Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

Is it because you can't bear to?

Su Mu sneered: "You still feel that wantonly taking lives is a cruel thing, so you subconsciously don't attack their vital points, which is why it's so difficult?"

Nezuko pursed her lips.

"Remember, when someone is an enemy, it is a matter of life and death. To show mercy to an enemy is the greatest disloyalty to one's own life."

Su Mu reached out and patted Nezuko's shoulder, then looked up into the distance: "Another demon is coming. Don't disappoint me this time."

Nezuko raised her head slightly and met Su Mu's eyes, seeing his encouraging gaze.

She couldn't be as decisive as Kanao; when ending someone's life, she always wavered, wondering if it would be too cruel.

Although the battle is against a cruel ghost, perhaps because I've spent so much time with my husband, I've come to feel that ghosts aren't all as cruel as I imagine. What if the ghost in front of me isn't actually that vicious?

Even if the ghost in front of you has only one ten-thousandth of the gentleman's good points...

Perhaps it was this simple thought that made her hesitate during the battle.

"Don't hesitate any longer, okay?"

Su Mu lowered his head, looked at Nezuko, and gently patted the girl's shoulder.

“I will not hesitate any longer, sir.”

Nezuko nodded heavily, feeling the warmth of the man's hand on her shoulder, her heartbeat quickening slightly.

I will never let my husband down.

"Susu..."

The jungle trembled as demons, drawn by the scent of Nezuko's blood, approached. This time, however, there were two demons, each stronger than the previous one.

"You won't disappoint me again, will you?"

Su Mu stood beside Nezuko and asked softly.

Nezuko immediately gritted her teeth:

“I will prove myself to you, sir.”

"It's not about proving yourself to me, but about respecting your own life."

Su Mu sighed.

Nezuko blushed and nodded seriously: "I understand, sir."

Gripping the hilt of her sword, Nezuko stepped forward. Seeing the two demons approaching, she swiftly moved forward, her black hair fluttering in the night wind.

Despite facing two demons that were even stronger than before, Nezuko displayed an even more formidable fighting stance, severing one demon's head almost instantly upon contact.

The other ghost felt a chill run down its spine. The death of its kind instilled fear in it, suppressing its craving for human flesh and blood. Without hesitation, it turned and fled.

"Water Breathing. First Form: Water Surface Slash"

The blade gleamed in the night, easily slicing open the neck of the fleeing ghost.

The battle is over. Compared to before, Nezuko took less time to defeat the two stronger demons, and her attacks were sharper, no longer hesitant as she was the first time.

"Clap clap..."

Su Mu clapped his hands behind his back and couldn't help but praise, "Very good, Nezuko, well done."

The girl stopped, panting, and upon hearing the applause from her husband behind her, she couldn't help but puff out her well-developed chest. At the same time, she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she hadn't disappointed him.

However, the continuous battles had greatly depleted Nezuko's stamina. Coupled with the sudden relaxation, her mind went blank for a moment, and she lost her footing and fell forward.

I thought my head was going to hit the ground and I would have to endure the pain, but the pain I was waiting for didn't happen. Instead, I was embraced by warmth.

Nezuko then realized that her husband had appeared just in time and embraced her, placing her in his warm arms.

The man's warm breath made Nezuko blush, but her little hands instinctively dropped the sword she was holding and wrapped around his waist.

"Sir, I feel very dizzy."

Nezuko whispered, her head almost buried in the man's chest.

"It must have been his first battle, and he overexerted himself. He just needs a short rest."

Su Mu analyzed it.

When Kanao, who had followed, saw this scene, her pinkish-purple eyes narrowed slightly. At that moment, Nezuko's little head peeked out from Mr. Kanao's arms and met Kanao's eyes. She immediately lowered her head guiltily.

Su Mu didn't think much of it and just held Nezuko in his arms.

The girl wasn't very heavy; her body was very supple, and holding her felt like holding the finest jade.

"In the next battle, be just as decisive, don't hesitate..."

"I understand, sir."

Nezuko buried her head in the man's chest and whispered, especially feeling Kanao's subtle gaze, and suddenly felt a little smug.

"Are you done yet?"

"I'm still a little dizzy."

"They've been holding each other for half an hour."

Su Mu also sensed something was wrong. How could she have been unconscious for so long? However, he didn't expose her. He just gently patted Nezuko's shoulder and said, "If you keep carrying her like this, it'll be dawn soon."

The girl blushed, realizing that her husband had seen through her, and immediately ran away from his embrace.

Su Mu didn't care about any of that. Instead, he looked up at the sky. The darkness was about to recede, and the light was about to descend again. The chaotic night was about to end.

That night, no one knew the extent of the damage the Demon Slayer Corps had suffered, nor did they know the current condition of Muzan Kibutsuji.

Seeing her teacher looking up at the sky and at his tall figure, Nezuko suddenly felt a surge of emotion. She reached out her little hand and gently took his hand.

A small, fair hand landed in his palm, startling Su Mu slightly, who then turned his head away.

