People in Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began with Demon Slayer

"But I also yearn for light, and I also long for all the beauty in this world, so I will never allow you to destroy all this beauty!"

Obanai Iguro raised her head, her eyes filled with stubbornness: "Let the Iguro clan end here! This sinful clan should have been wiped out long ago. Goodbye, Iguro Asaharu!"

"Serpent's Breath? Second Form? Narrow-Headed Venomous Fangs!"

Obanai Iguro instantly circled behind the Snake Demon and swung his Nichirin Blade, severing the Snake Demon's neck in an instant.

Chapter 99 Heartfelt Intentions

The snake demon's head was severed, its eyes cursing Obanai Iguro with venomous hatred: "Obanai Iguro, you will suffer a terrible death! I will be waiting for you in hell!"

Rain kept pattering on Obanai Iguro's cheeks, and it was hard to tell whether the water flowing down was rain or tears.

Kanroji Mitsuri tried to comfort Iguro Obanai, but Iguro Obanai waved her hand to stop her.

Obanai Iguro pulled off the bandages wrapped around her face, revealing the horrific wound: "Do you see that, Mitsuri? This is the real me. I am so ugly and wretched."

Obanai Iguro glanced sadly at Mitsuri Kanroji before disappearing into the rainy night.

Kanroji Mitsuri stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.

Yosuke walked up to Kanroji Mitsuri and asked softly, "Aren't you going to chase after them? If you don't go now, it will be too late."

Kanroji Mitsuri felt that Obanai Iguro might want to calm down by herself.

But as she watched Obanai Iguro's departing figure, Mitsuri Kanroji suddenly felt a pang of fear, realizing that if she didn't chase after him, she might never see him again.

Yosuke suddenly asked, "Do you also think Obanai Iguro is ugly?"

Kanroji Mitsuri shook her head frantically: "I've never thought of that!"

“Iguro Obanai is very harsh and sarcastic towards others, but he is different towards you. He has always been ashamed of his background and the scar on his face, and he is unwilling to get close to you. Now, you are the only one who can comfort him.”

Kanroji Mitsuri remembered that she had initially asked Ubuyashiki Kagaya to go on a mission to Hachijojima with Iguro Obanai, but Iguro Obanai had tried his best to stop her. Now Kanroji Mitsuri understood everything. It turned out that he didn't want her to discover his background.

With a determined look in her eyes, Kanroji Mitsuri said to Yosuke, "Mr. Yosuke, I'll be leaving for a bit. I'll bring Mr. Iguro back!"

"Go!"

Kanroji Mitsuri vanished instantly, chasing after Obanai Iguro's trail.

Yosuke smiled and murmured to himself, "I've done everything I can to help. I hope you can have a good outcome."

Obanai Iguro now sits alone on the rocks on the shore of Hachijojima, staring blankly at the distant sea.

Rain pounded on the sea, but the splashes couldn't stir Obanai Iguro's heartstrings.

Iguro Koba's face was ashen. He had always felt guilty towards the Iguro clan, but just now, he had killed the last descendant of the Iguro clan besides himself.

Kanroji Mitsuri finally caught up with Obanai Iguro and sat down next to him, watching the sea in the rainy night together.

"Why did you come to find me?" Obanai Iguro asked in a voice devoid of emotion.

"I had a feeling that if I didn't catch up, I would never see Mr. Iguro again..."

Obanai Iguro fell silent, and Mitsuri Kanroji suddenly said, "Mr. Iguro, actually, my hair was black when I was born, and my constitution is far superior to that of ordinary people. Because I ate 170 sakura mochi for eight consecutive months, my hair turned sakura pink. Isn't that funny? Someone actually changed the color of their hair because of eating sakura mochi."

"And when I was a little over one year old, I could easily lift a 15-kilogram pickling stone. My mother was terrified at the time, thinking she had given birth to a monster!"

Kanroji Mitsuri tried to make Obanai Iguro laugh, but Obanai Iguro didn't laugh and continued to stare straight ahead with a blank expression.

Kanroji Mitsuri was not discouraged and continued, "Because of my hair color, and the fact that my body is even stronger than a man's, I was harshly rejected by my blind date. I was devastated and depressed for a long time. Since then, I have hidden my true situation."

"I resisted my appetite, not only dyed my hair back to black, but also made up a bunch of lies to make myself look weak. I never expected that I would actually succeed in going on a blind date."

