According to Soma's knowledge of Demon Slayer, if he remembered correctly, near where Tanjiro Kamado lived, the Blue Spider Lily could be found. Because Nezuko had eaten the Blue Spider Lily as a child, she became different from other demons even after turning, eventually becoming the first demon capable of walking in sunlight—something even Muzan Kibutsuji could not achieve.
The reason Nezuko could do all this was the Blue Spider Lily.
For Soma, now a demon himself, finding and consuming the Blue Spider Lily could compensate for his flaws. If that were achieved, he would no longer have to endure the relentless cravings for human flesh every single day.
After all, as a demon, the instinct to crave flesh grew stronger with each passing day. That unending desire repeatedly struck at his limits, a torment far too unbearable to endure. Only by consuming the Blue Spider Lily could he truly free himself from such suffering. Not only that, it would also break Muzan Kibutsuji's control over him, potentially making him the most perfect being in this world.
But to find the Blue Spider Lily, he first had to locate Tanjiro's residence. Soma was not familiar with the area. From his memories, Tanjiro's family lived deep in the mountains—a family that had been producing charcoal for generations. Other than that, the only reference point was that they were a certain distance from Sagiri Mountain, where the former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki, lived in seclusion. As for the exact coordinates, his memory was hazy.
Thinking about this, Soma furrowed his brow.
The demon beside him had been observing Soma all along. It had no idea that Soma was thinking about how to find the Blue Spider Lily. After all, the Blue Spider Lily was something Muzan had sought for centuries without success. Over the years, Muzan had commanded other demons to search for it, but most believed such a flower did not even exist. Otherwise, after a thousand years of searching, Muzan would have left some trace of it.
Previously, the demon had looked down on Soma. After all, he was just an ordinary demon—average strength and unwilling to consume human flesh.
For a demon who refused to consume flesh, power would be difficult to improve. Most demons grew stronger by feeding on humans; the more they consumed, the stronger they became, pushing their limits.
An ordinary demon with little chance of growth was almost contemptible to those who revered strength.
But today, seeing Soma dare to touch sunlight—a force capable of destroying demons—the sheer madness astonished it. Recalling a recent discovery, it hesitated a moment before speaking:
"Recently, I found traces of Demon Slayer Corps activity nearby. Interested in hunting them together?"
Before, it had considered Soma useless for hunting. After all, a demon who didn't feed on humans was too timid and might even drag it down in battle. But seeing Soma's reckless courage in touching sunlight, it realized that if Soma could channel this madness into fighting the Demon Slayers, their combined strength would easily overwhelm them.
Soma, who had been lost in thoughts of the Blue Spider Lily, snapped back to attention at those words.
The Demon Slayer Corps existed to exterminate demons and protect humans—the mortal enemies of all demons.
Though physically weak compared to demons, they practiced the Breathing Techniques, which temporarily granted them strength comparable to demons. Combined with their specialized demon-slaying skills, Nichirin Blades capable of killing demons, teamwork, and fearless courage, they had slain many demons.
Yet just as Demon Slayers hunted demons, to demons, the Demon Slayers were also prey.
"So… what do you think? Want to team up to hunt? With you working with me, I guarantee we can wipe out this small squad of Demon Slayers completely."
At this, the demon licked its lips with its tongue, eyes full of greed: "The flesh of these Demon Slayer Corps members is well-trained, more nutritious, and even more delicious."
"I'm not interested," Soma shook his head. He had no desire to deal with these fearless, death-defying humans.
"Even if you don't attack them, they will attack us. Do you want to be struck down by a Nichirin Blade?" the demon growled angrily. "Remember, your identity is a demon."
Soma simply glanced at it and quietly sat cross-legged on the ground. After having touched the sunlight earlier, the demon's instinctive fear of sunlight suppressed his craving for flesh. The hunger he felt now was faint, allowing his tightly wound mind a brief moment of relief. At this moment, all he wanted was to rest.
The demon didn't want to give up and tried to persuade him for a long while, but seeing Soma unmoved, it could only give up reluctantly.
"When the day comes that a Demon Slayer chops your head off with a Nichirin Blade, don't regret it," the demon said coldly. Seeing Soma not even open his eyes, it turned and left.
...
In a wide-open clearing, the breeze blew, making a black haori flutter.
A young swordsman wielding a Nichirin Blade trained in the clearing. His breathing flowed like fire, and the sharp blade glimmered coldly under the sunlight.
After an unknown amount of time, the boy stopped, sheathed his sword, and panted slightly.
"Not bad."
A warm, bright voice, like sunlight itself, came from behind.
The boy turned and, seeing the newcomer, looked pleasantly surprised. Embarrassed by the praise, he scratched his head: "Compared to Lord Kyojuro, I still have a long way to go."
As he spoke, his eyes were filled with admiration for the newcomer.
The man had yellow hair, thick black eyebrows, and piercing eyes. He wore the brown Demon Slayer Corps uniform, over which was a haori with flame patterns at the edges.
This was the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku.
Rengoku stepped forward and patted the boy's shoulder heavily: "Furukawa Hiroshi, you're already very capable. I know that up to now, you've already slain three demons."
Hearing this, the boy straightened his chest, looking at Rengoku with reverence: "I hope that one day I can, like Lord Kyojuro, personally slay one of the Twelve Kizuki."
"You will," Rengoku said, encouraging him as he patted his shoulder. Though the boy was still weak and far from being able to face a Twelve Kizuki, Rengoku had high hopes for him.
Seeming to think of something, Rengoku smiled and asked:
"By the way, I heard you'll be undertaking a new mission soon?"
"Yes. We recently discovered traces of demons in a small town. Our squad will investigate," Hiroshi replied.
"Then I wish you fortune in battle and a victorious return," Rengoku said, patting his shoulder.
"Thank you," Hiroshi nodded.
At that moment, a few Demon Slayer swordsmen were already waiting nearby, and Hiroshi had to take his leave.
Rengoku stood watching Hiroshi's departing figure. Seeing these young sprouts of the Corps growing strong, as a senior, he felt truly gratified.
Suddenly, Hiroshi turned his head: "Lord Kyojuro, when we return from slaying the demons, I'll treat you to a meal—salt-grilled sea bream and sweet potato rice."
After saying this, he followed his companions away.
Rengoku paused slightly, surprised that the boy knew his favorite foods, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.