Four months have passed since then.
Forty-nine.
That is the number of Demon corpses I have piled up during this time.
The size of this mountain of corpses... is not quite the size of my frustration, fortunately.
It can be said that I am now only one step away from becoming a Hashira.
Perhaps Rengoku intended to give me enough merit, for he crowded my schedule with missions, allowing me to fulfill my quotas with relative ease. Reaching the rank of Kinoe was not particularly difficult.
Uzui stated that she would move to the rear support rather than staying in the combat units. It seemed that being unable to use Breathing and relying solely on explosives to slay Demons was taking its toll—both in terms of time and coin.
However, her stellar career as a shinobi of the Score and the master of Tsugikuni Michikatsu remained intact. Having been put through the wringer while traveling with me, she was already stronger than most rank-and-file Slayers.
'The support units are lacking in flamboyance. It's a total mess. I'll have to pull some strings.'
It seemed she had gathered the personnel who had fallen back from the combat units to create a new division.
Naturally, she needed to report this to Master, but since she felt it awkward to do so directly, she asked me to send the word up through Rengoku.
So, essentially, she suddenly showed up, created a unit that benefits the Demon Slayer Corps, and then demanded I report it for her.
I suppose this is what they call "action first, report later."
Fortunately, not long after the report was sent via Rengoku, a reply came back from Master granting immediate approval.
Thus, the organization and rank known as the Kakushi—the "Hidden," a unit responsible for transporting the wounded, concealing traces of battle, and providing reconnaissance and assistance—was born.
Well, good for them.
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Since the dissemination of Breathing styles, the combat power of the Demon Slayer Corps had increased exponentially. Demons were no longer able to exert their will so freely, and casualties among the common folk and Slayers alike had significantly decreased.
The influence of the Kakushi unit founded by Uzui was also substantial. With the Corps' information network expanding, Demon sighting could be detected much more rapidly.
Things were going so well that people were beginning to whisper that we might soon claim the head of Kibutsuji Muzan himself.
It feels like I might become unemployed only four months after joining.
Just then, a final mission arrived to decorate my career, but this task was somewhat peculiar.
For the Demon Slayers who had mastered Breathing, the failure rate and casualty count had dropped to near zero.
While failures did occur during the final stage of training—evaluating a candidate's ability to complete a mission—an experienced Slayer was usually attached as a lead, and with medics included, casualties were almost unheard of.
Yet, in this particular location, there had been four consecutive failures. There were no survivors. Even a veteran of three years—not a Hashira, but a seasoned warrior—had been deployed and met with failure.
Furthermore, not a single Kasugai Crow had returned.
At this point, it was a problem that required a Hashira's intervention, but in a stroke of ill luck, every Hashira was currently deployed elsewhere.
Even Minase Hiyori, the Echoing Hashira and the fastest in the Corps who might have arrived in time, had been sent to the furthest possible location from the incident. It would take time for even her to arrive, which presented a significant obstacle.
Therefore, as the one closest to attaining Hashira status, I was dispatched.
Of course, perhaps considering it too much for me to handle alone, they paired me with a partner.
"It has been a long time, Lord Tsugikuni."
"Indeed it has."
It was Amano Ruka, whom I had met during the Final Selection.
But is it really wise to put a girl who hasn't even been in the Corps for three months on a mission like this?
Old man Banda hasn't stopped bragging about his disciple through his Kasugai Crow, so I'm not overly worried. Her skill should be the real deal.
"Caw! Caw! Kai! Arrived!"
With that, we reached the center of the incident: Kai.
In modern times, it would be known as Yamanashi Prefecture—the home of Mount Fuji.
As we entered the forest where the incidents occurred, the trees blotted out the moonlight, leaving us in darkness.
To think a Demon is lurking here... visibility is terrible. Perhaps I should have brought Uzui after all.
I miss that shinobi.
"Lord Tsugikuni."
Amano Ruka grabbed the hem of my garment, as if she had sensed something.
Come to think of it, the sound of bizarre, trudging footsteps—as if something were approaching—stimulated my ears.
What is it? I wondered if it was a survivor, but for a survivor...
Step... thud. Step... thud.
The footsteps were too unnatural. It felt forced, as if they were walking against their will.
At my signal, Amano-san unsheathed her Nichirin Blade.
Then, the identity of the figure emerged from the darkness.
"Ugh!"
"For heaven's sake..."
It was one of the missing Slayers. However, blood was leaking from every orifice of his body; in some places it had already dried, hardening into a crusty brown.
But more horrifying than that was the state of his skin. It looked as if it had been peeled off once and then crudely forced back on, hanging in tatters.