"But even though someone was finally willing to marry me, I realized that the happiness I gained through lies was not what I wanted. Even though I eat a lot, am strong, and have strange hair color, that is the real me."

"My lord comforted me, telling me to be proud of my strength and not to care about the opinions of others. So I stopped worrying about what others said about me and continued to live optimistically and cheerfully. Therefore, I also hope that Mr. Iguro can live optimistically and cheerfully!"

Obanai Iguro's silent eyes lit up again as he watched the girl he had always secretly loved awkwardly comforting him, and the sorrow in his heart seemed to be soothed.

However, the guilt in her heart made Obanai Iguro want to back down. This girl who shone like a ray of light in her heart should not be tainted by her.

"No matter when or where, fifty people with venomous eyes and rotting hands will still grab my body, claws and teeth pointing at me, making it impossible for me to move forward. I can't forget all of this, because this is my life, and for the rest of my life, I will be tormented by these resentments..."

Kanroji Mitsuri suddenly grasped Obanai Iguro's hands, looking intently into Obanai Iguro's eyes.

"No, that's not true! None of this is Mr. Iguro's fault! I will definitely help Mr. Iguro to dispel all those resentments. I believe that Mr. Iguro and I can do it!"

However, Obanai Iguro did not have the courage to respond to Mitsuri Kanroji and released his hands, which were being held tightly by Mitsuri Kanroji.

In her heart, Iguro Koba silently thought, "If I could be reincarnated as a human in a peaceful world without demons, and meet you again, Mitsuri, I really want to respond to your innocent smile and tell you in person that I love you..."

However, Kanroji Mitsuri once again tightly gripped Obanai Iguro's loosened hands, and no matter how hard Obanai tried, he could not break free.

With her cheeks flushed and eyes tightly shut, Mitsuri Kanroji shouted at Obanai Iguro with all her might, "I joined the Demon Slayer Corps to find a boy who can accept my true self, and I want to find someone stronger than me who can protect me. I've always cherished the stockings that Mr. Iguro gave me! So, Mr. Iguro! Would you like to work hard with Mitsuri?!"

The rain gradually stopped, and time seemed to stand still. Obanai Iguro stared blankly into Mitsuri Kanroji's eyes. In the dark night, Mitsuri Kanroji's eyes were as warm as the sun, illuminating his heart.

Obanai Iguro finally resolved her inner conflict and mustered the courage to respond to Mitsuri Kanroji.

"I am willing!"

Chapter 100 Clues

Meanwhile, Yosuke was searching for clues inside the Iguro clan's mansion.

The entire Iguro mansion had become a den of serpent demons, a dark, damp place filled with piles of rocks. The deeper one went, the more one could see skeletons that had been gnawed clean.

As Yosuke delved deeper into the exploration, he heard a faint call.

Following the source of the shouts, Yosuke arrived at an open space; the sound was coming from underground.

Yosuke punched the ground, causing the earth to churn and create a huge hole, leading to a dark and deep tunnel.

Yosuke entered the tunnel and reached the bottom. There he saw dozens of young children, covered in dirt and shivering, huddled together. These children were the offerings that the villagers of Hachijojima Island had made to the snake demon.

When the children saw Yosuke's human appearance, they saw him as a savior and cried out to him for help.

"Please save us! Please!"

Looking at these pitiful children, Yosuke was at a loss for words, unsure how to face them. If there were no ghosts in this world, perhaps they would be nestled in their parents' arms right now.

When Yosuke asked where the children came from, the answer he received surprised him greatly.

The children here are not native to Hachijojima, but come from surrounding areas outside Hachijojima.

Yosuke sighed inwardly, "So, the population of Hachijojima remains unchanged, yet they can continuously offer sacrifices to the snake demon because they were lured away by fishermen from Hachijojima who went out to sea to fish...?"

Yosuke led the children out of the tunnel and back to the surface, where he found that Obanai Iguro and Mitsuri Kanroji had already returned.

Obanai Iguro and Mitsuri Kanroji, seeing the children behind Yosuke, asked in surprise, "Mr. Yosuke, what's the deal with these children?"

"These children were all abducted from outside by the residents of Hachijojima Island and were offered as sacrifices to the snake demons as food."

Obanai Iguro and Mitsuri Kanroji frowned deeply: "How could they do this! It's just too much!"

