Yamada Mura knew he wasn't a particularly powerful demon. From the moment he was transformed, he understood clearly that with his level of talent, if he tried to hunt humans through direct, honorable combat, he would most likely be disposed of by the Demon Slayer Corps as an afterthought.
From the memories etched in the blood of that man, he knew exactly what kind of monsters he was up against.
His stamina wasn't exceptional, and his techniques were far from world-class. If he wanted to survive—and eventually grow stronger—there was only one way.
He had to hunt using his wits and various toxins.
He needed to fully exploit a demon's infinite regenerative abilities, using that trait to perfectly deploy lethal poisons that would otherwise result in a mutual death. To a human, many of these toxins meant instant death upon contact; to a demon, they merely forced the body into a prolonged state of reconstruction.
Using this method, he had once managed to wear down and kill two swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps who were hunting him, simply by outlasting them with poison.
Unfortunately, before he could devour them, he had been chased off by reinforcements. Had he managed to consume those two back then, he might already be one of the Lower Ranks by now.
Recollecting that old regret, Yamada Mura's teeth ground together with a grating, bone-chilling screech.
Watching the thugs who were about to give up, and sensing the moving Kiyokazu, a grotesque, exaggerated smile spread across Yamada's repulsive face.
Now was the time. Time to show those idiotic thugs exactly where Izumi Kiyokazu was hiding.
He had already successfully drained the thugs' physical energy and occupied a portion of Kiyokazu's mental focus. Now, he needed the pack of thugs to find the boy. After they tore each other apart, he would step in to reap the rewards.
This method reduced the chance of him being discovered, made his meal easier to catch, and even provided evidence and protection for his identity as a Peace Officer. After all, it was perfectly normal for a Peace Officer to show up and handle a case involving a fatal brawl, wasn't it?
It was only natural for a Peace Officer to take the bodies away for "examination," right?
As long as he remained this cautious, he would one day become an Upper Rank!
The moment the thought solidified, Yamada Mura hurled a stone.
With unerring precision, it landed right in front of the thugs. Simultaneously, several smaller pebbles clattered down at Kiyokazu's feet. In the silence of the night, the sound of rolling stones was deafening.
In that instant, Kondo's face twisted into an expression of frantic, murderous excitement. He snatched a torch from the man beside him and hurled it toward the source of the sound.
The torch hit the ground, its flare fully illuminating Kiyokazu's silhouette for all to see.
Seeing Kiyokazu so close, Kondo didn't completely lose his head. He barked at his men:
"Don't let that brat get away! But don't just rush in blindly! The only reason he's showing himself like this is probably because Gyutaro is on his deathbed. He's a decoy, trying to lure us away so the sister can find a doctor! Two of you stay here and stake out the spot. The moment those two damn siblings crawl out, grab them! The rest of you follow me and kill this brat! Trust me, he'll be distracted by what's happening here, and we'll gut him easily!"
Listening to Kondo's analysis from a distance, Kiyokazu had to admit that the man wasn't stupid. Anyone who could make a name for themselves in a place like Yoshiwara was rarely a simpleton.
But unfortunately for Kondo, Gyutaro's condition was stable, and Kiyokazu's reason for appearing wasn't what he suspected.
An information gap dictated that Kondo could only choose a path based on his past experiences—a path he thought was correct.
But Kiyokazu knew the truth: he had come out specifically to lure away the demon hiding in the dark! The reason he hadn't immediately destroyed the fragment of demon flesh in his body was to buy Ume time to escape.
However, looking at the torch burning at his feet and the stones rolling down the banks, Kiyokazu realized the situation was even worse than he had anticipated.
The demon's cunning and persistence far exceeded his expectations. Normally, a demon smelling blood should have its reason suppressed by an overwhelming hunger. How could this one remain so cold and calculated?
Kiyokazu couldn't provide an answer yet, but he didn't hesitate. Kondo hadn't lowered his voice when giving orders; he had said those things specifically to put pressure on Kiyokazu.
Under normal circumstances, Kondo's choice would have been the best one. Unfortunately, he had run into a demon, and he had drastically underestimated Kiyokazu's strength.
Against only three men, Kiyokazu could finish them in a heartbeat.
As for whether he should kill them...
A sliver of hesitation flickered in Kiyokazu's heart. Before this, he hadn't even killed a wild chicken. To suddenly take human lives required a psychological shift he wasn't quite ready for.
But that hesitation lasted only a second. Logic screamed at him: if he didn't kill these men today, what would happen to Ume if she fell into their hands? What would happen to him and Gyutaro? What had happened to the families of all the women these bastards had already sold into slavery?
Against such scum, there could be no mercy!
He concentrated his breathing, feeling the movement of every muscle in his body, mentally stretching and analyzing the distance between himself and his targets.
Kiyokazu crouched slightly, his mouth parting just enough to let out a sliver of air. As a faint, dark-red glow rippled across the blade of his dagger, his entire form vanished into the night.
"Sun Breathing, First Form—Dance!"
When speed reaches a certain threshold, even the afterimages left behind seem as though they truly exist in the world.
Kondo stood frozen. He only felt a sudden, searing surge of pain erupt from his throat.
Unlike the version used by Tanjiro in the original story—a dance characterized by blazing, scorching flames—the "Dance" Kiyokazu executed was born of his own understanding of Sun Breathing. Given the limitations of his crude dagger, his version focused entirely on extreme speed and lethal, precision cutting!
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Demon Slayer: Starting by Snatching Daki(61 Chapter- Ongoing)
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