen carefully to what's going on in this town. Who knows, you might hear some movement from Lord Hantengu!"
Hearing this, the Bat Demon felt it made sense.
With writhing flesh, the demon began to transform again, returning to the form of the large bat nearly half the height of a man.
Still hanging upside down from the tree, the large bat closed its eyes and began to activate its unique Blood Demon Art. Every tiny sound in the entire town was sucked into its ears.
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