I, Yuhaka, am hungry!

"Ok?"

Shinobu Kocho looked puzzled as she saw the kagune emerging from behind the ghoul. When the ghoul was collecting research materials earlier, Shinobu noticed that this "demon's" Blood Demon Art seemed somewhat similar to that of the previous "demon" who had died.

"Hiding like this is such a hassle! If you're so tough, just stop hiding!"

The ghoul swung its massive kagune arm toward Shinobu Kocho behind it, but Shinobu could easily dodge the "slow" attack by stepping back slightly.

However, at that moment, another figure jumped down from the roof and pounced on Shinobu Kocho. But Shinobu was prepared for this, and just as the figure pounced on her from the roof, she dodged to the side with a whoosh.

Just as Shinobu Kocho dodged, a huge blue khaki, resembling a fox's tail, pierced through the spot where Shinobu had just been stabbed.

Watching the ghoul with its kagune pull itself out of the ground, Shinobu Kocho looked at the new ghoul with a wary expression.

[Secondly, the Blood Demon Art on that demon seems somewhat similar to the Blood Demon Art on another demon.]

With this question in mind, Shinobu Kocho memorized the information, feeling that it was likely crucial.

After pulling out his tail, the ghoul with the kagune shouted towards the area behind Shinobu Kocho:

"Hey! Newbie! Why aren't you doing anything?! Do you have a death wish?!"

Upon hearing the words of the ghoul with the kagune, Shinobu Kocho realized that there were more than two "ghosts" in this place. She immediately turned to the side to guard against any "ghosts" that might appear on the roof behind her. However, Shinobu and the ghouls present soon saw a petite figure appear on the roof.

Shinobu Kocho stared in surprise at the little girl in a kimono who appeared on the rooftop. Because the little girl was wearing a fox mask, Shinobu couldn't see her face. However, she was stunned when she saw what the little girl was holding. Even the ghouls nearby looked surprised.

The little girl was holding a human head. The head's face was frozen in shock, but when Shinobu Kocho saw that the head's shocked eyes were the kind of ghoul eyes that ghouls have, she immediately knew that the head belonged to a "demon".

The two ghouls below, seeing the girl holding a ghoul's head, finally realized what was happening. The ghoul with the tail-like appendage looked at the little girl on the roof with a mixture of anger and fear, and roared:

"Who are you, you brat!?"

Hearing the words of the ghoul with the tail, the little girl on the rooftop looked down at the ghouls and said:

"I'm just a cook who's passing by, remember that!"

Chapter 442 [The Form of the Void Sword - Sword Style - Mirror Flower Structure]

Let's rewind a few minutes. When Ji Lin was tracking Shinobu Kocho, he encountered a ghoul on a rooftop. Initially, both of them were completely bewildered. Ji Lin was confused as to why there was another ghoul on the roof, while the ghoul was confused as to why there was a little girl on the roof.

The next instant, they both had the same thought: "Kill him/her!"

The ghoul revealed the tunic behind its back and fired a small number of tunics at Ji Lin. Ji Lin also took out his Xuanyuan Sword and spun it like a windmill. The tunics flying towards Ji Lin were immediately shattered by Ji Lin's Xuanyuan Sword. Then, to the ghoul's shocked expression, Ji Lin chopped off the ghoul's head with a single sword stroke.

......................................................

Well... that's what happened to Ji Lin a few minutes ago. What follows is what happened in the previous chapter.

"Hey!"

Ji Lin jumped down from the rooftop and landed in the alley where Shinobu Kocho and the two ghouls were. The two ghouls looked at Ji Lin with wary expressions, after all, Ji Lin still had their companion's head in his hand. Although they didn't know what Ji Lin used to kill that guy, it didn't mean they would underestimate Ji Lin.

As ghouls, they are well aware of their physical limitations. Ordinary swords and guns can hardly do anything to them, and even ordinary demons can hardly inflict any effective damage on them. However, even though they are like demons, once their heads are cut off, they are basically doomed.

Moreover, the original 2 vs 1 situation has now become 2 vs 2, and the presence of Ji Lin, whose strength is unknown, has put some pressure on the two ghouls.

Meanwhile, Shinobu Kocho watched Hime Lin jump down with a curious expression. After Hime Lin landed, Shinobu Kocho realized that the little girl in front of her was actually shorter than her. Of course, Shinobu Kocho was not concerned about the reason why Hime Lin was shorter than her, but rather about Hime Lin's age.

Although Ji Lin wears a fox mask, it can be inferred from her skin, voice, and physical development that she is probably two or three years younger than her apprentice, [Kurihana Kanao].

As for why Shinobu doesn't compare herself to Himeko... just look at Shinobu's height of 151cm and it's very clear.

Ji Lin was unaware that Shinobu Kocho was secretly observing him. At this moment, Ji Lin's attention was focused on the two ghouls in front of him. Ji Lin was worried that if these two ghouls ran into the crowded streets and caused any casualties, it would be bad.

"Here you go, your companions."

