Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

Pain, endless pain, grief

Boundless sorrow

All of these arose in the mind of the evil spirits along with death.

Tears mingled with blood in his eyes, dripping silently. All the beautiful memories and happiness that once belonged to him would be destroyed one by one after he became a ghost.

A somber atmosphere permeated the air following the death of the demon, but the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen present did not sense this atmosphere, only smelling the stench emanating from the air. If Tanjiro Kamado were here, he might have been able to smell the sorrow permeating the air and feel that sorrow.

But ordinary people cannot perceive these things; they can only smell the foul stench emanating from the dead evil spirits.

"This ghost-hunting mission is finally over."

A swordsman, panting, began bandaging his wounds. His face showed sadness because his comrades had died, but also a sense of relief that he was still alive.

"Boss, I heard that you're going to treat Lord Kyojuro to dinner after the mission is over."

A swordsman limped up to 'Hiroshi Furukawa' with anticipation on his face. That was the 'Flame Pillar', an object of admiration for all swordsmen.

"Ah."

Hiroshi Furukawa nodded, a slight smile appearing on his tense face.

"Could you take us with you then?"

The limping swordsman looked pleadingly, and the other swordsmen couldn't help but look over, their faces full of anticipation. That was Kyojuro Rengoku, the 'pillar' who slew the Twelve Demon Moons, the Flute Demon.

"no problem."

Looking at his companion, Hiroshi Furukawa did not hesitate.

"But will Lord Kyojuro mind? After all, Lord Kyojuro only agreed to the eldest brother's request."

The swordsman with the limp was somewhat worried.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problem. Lord Kyojuro will only be happy that I'm taking you all with me."

Hiroshi Furukawa shook his head. In his heart, Kyojuro Rengoku was a caring person who treated others like an older brother. He always had a smile on his face and was full of enthusiasm. He was always full of love and guidance for his juniors. There was absolutely no need to worry about these things.

Upon hearing this, everyone smiled and relaxed.

Only Hiroshi Furukawa remained somber, his head bowed as he looked around.

"Boss, what are you still looking at?"

The limping swordsman approached 'Hiroshi Furukawa' with a smile and asked, "After we get back, let's go to the brothel for drinks. I heard there's a new courtesan who's incredibly beautiful..."

'Hiroshi Furukawa' seemed to have discovered something. He suddenly squatted down, touched his toes on the ground, then raised his head and squinted.

"Boss, what's wrong?"

Seeing Hiroshi Furukawa's solemn expression, the limping swordsman looked somewhat strange.

"I'm afraid this ghost-hunting mission is not over yet."

Hiroshi Furukawa placed his hand on the hilt of his Nichirin Blade, his eyes sharp as a blade.

Chapter 24 Footprints

"I'm afraid this ghost-hunting mission is not over yet."

Hiroshi Furukawa crouched down, examining the marks left on the ground. He had noticed something amiss while hunting demons before, and even after slaying the demons, he remained cautious and kept a close eye on his surroundings. Now, he had indeed discovered something.

Several swordsmen also approached, their eyes narrowing as they looked at the ground, especially the footprints left behind.

"Could it be?"

Footprints are not unusual, but the footprints in front of us are different. You know, the marks left by ordinary people on the ground are very faint.

But ghosts are different.

Ghosts possess physical abilities far exceeding those of humans. When walking normally, the footprints they leave on the ground are not much different from those left by ordinary people. However, when they start running, especially when running fast, the footprints they leave on the ground become more prominent.

This is because ghosts possess physical abilities far exceeding those of humans, making their footsteps more powerful. When they lift their feet, they subconsciously stomp deeper into the ground, further amplifying this force. This results in ghost footprints being very deep, completely different from the footprints left by ordinary people.

The swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, who are dedicated to protecting humanity and eliminating evil spirits, have all received instruction from their "trainers" on the habits and weaknesses of demons, as well as how to track their tracks. Among the knowledge on how to track demons is how to identify their footprints.

Then, another set of footprints, clearly belonging to a ghost, appeared before them, and they looked very fresh.

"No wonder that ghost ran in this direction just now; it was trying to call for help from its kind."

A swordsman spoke in a cold voice.

"But why is there another evil spirit?"

The swordsman, limping from his injury, wore an incredulous expression. According to the intelligence gathered by the 'Hermit,' there should only be one evil spirit in their mission area.

Moreover, most evil spirits are solitary creatures and rarely live in groups, except in very special circumstances.

After all, demons have a strong sense of territory, and few demons will allow other demons to enter their hunting area.

In addition, the existence of the "Swap Bloodbath" means that any demon aspiring to become one of the "Twelve Demon Moons" will subconsciously regard other demons as rivals, which further intensifies the hatred between demons.

Even if evil spirits live in groups, it is usually because there is a powerful evil spirit that enslaves ordinary evil spirits.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, there will only be one ghost in a given area.

