Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

The other person did not turn around, leaving Su Mu with only a silhouette standing in front of the grave.

She was wearing a purplish-red short-sleeved shirt with black patterns on the back, a white short-sleeved bottom, a red belt around her waist, and was barefoot with red prayer beads hanging from her ankles.

Both arms were exposed, revealing extremely strong muscles. The exposed hands showed that the fingernails and toenails were the same blood red color.

She has short, peach-pink hair.

Looking at that figure from behind, a vague sense of familiarity made Su Mu grip the Nichirin Blade even tighter.

This ghost appeared out of nowhere, standing quietly in front of the grave, seemingly deep in thought.

Gentle moonlight shone down, and the ghost reached out his hand as if to grasp something, but it seemed that he grasped nothing at all.

So, the ghost clutched its head in pain.

"Every time I see a grave, I feel like I've forgotten something, but I can't remember it, I just can't remember it!"

The ghost clutched its head, tugging at its peach-colored hair, as if caught in an endless dilemma.

Su Mu held the knife, watching the ghost that looked to be in great pain with caution.

Soon, the demon turned around, revealing a face covered in patterns. Its golden eyes had a hint of blue, with the character '三' (three) carved on one eye and '上弦' (upper crescent) on the other.

The 12th Ghost Moon, the third waxing crescent, Akaza.

An extremely powerful demon, among the Twelve Demon Moons, only the Upper Moon One, Kokushibo, can truly overpower this demon.

"What kind of ghost is considered successful?"

Akaza looked up, his gaze falling on Su Mu, and then glancing at the Nichirin Blade in Su Mu's hand before moving on.

"do not know."

Su Mu shook his head.

You don't know either?

Akaza spread his hands, a hint of sneer in his voice: "I thought you would know?"

Su Mu silently gripped the hilt of the Nichirin Blade, pulling Kanao behind him.

Akaza watched as Su Mu pulled the girl behind him and suddenly chuckled, "I've seen plenty of ghosts, but this is the first time I've seen one like you."

I've only ever seen ghosts treat humans as food; I've never seen a ghost protect humans.

"Don't worry, I don't eat women. I'm not like Child Demon, who specifically targets weak and helpless women, like a sissy."

Akaza looked at Su Mu, who was still holding the Nichirin Blade, and chuckled softly:

"Isn't it uncomfortable to hold a knife like that?"

As a Nichirin Blade capable of slaying demons, it contains the power of the 'sun' that can kill demons, making it extremely hated by them.

Su Mu remained silent.

"Ha... It's painful, yet you're still holding on. Is it to use the power of the sun contained within the Nichirin Blade to fight against your demonic instincts?"

Akaza tilted his head, his golden eyes staring at the pair of scarlet eyes:

"You are really... too weak. What are you still holding on to when you're this weak? What's there to hold on to?"

As he spoke, Akaza lowered his head slightly. But the next second, Akaza's figure appeared before Su Mu.

I don't know when it arrived in front of me.

The whistling fist had already landed, and Su Mu, who had been on guard, only had time to raise his knife before the fist slammed into him.

"boom……"

A punch landed squarely on his chest, sending him flying backward before crashing to the ground with a dull thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Cough cough..."

Before the dust had even settled, Su Mu had already stood up again, his fists clenched tightly, and the Nichirin Blade had been knocked away.

"Really... so weak! How can someone as weak as you say that all other ghosts are failures?"

Akaza shook his fist slightly as he spoke, and then his figure disappeared from the spot again, only to reappear beside Su Mu once more.

The speed was too fast, so fast that Su Mu couldn't even see it clearly.

"Is this the power of the Twelve Demon Moons?"

He muttered to himself, gritted his teeth, and almost without hesitation swung his fist forward.

Similarly, Akaza's fist came flying at that moment.

The two fists collided, and almost instantly a 'crack' sound of bones breaking could be heard. Almost instantly, Su Mu's fist was shattered.

At that moment, Akaza grabbed Su Mu's arm, threw him to the ground, and then punched him in the abdomen, instantly rupturing his chest cavity.

