Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

"Times have changed. The so-called swordsmanship is no longer effective. No matter how skillful the swordsmanship is, it is no match for the spear!"

The man raised his head, looking at the bright moon under the dark sky, then lowered his head, looking at the dead swordsman, looking at the Nichirin Blade that he still gripped tightly until his death.

The Nichirin Blade exuded an aura that the man found extremely repulsive, but he still crouched down, silently pried open the swordsman's wrist, and picked up the Nichirin Blade that the swordsman had once gripped tightly.

He raised his Nichirin Blade, the moonlight reflecting off its blade, giving it an extremely cold and chilling feel.

Looking at the sword, the man seemed to be lost in memories of the distant past, when he, like these swordsmen, had also believed in the way of the samurai and had once been an extremely powerful samurai.

But everything changed after that one shot. No matter how long the training lasted, no matter how many years of hard work were put into it, it was all shattered by a single, casual shot from someone who had never been trained.

"What was it that I once insisted on?!"

The man stared at the sharp Nichirin Blade, his expression filled with pain. Then, without hesitation, he raised his left hand and fired two shots at his head from the muzzle of the firearm.

A bullet pierced his head at close range, and brain matter and blood flowed continuously from the wound, but the man's face showed an extremely enjoyable expression.

The wound that had pierced his head by a firearm was also healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Ah, that feels so good!"

The man whispered, all those painful memories vanishing instantly with the pain of the bullet piercing his head.

He sheathed the gun and took the Nichirin Blade as his trophy.

How many spoils did he collect? Seventy, or eighty-nine? I've forgotten.

But these spoils were not the spoils he had been looking for. The spoils he had always longed for were those of the man who had shattered his body and soul into pieces.

Even today, I still harbor hatred towards it.

What was that person's name again?

Rengoku Makijuro.

Yes, Rengoku Makijuro.

He became an alcoholic after his wife's death and did not exert his full strength, but even so, he still smashed his head with a wine jug and crushed every part of his body.

That nightmarish pain is still vividly etched in my memory to this day.

That fear, to which there was no way to resist, remains so vivid even now.

These humiliations...

He remembers it very clearly.

After all these years of hard work, I have finally become the Lower Moon Two of the Twelve Demon Moons. Now that I have killed so many people here, Rengoku Makijuro, as a 'Pillar', shouldn't you show up?

"Are you ready to be killed by me?"

The man raised his head, looking at the dark moonlight, his eyes filled with anticipation, as if he could already see himself stomping the other's head into the ground and telling him, "I... am the ghost who survived being chopped into pieces by you back then!"

He will tell Rengoku Makijuro in person.

“I am the ghost you didn’t even bother to ask my name back then, a ghost named Pero.”

“Now, I am the second moon of the waning moon.”

"Rengoku Makijuro, are you ready?"

………………

Sagiyama

After finishing his meal, Su Mu went to the foot of the mountain to wait. Before long, hurried footsteps approached.

He was a 'hermit' carrying a box.

"Is this... Lord Su Mu?"

The hermit stopped and asked with a hint of wariness.

"Yes."

Su Mu nodded.

The hermit was relieved and walked over, handing over the two boxes: "These are rather forbidden weapons. Please be careful when using them, especially be aware of the authorities. If you cause too much of a commotion, the Ubuyashiki will have a hard time dealing with it..."

"I will be careful."

Su Mu nodded.

Seeing that Su Mu had accepted the box, the 'Hermit' breathed a slight sigh of relief, and then respectfully spoke again: "Lord Huili sends his regards, and he will do his best to meet any needs you may have."

"Please thank Kiriyo for me."

Su Mu nodded.

The hermit said nothing more, and remained where he was, bowing respectfully to Su Mu.

"May your martial arts prosper in the future."

Su Mu nodded and watched the 'hermit' leave before opening the box.

One box contained various firearms, including rifles, Nambu Type A pistols, and revolvers, while the other box contained the corresponding ammunition.

Su Mu picked up a revolver and played with it for a moment, then put one of the revolvers away and hung it on his waist before closing the box.

These firearms were all sent to him by Ubuyashiki Teruya through his request. It would not be easy to obtain these things on his own, as the government strictly controls them.

With his suitcase in hand, Su Mu leaped through the jungle and soon arrived at the mountainside of Narrow Mist Mountain.

Most of the people who have trained all day are resting at this time.

Su Mu stopped in his tracks, carrying the suitcase, and looked at a wisteria tree in front of him.

Beneath the wisteria tree, a beautiful young girl stood quietly.

A gentle breeze blew, causing the girl's dark hair to sway, and her beautiful pinkish-purple eyes seemed to shine even brighter with his arrival.

"Why aren't you resting yet?"

Su Mu stepped forward carrying the box.

"Uncle hasn't come back, and Kanao can't sleep."

Kanao naturally took steps closer and gently nestled into the man's arms.

Because he was holding the box in both hands, Su Mu couldn't stroke the girl's head as usual.

Although Kanao was a little unaccustomed to it, she knew it was because her uncle was holding the suitcase, so she stepped forward to help him carry it.

"It's a bit heavy, I can carry it myself."

Su Mu said something.

Kanao didn't insist any further. She always obeyed her uncle's orders. No matter what they were, she would do anything to carry out them, even if it cost her her life.

Carrying the suitcase, Su Mu did not return to his resting place.

Instead, she turned and walked towards the next room, with Kanao following her uncle almost like a shadow.

Soon, under the cover of night, they saw Genya Shinazugawa diligently practicing his 'breathing technique' in the courtyard.

A child who is unable to practice 'breathing techniques' due to his weak physical condition.

Senior Urokodaki had even explained to him that his frail physique meant he was destined to be unable to practice the 'breathing technique,' but he seemed unwilling to give up.

Each effort, each deep breath, was repeatedly forced to stop because the body could no longer bear it.

Failure after failure

An outcome that was almost certainly doomed to failure.

The boy was driven to despair and knelt on the ground in anguish.

"Tap..."

The sound of footsteps approached clearly, causing Genya Shinazugawa to turn around and look at the person who had arrived.

Under the moonlight, the man's tall figure reminded Shinazugawa Genya of his older brother who used to carry him on his back when they were children.

After a slight daze, Shinazugawa Genya stood up, his head slightly bowed: "Does Your Excellency, like Urokodaki-senpai, come to say that I cannot embark on the path of demon slayers?"

No, that's not true.

Su Mu walked in carrying a suitcase, with Kanao still standing in her uncle's shadow behind her.

"Then, sir, is..."

"To find another path for you."

Su Mu looked at the boy:

"A path to demon hunting without 'breathing techniques'."

The boy's breathing suddenly became rapid, and his whole body trembled. The repeated failures to breathe plunged him into despair, as if he would never see the scene of fighting side by side with his brother.

In the dark world that had been filled with despair, a ray of light suddenly appeared.

This moment.

An indescribable emotion welled up in the boy's heart.

"really?"

The unreality of everything made Genya Shinazugawa speak up, fearing that it was all just an illusion.

"it is true."

Su Mu nodded.

Looking into the man's gentle eyes, his tall figure almost overlapped with that of his older brother when they were children.

That past, which can never be returned to, is so precious.

"Thank you... thank you."

Genya Shinazugawa didn't know what to say at this moment, so he could only awkwardly offer his thanks.

Standing in her uncle's shadow, Kanao tilted her head and quietly watched Shinazugawa Genya's current appearance. At this moment, it was as if she saw her former self.

In that desperate and dark world, it was my uncle who appeared like a ray of light and saved me.

now

We must also save