A crow flapped its wings overhead.
"Arrived! The demon is ahead—in the mountain village! Inside the village!"
Carrying the wooden box on his back, Aoyama Ren arrived at the mountain entrance.
Behind him, the last rays of the sun were slowly fading.
A gloomy wind blew out from the mountains, carrying a faint scent of blood. From deep within the forest came the sound of someone crying for help.
Aoyama immediately headed toward the cries.
But a doubt surfaced in his mind.
The village in the mountains was supposed to have been completely taken over by demons—no survivors had escaped.
So who would still dare to enter the mountain?
"Help… help me!"
The voice grew clearer as Aoyama approached the source.
Pushing aside the bushes, he saw a skinny man lying on the ground.
A demon was gripping the man's leg.
Sensing the presence of a living human, the demon lifted its head.
Three eyes bulged from its sockets, long horns protruding from its skull, and a gurgling sound came from its throat.
Seeing that someone had taken the bait—and that he was wearing a Demon Slayer uniform—the demon let out a shrill laugh.
"Gahaha!"
The demon released the man's leg and slowly approached Aoyama .
It wasn't worried about the man escaping.
Inside the wooden box, Nezuko suddenly jumped out.
The veins on her temples bulged as she let out an angry sound.
To Nezuko, the man lying on the ground was still a "family member" in her mind.
Seeing someone treated like that was unforgivable.
She dashed forward and slashed the demon's face with her claws, leaving three deep scratches.
The demon covered its face until the wounds regenerated.
Then it lowered its hand, all three eyes glaring at her.
The girl was a demon…
So why was she with a demon slayer?
Aoyama calmly pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and walked to Nezuko's side.
He sighed softly.
"Trash like this isn't worth dirtying your hands."
"Look—his filthy blood got on your fingers."
He gently wiped Nezuko's hands clean while speaking.
Then his cold gaze shifted to the demon.
After cleaning the blood from her fingers, Aoyama drew his Nichirin blade.
In an instant, he appeared behind the demon.
The demon's head slid from its neck.
It rolled twice on the ground.
"Ding!"
"Host has slain a demon."
"Reward: Physical Strength +5, Summoning Scroll Spirit Power +1."
Aoyama sheathed his sword and looked aside.
Kind-hearted Nezuko reached out to help the injured man.
But the man recoiled in fear.
He kept crawling backward.
"Mm…"
Nezuko looked toward Aoyama with a hurt expression.
Aoyama walked over and gently patted her head.
Then he pulled the man up and said,
"Leave the mountain."
"And tell everyone you meet—until I come down, no one should enter this mountain."
The man fled in panic.
He had been trapped here for two days.
The companions who had come hunting with him had already been eaten by demons.
Perhaps his fearful reaction toward Nezuko had hurt her feelings.
Her small face drooped, her brows knitting together sadly.
Aoyama stopped walking.
Then he turned around and pulled Nezuko into his arms.
He stroked her long hair gently.
"Don't mind it."
"You'll always be the cutest Nezuko."
Rustle—
A noise came from the bushes.
While Aoyama was still holding Nezuko, a dark figure suddenly leaped down from the branches above.
Aoyama 's eyes met the demon's blood-red gaze instantly.
He drew his sword and stepped back, placing Nezuko behind him.
The demon's first attack missed.
It immediately launched a second attack.
"Looking for death."
Interrupting him while he was comforting Nezuko…
In the dim forest, Aoyama 's movements were almost invisible—only the cold flash of his Nichirin blade could be seen.
Boom!
A wet explosion echoed.
Blood splattered across nearby trees and grass.
"Ding!"
"Host has slain a demon."
"Reward: Arm Strength +5, Summoning Scroll Spirit Power +1."
After killing more than a dozen small fry along the way, light finally appeared ahead.
They had reached the mountain village.
The air was thick with the scent of demons.
Remains of half-eaten corpses littered the ground.
Some bodies were reduced to just a head.
Others were nothing more than a single leg.
Strangely, every house in the village had a large red lantern hanging outside.
It looked festive—
Yet horrifying.
Could it be like Rui's spider family in Natagumo Mountain?
A group of demons pretending to live as a "family" deep in the mountains?
Aoyama silently speculated.
Suddenly—
Nezuko broke free from his hand and ran forward.
Aoyama quickly chased after her.
In the air, he caught the scent of a human.
But when the mission was assigned, this place was said to be completely occupied by demons.
How could there still be survivors?
Or was this another trap?
They stopped outside a house.
Inside came the sound of a woman crying.
Aoyama held Nezuko back outside the door.
He didn't rush in.
The demonic aura inside was far stronger than any of the demons they had killed on the way here.
A furious male voice roared from inside.
"Ah! Crying again!"
"We're about to get married—why are you still crying?!"
"I've done everything your parents demanded!"
"What else do you want?!"
"Money!"
He kicked over a wooden chest.
Gold and jewelry spilled across the floor.
"Power!"
With his sharp claws, he tore the head off a kneeling demon nearby.
Blood sprayed from the demon's neck.
"Now I have power too!"
"What else could you possibly be dissatisfied with?!"
"AHHH! Fengichiro, don't come any closer!"
Inside the room, a woman dressed in wedding robes stared at the approaching man in terror.
Her body trembled as she backed into a corner.
Fengichiro stopped suddenly.
Not because he listened—
But because he sensed someone outside the door.
Boom!
The wooden door exploded apart as blades shot out from the mouth in the demon's palm.
Aoyama shielded Nezuko and turned to face Fengichiro inside the house.
"Not bad."
"You've got some skill."
Hearing someone speak outside, the woman cried out desperately.
"Run! Hurry and run!!!"
Fengichiro turned toward her angrily.
"You're taking another man's side?!"
Aoyama studied the demon named Fengichiro.
He was wearing a red wedding robe.
Unfortunately for him—
Now that Aoyama had arrived…
This wedding wasn't happening today.
"Hey, Fengichiro, right?"
"When dealing with a woman you like, you don't shout at her."
"You spoil her."
"Shut up!"
The mouth in Fengichiro's palm spat out blades again.
The blades shot straight toward Aoyama .
Aoyama drew his Nichirin blade and swung.
Clang!
With a horizontal slash, he split the blade in half.
The attack dissipated into the air.
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