Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

Urokodaki Sakonji sighed slightly. Every year, countless swordsmen perish in the mouths of demons in order to exterminate them, but the number of demons has never decreased.

He spent his life hunting ghosts, until he was very old, when he finally had to stop and went into seclusion in 'Xiawu Mountain'.

He had intended to continue nurturing fresh blood for the Demon Slayer Corps as a 'trainer', but he never imagined that he truly lacked the talent of a 'trainer' and personally sent one disciple after another down a path of no return. He couldn't even pass the most basic 'Fujikata Mountain' test.

Why are your own disciples so outstanding?

Why, why?

…………

Soon, 'Uroku Sakonji' and Makomo arrived at the mountainside.

Upon seeing the old man's dog mask, the waiting Hiroshi Furukawa immediately stepped forward respectfully to greet him: "Greetings, Lord Urokodaki."

"Ah."

Urokodaki Sakonji nodded slightly, his attitude gentle, but his voice was a little hoarse from the grief he had just experienced: "Is something the matter?"

Without hesitation, Hiroshi Furukawa immediately recounted the story.

"This is quite a peculiar ghost."

After hearing "Urokuji Sakonji", I felt a bit emotional.

However, I don't really care.

Because these ghosts had different experiences as humans, they all had various personalities. What seemed strange to ordinary disciples was not so special to these old people.

"However, since I've appeared near 'Mount Sagiri,' it's just a matter of convenience..."

'Uroko Sakonji' smiled and was about to agree. His nose was very sensitive to the scent of demons, so finding the demon shouldn't be too difficult.

Upon hearing this, Hiroshi Furukawa breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Lord Urokodaki helped, with his ability to find ghosts, that ghost wouldn't be able to escape.

However, before 'Urokuji Sakonji' could finish speaking, 'Katsura' was already flapping its wings and flying towards them from afar.

'Urokuchi Sakonji' took the 'Katsugawara' and read the letter it contained.

Suddenly, Urokodaki Sakonji's face turned serious, and he even instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist.

Makomo, who had been following behind her master, couldn't help but tilt her head and look at him. It had been a long time since she had seen her master so apprehensive.

Hiroshi Furukawa looked at Sakonji Urokodaki with some confusion, not understanding what had happened to make Lord Urokodaki so serious.

"I'm afraid I can't help you this time; you'll have to rely on yourselves."

'Uroku Sakonji' shook his head at 'Furukawa Hiroshi'.

"No...it's alright, adults' matters are more important."

"Hiroshi Furukawa" hurriedly said, though he was somewhat disappointed, he knew that Lord Urokodaki had more important matters to attend to, so he had no choice but to give up.

After Hiroshi Furukawa left, the girl wearing the fox mask tilted her head and looked at her master: "What is it that has made you so alarmed, Master?"

Urokodaki Sakonji glanced at Makomo, then looked up at the sky, his hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword. A chilling killing intent emanated from his slightly aged body.

"That... ghost... has appeared."

………………

PS: There is a lot of disagreement about the order of Makomo and Sabito's deaths. I personally tend to think that Sabito died before Makomo. This is mainly because there was a scene when Makomo was being dismembered by the Hand Demon, in which the Hand Demon killed people, and Sabito was in the scene. Of course, it could also be other disciples, or there are other theories.

However, this book was written by the author, so we'll follow the author's timeline qaq~.~. Therefore, please stick to the book's established timeline.

Chapter 46 Makomo

"That ghost... has appeared."

'Uroku Sakonji's' voice was low and heavy.

Makomo was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding what kind of ghost could make her master care so much.

"Stay here and train well on Mount Sagiri. I will continue to guide you when I return..."

'Uroku Sakonji' turned around, gave Makomo a few instructions, and then left.

"Master, remember to eat well. You haven't eaten for several days, your body will..."

The girl looked at her master's back and wanted to say something more about taking care of himself, but he had already disappeared from sight.

The vast, misty mountain was deserted, with only the lonely figure of the young girl.

"Which ghost is that?"

Makomo was lost in thought when, without realizing it, she arrived at the giant rock in the jungle.

The huge stone is covered with knife marks, some old and some new, markings left by many senior brothers, sisters, and even junior brothers.

Makomo gently stroked the two newest engravings, left by Sabito and Giyu Tomioka before they participated in the 'Fujikazuyama' trial. Now, however, they have not returned.

Her master didn't tell her the outcome, but she already had some predictions.

Her lips clenched unconsciously.

He shook his head, deciding to stop thinking about it.

For any Demon Slayer, death is inevitable. One must never dwell on sorrow, but rather move forward, wiping away tears and continuing onward.

Even if she is not a swordsman now, she will become a swordsman in the future.

She wanted to cry, but she tried to purse her lips to stop herself from shedding tears. At the same time, she tried to keep her mind active so that she wouldn't think about those sad things.