In all my thirty-four years—fourteen in this life and twenty in the last—I have never seen anything so grisly. I'll give it five stars for horror.
Amano-san firmly swallowed the bile rising in her throat and raised her sword in a combat stance.
Suddenly, the corpse spun around.
In that moment, I caught the faint glimmer of white threads connected to the body.
Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace.
As I severed the threads, the corpse collapsed lifelessly.
Tsk.
What a foul feeling. I suppose I should be glad we at least found the body.
I spoke to my Kasugai Crow, Mikazuki, telling it to have the Kakushi sent to the Corps, and then sent it flying.
But something is strange.
This corpse is undoubtedly the work of a Blood Demon Art.
Yet the oddity lies in the fact that the corpse was not particularly strong.
Isn't that suspicious?
Isn't it a golden rule that a necromancer's power usually scales with how strong the person was while alive?
This was no ordinary samurai; it was a Slayer who had learned Breathing. To turn such a person into a corpse puppet only for it to be this weak makes no sense.
The walking speed was slow; it didn't even lunge at us upon discovery, but merely turned around.
It failed to react at all until I cut the threads.
I cannot fathom the purpose of this corpse. Wouldn't it be more beneficial to simply eat the victim than to use them like this?
Was it intended to make me lose my cool through rage? If so, there doesn't seem to be anything else lying in wait nearby.
It's useless in combat and too slow for scouting. How did a Demon with such an ability manage to evade subjugation four times?
There is something more. Or perhaps, was the corpse created purely as a lure? It turned its back without attacking, after all.
Looking in the direction the corpse came from, a trail of blood stretched out as if beckoning us to follow.
I suspect clues will be found if we go further.
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Following the trail of blood, we arrived at a wide, open clearing.
There stood a single Demon, draped in a tiger skin.
Something was etched in its left eye. Looking closely, it was a kanji.
New Moon (삭)? This Demon has a tattoo on its pupil.
And judging by its attire, it did not look like a Japanese man of the Sengoku period. Could it be a man from Joseon?
"Two tigers have appeared... If I skin enough for two..."
It seems this psycho is the one who peeled the skin off the Slayers.
A Joseon Demon is a first for me, but what really catches my eye is that kanji for 'New Moon' engraved in its left eye.
I have never heard of a Demon with a tattooed pupil.
None of the Demons I've sliced until now had such a thing, and the fact that a Demon with a tattooed eye is responsible for four failed subjugations is significant.
However, the Demon had no intention of giving me time to think and began to move.
"Blood Demon Art: Tiger Affliction."
The Demon's blood began to clump together, starting a transformation into something massive.
Is he an idiot?
Did he really think I would wait for his transformation to finish?
Hooooooo...
Moon Breathing...
Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon - Incessant.
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Hunt the @#% tigers.
Offer the tiger skins.
Ensure the tigers do not descend.
So that tigers can no longer eat ■■.
And,
Find the Blue Spider Lily.
The royal command continues to shake my mind.
Following that command, I caught and killed countless tigers, skinning them all.
There were striped tigers, spotted tigers, and tigers that traveled in packs.
I hunted them all, just as the command dictated.
There were young ones, too. But it was the command.
And just because a tiger was young didn't mean it wouldn't have eaten my ■■, would it?
This time, I settled in a certain mountain and hunted four tigers here.
I thought I had hunted enough tigers in this territory, so I was planning to move my domain to another mountain soon. I also had to find the Blue Spider Lily mentioned by the King.
Snap.
The connection was severed.
A tiger took the bait.
Just like the last hunt, I remained still and the tigers revealed themselves on their own.
Two of them?
Both are striped tigers. One male, one female.
But...
They are large.
The female is certainly a strong one, but the male beside her is larger than any tiger I have ever seen or caught. For a fleeting moment, despite him being my mortal enemy, his size inspired a sense of awe.
So, you are the Mountain Lord of this place.
"Blood Demon Art: Tiger Affliction."
The Mountain Lord lunges before I can prepare. If I take that hit head-on, it will be difficult to remain unscathed.
First, I will hunt the relatively weaker female.
Leaping, I narrowly evaded the Mountain Lord's claws and swung my blade toward the female.
Hunting is easy. A single swing of the sword is the end of it. Unlike back then, tigers can be hunted in just one exchange.
That is how it should have been.
CLANG!
The sound of clashing metal rang out.
Impossible.
"I see."
I was certain the one I attacked was the female.
"Do I look like Amano Ruka to you?"
How could the Mountain Lord, who was behind me, have blocked my blade?