"Cough cough..."

He collapsed to the ground, almost completely powerless.

The gap in strength has reached a point where it is impossible to fight back.

This is the difference between an ordinary demon and the Twelve Demon Moons—a difference so vast it's almost hopeless.

"Too weak, really too weak, your bones are too brittle."

Akaza stood there, shaking his fist: "How did you, a weak demon like you, come to the conclusion that all other demons are failures?"

"How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"I thought you were strong? You're too weak."

"Now, let me tell you, the losers among ghosts are all weaklings like you, understand?"

Akaza squatted down, lifted Su Mu by the neck with one hand, and brought his face close to his: "Do you understand?"

Akaza was about to say something when he suddenly seemed to sense something and lowered his head. Before he knew it, the girl protected by the demon had picked up the Nichirin Blade that had been knocked away.

The girl stared intently at him with her pinkish-purple eyes.

Then, without a word, he ran over with a knife in both hands and slashed at him.

In an instant

Some trance.

A man-eating demon protects humans who are about to be eaten, while the humans who are about to be eaten also choose to protect the man-eating demon.

They're all equally weak.

fragile.

But as the girl fiercely brandished her Nichirin Blade, a very familiar feeling suddenly welled up in his mind.

It seems I've had that feeling before.

It seems that there was once a girl who cared about her just as much. That girl was just as frail and delicate as the girl in front of her.

It seems he made a promise about something...

But I don't remember.

It seems that as long as I keep getting stronger, I can protect something. But what is it? What am I protecting?

"Keep getting stronger, keep getting stronger."

Yiwozu murmured.

Kanao had already swung the Nichirin Blade over, and the sharp blade struck Akaza's body, but only produced a dull sound.

They only managed to cut some bloody skin off Akaza's thigh.

"Too weak, really too weak, too weak. Even if I gave you a sword to slay demons, it wouldn't be of any use."

Akaza lowered his head, watching the girl slashing at his thigh with a Nichirin Blade:

"Pathetically weak."

As he spoke, Akaza turned around and looked at Su Mu:

"How can someone so weak protect each other?"

With that, Akaza casually tossed Su Mu's body to the ground like a rag doll.

The girl's eyes turned terrifyingly red at that moment. She gripped her Nichirin Blade tightly and desperately slashed at Akaza's body.

Akaza stood still, letting a young girl hack at him silently. His powerful muscular body, even without moving, meant that someone holding a knife couldn't inflict serious injuries.

Akaza's body is too rigid.

"Cough cough..."

Su Mu struggled to his feet, looked at the crazed Kanao, and whispered:

"Come back."

The girl, who had already gone into a frenzy, suddenly seemed to have a timer pressed. With red eyes, she glanced at Akaza, silently returned to her uncle's side, and tried her best to help him up.

Blood flowed from her chest, a few drops landing on the girl's cheeks, flowing down her cheeks along with crimson blood.

"Cough cough, it's nothing. For a ghost, it's just a minor injury."

Su Mu patted the girl's head to comfort her.

Kanao didn't speak, her pinkish-purple eyes fixed on Akaza, like a wounded tigress baring her teeth.

"Tch... These injuries are indeed minor for a ghost, but they are a different story for a weak ghost like you."

Akaza stood there with his arms crossed, looking at the human and the demon in front of him: "You haven't been a fan of humans yet, have you?"

The question was asked very calmly.

Su Mu didn't answer, but silently bandaged his wounds.

"Like me, they also don't want to use this method to increase their strength, but as a demon, if you don't devour flesh and blood for a long time, you will become weaker and weaker."

Akaza said in a low voice, "Although you can improve your strength and become stronger through training, it is ultimately too slow. But the method of 'fetishing people' is simple and fast. Although you will reach your limit soon, it is at least very suitable for you now."

Su Mu looked up at Akaza, the demon who would kill the 'Flame Pillar' Kyojuro Rengoku in the future, and then lowered his head again.

"Interesting, interesting."

Akaza couldn't help but clap his hands: "Even at this point, you can still persevere like this. To be honest, I admire you a little."