Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

Upon hearing this, Urokodaki Sakonji unconsciously let out a sigh, and his eyes beneath the tengu mask dimmed slightly.

That's how demon hunters are—walking a path stained with blood, never knowing which battle with a demon they will die in, and growing increasingly lonely the further they go.

Like him, all the companions he once knew have either died from their injuries or perished on the path of demon hunting. Just a few days ago, his few remaining old friends, Rengoku Makijuro, also died at the hands of the Upper Moon Three.

Now, it seems that I am the only one left of my former companions. Oh, Uzui Tengen is one, and there's also that hot-tempered Kuwajima from Momoyama.

"Senior Urokodaki, you should be able to take the train around evening."

Hoshino Shogo introduced himself to Urokodaki Sakonji. Perhaps because the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen were already used to the deaths of their teammates, Hoshino Shogo began to tell Urokodaki Sakonji some things about himself.

For example, he got married three years ago, now has a child, and plans to hunt ghosts for a few more years before retiring completely and spending time with his family.

Hearing this, Sakonji Urokodaki couldn't help but smile and sincerely wished Shogo Hoshino well.

Several young swordsmen, seeing Urokodaki Sakonji's gentle demeanor, stepped forward to ask him various questions, which Urokodaki Sakonji answered gently.

Time slips away unnoticed

Soon the sun gradually set, and the earth was plunged into darkness, with twinkling stars dotting the black curtain.

Guided by a swordsman, Urokodaki Sakonji boarded the train.

Shortly after I sat down in my window seat, the train started moving.

Looking out the train window at the ever-flowing scenery, Urokodaki Sakonji sighed with a sense of awe. The train was so much faster than the horse-drawn carriage, and it was also much more comfortable.

Times are changing, just like the influx of firearms. Even a warrior who has trained for many years cannot withstand a single shot from an untrained person. No one knows what the future holds.

After looking at the scenery outside the window for a while, Sakonji Urokodaki wanted to close his eyes and rest for a bit, but then he smelled a familiar scent.

then

I stood up from my seat and followed the smell through the carriages.

When we reached the last carriage.

Compared to the noise in other carriages, this carriage was very quiet, with everyone lying quietly in a deep sleep.

Under the dim carriage lights, the sound of chewing could be heard. A cold glint appeared in the eyes of the old man behind the Tengu mask as he gently placed his hand on the hilt of the knife at his waist.

Silently, I moved forward.

Soon, they came across a seat where a ghost was pinning a person down and was gnawing on them.

Seemingly sensing the movement, the demon raised its head, revealing a very handsome face with three large yellow squares and three small yellow squares on its cheeks. It had medium-length black hair with magenta ends and slightly longer blue-green ends at the bottom. It wore a long black coat and white striped trousers.

The word 'Next One' is engraved on its pupil.

Although I've seen many instances of demons treating humans as food, I still feel somewhat uneasy about it.

However, encountering one of the Twelve Demon Moons in his impending death brought a faint sense of joy to Urokodaki Sakonji.

"column?"

Almost the instant she saw the haori on Urokodaki Sakonji's body, Enmu's pupils contracted slightly, and she raised her wrist almost without hesitation.

"Blood Demon Art: Whispers of Forced Sleep and Hypnosis"

At that moment, a mouth could be clearly seen forming on the back of Enmu's hand. This mouth faced Urokodaki Sakonji and whispered, "Sleep."

In the dim light, an invisible ripple enveloped the entire carriage, dragging Urokodaki Sakonji into his dream world.

……

Mount Sagiri, shrouded in mist year-round

Urokodaki Sakonji found himself here without anyone knowing when.

As I walked forward, I soon saw the disciples playing around in the distance: Sabito, Makomo... those disciples who had long since passed away were now happily frolicking.

As he arrived, everyone stood up: "Master Urokodaki is here..."

The disciples ran over and pulled him to the campfire, laughing happily...

Everything... is truly wonderful.

The old man closed his eyes slightly, his eyes already moist, but soon, when he opened them again, all the scenes vanished before his eyes.

What appeared before my eyes was a quiet carriage, and beside it lay a body that had only recently died.

"A very powerful Blood Demon Art. It forces the opponent into a sleep state and makes them start dreaming."

Urokodaki Sakonji looked at Enmu with a calm tone, like a drop of water falling onto the surface, creating ripples.

"But... it all ends here."

"It's time for this life of evil to end."

Chapter 186 Lower Moon One. Nightmare

"It's time for this life of evil to end."

The sound of water droplets falling on the surface of water, creating ripples, reached Nightmare's ears, causing the Lower Moon One of the Twelve Demon Moons to change drastically. Almost without hesitation, he unleashed his Blood Demon Art once more.

"Blood Demon Art. Forced Sleep. Eye"

Almost instantly, Nightmare's body began to merge with the train, and the entire surface of the train began to be covered with writhing flesh, on which countless eyes mutated.

