Shinobu was slightly stunned, revealing a surprised expression.
She hadn't expected that right after the Upper Rank One incident, another member of the Twelve Kizuki would appear.
She looked at Xia Feng.
"I need to depart immediately. Xia Feng-kun, you—"
But when she turned her head, Shinobu nearly jumped in shock.
Just a moment ago, Xia Feng had been wearing a casual yukata and slippers.
Now he was already dressed in the Demon Slayer uniform!
She blinked.
"You're going too?"
Xia Feng nodded.
"Someone is in danger. As a member of the Butterfly Mansion, how could I just sit by and do nothing?"
Shinobu immediately gave him a suspicious look.
"That doesn't sound like something you would say…"
"The usual Xia Feng would complain about the trouble and stay home waiting for injured people to be brought back."
Xia Feng froze for a moment.
Then he coughed awkwardly.
"There's no time to talk about that. Hurry up and organize the team."
Shinobu snorted softly, but didn't question him further and went to gather people.
Soon, a medical support team of thirty-five members was assembled.
Kanao put on her Demon Slayer uniform, wore a white cloak over it, and had on a pair of white boots.
She looked incredibly cool.
Xia Feng nodded approvingly.
"That small section of leg visible between the boots and the skirt…"
"That's the final destination of a gentleman."
Shinobu looked at him helplessly.
At first she used to scold him for saying things like this.
But after hearing it countless times, she had long since given up.
Once the team was assembled, they set off immediately toward Mount Natagumo.
Xia Feng asked Shinobu,
"Shinobu, how far is it from here to Mount Natagumo?"
Shinobu replied without hesitation,
"With our speed, it would take about two hours."
"But bringing the whole team… we probably won't arrive until midnight."
The sun hadn't even set yet.
If they arrived at midnight, it might already be too late.
Xia Feng frowned slightly.
"Shinobu, I'll go ahead alone and check the situation first."
Shinobu nodded.
"Be careful. We still don't know the enemy's exact level."
Xia Feng nodded.
Shinobu might not know.
But he knew very clearly.
The enemy was Lower Rank Five – the Spider Demon, Rui.
He had already killed Lower Rank Two.
Taking down a Lower Rank Five shouldn't be difficult.
Without hesitation, Xia Feng grabbed a map and rushed toward Mount Natagumo.
Before long, he stopped.
In front of him stood a towering mountain.
Mount Natagumo.
The mountain resembled Mount Sagiri—dense forests, towering trees, and thick mist everywhere.
In such an environment, even during the day, demons could still move around somewhat.
Just like when Nezuko first became a demon.
Even in daytime, snow and clouds could block sunlight enough to protect her.
Xia Feng entered the mountain.
Before long, he found a corpse.
He frowned slightly.
With injuries like that…
Even he couldn't save the person.
After looking around briefly and confirming that it wasn't anyone he knew, he relaxed a little.
He was worried his presence as a "butterfly effect" might cause important characters to die earlier than expected.
Xia Feng closed his eyes and sensed the surroundings.
For now, he couldn't detect any intense battle fluctuations.
Looks like things might still be okay.
Thinking that, he rushed deeper into the mountain.
Suddenly—
A powerful aura erupted!
A strong demon was fighting two Demon Slayer swordsmen!
Xia Feng immediately recognized both presences.
Inosuke Hashibira.
Tanjiro Kamado.
He changed direction instantly and dashed toward the source.
Meanwhile—
Tanjiro and Inosuke stared at their opponent in shock.
The enemy was a large, muscular demon, roaring loudly at them.
Tanjiro widened his eyes.
"Be careful, Inosuke! This is one of the Twelve Kizuki!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the demon's massive arm smashed down toward him.
Tanjiro took a deep breath.
"Water Breathing, Second Form – Water Wheel!"
A rotating wave of blue sword energy flashed—
The demon's arm was instantly severed!
On the other side, Inosuke roared and slashed at the demon's other arm.
"Beast Breathing – Third Fang: Devour!"
Slash!
The blade cut into the skin with a dull sound.
Inosuke's eyes widened in shock.
The arm that Tanjiro cut so easily felt harder than stone to him.
His strike hadn't even cut through a quarter of it.
He glanced at Tanjiro.
This guy…
He's more of a monster than the demon!
They were supposed to be fellow rookies.
How could their strength differ this much?
Tanjiro gripped his Nichirin blade tightly, his expression serious.
Scenes from his training with Xia Feng flashed through his mind.
Combine the Dance of the Fire God with Water Breathing.
If I can do that… I have a chance!
With determination in his eyes, he attacked the giant demon again.
In Inosuke's view, Tanjiro suddenly looked like a battle-hardened veteran swordsman, exchanging blows with the demon while even gaining the upper hand.
Inosuke swallowed.
Unwilling to be outdone, he tightened his grip on his blades.
He wanted to fight like Tanjiro too.
But just then—
He suddenly noticed something strange.
At some point, a clay jar had appeared on the ground nearby.
Inosuke tilted his head.
Why would there be a jar in the middle of this wilderness?
Meanwhile, Tanjiro was attacking the giant demon when he suddenly sniffed the air.
His face instantly changed.
He turned toward Inosuke and shouted with all his strength:
"INOSUKE!! RUN!!!"
In the moment Inosuke hesitated—
A huge arm suddenly shot out of the jar!
It grabbed Inosuke and flung him violently.
Inosuke had no time to react.
Like a rag doll, he was smashed into a tree.
CRACK!
The trunk snapped and collapsed.
Inosuke fell to the ground, motionless.
"INOSUKE!!!"
Tanjiro's eyes nearly burst with rage.
He tried to push back the giant demon and rush to save him.
But suddenly—
He realized that above his head, countless goldfish-like creatures were floating in the air.
Sensing the danger from them, Tanjiro instinctively leaned back and protected the wooden box on his back.
At the same moment—
Every goldfish opened its mouth.
And fired sparkling poisonous needles!
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
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