The deeper he went, the heavier the stench of blood became.
Ryosuke picked up a stone from the ground, smeared it with the wisteria powder he carried, and tossed it into the cave.
"ROOOAR—!!!"
A furious howl tore through the forest's dead silence.
The next instant, a black shadow shot out.
The demon was hunched low, moving on all fours. Its skin was a rotting gray-green, like decayed moss. Its head was unnaturally long and narrow, fanged mouth dripping saliva, eyes locked tightly onto Ryosuke.
"Demon Slayer Corps! You pests really are relentless!"
"Oh? An old acquaintance."
Ryosuke lowered his stance. The moment his thumb pushed against the guard, he became a streak of light charging forward!
"Then let's skip the small talk!"
Thunder Breathing — First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!
Clang!
To his shock, the demon swung its claws and blocked the strike head-on!
This wasn't a ten-day-lifespan snack anymore.
This was a big one—even tougher than the Hand Demon!
Ryosuke's excitement flared instantly. His figure flickered as his sword style shifted, lightning erupting violently along the luminous white blade.
Thunder Breathing — Third Form: Thunder Swarm!
In an instant, countless bolts of lightning struck from all directions alongside Ryosuke's flashing silhouette!
The demon struggled desperately to defend itself, but the sheer number of slashes overwhelmed it. Bloody gashes spread across its body.
With a sharp shout, Ryosuke flashed behind it, his Nichirin Blade sweeping across the demon's neck.
He exhaled slowly, his taut nerves finally easing—
Then his heart dropped.
No system kill notification.
And the feel of that strike just now…
I only cut through flesh.
But the head had clearly fallen.
What the hell?!
There was no time to think.
Pure instinct kicked in—Ryosuke spun and swung!
A piercing screech rang out as sparks exploded.
The severed head—supposedly gone—had clamped its jaws onto his Nichirin Blade!
Too fast. And too close!
Ryosuke forced it back, only for a savage fist to roar in from behind—
BOOM!
The blow slammed squarely into his back.
Ryosuke was sent flying, crashing hard into an ancient tree.
He clutched his chest, staring in shock.
The demon's head floated in midair.
Its body stood upright below it, grotesquely still.
A demon that overcame decapitation?
No way—are you telling me you're even more ridiculous than an Upper Rank?!
"Ehehehehe…"
The floating head let out a shrill laugh.
Ryosuke's gaze sharpened as a memory flashed through his mind—
A yokai from old legends.
Every trait matched.
"Damn it—Rokurokubi!" Ryosuke shouted.
In old tales, a Rokurokubi's neck could stretch endlessly, its head separating from the body to act independently.
Now it was obvious.
This thing hadn't "overcome" decapitation at all—
It was two demons.
Head and body existed separately, parasitic yet symbiotic.
"Head does its thing, body does its thing," Ryosuke muttered. "You freaks really know how to play."
Combat assessment: wrong.
This demon was far stronger than expected.
"Hehehe…"
The head cackled as the body lunged forward.
Ryosuke slashed, severing both of its arms in a flash.
But at the same time, the head swooped behind him, mouth gaping wide.
"Blood Demon Art — Frenzied Needles!"
With a roar, a cloud of blood exploded in midair, condensing into hundreds of razor-sharp needles!
They rained down like a storm!
Ryosuke's pupils shrank. Lightning erupted around him, thunder rolling violently.
Thunder Breathing — Second Form: Rice Spirit!
The luminous white blade carried crackling thunder, transforming into five fierce slashes!
The blood needles shattered completely—
And in that same instant, the body's arms regenerated, another brutal punch smashing in!
Ryosuke reacted instantly. Instead of retreating, he surged forward—straight at the floating head!
These two were too troublesome. One had to die now.
The blade came down. The head recoiled in panic, barely dodging—its jaw sliced clean off.
"Damn Demon Slayer!"
The head screamed as flesh writhed and slowly regenerated.
"What kind of crap are you screaming—die!"
Ryosuke sheathed his blade.
He leaned forward, lightning exploding wildly around his body, countless arcs bursting forth.
Thunder Breathing — First Form: Thunderclap and Flash — Triple!
The ground beneath his feet shattered.
Ryosuke became pure light.
The slash arrived in an instant—
The blade flashed, and the head had no time to evade.
It split cleanly in two.
Before the body could even react, Ryosuke's follow-up strike landed!
With a shrill metallic screech, the torso was cleaved apart.
The Rokurokubi disintegrated into drifting ash.
Ryosuke had no interest in watching its death visions.
A demon like this was nothing more than some twisted failure who later met Muzan, gained power, and indulged himself by eating people.
What mattered was the reward.
[High-tier demon Rokurokubi slain. Lifespan gained: 3 years. Current remaining lifespan: 4 years, 14 days.]
The ten-year "liver fund" was nearly halfway filled.
Ryosuke hummed cheerfully as he bandaged himself.
The fight had broken several ribs. A rough wrap would do—then he'd signal the Kakushi.
Just then, hurried footsteps approached from afar.
"W-where is it?! Such a strong stench of blood! Hang on—I'm coming!"
Ryosuke looked up as a young swordsman in Demon Slayer Corps uniform rushed over.
He swept his gaze across Ryosuke, immediately drew his blade, and assumed a combat stance, scanning the surroundings.
"You rest and treat your wounds first! That flying-head demon is extremely dangerous!"
"Uh, no, that—"
Before Ryosuke could finish, the newcomer cut him off.
"Don't force yourself! You'll get killed!"
Will you let me finish one damn sentence?!
Ryosuke stood up and patted the boy's shoulder.
"Relax. I already killed it."
"Yeah, good—wait, what?!"
The boy's eyes went wide, staring at Ryosuke in disbelief.
"Y-you did it alone?"
"Yeah. Took some damage. Super annoying."
Ryosuke rolled his shoulders.
Truth be told, if the Rokurokubi hadn't underestimated him—and if Triple Flash hadn't been so busted—he'd be dead already.
"T-that's incredible!"
The boy was so excited he could barely speak.
"Kakushi intel said this demon was insanely troublesome! It could split its head and body—decapitation was useless! Several comrades barely survived encounters with it! And you… you handled it alone?! You must be a Hashira! Or at least Hinoe? Hinoto?!"
"Uh… hehe…"
Ryosuke didn't know how to respond.
He silently raised the back of his hand. As he breathed, the character slowly surfaced.
"Mizunoto. Yasui Ryosuke. Joined the Corps less than a month ago."
The world went quiet.
The awe and excitement on the boy's face froze solid.
"M-Mizunoto?!"
His voice cracked.
"H-how is that possible?! Even Kanoto-ranked swordsmen found that demon difficult! And you—alone—and only Mizunoto—"
His worldview shattered. Then something clicked.
"W-wait… Yasui? Yasui Ryosuke?!"
There was no helping it.
The Final Selection at Mount Fujikasane had been way too high-profile. Then there was the personal summons from Kagaya.
Add in Thunder Breathing, and the guess wasn't hard.
Ryosuke lay flat on the ground, too tired to move.
"Anyway…"
The boy snapped back to attention. "Iwasaki! Iwasaki Soma!"
"Iwasaki, huh. Help me contact the Kakushi. I've got broken ribs—I need to head back to Peach Mountain to recover."
Ryosuke paused, then glanced at him.
"And hey—rank doesn't matter. Killing demons does."