At least, over the years, apart from the battles against multi-headed demons when dealing with the Twelve Demon Moons under the leadership of the 'Pillars', there have been very few instances of ordinary demons gathering together.

"Perhaps it's a ghost from somewhere else that wandered over."

One swordsman guessed.

"Hmph, who cares why there's another ghost? Since it's here, let's kill it all together."

Another swordsman, his hand on his Nichirin Blade, looked on with murderous intent.

Upon hearing this, the other swordsmen also turned their gazes toward 'Hiroshi Furukawa'.

"Boss, what do you say? Chase after him and chop off his head."

The swordsman, limping from his injury, gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly, his eyes filled with fierceness as he questioned 'Hiroshi Furukawa'.

Everyone is filled with hatred towards demons. Except for special cases, most of the swordsmen who become Demon Slayers have various kinds of hatred towards demons, and almost all of them have had their own happiness destroyed directly or indirectly by demons.

Upon hearing that there were still evil spirits, they naturally did not want to let them go.

Hiroshi Furukawa naturally wanted to slay the demon, but when he glanced at everyone's tired faces, he shook his head: "No, let's rest first."

"Boss..."

One of the swordsmen was unwilling to give up. He deeply hated demons, and now that he heard about the demons, how could he let them go? He only wanted to use his Nichirin Blade to cut off the demons' necks immediately.

Hiroshi Furukawa walked up to the swordsman and patted him on the shoulder: "I know how much you hate demons. I also wish I could go and hunt down this evil demon right now, but we must remain rational. Only in this way can we be demon hunters, instead of being prey."

"We've only just killed one demon, and everyone's energy is almost depleted. How long can we hold out in this exhausted state?"

"But ghosts are different. They have unlimited energy. If we are delayed even slightly, we will be in danger because we will lose our energy."

After hearing Hiroshi Furukawa's words, everyone was somewhat unwilling, but they also knew that it was true. They had not reached the level of "total concentration and constant concentration" in their breathing techniques and could not maintain a constant state of breathing.

Currently, most can only maintain a state of "breathing" for a few minutes to tens of minutes before they can no longer do so. At this point, they no longer have the physical ability to fight against ghosts and are no different from an ordinary person.

Ordinary people are unable to deal with evil spirits.

Moreover, being forced out of the 'breathing' state will leave one extremely weak for a short period of time, even weaker than an ordinary person.

"Let's rest first, and then we'll continue searching for this evil spirit."

'Hiroshi Furukawa' looked at everyone and clenched his fists: 'This demon is definitely not going to escape. Once we've rested, we'll deliver the final blow.'

"Okay, I'll listen to the boss."

"Let this beast live a few more days."

.........

Several swordsmen, upon hearing this, also chimed in with their shouts.

Upon seeing this, Hiroshi Furukawa nodded, telling everyone to rest first while summoning the hermit in charge of the area.

The "Hermits" are the logistics hub of the Demon Slayer Corps, responsible for non-combat support work. They are mainly used for combat rescue, intelligence transmission, equipment maintenance, disguise and infiltration, and are also responsible for the cleanup work after the Demon Slayer Corps fights with demons.

"grown ups."

The two hermits approached Hiroshi Furukawa and bowed slightly: "We have prepared accommodations nearby, provided food and water, and doctors from the Butterfly House have come to treat everyone... Do you have any other instructions, sir?"

"When the sun rises and the sunlight shines on the earth, send people to trace the source of these footprints. Be careful and cautious. If you can find the hiding place during the day, notify us immediately."

"promise."

The hermit nodded immediately, then bowed and stepped back.

After the two hermits withdrew, Hiroshi Furukawa looked at the footprints on the ground, gently stroking the hilt of his Nichirin Blade, and murmured softly:

"Run, you demon, flee in panic! I will find you, and then, with my Nichirin Blade, I will personally sever your neck."

"It won't be long."

He looked up at the full moon in the dark night: "After all, I still need to invite Lord Kyojuro to dinner, so I can't take too long."

A smile appeared on the boy's lips, as if he could see the gentle, elder brother-like Kyojuro-sama giving him a thumbs-up and praising him loudly.

………………

………………

Thank you so much to reader '20190928115857004' for the two monthly tickets! I'm so grateful for your support. This is the first time I've ever received monthly tickets. I thought I would just keep writing quietly on my own, but I was so happy to receive them.

Chapter 25 Butterfly Hair Clip

run

Running at top speed...

The footsteps landed on the ground and then lifted sharply, accompanied by a dull thud as a figure darted forward. In the silent night, only the sound of footsteps and the trees rushing past could be heard.

As he ran, Su Mu kept looking back. Although he didn't sense anyone chasing him, he didn't dare stop for a moment.

They never expected to encounter the Demon Slayer Corps and were completely unprepared.

He knew that if he were to encounter the Demon Slayer Corps, what awaited him was the Demon Slayer Corps' Nichirin Blade, which they would not hesitate to swing, and his life, which would be ended.

Although he had become a demon, Su Mu still did not want to die.