Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

…………

The sun rose sometime later, and the darkness slowly receded.

The mist in the mountains and forests had not yet dissipated, and the birds were still perched in their nests.

"boom……"

A dull sound broke the silence of the jungle.

It was a bullet fired from a firearm that struck a tree in the distance, shattering it to pieces.

Shinazugawa Genya stared blankly at the spot in the distance where the bullet had pierced through, his mouth slightly agape. The bullet was so fast that it was almost impossible to react, and it also had such penetrating power. Even a swordsman who had trained for many years could hardly achieve such a level.

"Firearms are truly powerful tools for dealing with people!"

When Urokodaki Sakonji saw this, he exclaimed, "With such a weapon, even an ordinary person could easily deal with a swordsman who has been training for many years."

Su Mu shook his head from the side:

"Unfortunately, there are still too many flaws in dealing with ghosts."

Then he gave Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Makomo each a Nambu Type A pistol: "Although it's not very effective against demons, using it suddenly can create a favorable opportunity for yourself."

"You all should train hard. Don't worry about bullets. I've already asked Huilizai to bring over another batch."

The group also witnessed the power of firearms. If used suddenly in close combat and struck the demon's vital parts, they could find the demon's weakness in a very short time and deliver a fatal blow.

Once you understand the advantages of mastering this firearm, you'll naturally begin practicing.

After distributing the weapons, Su Mu walked up to Tanjiro and patted the boy on the shoulder: "Have you found the flaw in that stone?"

"not yet."

Tanjiro lowered his head in shame. He had tried hard for a long time yesterday, but to no avail.

"It's alright, take your time. I believe Tanjiro can definitely do it."

Su Mu encouraged him, saying that in the anime, Tanjiro didn't find the flaw in that huge rock on the first day. It was only several days later that he suddenly sensed the flaw and split the boulder, even though Urokodaki Sakonji thought it was impossible. As a result, Urokodaki Sakonji allowed him to participate in the swordsman test at Fujisakayama.

"I will, I will definitely try my best."

Tanjiro clenched his fist.

"it is good."

Su Mu nodded, picked up his firearm, loaded it with bullets, and fired two shots at the trees in front of him. His accuracy was quite good.

"Bang... bang..."

Blowing away the white smoke rising from the musket, Su Mu heard the continuous sounds of firearms firing. He glanced at the others practicing and saw that they were all getting the hang of it quickly, but it seemed that they still needed some time to master the firearms. Only Shinazugawa Genya seemed to have a very good talent for firearms. He could hit the target almost every time he picked up a weapon, making him a natural-born sharpshooter.

"Your marksmanship is excellent!"

Su Mu praised Shinazugawa Genya.

The boy lowered his head slightly, but one could sense a hint of excitement in his eyes.

Have you decided which type of firearm to use?

Su Mu looked at Shinazugawa Genya: "A rifle, a Nambu Type A pistol, or..."

"My lord, I wish to use this one."

Shinazugawa Genya raised his hand and pointed to one of the firearms.

Su Mu's gaze followed Shinazugawa Genya's finger down to a double-barreled shotgun, also known as a double-barreled shotgun. It is a firearm with a double-barreled design. Although its shooting range is not long, the damage it causes at short distances is extremely powerful.

"It seems you've already figured out how to use firearms in conjunction with your physical abilities to hunt ghosts?"

Su Mu handed the double-barreled shotgun to Shinazugawa Genya and chuckled softly.

"Yes, I've already figured out how to fight."

Shinazugawa Genya said in a low voice, "But I don't know if it will work."

"Perfect timing! A 'Hermit' has sent word that there might be man-eating ghosts nearby. How about we let you try hunting one?"

Upon hearing this news, the boy gripped the double-barreled shotgun with a mixture of excitement and nervousness before raising his head: "I will obey your orders, sir."

"But ghost hunting is very dangerous. You could die on this path at any time. Are you really prepared?"

Su Mu said it again.

"I am prepared to die on my demon-hunting journey."

The boy looked at the man, gripped the double-barreled shotgun tightly, and stared with determination.

Chapter 172 The Lost Fighting Spirit

Purgatory Family

The spacious room was in complete disarray.

The entire room was filled with the strong smell of alcohol.

A disheveled man with thick black eyebrows, long yellow hair with red trim at the edges, was fast asleep.