"The only demons that Master would care about are the Twelve Demon Moons. If it were just an ordinary Lower Rank Demon, there would be no need to alarm Master, who has already gone into seclusion. Could it be an Upper Rank Demon among the Twelve Demon Moons? But even if it is an Upper Rank Demon, there will be other Pillars to deal with it. There is no need to trouble Master. After all, although Master is still a Pillar, he is very old and has been in seclusion for a long time."

"Could it be..."

In an instant, Makomo understood what it was that could alarm her master and lead the Demon Slayer Corps.

Only in this world, the source of ghosts, could the higher-ups be so eager to send their master out of seclusion.

As a senior 'Pillar', Master has ample experience in dealing with demons, a skill many swordsmen, even 'Pillars', lack. In addition, Master has an extremely keen sense of smell, allowing him to judge people's emotions by their scent and distinguish demons disguised as humans...

Only this one, only this ghost could make Master so terrified.

Yes

Only the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji.

At that moment, Makomo clenched her fists.

No member of the Demon Slayer Corps would be unaware of or forget the name of Muzan Kibutsuji, the progenitor of demons.

The Demon Slayer Corps' ultimate goal.

Similarly, this is also the reason why the Demon Slayer Corps exists.

Only by slaying Muzan Kibutsuji can the demons of this world be completely eradicated.

but……

It's really too difficult to kill Muzan Kibutsuji.

It wasn't just that Muzan Kibutsuji was incredibly powerful, but also that he was extremely good at hiding.

As far as she knew, Muzan Kibutsuji could not only perfectly hide in the crowd, but also freely change his appearance and even his gender. Moreover, since all demons were created from Muzan Kibutsuji's blood, all demons were cursed by him, and anyone who uttered his name would be destroyed by him.

This makes it impossible for the Demon Slayer Corps to find Muzan Kibutsuji through other demons.

In addition, Muzan Kibutsuji is too cautious, so much so that he has only appeared a handful of times in the past thousand years.

The last time Muzan Kibutsuji appeared was when the location of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters was exposed. That was the first time in hundreds of years that Muzan Kibutsuji had truly made a move, and he almost killed the 'Headmaster' directly. In order to protect the 'Headmaster', the swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps who were practicing the 'Sun Breathing' technique at the time fought desperately to stop him, which allowed the 'Headmaster' to escape.

However, this also led to the deaths of almost all swordsmen who practiced the 'Breathing of the Sun' in that battle.

This also led to the extinction of the training of "Sun Breathing" within the Demon Slayer Corps.

As of now, the Demon Slayer Corps has no swordsmen who have mastered the 'Sun Breathing' technique.

"If only we could find Muzan Kibutsuji and kill him completely."

Makomo stood before the boulder, silently thinking that if she could kill Muzan Kibutsuji, not so many people would be killed by demons, their happiness destroyed by demons, and not so many people would die on the path of demon hunting.

"Ugh!"

The girl sighed softly, her hand gently tracing the marks left on the boulder. Then, she turned and went back to the house halfway up the mountain, picking up the knife hanging on the wall.

A Nichirin Blade that belonged to her.

Ordinary people can only obtain a Nichirin Blade specially customized for them by passing the swordsman test at 'Fujisakuyama'.

However, since she was a disciple of "Water Pillar" "Urodaki Sakonji", and "Urodaki Sakonji" had a good relationship with a swordsmith in the sword-forging village, she received special treatment. Her master's friend had a Nichirin sword custom-made for her.

In fact, not only does she have her own Nichirin Blade, but Sabito does too, as do the other senior brothers and sisters who embarked on the 'Fujikata Mountain' assessment.

"My master repeatedly exhausted his favors, repeatedly filled with expectations, only to be disappointed time and time again..."

Makomo unsheathed her sword, gently stroked the blade, feeling its coolness, and narrowed her eyes slightly, revealing a beautiful slit.

"Just how difficult was Fujikasayama's test? So difficult that even Sabito couldn't return?"

The girl bit her lip slightly, thinking of her master sitting alone on the mountaintop since receiving the news, and of his hunched back as he gently stroked the fox masks he had made to ward off disasters in his room.

"No matter what, I must pass next year's 'Mount Fujikashi' test. I absolutely cannot let my master down again." The girl gently stroked the blade, then carefully sheathed it.

He closed the door, looked up, and murmured in the direction where 'Hiroshi Furukawa' had left: "'Fujikata's' test is to survive for seven days on a mountaintop where ghosts exist."

As she spoke, Makomo pressed the fox mask on her face down slightly, her eyes narrowing into a dangerous slit: "Let me see what these so-called demons are like, let me know just how different I am from them."

"Only in this way can we ensure that we truly pass the assessment next year."

The girl lightly touched the ground and chased after the place where 'Hiroshi Furukawa' had left.

Chapter 47 On the Edge of Losing Control

The sun was high in the sky, right at noon.

Inside the cave, Kanao groggily opened her eyes and instinctively looked around. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her uncle beside her, constantly stroking the blade of his knife.

She took small steps and walked naturally toward her uncle, then nestled against him like a kitten.

Su Mu, who was gently stroking the blade of the Nichirin Blade, turned his head and glanced at Kanao:

"woke up?"