Ji Lin threw the head of the yukatakane ghoul in his hand toward the yukuka ghoul. The sight of the yukatakane ghoul's head flying toward them startled them, and they quickly dodged. In that instant of opening, Ji Lin drew his Xuanyuan Sword from his sleeve and slashed at the necks of the two ghouls.

Seeing Ji Lin suddenly rush over, the two ghouls hurriedly tried to defend against the attack. Unfortunately, they underestimated the power of the Xuanyuan Sword in Ji Lin's hand. In an instant, the head of the Okabune ghoul was cut off, while the Kokabune ghoul dodged Ji Lin's Xuanyuan Sword attack because of the Kokabune on his right hand. However, the Kokabune ghoul's right hand was cut off.

"Damn you brat!"

The ghoul with the katakana wasn't intimidated by having its hand cut off. Instead, it angrily brandished its right hand at Hime Rin. Shinobu Kocho, seeing this, reacted quickly. She hadn't reacted in the instant Hime Rin rushed over, but by the time she did, she saw Hime Rin had already cut off one ghoul's head and was preparing to cut off the second.

However, when Shinobu saw the Kagaku ghoul preparing to swing his arm to retaliate, she reacted and prepared to rush over to help. But the next moment, she saw Hime Rin assume a sword stance.

"【Tai Xu Sword Form - Sword Style - Mirror Flower Structure】"

The next moment, Shinobu Kocho saw a scene like a shattered mirror. The kagune on the right arm of the kagune-covered ghoul flew out like a broken mirror, and the head of the kagune was cut off in an instant. The kagune's head flew in the air and looked at Hime Rin with a shocked expression as she cut off her head.

"What......"

For some reason, just as he was about to strike the brat in front of him, a flash of light appeared before his eyes. When he came to his senses, he found that his head had been cut off.

Maintaining the pose of severing the ghoul's head, Ji Lin exhaled, flicked the blood off his sword, shoved the Xuanyuan Sword back into his dimensional portal, and took out a half-eaten candied apple. He then removed his fox mask and turned to look at the astonished Shinobu Kocho, saying:

"Alright, the ghouls have all been dealt with. Is there anything you'd like to ask, Shinobu-neechan?"

Hearing Ji Lin's words, Kocho Shinobu blushed slightly and looked at Ji Lin, saying:

"Huh? Huh? Ninja-neechan??"

Seeing Shinobu's reaction, Ji Lin remembered that in Japan, it seemed only close friends would call each other by their first names. So Ji Lin coughed and said:

"Excuse me, Sister Butterfly, do you have time now? I have something I'd like to talk to you about."

Hearing Ji Lin's words, Kocho Shinobu looked at Ji Lin with a puzzled expression and asked:

"Um, little sister, who are you...?"

Hearing Shinobu's question, Ji Lin realized what was happening and tapped his head, saying "Hehe."

"I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ji Lin, and I come from Shenzhou. I've come to this country to deal with this ghoul incident."

"Huh? A ghoul?"

Upon hearing Ji Lin's words, Shinobu Kocho looked at Ji Lin with a surprised expression. Ji Lin, who was munching on an apple candy, pointed to the ghoul's corpse on the ground and said:

"Yeah, these are the guys."

Following the direction Ji Lin pointed, Shinobu Kocho saw the two ghoul corpses with their heads cut off. However, Shinobu also noticed a problem: these guys, whom Ji Lin called "ghouls," didn't seem to have recovered and weren't making any noise at all!

What exactly is going on?

Chapter 443 [Explaining Demon Slayer to Shinobu Kocho]

In a noodle shop, Ji Lin slurped up the ramen in his bowl, while Shinobu Kocho looked at the information about ghouls in her hand. After seeing the information about ghouls, Shinobu Kocho was not very happy. Although the kagune of ghouls was not stronger than that of demons with blood demon arts, the physical fitness of ordinary ghouls far exceeded that of ordinary demons.

If a Demon Slayer Corps member of rank "Gui" (excluding the three-person sleep of the head boar) can fight an ordinary-rank demon to a standstill, then they would be powerless against an ordinary-rank (B-C level) ghoul.

Ordinary-level ghouls have the ability to withstand weapons and firearms, and this setting is in modern Japan, like Kobayashi's world, not to mention weapons from 100 years ago.

Although the Demon Slayer Corps possesses techniques like Breathing Techniques and Nichirin Blades, not everyone can fully master Breathing Techniques. While Tanjiro in the manga can use so many Water Breathing techniques, this doesn't mean that other Rank 4 Demon Slayer Corps members who practice Water Breathing have as many Water Breathing techniques as Tanjiro.

Furthermore, although the Nichirin Blade is a weapon made from a certain ore that can suppress demons, it is only effective against demons. Against ghouls, it is at most just a slightly sharper sword.

While a regular Nichirin Blade, combined with breathing techniques, can cut through a ghoul's muscle tissue, it's not very effective against bones. After all, a regular ghoul's bones are almost as hard as metal, so weapons like a regular Nichirin Blade wouldn't be very effective. However, heavy weapons like hammers and cleavers would be much better at breaking through a ghoul's bones.