A gentle breeze blew, causing the girl's long, black hair to flutter. Some strands brushed against her face. The girl reached out with the hand that wasn't holding the man's and gently tucked the ruffled hair behind her ear, revealing her almost burning cheek. At that moment, a look of panic flashed in her beautiful eyes.

They've probably never done anything so daring before.

Especially considering she's a girl, I don't know how her husband sees her, or whether he thinks she's a frivolous girl.

Nezuko was clearly very nervous.

Su Mu glanced at Nezuko only once before looking up at the sky again.

As dawn pierced the darkness, a new day arrived. No matter how rampant the evil spirits were in various places during the night, they would eventually have to hide like rats in a sewer.

Seeing that her teacher did not reject her and even let her hold his hand, Nezuko suddenly felt relieved. Like her teacher, she looked up at the rising sun and suddenly felt that the sun was beautiful today.

Chapter 229 Holding Hands

As the sun rose and darkness faded, the demons that had raged all night vanished completely.

Kagura Ubuyashiki stood on the mountaintop, looking towards the Ubuyashiki mansion. The violent explosion yesterday had illuminated almost the entire surrounding area. Afterward, swordsmen from all directions rushed there, and the battle continued throughout the night. Crows fluttered past, emitting mournful cries of death. The night was relentless.

In order to kill Muzan Kibutsuji, his father used himself as bait to trigger the explosion. Swordsmen who had been secretly trained by the Demon Slayer Corps and had never appeared before rushed forward one after another, just to use their lives to hold back Muzan Kibutsuji and expose him to the sun.

But from last night until now, news of the swordsman's death has never stopped, and after that, no more news has come from that side.

Tears welled up in Teruya Ubuyashiki's eyes, but he knew he couldn't cry at this moment. The responsibility of 'Ubuyashiki' had now been placed entirely on his shoulders, and the burden he carried did not allow him to shed tears.

Ubuyashiki Hina walked up from behind, her eyes blurred with tears, looking at her younger brother, wanting to say something, but no longer knowing how to say it.

Teruya Ubuyashiki turned his head and glanced at his sister:

"Let's go."

As he spoke, he walked down the mountain and soon met the waiting swordsman at the mountain pass, Rengoku Kyojuro, who always had a smile on his face and was always very cheerful.

At this moment, his face was already filled with sorrow.

The injury from the last time hadn't fully healed, and his body was still wrapped in bandages.

Upon seeing Teruya Ubuyashiki, Kyojuro Rengoku managed a forced smile: "My lord, I am ordered to protect you on your journey to the new base..."

"That ghost... isn't dead?"

Teruya Ubuyashiki whispered, knowing it was unlikely, but still holding a sliver of hope.

Kyojuro Rengoku shook his head: "They escaped. They escaped just as the sun was about to rise."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki pursed his lips, his fists clenching slightly: "What about the casualties?"

"The Sound Pillar, Tengen Uzui, is dead; the Serpent Pillar, Obanai Iguro, is dead; all the reserve Pillars trained over the years are dead; the Stone Pillar, Gyomei Himejima, is seriously injured..."

Kyojuro Rengoku finished speaking almost in a trembling voice.

Kagura Ubuyashiki's face turned pale instantly, and he swayed unsteadily. With the previous deaths of former 'Flame Pillar' Makijuro Rengoku, former 'Water Pillar' Sakonji Urokodaki, and former 'Sound Pillar' Jigoro Kuwajima who died while rescuing others elsewhere, the Demon Slayer Corps' high-ranking forces were almost completely wiped out.

The Demon Slayer Corps, after this attack by demons, has at most lost one-tenth of its former strength.

Even when faced with the most dire circumstances, Rengoku Kyojuro, who always maintained a cheerful and optimistic attitude, could not remain so in this situation. At this moment, he looked at Ubuyashiki Teriyasu with concern. The young master was still young. Could he shoulder the responsibilities ahead?

"I remember Mr. Kyojuro once said..."

After a long silence, Teruya Ubuyashiki raised his head and looked at Kyojuro Rengoku: "Even if the sun falls, new life will never end."

Rengoku Kyojuro raised an eyebrow; he had indeed said such a thing.

"No matter what, as long as the demons are not eradicated, the Demon Slayer Corps will continue to exist."

Kagura Ubuyashiki clenched his fist: "Mr. Kyojuro, take me to the next base. I need to take stock of the current situation of the Demon Slayer Corps and continue the hunt for demons. We must continue to work hard to slay that demon. Only by slaying that demon can my father's death and everyone else's death be considered worthy of it."

"Yes, my lord."

Kyojuro Rengoku spoke earnestly.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki clenched his fists. With the heavy blow he suffered tonight, the Demon Slayer Corps he took over was facing a difficult situation. In addition, given his age, he would encounter many more problems.

but

He had no choice.

………………

Xiawu Mountain

As dawn broke, the group returned from the valley where they had been hiding to the mountainside. However, everyone was in low spirits. Although they hadn't experienced any fighting the previous night, the messages delivered by the ravens had been coming incessantly throughout the night, and they were mostly bad news.

Sacrifice is something that swordsmen preparing to embark on the path of demon hunting are already prepared for, but the sacrifice of so many swordsmen overnight is still a huge blow to everyone.