Nezuko spread her arms wide, shielding the normal people hiding behind her.
When they had entered earlier, the entrance to the banquet hall had already been blocked, leaving no way out.
The surviving humans were trapped inside.
They had only two choices now—
Either be eaten by the people turning into monsters…
Or hide behind Nezuko and pray for protection.
The man standing at the podium did not move.
He showed no urgency to attack.
"Total Concentration! Breath of Light — Second Form: Light Burst!"
White currents of energy flowed along Aoyama Ren's blade as he struck the ground in front of the man.
BOOM!
The floor cracked violently.
A fissure tore through the ground, racing straight toward the podium.
Just as the crack reached his feet, the man leaped agilely upward, landing on the crystal chandelier above.
But Aoyama had already predicted that move.
The moment he unleashed the Second Form, he had already leapt into the air.
Intercepting the man midair—
His blade slashed down.
One strike severed the arm the man had raised to block.
Blood splattered across the floor.
Aoyama flipped backward and landed smoothly.
Suddenly—
A hand grabbed his leg from below.
Without even looking, Aoyama swung his blade downward.
The demon attempting to bite him lost its head instantly.
Behind him, Nezuko was still doing everything she could to protect the surviving humans.
At the blocked entrance—
BOOM!
An explosion sounded.
The barricaded doorway shattered open.
Through the smoke stepped Sanemi Shinazugawa.
He had just arrived in town and had been guided here by his crow, Tennoji Matsuemon.
"So the fight already started before I arrived?"
Sanemi said.
His Nichirin blade rested on his shoulder as he casually cut down a demon that lunged toward him.
Nezuko saw him and froze for a moment.
She instinctively stepped back slightly.
She still held some caution toward Sanemi.
Meanwhile, the man's severed arm grew back instantly.
"Heh… see that?"
"I'm not as fragile as humans."
The man grinned smugly while flexing his regenerated arm.
All thanks to the blood that that great lord had granted him.
"But you're still trash."
Aoyama 's voice was cold.
He attacked again.
"Total Concentration! Breath of Light — First Form: Flash!"
Among all Light Breathing techniques, the First Form was the fastest.
Though its destructive power was lower than the other forms—
It was more than enough to kill this demon.
His body flashed forward.
The blade struck the demon's neck.
The energy flowing along the sword made the blade even sharper.
CRACK!
The sound of vertebrae snapping echoed clearly.
The man's head tilted to one side—
Then fell to the ground.
His headless body remained standing upright.
Then—
The body staggered forward.
It bent down.
Picked up its own head from the ground.
And tried to place it back on its neck.
Cold fury flashed through Aoyama 's eyes.
This bastard had become a demon himself…
And even mixed Muzan Kibutsuji's blood into the wine.
Despicable.
Utterly shameless.
"H-how…?"
"I don't want to die!"
"I shouldn't die… why… why…?!"
The man's voice trembled.
But once the neck had been severed—
His life was already over.
Even a demon's powerful regeneration couldn't save him.
His body began to burn away into ash.
Before his body completely disappeared, he pulled a piece of paper from his chest with great difficulty and extended it toward Aoyama .
Aoyama stepped forward and took it.
It was a purchase list of medicinal ingredients.
Without examining it carefully, he folded it and slipped it into his sleeve.
"Ding!"
"Host has slain a demon."
"Reward: Stamina +20, Summoning Scroll Spirit Power +5."
By the time Aoyama finished here, Sanemi had already slaughtered all the transformed demons in the hall.
Seeing the monsters gone, the surviving guests fled in panic.
All their noble elegance vanished.
They rushed out the doors like terrified animals.
Sanemi stood there watching Aoyama walk toward him.
"Master sent me to support you."
Sanemi said awkwardly.
He had always hated demons.
Even when he acknowledged Nezuko during the Hashira meeting, it had mostly been because of Aoyama .
But now—
Seeing Nezuko protecting humans alone…
Sanemi's perception of her changed.
She wasn't just a demon.
She was a true Demon Slayer ally.
"Let's go."
"The police will be here soon."
Aoyama took Nezuko's hand and headed outside.
Sanemi blinked slightly before quickly following behind.
They were members of the Demon Slayer Corps—
But the government didn't recognize their existence.
After every battle, the Kakushi would normally clean up the scene.
Since the survivors had already fled, someone would surely call the authorities.
To avoid unnecessary trouble—
They needed to leave immediately.
After the mission ended, the crows arrived with a message.
They were allowed to return to the Butterfly Estate for a short rest.
Before they parted ways—
Sanemi hesitated.
Then he spoke.
"Next time…"
"We'll fight an Upper Rank demon together too, right?"
Aoyama smiled and patted his shoulder.
"We will."
Sanemi looked embarrassed after receiving the answer.
He quickly turned and left for his next mission.
Later—
Aoyama summoned Makomo and Sabito from the Summoning Scroll.
He wanted to see their condition.
After all, he had accumulated a large amount of spiritual energy from killing demons recently.
"Aoyama !"
Makomo appeared from the scroll.
"How is it inside the scroll, Makomo?"
She nodded.
Inside the scroll, her body had clearly changed.
She had once existed purely as a spiritual form.
But with the increasing energy provided by the scroll—
Her spirit was slowly becoming more solid.
Sabito, still wearing his fox mask, didn't say anything.
But he raised his arm and punched a nearby tree trunk.
Thud!
The sound of impact echoed clearly.
Aoyama 's eyes lit up.
Sabito's spirit was already beginning to materialize physically.
The Summoning Scroll truly hadn't disappointed him.
Makomo and Sabito's resurrection was only a matter of time now.
Meanwhile—
Nezuko peeked out from behind Aoyama .
Her big eyes stared curiously at the two unfamiliar figures.
This was the first time she had met Makomo and Sabito.
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