Countless eyes wriggled inside the carriage; making eye contact with any one of them would plunge you into a nightmare-inducing dream.

"Shh!"

At that very moment, the Nichirin Blade that had been hanging at Urokodaki Sakonji's waist was drawn from its sheath.

He swung the knife very calmly.

Just as water naturally flows downhill, everything seemed to fall into place. After this strike, the sound of dripping water lingered in Nightmare's ears.

"Da da da……"

A drop of water fell onto the surface of the water, creating ripples.

As these ripples spread, Nightmare realized that she was being separated, her eyes being easily peeled from her flesh by a gentle, water-like blade of light.

As the last eyeball peeled off and fell to the ground, the Blood Demon Art dissipated at that moment. Nightmare covered her eyes and curled up on the ground in pain.

The light blue blade easily sliced ​​open the ghost's neck. Nightmare instinctively reached out to cover his throat, but could only cover empty air. His own head rolled to the ground as the blade sliced ​​open his neck.

"Why...is he so strong?"

"I'm also one of the Twelve Ghost Months!"

The head rolled to the ground, and Enmu's eyes were filled with terror. Under normal circumstances, the 'Pillars' of the Demon Slayer Corps are equivalent to the Twelve Demon Moons.

While there are many examples of Pillars slaying the Lower Moon of the Twelve Demon Moons, there are also Pillars who were slain by the Lower Moon.

He was clearly the 'Lower Moon One,' the strongest of the 'Lower Moons,' and even had a chance to become the 'Upper Moon,' so why did he lose so easily?

"When did the 'Pillars' become so powerful? When did they become so utterly powerless to resist, even capable of killing the Twelve Demon Moons?"

Sheathing his sword, Sakonji Urokodaki looked calmly at Enmu, the Lower Moon One, whose head had been severed, silently feeling the ever-increasing passage of life within him.

With the activation of the 'spots', life force is lost more rapidly with each battle.

However, his combat ability has indeed been greatly enhanced. Even without activating his "Mark", Urokodaki Sakonji is confident that he can defeat this "Lower Moon One: Enmu". But killing a Twelve Demon Moon will not be as easy as it is now.

As Nightmare died, the passengers in the carriage also regained consciousness. Some saw the dead body and screamed. Soon, the entire carriage was thrown into chaos.

Amidst the chaos, Urokodaki Sakonji quietly returned to his original carriage, silently closing his eyes. At that moment, the already aged old man appeared even more decayed.

…………

Asakusa

A man named Tsukihiko, dressed in a suit and tie, walked out of the office.

At the door, a woman wearing a light blue wide-brimmed hat adorned with small purple flowers, light-colored clothes, and a matching scarf, exuding a fresh and gentle temperament, was waiting.

Beside the woman stood a girl with long, jet-black hair, braided into a pink bow, which made her look playful and cute. The girl had big, bright eyes and wore a red and white dress with a pretty bow at the neckline. She was a sweet and lively girl.

The woman and the girl looked somewhat alike, and appeared to be a mother and daughter.

"Yueyan..."

The woman, with her daughter by her side, happily waved to Yueyan, who was dressed in a suit and tie.

A man named Yueyan approached the mother and daughter with a gentle smile.

"Yueyan-kun, you've worked so hard, always working so late every day. Please take care of your health."

The woman's eyes were full of concern.

"Dad, I miss you so much too."

The daughter beside him also rushed into the man's arms.

A smile appeared on Yueyan's face as he was about to step forward and hug his daughter. However, he stopped abruptly, lowered his head slightly, and a fierce glint flashed in his crimson eyes beneath the black brim of his hat, but more than anything, he was filled with disbelief.

"Nightmare is dead?"

Yueyan closed his eyes, and the image of the train instantly appeared in his mind. Through 'Shangyi's' eyes, he saw an old man wearing a tengu mask.

Through the lens, I sensed the powerful aura of the other party; that familiar feeling, so familiar.

"Stripes?"

I sensed it almost instantly.

Why did the markings awaken?

At this moment, Tsukihiko Meiko's eyes were almost entirely somber. Hundreds of years ago, he personally razed the Demon Slayer Corps' headquarters. Although he failed to kill that generation of "Ubuyashiki," he did kill all the swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps who practiced "Sun Breathing." Moreover, that battle also severed the inheritance of "Marks" and "Crimson Blade" within the Demon Slayer Corps.

These things disappeared hundreds of years ago.

Why did it reappear?

Suddenly, he was engulfed in boundless violence.

"dad……"

The girl, who was running towards Yueyan, stopped in her tracks and looked at her father, who seemed to have changed. The woman beside her also looked worried, especially the violent crimson in her eyes, which made people feel scared.

Even though Tsukiko-kun has always been a very gentle man.

"Damn it..."