Chapter 8: God's Soldier Descends from Heaven (Demon Slayer Arc Begins)
The vast, eerie hall was so silent it felt as if it could swallow all sound.
After successfully persuading Loki to stay behind, Arthur stepped out from a shimmering light portal.
Before him lay only a straight path, leading to another identical light portal in the distance.
Arthur chuckled softly, "How convenient, it doesn't even give me a chance to get lost."
"Fuwu~"
The pure white beast lightly leaped off his shoulder, its paws barely touching the ground, creating silent ripples as it reached the light portal first.
Arthur quickly followed, and the moment his fingertips touched the light portal, several pieces of information flooded his mind.
Dimensional Gate Activated: Time Flow Ratio 120:1
Mission: Purge the corruption in this world, resolve the world's calamity.
Immediately after, the voice that had once sounded when he was on the verge of death echoed again.
"As the price for your second life, embark."
This voice was unlike the cold, neutral tone of the previous two messages; it contained an undeniable will.
It was the owner of this voice who had pulled him back from the brink of death in the explosion, and the price was this contract of service.
Arthur's face was calm. "No need for you to remind me. All gifts of fate come with a price; I understand that perfectly."
Creak—!
The heavy Dimensional Gate was pushed open, and Arthur and Fu Fu stepped inside.
...Mud Truck Special Divider...
The mountain forest, shrouded in night, was filled with a heavy, oppressive silence.
The wind whimpered, sweeping through twisted branches, swaying into shadowy, clawing figures that resembled demons.
"Fuwu!"
The small beast, standing quietly on his shoulder, let out a warning growl.
"Hmm, the smell of blood is strong. It seems this place…"
Arthur's words abruptly stopped as a foul wind attacked him from behind!
A dark shadow shot out, its sharp claws like hooks, aiming straight for the vital point of his back!
Clang!
A sword gleamed, so fast it left only a fleeting arc.
As Arthur dodged sideways, his longsword had already precisely severed the attacking claws.
By the faint moonlight, he clearly saw the appearance of the attacker.
Dressed in a tattered kimono, with gray-white, shriveled skin, a twisted face, exposed fangs, and bloodshot eyes, it was the spitting image of a demon.
Seeing this, Arthur frowned in confusion.
"What kind of ghost is this?"
The dismembered monster staggered backward, letting out a roar and curse filled with pain and madness.
"Bastard, another Demon Slayer!? It hurts! It hurts so much! I'll eat you!"
"Japan-go? Demon Slayer?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Arthur's eyes, but his movements didn't stop in the slightest.
This demonic thing was more intelligent than a living corpse, yet far weaker than a Dead Apostle. Was it a unique monster of this world?
Before the demon could react, Arthur had already closed in, piercing it through with a backhanded sword thrust, pinning it firmly to the ground.
"Hey! If you don't want your soul to scatter, then honestly answer my question. What is a 'Demon Slayer'?"
The damage caused by the longsword was far beyond that of an ordinary cut. The demon struggled wildly, but there was no sign of the wound healing, and its wails grew fainter.
"Bastard! Why… why does it hurt so much… Wait… wait until I recover…"
The demon completely ignored Arthur, only struggling frantically.
But as time passed, its severed arm still did not heal, and its cursing voice grew weaker.
Arthur squatted down leisurely, looking down at the dying demon, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"It seems we can have a good talk now, Mr. Demon."
…
Meanwhile, deep in the mountain forest.
Tanjiro fell heavily to the ground, the forced use of Hinokami Kagura having drained his last ounce of strength.
Ringing in his ears, dizziness, and intense pain swept through his entire body, even his breathing became fragmented.
He struggled to get up, but a stronger smell of blood came from behind him—
It wasn't his blood!
Tanjiro turned his head in disbelief, his pupils suddenly contracting.
"How could this be… I clearly cut off its head?"
"Did you think you won against me?"
"How pathetic. Do you feel happy relying on your sad delusions?"
The pale-skinned young demon, Rui, slowly approached, a string in his hand pulling a head that had rolled nearby.
"I cut off my own head with a string before you could sever my neck."
Rui casually placed the head back on his neck, annoyed that he had been entangled with Tanjiro for so long.
"That's enough. I'm going to kill both you and your sister. I haven't been this angry in a long time!"
Tanjiro had no time to heed the demon's killing intent, only desperately trying to regulate his breathing to stand up again.
'Breathing… If I just regulate my breathing…'
He suddenly stiffened. The smell of the wind had changed!
It was no longer the gentle breeze of the forest, but a heavy, violent airflow, compressing the air, making his breathing stop short!
Rui also instantly became alert. Before he could activate his Blood Demon Art, a figure, enveloped in a hurricane, charged in with overwhelming force!
Bang!
A powerful force slammed Rui against a tree trunk. Before it could react, a broad sword blade had already pierced through its chest!
Rui cried out in pain, "Who are you!?"
Arthur expressionlessly pulled out his sword, and with another flash of the blade, a head flew into the sky.
"The one sending you on your way."
Arthur watched as the demon turned to ash in its unwilling roars, then turned around.
His gaze swept over the young man struggling to get up on the ground, finally settling on the small girl in a pool of blood not far away.
That was another demon.
!!!
Tanjiro, whose sense of smell was superior to others, detected killing intent!
This unfamiliar and cold killing intent was aimed at Nezuko!
He forced himself to shout, "Please wait! Ne… *cough cough*… Nezuko hasn't hurt anyone! She's my…"
Arthur's steps did not falter, his gaze sweeping over the unique uniform on the young man, he asked in confusion.
"Young man, as a member of the Demon Slayers, are you protecting a demon?"
Tanjiro screamed with all his might, "Nezuko isn't a demon! She's my sister! She's family who fights alongside me!"
"Sister…"
Arthur's steps paused, and a girl who always quietly followed behind him flashed through his mind.
"I see, she's your sister."
He walked back to Tanjiro and crouched down, placing his hand over the young man's wound. A glowing green spell quietly lit up, quickly alleviating the intense pain.
Tanjiro felt the pain receding, looking at the strange sight in shock.
"This power… You… You're willing to believe me?"
Arthur stood up, clapped his hands, his tone casual.
"My intuition tells me you're not lying."
He looked at Tanjiro and smiled.
"Perfect, I'm very interested in Demon Slayers. Young man, will you tell me about them?"
"Don't move!"
A cold shout rang out from behind Arthur, interrupting the conversation.
A black-haired young man, wearing a haori with a left-right split pattern and an expressionless face, stood with his sword drawn, his eyes sharp and full of vigilance.
"Who are you? Why are you here?"
Arthur calmly turned around, spreading his hands to show he was harmless, a gentle but inscrutable smile on his face.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Arthur pendragon, a knight from Europa."
"I heard the voice of the apocalypse and came specifically to deal with the calamity, hoping to cooperate sincerely with the Demon Slayers here."
Giyu: (￣-￣)?
Fu Fu: (*／ω＼*)
Arthur: ︿(￣︶￣)︿
This gentleman, I am not lying either.