Chapter 95: "Let's go, Giyu!"
Shi Town.
Tatsu, Kanae Kocho, and Kocho Shinobu walked side by side along the silent street, heading toward the exit of the town.
"Tatsu..."
Kanae turned her head slightly, gazing softly at the young man beside her.
"Once we have completely slain Muzan Kibutsuji and ended this tragic fate between humans and demons that has lasted for a thousand years, I plan to find a quiet town like this and open a small medical clinic."
As she spoke, she raised her hand and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"At that time, you, me, and Shinobu will all live together in the clinic.
We can heal those who are suffering and fill the courtyard with medicinal herbs.
Every morning we can watch the sun rise without having to worry about the coming of night... How does that sound?"
Tatsu stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Kanae.
He reached out and gently took Kanae's hand.
"Alright."
He lowered his head slightly, his gaze locked onto Kanae's eyes, a gentle smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"I have already promised you; no matter where we go, I will be with you.
I will earn the money for the clinic; you just need to do what you love and be happy every day."
Although Kanae was quite wealthy, that did not stop him from wanting to provide for her.
He was a demon, an existence that should have been slain by the Demon Slayer Corps, yet he had fallen hopelessly in love with this Hashira before him, who was as warm as the sun.
However, Kocho Shinobu, walking behind the two, found the scene before her eyes to be incredibly grating.
"Hmph."
Kocho Shinobu let out a cold snort, a mocking curve appearing at the corner of her mouth, her tone laced with a hint of bitterness,
"Let's wait until he can actually live until then."
Hearing her sister's words, Kanae turned back helplessly, just about to offer her usual words of persuasion.
Just then, a sudden change occurred!
"BOOM—!!!"
Accompanied by a deafening roar like a thunderclap on flat ground, the ground of the entire Shi Town shook violently.
The night sky to the east of the town was instantly engulfed in blinding flames.
Separated by several streets, the three could even clearly see a two-story stone building collapsing amidst a massive shockwave, with countless stones and rubble spraying in all directions like a rainstorm, and thick dust rising straight into the sky.
"Such intense demonic aura..."
Kanae's brows furrowed tightly,
"Judging by the scale of the destruction, I fear it is a Lower Rank demon fighting our members!"
Without any hesitation, her sense of responsibility as a "Hashira" and her instinct to protect the weak allowed Kanae to make a decision in an instant.
She turned her head abruptly and shouted urgently to Tatsu:
"Tatsu, Shinobu, I'm heading over there first!"
Before her words had even faded, Kanae tapped her toes on the bluestone pavement and dashed toward the east side of the town.
"Sister! Wait for me!"
Seeing this, Kocho Shinobu did not hesitate to draw the nichirin sword from her waist, her figure flashing as she followed closely behind Kanae, rushing out.
When facing demons, this pair of sisters never knew what it meant to retreat.
"Wait! Kanae! Shinobu!"
Tatsu instinctively reached out to stop them, but the sisters were too fast and vanished around the corner of the street in the blink of an eye.
Tatsu stopped in his tracks, his gaze locked tightly on the direction to the east of the town where flashes of fire and roaring sounds kept erupting, his expression instantly turning grim.
"Lower Rank? What a joke..."
That demonic aura coming from the east was cold, viscous, and seemed to possess a chill that could freeze even the soul...
That was definitely not power a Lower Rank could possess.
"Doma!"
"Damn it! With my current strength, let alone defeating an Upper Rank, just preserving my life would be extremely difficult."
Suddenly, the image from the original work of Kanae dying tragically at the hands of Doma flashed through his mind.
"I will absolutely not allow that to happen!
Absolutely not!"
Tatsu exerted force into his legs, and the bluestone beneath his feet instantly cracked into spiderweb-like fragments from the immense power, as he sprinted madly in the direction where the sisters had disappeared.
Meanwhile, on the east side of Shi Town.
This place had completely turned into a ruin.
The originally tidy houses had been razed to the ground, and huge stones and broken wooden beams were scattered everywhere.
"Oh my, this is truly a surprise."
Doma gently fanned the golden folding fans in his hands, producing a crisp metallic clatter.
He scanned the two people before him with those rainbow-colored eyes, his tone carrying a hint of feigned surprised delight,
"I was originally just passing by to carry out Muzan's mission; I didn't expect to have such an unexpected harvest.
Judging by the astonishing aura on you two, you must be 'Hashira' of the Demon Slayer Corps, right?"
Doma tilted his head slightly, a look of regret appearing on his face as he sighed:
"The strength of you two Hashira is indeed quite good, and your flesh must have been tempered through thousands of trials, making it very delicious.
But... it's such a pity; why aren't you women?
You know, women who nurture new life have nutritional value far exceeding that of men.
Sigh, what a sad thing.
However, since you have delivered yourselves to me, in order not to fail Muzan's expectations, I will have to reluctantly ferry you to the Paradise."
"Shut up! You foul-mouthed demon!"
Rengoku Shinjuro's eyes bulged with rage.
He pointed the red nichirin sword in his hand at Doma, with tangible flames burning on the blade, causing even the surrounding air to distort from this scorching fighting spirit.
"As the Flame Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, it is my, Rengoku Shinjuro's, duty to eradicate you man-eating demons!"
"I also did not expect to encounter an 'Upper Rank' demon on this mission!
This is a once-in-a-century opportunity!
Today, right here, I will use my Flame Breathing to burn you, this demon, into ashes!
Protecting justice and the weak in this world is my, Rengoku Shinjuro's, destiny!"
"Let's go, Giyu!"
"Hm."
Giyu Tomioka responded only briefly, assuming an attack stance.
The next second, the two of them tore through the air like two bolts of lightning, charging wildly toward Doma from the left and right!
"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire!"
Rengoku Shinjuro bent his legs sharply and then catapulted forward like a cannonball!
The bluestone beneath his feet instantly shattered under his explosive power, and the immense reaction force turned him into a burning meteor.
The red nichirin sword in his hand aimed straight for Doma's head!
Facing this thunderous strike, Doma smiled slightly without moving his feet even an inch.
He raised the golden folding fan in his right hand and waved it casually, as if shooing away an annoying fly.
"Blood Demon Art: Lotus Vines."
As Doma waved his fan, an extremely frigid cold air instantly erupted from the fan's surface.
The moisture in the air condensed in an instant, turning into several thick ice vines that coiled toward the charging Shinjuro.
These ice vines were not only incredibly hard but also emitted an extreme cold that could instantly freeze one's internal organs.
"Bang!"
The burning nichirin sword slashed fiercely against the ice vines, erupting with a deafening roar.
Flames and ice collided violently, producing a large amount of white steam that instantly filled the surrounding space.
Shinjuro felt his arm go numb as a terrifying recoil force traveled up the hilt of his blade; furthermore, that extreme cold air spread rapidly along the blade toward his arm.
"So cold! Is this the Blood Demon Art of an Upper Rank?"
Shinjuro felt a chill in his heart and immediately activated his Breathing Style, raising his internal body temperature to the limit to forcibly dispel the invading cold.
Using the recoil force, he did a flip in the air and landed steadily on the ruins not far away.
The moment Shinjuro was repelled, a figure as light as a ripple had already quietly appeared at Doma's side.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!"
Giyu Tomioka had struck.
The water-blue nichirin sword traced several continuous slashes in the air, locking down all of Doma's retreat routes from different angles.
"Oh my, such fast Water Breathing.
However, it's still not enough."
Loving Book So Far? Check Out 30+ Advanced Chapters At PA Treon
patreon.com/FictionOP