Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

Are you asking me?

Su Mu said softly, "You should know that I am a ghost, right?"

The swordsman trembled slightly, his voice choked with emotion: "I can't believe you're a demon, sir. I really can't believe it, but even so, I still feel that you must be different, different from those man-eating demons."

"Sir, they must be different, right?"

Faced with the swordsman's hopeful gaze, Su Mu was at a loss for words. By the time he was about to say something, the swordsman's eyes had completely dimmed, and he was no longer alive.

The swordsman's sacrifice seemed pointless.

As has been the case for many years, the Demon Slayer Corps has been dedicated to eradicating evil spirits, but after all these years, the demons still exist, and the source of the demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, is still alive.

Su Mu didn't know what he was feeling at that moment, but his mind was filled with the look the swordsman had just given him.

The swordsman felt pain upon learning his true identity as a demon, but also a mixture of respect and admiration for himself, and expectations for himself—expectations that he could lead the living to cleanse the world of evil spirits.

Expectations are pinned on a demon.

Go and wait for this ghost to cleanse the evil spirits of this world.

Chapter 287 As you can see, Mr. Beimingyu

Just as Su Mu was staring blankly at the swordsman's corpse, Muzan Kibutsuji and his demons had already begun slaughtering the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen.

The gap in strength was something the Demon Slayer Corps could never bridge, no matter how hard they tried or how desperately they fought.

Even if a Pillar or swordsman wielding a Nichirin Blade inflicted wounds on Muzan Kibutsuji, it would have no effect, as Muzan Kibutsuji's powerful regenerative abilities allowed him to recover almost instantly.

There is no hope of victory.

It was a battle where the enemy was almost completely slaughtered.

A sacrifice that has no meaning.

In this situation, even the most resolute swordsman would fall into despair when faced with such a predicament.

Gradually, some swordsmen began to flee.

It wasn't out of fear of death; if it meant risking their lives to kill Muzan Kibutsuji, everyone would do it.

But even if one sacrifices oneself, it will have no effect or meaning; it will only be a futile waste of one's life.

If things continue like this, who would be willing to waste their life in this meaningless battle?

As the swordsmen panicked, Su Mu bent down and gently closed the wide-open eyes of the swordsman who had just fallen in front of him. In his mind, the expectant look in the swordsman's eyes still echoed.

In that instant, it was as if I saw the swordsman's past. He had a happy family, but one night he encountered a demon. In the smell of blood, his happiness was destroyed by the demon. He watched helplessly as the person he cared about most was eaten by the demon. So, he joined the Demon Slayer Corps and became a demon slayer...

This is a scene that almost every Demon Slayer Corps swordsman has experienced.

Almost every swordsman has their own happiness destroyed by demons.

Smoothing the swordsman's unseeing eyes, Su Mu gripped the hilt of his sword and moved forward. As he advanced, the strong flesh of his upper body writhed.

"puff!"

The shirt ripped open as the muscles swelled, and the flesh on its back grew wildly at that moment, slowly growing eight arms.

This ability was gained by devouring the 'Hand Demon'.

He walked to a corner, opened the tightly packed package, and took out a weapon.

Long sword, giant axe, spiked club...

Eight arms held various weapons behind them, and then they continued to walk forward.

Su Mu didn't walk fast, but each step covered several meters. It seemed slow, but the speed was astonishing.

…………

"boom……"

The tall figure crashed to the ground, creating a large crater in front of Su Mu, sending debris flying and dust billowing everywhere.

As the dust settled, the towering body of Beimingyu Xingming lay on the ground, his forehead bearing clear 'marks,' his entire body covered in wounds, and some wounds even revealing the writhing flesh inside.

As the member of the Demon Slayer Corps who has pushed his body to its limits, Gyomei Himejima's physical body has reached the limits of human potential, and the strength of his body brings astonishing regenerative abilities.

But ultimately, they cannot escape the realm of humans and cannot be compared to ghosts.

His injuries have progressed to the point that he can no longer even stand up.

Not only was the 'Ground Pillar' Gyomei Himejima in this state, but so were Kyojuro Rengoku and Sanemi Shinazugawa; at this moment, their bodies were covered with countless wounds.

Gyoumei Himejima gritted his teeth, wanting to get up and fight again, but his injuries gradually weakened him.

"We must not give up now. As long as we can live, we must fight to the very last moment."

Beimingyu Xingming struggled to his feet, letting out a roar. However, as he barely managed to stand up, he discovered a familiar figure beside him through his 'Mind's Eye'.

Or perhaps, a familiar figure.