“Let’s look for clues about the priests first. When it’s dawn, you can take them home,” Yosuke suggested.

Obanai Iguro and Mitsuri Kanroji nodded in agreement.

Yosuke and his two companions searched for clues as they wandered through the Iguro clan's estate, while the children waited patiently and quietly on the sidelines.

After searching for a while, Ihei Xiaobane found clues about priests in a book that had fallen to the ground.

Because Obanai Iguro's mother deceived a priest and gave birth to him, other members of the Iguro clan also wanted to have a son, so they recorded the priest's characteristics to make it easier to find him.

He has pale hair, red pupils, a vertical line between his eyebrows, holds a tin staff, and has a unique mark on the back of his right hand.

This is the description in the book of the priest encountered by Obanai Iguro's mother.

Yosuke recalled Ubuyashiki Amane's appearance. Apart from the same hair color, he did not find any other characteristics on Ubuyashiki Amane.

Just when Yosuke thought that the priest who appeared on Hachijo Island had nothing to do with the priest clan he was looking for, a little boy who had been brought out of the tunnel came to Yosuke's side tremblingly.

"Um...are you looking for the High Priest?"

Yosuke crouched down and asked in a gentle tone, "That's right, do you know anything?"

The little boy nodded: "My sister once had a very serious illness. We consulted many doctors, but none of them could help. Then an adult who claimed to be a priest came to our house. He only gave her a bowl of what looked like a bitter medicine, and my sister completely recovered. It was amazing!"

When did this happen?

After thinking for a while, the little boy said, "It was about a month before I was abducted here."

Yang Jie pressed on, "So, is that priest still at your house? Or do you know where he might have gone?"

The little boy replied, "The priest left when my sister recovered. My father and mother wanted to keep him and thank him properly, but the priest said something incomprehensible, like he was going to some starting place, and then he left."

Yosuke fell into deep thought. Where did it all begin? Did such a place even exist?

The little boy opened his innocent, wide eyes and asked expectantly, "Big brother, was I able to help you?"

This was the first time Yosuke had ever heard someone call him "brother," and it felt quite nice. He smiled and ruffled the little boy's hair, saying, "You helped me, big brother is very grateful to you."

The search yielded no further results, and Yosuke and his companions decided to end it there. Dawn was approaching, and Yosuke needed to avoid the sunlight, while Obanai Iguro and Mitsuri Kanroji also had to send the children away from Hachijojima.

The demons of Hachijojima have been slain, and Obanai Iguro and Mitsuri Kanroji believe that no one else will have to sacrifice themselves for them.

As they were leaving the Iguro tribe's territory, Yosuke and his two companions discovered a group of Hachijojima villagers carrying farm tools and torches, who surrounded Yosuke, his companions, and the children.

From the crowd, an old man with a full head of white hair and skin covered in acne walked to the front, leaning on a cane: "You cannot leave here! You killed the Snake God we worshipped, and we will no longer receive the Snake God's protection. Therefore, in the name of the village chief, I have decided that you must all die here and beg for the Snake God's forgiveness!"

Obanai Iguro shouted angrily, "You are worshipping demons! Evil demons that feed on humans! Do you know that?!"

Faced with Obanai Iguro's rebuke, the village chief remained unperturbed: "We only know that because of the existence of the Snake God, our Hachijo Island is able to have a prosperous fishing industry and live a life of luxury. You outsiders who have destroyed our happy lives all deserve to die!"

Kanroji Mitsuri felt her worldview shattered. Thinking that all the children behind Yosuke were kidnapped by them and were still trembling with fear, even the usually cheerful and outgoing Mitsuri couldn't help but feel angry.

"How could you do this? These children are innocent!"

The village chief sneered, "It's a blessing for these children to become sacrifices! As long as you are sacrificed, the Serpent God will surely be reborn and protect our Hachijo Island once again!"

Obanai Iguro's face was gloomy as he cursed, "You old bastard, get out of my way!"

Obanai Iguro's angry outbursts sparked loud protests from all the residents of Hachijojima, whose harsh words constantly agitated their nerves.

Chapter 101 Priest

Obanai Iguro roared furiously, "A bunch of stubborn fools! Do you have any humanity left?"

The village chief coldly replied, "Are we wrong to want a better life? If we don't capture children from other places to offer as sacrifices to the Snake God, then we'll have to offer ourselves as sacrifices. We're just trying to survive!"