"X–Sakura…"
The boy's voice trembled. His entire body shook as he stared at the scene before him in disbelief.
Moonlight shone into the hole corroded through the tree trunk, and a familiar cherry-blossom hairpin came into view.
"So hungry…"
A soft murmur sounded. Slender vertical pupils. Sharp fangs. A petite body drenched in blood. In one hand, a thin severed arm; saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth.
A figure both familiar and utterly alien appeared before the boy.
Drip!Hiss—
The saliva fell to the ground, instantly corroding it into a small pit.
"What… what's going on… Sakura… it's you, right? Why… why have you become like this? You…"
The boy's mind went blank as he spoke in a trembling voice, fear and confusion making his words incoherent.
Before he could finish, the demon—wearing the form of a little girl—lunged out and reached for his throat.
In the next instant, a figure dressed in white appeared between the boy and the demon, scooping the boy up and retreating far from the Corrosion Demon.
"So you were hiding inside the tree. Looks like those children earlier were all eaten by you."
Kazuki set the boy down at a safe distance, then turned as he spoke, drawing his Nichirin Blade.
The slender arm clutched in the demon's hand was clearly that of a child.
"Blood Demon Art: Blood Corrosion!"
Seeing the boy rescued, the Corrosion Demon grew furious. She clenched her right hand, crushing the severed arm into a mass of sticky flesh and blood. The blood splattered onto the ground, hissing as it corroded the earth. Empowered by her Blood Demon Art, the gore became violently corrosive.
She flung the blood-soaked mass straight at Kazuki.
A demon that can use a Blood Demon Art… this is my first time encountering one. The ability must be corrosion. That explains why there were only bloodstains here—no clothing or remains.
Kazuki tightened his grip on the Nichirin Blade.
"Sun Breathing, Fourth Form: Solar Flame Mantle."
A white breath spilled from his lips. In an instant, the black Nichirin Blade turned blazing red. Flames erupted from the blade, wrapping around it as the temperature of the area skyrocketed. The surroundings were illuminated as brightly as day.
Kazuki swung the blade in a circular motion before him. The flames flowed around his body like a cloak, forming a protective mantle.
The blood and flesh hurled by the demon struck the surrounding flames and instantly melted away, leaving nothing behind.
"You can go to hell now," Kazuki said coldly, his eyes fixed on the Corrosion Demon. Every movement she made was already within his grasp.
The demon snarled when her attack failed and charged at him, saliva dripping as she eyed the boy behind him.
"Sun Breathing, Second Form: Threefold Life."
Kazuki gripped the blade with both hands and, in a flash, unleashed three flaming slashes forward.
"Don't—!!!"
Suddenly, the boy behind him screamed and lunged forward.
Kazuki hadn't expected this. Though he reacted quickly and adjusted his stance to avoid being knocked down, the interference caused his attack to veer off.
One of the three slashes skimmed past the demon's hair. The other two severed her arms, leaving behind severe burn marks at the wounds.
"AAAH!!!"
The Corrosion Demon let out a shrill scream, fear now clearly visible in her eyes as she looked at Kazuki.
"She's my sister! Don't hurt her—cough, cough…"
The boy clung to Kazuki, shouting hoarsely. Before he could finish, he broke into violent coughing—his throat had been damaged from shouting for far too long.
The words Kazuki was about to shout in reprimand died in his throat.
He looked up again at the Corrosion Demon. Her body was indeed that of a small girl, and on her head was the cherry-blossom hairpin the boy had described.
From the moment the demon appeared, Kazuki had entered the Transparent World, focusing entirely on her movements. He hadn't paid attention to her appearance, nor had he clearly heard the boy's earlier words.
Only now did he realize the truth.
"Please… please let her go…"
The boy pleaded hoarsely.
A newly turned demon? What should I do…?
For a brief moment, Kazuki hesitated.
"Demons were once human too."
Tanjiro's words echoed in his mind.
Now, he finally understood them. Demons had once been human—people who loved others and were loved in return.
"The creature that attacked your village was a demon—an existence that must eat humans to survive. Once born, they will kill humans for food."
Rengoku's words followed, overlapping with the horrific scenes of his destroyed village—and the image of the child's arm in the demon's hand.
Kazuki tightened his grip on the Nichirin Blade.
"…When he pushed the monster out of the house and realized the shadow was his mother, what must he have felt? When he was forced to kill his own mother at dawn, and then heard his younger brother—whom he had protected with his life—curse him… how did that feel?"
There was nothing left to hesitate over.
Even if she had once been human, she was now a demon that ate people. And the boy—her blood relative—was her primary target.
"I'm sorry…"
With pity and regret in his eyes, Kazuki glanced at the boy—then forcefully shook him off.
The Corrosion Demon's severed arms could not regenerate. Terror filled her eyes as she turned to flee.
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Crimson Haze—"
In the next instant, a flame as beautiful as the evening glow swept across the demon's neck.
"AAAAAH!!!"
The Corrosion Demon let out an even more piercing scream as her body collapsed to the ground.
"Sakura!!!"
The boy cried out in agony and rushed toward the demon's body without hesitation.
"Don't go near her! The corrosion will kill you!"
Kazuki shouted in warning and lunged forward.
Within the Transparent World, he could see it clearly—the demon's body was coated in the same corrosive substance as her Blood Demon Art. A human body would be eaten away instantly.
Kazuki managed to grab the boy's clothes—
But the boy slipped out of his outer garment and threw himself onto the demon's body.
Beheaded by the Nichirin Blade, the demon's corpse was already turning to ash. At the same time, the boy holding her was slowly being corroded away.
"Don't be afraid, Sakura… big brother will stay with you…"
His eyes were hollow as he murmured hoarsely, fading together with the demon into the air.
Kazuki stood frozen in place, a shadow settling over his eyes as he witnessed everything…
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