Even so, it would be very troublesome if they encountered a Koukaku ghoul. As the ghoul with the highest Kagune defense, the Koukaku has a very tough defensive ability, and weapons like Nichirin Blades would not be able to break through it.

These are not the most troublesome issues. The most troublesome issue is the ghouls' ability to hide. Because they don't have the characteristic of being afraid of the sun or the appearance changes that occur when they eat people, they can hide very well among ordinary people, and there is no way to detect them.

Unless you're going to stab a ghoul with that knife, that's a different story. Although this method can quickly find ghouls among ordinary people, if you encounter an ordinary person... you know what that means.

Of course, another method is to test using human food. Ghouls cannot eat ordinary human food. Although demons also eat humans, they can eat other things, but this will not give them any power.

However, even though ghouls are troublesome, there are still ways to kill them, namely, cutting off their heads. That's basically it. However, using a regular Nichirin Blade to cut off a ghoul's head might not be ideal. Perhaps a swordsmith could forge a weapon that can effectively cut off a ghoul's head.

Shinobu Kocho put the written information into a small bamboo tube, then attached it to the back of the nearby Kasugai crow and tied it securely. After the Kasugai crow flapped its wings and found that there was no problem, it cawed goodbye to Shinobu Kocho.

After seeing the Kasugai Crow fly away, Shinobu Kocho turned to look at Hime Rin, who was eating noodles. To be honest, Shinobu Kocho found it hard to imagine that such a small child would come to a foreign country alone to deal with those ghouls. Usually, children Hime Rin's age would still be helping their families with chores, right?

Noticing Shinobu's gaze, Ji Lin turned his head, slurped the ramen in his mouth, and looked at Shinobu, saying:

"Hmm? Does Butterfly Sister want to ask any more questions about ghouls?"

Upon hearing Ji Lin's words, Shinobu Kocho waved her hands and said with a smile:

"No, we have enough information about ghouls, but..."

Shinobu Kocho slightly curled the corners of her lips, looking at Ji Lin with a curious expression in her eyes, and said:

"Why does Sister Ji Lin know my name? I don't remember saying my name when we first met?"

Upon hearing Shinobu's words, Hime Rin put on a thoughtful expression and said:

"Well... I should put it this way, I got to know Shinobu Kocho from a manga."

"Comic book...?"

Upon hearing Ji Lin's words, Shinobu Kocho looked at him with beady eyes, clearly not understanding what Ji Lin meant by "comic book".

Seeing Shinobu's expression, Ji Lin rubbed his head, wondering how to talk to her.

"Hmm... How should I explain it to you... Ah! I've got it! It's probably like a book that records 'history,' or to be more specific, it's about the Demon Slayer Corps fighting against demons!"

Hearing Ji Lin's explanation, Shinobu Kocho roughly understood what Ji Lin meant by "comic book". If it was really as Ji Lin said, Shinobu Kocho was a little curious about whether the Demon Slayer Corps would defeat the demons in the future, or whether the Demon Slayer Corps would be completely wiped out, or whether the Demon Slayer Corps and the demons would continue to fight each other as always.

Curious, Shinobu asked Himeko about this, and Himeko replied to Shinobu:

"Yes, in the end, it was the Demon Slayer Corps that killed Muzan Kibutsuji, thus ending the thousand-year-old feud between the Demon Slayer Corps and the demons."

Hearing Ji Lin's words, Kocho Shinobu looked at Ji Lin with a relieved smile and said:

"Is that so... If that's the case, then that's wonderful."

In response to Shinobu's reaction, Ji Lin puffed out her cheeks and said with a displeased expression:

"I'm not happy with that outcome!"

"???"

Shinobu Kocho, who was standing to the side, also had several question marks appear above her head when she heard Hime Rin's words. Wasn't this kind of ending good?

Then, Ji Lin's next words made Shinobu Kocho understand why Ji Lin said that this outcome was not good.

"Many members of the Demon Slayer Corps sacrificed their lives in the battle to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji. Even Mr. Ubuyashiki and other members of the Demon Slayer Corps died in this battle to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji, including Butterfly Sister..."

Hearing Ji Lin's words, Shinobu Kocho finally understood why Ji Lin was unhappy with that outcome. However, Shinobu Kocho didn't feel sad or any other negative emotions about the result and said:

"If our sacrifice can ensure that people will not suffer the loss of their families and lives because of Muzan Kibutsuji in the future, I will gladly accept such an outcome."

Chapter 444 [Shinobu Kocho: Was it all true after all??]

Hearing Shinobu's words, Ji Lin lowered his head and looked at the soup noodles in his bowl, saying:

"Will you accept it gladly... Sister Butterfly, do you know... I'm quite disgusted by the deaths of those kind people in the stories, whether they died for loved ones or for friendship. I don't like any of it, so..."

Ji Lin looked up at the surprised Shinobu Kocho beside him and said with a serious expression: