Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

She looked around, almost trembling, and saw Shinobu Kocho lying on the ground. The girl was not tall, but rather thin, yet she protected everyone in her own way.

Suppressing her fear, Kanzaki Aoi rushed over and picked up Shinobu Kocho's frail body. Seeing that Shinobu was covered in blood, Kanzaki Aoi almost cried as she hurried towards the escape route.

Chapter 222 The Final Fate

Ubuyashiki Residence

The physically weak Kagaya Ubuyashiki used Kasugai crows to transmit information, constantly arranging manpower in various places and mobilizing support to various locations.

In some places, the ghosts that appeared were dealt with, but in many other places, the situation became increasingly worse.

Although the Demon Slayer Corps has received the inheritance of 'Sun Breathing', 'Crimson Blade', 'Scarlet Mark', and 'Transparent World' in recent days, the time is still too short, and there are far too few swordsmen who can master them.

The demons are actually far stronger than the Demon Slayer Corps.

Faced with attacks from demons everywhere, the Demon Slayer Corps was almost completely defeated.

The situation became critical everywhere.

One heavy message after another was delivered by the raven.

"The Demon Slayer Corps' base in Tokyo was destroyed by demons, and all the swordsmen inside the base, as well as the supporting swordsmen, were killed."

"The Demon Slayer Corps' base in Asakusa was destroyed by demons, and all the swordsmen inside the base, as well as the supporting swordsmen, were killed."

"The Butterfly House was severely damaged. Most of the wounded who were being treated at the Butterfly House died, while most of the medical staff managed to escape."

"Except for a few people like Hotaru Haganezuka who escaped, most of the people in the Sword Forging Village were killed by demons, and all the forging equipment in the village was destroyed by demons."

…………

This increasingly worsening situation made Kagaya Ubuyashiki's already pale face even paler.

Beside them, Tamayo and Kanae Kocho naturally saw everything. This was the first riot by demons in hundreds of years, and the overwhelming pressure was almost suffocating.

"boom……"

Footsteps approached quickly.

Soon, an elderly man with a cane, a large scar on his face, and a prosthetic right leg walked in first.

Several other elderly people followed closely behind and rushed in.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki looked up as he coordinated manpower from various locations to deal with the demon's attack.

The old man leading the group was none other than the former "Sound Pillar" Kuwajima Jigoro, who was originally supposed to live in seclusion in Momoyama.

"Please, my lord, assign us tasks."

As soon as Kuwashima Jigoro entered, he immediately spoke, and the other old men echoed him.

These are people who had already retired, but stepped forward when the Demon Slayer Corps was in danger.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki knew he couldn't stop them; even if he didn't want to, they would act on their own.

His frail body almost immediately rose to his feet, his eyes filled with sorrow, and he bowed to the elderly people, saying, "Gentlemen, I entrust this to you."

Kuwashima Jigoro and the other old men exchanged glances and laughed, "Being able to protect again with our crippled bodies is enough."

As he spoke, he drew out his Nichirin Blade, which he hadn't used in a long time.

…………

With the support of the older generation of swordsmen, the crises in various places were alleviated, but only alleviated.

"Kanae..."

After dealing with another personnel allocation, Kagaya Ubuyashiki turned his attention to the 'flower pillar'.

Kanae Butterfly, with her hand on the hilt of her sword, stood up at that moment.

"Please have Kanae take Tamayo to Tokyo to hide, and then go to support the local area..."

Although Kanae Kocho longed to go to the battlefield, she stopped just as she was about to take Tamayo to Tokyo, her purple eyes scanning her surroundings.

No swordsmen could be seen in the vast 'Ubuyashiki' mansion.

"Please allow me to guard this place, my lord."

Kanae Butterfly stopped in her tracks. The defenses here were extremely weak, and if a demon were to come, it would be extremely dangerous for her lord.

“Our lord cannot be without guards. In this critical situation, we should have two ‘pillars’ to protect him.”

Kagaya Ubuyashiki raised his head and looked at Kanae Kocho with a calm gaze: "Such valuable combat power as 'Pillars' should not be used by me alone. Other places need you 'Pillars' more than I do."

"But……"

Kanae Butterfly's eyes showed worry.

"A swordsman can die for the demon hunter, a 'pillar' can die for the demon hunter, and a 'lord' can die for the demon hunter as well."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki said calmly, "Nothing is sacrificial, not even me."

As he spoke, Kagaya Ubuyashiki looked up at the window. The area was filled with wisteria trees, their fragrance filling the air. "No ghost can get close here. If a ghost does get close..."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki clenched his fist slightly:

"I... couldn't ask for it."

Kanae Kocho felt a slight tightness in her chest. Although Kagaya Ubuyashiki hadn't said it explicitly, Kanae Kocho already understood that if this place were to be attacked, only Muzan Kibutsuji would be able to do it.

Clearly, Kagaya Ubuyashiki intended to use himself as bait to lure Muzan Kibutsuji out.

Kanae Kocho wanted to persuade her to stay and guard the place, but seeing the lord's determined eyes, she knew she couldn't change his mind, so she left with Tamayo and Yushiro.

…………

After Kanae Kocho left, Kagaya Ubuyashiki stopped processing any incoming messages and went to the window to look at the dark night.

"Da da..."

Light footsteps approached, and a woman dressed in a light blue kimono, with a hairpin in her hair, walked in like a birch tree fairy. She was an extremely beautiful woman, a member of the Shinto priest family, and Ubuyashiki Amane, the wife of Ubuyashiki Kagaya.

Behind him were his son, Teruya Ubuyashiki, and his daughters, Hina Ubuyashiki, Nika Ubuyashiki, Karuna Ubuyashiki, and Kanata Ubuyashiki.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki turned around, glanced at his wife, and their eyes met: "You've seen the near future too, haven't you?"

Ubuyashiki Amane looked at her husband without saying a word. She saw the future: she and her husband would end in this courtyard, disappearing completely in a deafening explosion.

A little panicked, a little scared, a little reluctant...

But soon, all these emotions were gradually suppressed, leaving only a calm and composed acceptance.

"The future has changed."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki glanced at his wife, then turned to look outside: "The future that we could have foreseen has changed; it will no longer follow its original trajectory."

After saying that, Kagaya Ubuyashiki turned to look at his wife. In her eyes was a determination to die with him. He raised his hand and reached out to his wife.

Ubuyashiki Amane closed her eyes slightly, but instead of a hand reaching for her cheek, she received a heavy blow to the back of her head, and her consciousness suddenly went dark.

The frail Kagaya Ubuyashiki struggled to support his wife, then looked at his son: "The future of the Demon Slayer Corps depends on you. I hope that the demons can be completely eradicated in your generation. Ubuyashiki has carried the curse of evil for far too long."

Teruya Ubuyashiki didn't say anything, but silently clenched his fist.

"Take your mother, your sister, and your younger sister and leave."

Ubuyashiki Kagaya spoke softly, his tone calm and unwavering.

Before Teruya Ubuyashiki could say anything more, Kagaya Ubuyashiki clapped his hands, and soon a 'hermit' entered.

"Take them away."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki spoke calmly, and no matter how much his son and daughter struggled, they were forcibly taken away by the 'Hermit'.

Silently watching all of this.

The original foresight predicted that he, his wife, and their two daughters would all die in the explosion, but everything has changed.

"call……"

His body grew increasingly weak. Ubuyashiki Kagaya staggered into the house, found the detonator, and silently held it in his hand.

The firelight inside flickered, and it was clear that the purple hibiscus covering Kagaya Ubuyashiki's face had deepened, making his entire face look as aged as the wrinkled bark of an old tree.

Silently enduring the pain coursing through his body, he sat down quietly, leaned against the wall, gazed into the distance, and murmured to himself:

"Muzan, will you come?"

Chapter 223 The First Demon (Part 2)

They have been attacked by demons far too many times. Although the swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps are willing to fight desperately, in fact, in terms of overall strength, the Demon Slayer Corps is no match for the demons.

Perhaps it had been dormant for too long, or perhaps it had been suppressed by Muzan Kibutsuji for too long, but once it erupted, the damage it caused far exceeded expectations.

One by one, the Demon Slayer Corps' strongholds were discovered, and the swordsmen within were killed one by one under the attack of the demons.

"Namo Amitabha Buddha"

The mournful islander stopped, having provided support from various places along the way, and finally arrived at the sword-forging village. What he saw was a ruin shrouded in flames, with evil spirits wantonly attacking and killing the sword-forging craftsmen. Although swordsmen came to support and protect them, they were ultimately no match for the evil spirits.

The meteor hammer swung, drawing a silver streak in the darkness, and before the whistling wind could arrive, it had already struck the head of a ghost that was chasing the craftsman.

The ghost's head shattered like a watermelon; death was to be expected.

Himejima Gyomei sheathed his Nichirin Blade, clenched his fist slightly, and felt the sensation of slaying demons so clearly that it was almost etched into his muscles. As long as this sensation remained, as long as his strength never ceased, and as long as he could still move, he would continue to slay demons.

"boom……"

He quickly moved to a spot, threw a punch, and smashed the head of a wicked demon with another blow.

"Namo Amitabha Buddha..."

Withdrawing his blood-stained hand, Gyoumei Himejima chanted a Buddhist prayer.

"Don't...bully the weak!"

A trembling voice came from behind.

Himejima Gyomei turned around. Though he was blind, he could not see the ghost in his mind's eye, but the ghost's appearance was crystal clear before him.

Under the dim moonlight, an old man with white hair, half of his body hunched over, who even needed help to walk, questioned Beimingyu Xingming.

"Namo Amitabha Buddha".