Because under his leadership, they successively killed Upper Moon Two, Doma, Upper Moon Six, Gyutaro, and Daki, Gyomei Himejima greatly admired Su Mu and always felt that Su Mu would become his closest fighting partner in the future, someone he could trust to entrust his back to.

only……

However, after learning that the other party was a demon, Hisajima Gyomei's feelings became somewhat complicated.

Unlike Kanae Chocho, who has a gentle idea of ​​saving demons, Gyomei Himejima believes that any demon should be hunted down.

He has always believed that as long as he is alive, as long as his heart is still beating, and as long as he can still feel the sensation of his fist hitting a demon, he will continue to hunt demons until his heart stops beating.

However, I never imagined that the person I admired would be a ghost.

Unbelievable.

I don't want to believe it.

But... that's the truth.

"Step down, Mr. Himejima."

Su Mu spoke calmly.

Under the power of 'Mind's Eye', Beimingyu Xingming sensed the terrifying sight before him, his expression complex.

He hated every ghost and loved the feeling of smashing every evil ghost with his fists and a meteor hammer, but at this moment, if he were to use his fists and a meteor hammer to smash Su Mu, this ghost...

However, they could no longer be treated the same way as other ghosts.

“I will deal with Muzan. Mr. Himejima, go and deal with the other demons. Don’t let more swordsmen die at the hands of demons.”

Calm words fell into the ears of Gyomei Himejima.

Himejima Gyomei found it hard to imagine that such words would come from the mouth of a demon.

"Are you... really a ghost?"

In the end, Gyomei Himejima couldn't help but speak up.

It was completely different from the ghosts I had seen.

When 'Master' accepted Tamayo, he couldn't quite accept it in his heart, but he trusted 'Master' and so he chose to accept her. But in the end, Himejima Gyomei never trusted any demon and hated every single one of them.

But the ghost before me seems truly different.

"As you can see, Mr. Beiming Island."

Su Mu said calmly.

"Namo Amitabha Buddha".

Beimingyu Xingming didn't know what to say, but simply put his hands together and silently recited Buddhist mantras.

He walked forward, stopping the swordsmen who wanted to fight Muzan Kibutsuji to the death, and also stopping all the swordsmen who wanted to inflict wounds on Muzan Kibutsuji even at the cost of their lives.

Soon, the swordsmen who had been clinging to Muzan Kibutsuji like glue were gradually cleared out.

"A blood demon spell to increase arm length?"

Muzan Kibutsuji licked his lips and looked at Su Mu.

"No matter what, we are all ghosts, so why do you insist on standing on the other side, on the side of these lives that are as fleeting as fireflies?"

Onibatsuji. Muzan cannot understand.

Should we really be hostile to such a short-lived and fragile creature as humans?

Looking at Muzan Kibutsuji before him, and sensing the terrifying aura emanating from the demon, Su Mu knew how difficult it would be to deal with, and couldn't help but smile wryly:

"This is indeed quite unlike me."

They stepped forward at such great risk, facing such a terrifying creature.

He was clearly not someone who stood up for others; he was someone who never cared about the lives of others except for a handful of people. Yet, at this moment, he stood up, for these demon hunters, who might also be the ones who wanted to kill him.

It feels stupid.

"It seems... I'm being a little too kind, isn't it?"

He gave a soft, self-deprecating laugh, then quietly looked at Muzan Kibutsuji: "It feels like a thankless task, but actually stepping forward has surprisingly felt good."

I sensed the gradual change in the gazes of some swordsmen, and felt the trust and respect from some of them.

In fact, apart from a very few people, the rest didn't care too much.

But it still feels pretty good.

Chapter 288 Combat

The moon hung high in the sky, and the night remained pitch black.

Su Mu 'breathed,' exhaling the 'Sun Breathing' of the original swordsman through his nostrils, carrying intense heat.

The intense heat was exhaled with each breath into the slightly cool air, the hot and cold mingling to create a mist that lingered on the man's face, making Su Mu's features appear somewhat hazy.

The soft moonlight fell on the eight-armed demon behind him, each arm gripping a weapon and assuming an attack stance, its gaze fixed on Muzan Kibutsuji before it.

The formidable enemy stirred Su Mu's blood, which had been boiling for a long time.

All along, Su Mu had tried his best to avoid being noticed by Muzan Kibutsuji. He had always wanted to watch the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen fight Muzan Kibutsuji to the death, and kill Muzan Kibutsuji at the cost of huge casualties. This was originally the predetermined future.

But everything changed with his arrival.