A wine jug lay on the ground nearby, but it had tipped over at some point, and wine dripped from its spout onto the floor, adding even more of the wine's aroma to the already strong smell of alcohol in the room.

On the wall of the room hung a Nichirin Blade that seemed to have been there for a long time, along with a brown Demon Slayer Corps uniform and a haori with flame patterns.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, the sleeping man opened his eyes, and a rare glint of light appeared in his usually listless eyes.

"Da da..."

Footsteps echoed from the courtyard outside, the rosary beads on her ankles jingling as they swayed, the sound so clear in the silent night.

A man with pink hair and pale, bare skin stood with his feet in the courtyard.

The cold moonlight fell on him, making the tattoos on his skin stand out conspicuously in the darkness.

He was wearing a purplish-red short shirt and just stood there quietly, making the atmosphere around him seem to freeze.

At this moment, he was looking around at everything with great interest.

A gust of wind suddenly blew, scattering the cherry blossoms planted in the courtyard.

A few petals fell in front of the man. He casually stretched out his hand, and a cherry blossom landed in his palm. The man watched quietly, his eyes, etched with the characters 'Upper Moon' and 'Third Moon', reflecting the image of the cherry blossom.

The man is Akaza, the third of the twelve demon moons, the upper crescent.

"boom!"

As soon as Akaza stepped on the ground, the surrounding air vibrated violently, and a strong wind rushed towards her, blasting against the tightly closed door and blowing it open.

It also allows the person inside the door to appear before your eyes.

The disheveled man, who had been lying there snoring loudly, sat up at some point.

A pair of slightly dejected eyes looked at the ghost standing in the courtyard. When the man saw the ghost's eyes, his pupils shrank instantly.

"Upper Moon Three?"

"column?"

Akaza casually crushed the cherry blossom in her hand and looked at the man: "At your age, you should still be at your physical peak, but why do you seem to be declining very quickly?"

"That shouldn't be the case!"

The man did not respond to Akaza, but slowly stood up, calmly walked to the wall, took off the Demon Slayer Corps uniform, silently changed out, and put on the haori with flame patterns that represented the 'Flame Pillar'.

Akaza did not stop any of this; in fact, he even allowed the other party to pick up the Nichirin Blade hanging on the wall.

"It seems weaker than the aura of the pillars we killed before!"

Akaza looked at the man holding the Nichirin Blade: "Are you really a Pillar?"

The man silently drew his Nichirin Blade and spoke in a low voice: "Flame Pillar, Rengoku Makijuro."

"It really is a 'pillar'?"

Akaza shook his head in disappointment: "Completely different from the 'Pillars' I've killed before. I've never seen such a dejected 'Pillar'."

“I can sense that your fighting spirit was very strong before, but now, it’s like that of an old man in his twilight years, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.”

Rengoku Makijuro remained silent, gripping the hilt of his Nichirin Blade. Since the death of his wife, Rengoku Ruka, he had rarely participated in demon hunting in recent years, spending most of his time indulging in a life of pleasure and dissipation.

They had long been disappointed by the idea that the evil spirits could cleanse the world.

When did we begin to lose faith in eradicating the evil spirits from this world?

You should know that I was full of passion and energy when I was young.

They have always actively shouldered the responsibility of exterminating demons and protecting humanity.

He also devoted himself to teaching his two sons, passing on his passion and belief in purging evil spirits to them.

Did it begin with his wife's death?

Not

No.

His wife's death had devastated him, but he still had his son.

It's not enough to completely extinguish his passion and enthusiasm.

Rengoku Makijuro gripped his Nichirin Blade.

When did it start?

From that day

He probably started from the book he found in the clan, "The Book of the Flame Pillars Through the Ages".

The Book of Flame Pillars of the Past records the confrontation between Yoriichi Tsugikuni and the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji in the form of letters. When the ancestors of Rengoku saw these contents, they almost lost their confidence and sealed the Book of Flame Pillars of the Past away.

I stumbled upon this book by chance and read its contents.

What exactly is written in the book?

Even now, thinking about those things still makes my body tremble instinctively.

At this moment, Rengoku Makijuro gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

The book described in detail the power of the Initial Breathing Swordsman: the markings, the crimson blade, the clarity...