Demon Slayer: Starting with the Kingdom

"Strange, where's Yamada? Where did he go?"

The two men on the rooftop looked anxious as they waited for the other member of the team to arrive.

That's right, the two of them weren't the only ones investigating here tonight; it was a three-person swordsman squad.

After entering the city, in order to improve the efficiency of the search, the three of them unanimously decided to split up and act separately. After finding useful clues, they would return to meet and decide on the next step.

Then, one of them disappeared.

As experienced Demon Slayer Corps Class A swordsmen, the two were well aware of what this meant.

However, the city was so quiet, and the two of them had not heard any fighting sounds before. Could it be that a powerful Class A swordsman could be killed by an evil spirit without making a sound?

Could it be that Yamada just discovered something unusual at the last minute, which is why he was delayed a little longer?

Just as the two people on the rooftop were still clinging to a sliver of hope, a cheerful female voice, accompanied by a rustling sound, suddenly drifted down from the street below…

"Owls are truly amazing creatures..."

Chapter 30 Sir, haven't you eaten?

"Owls are truly amazing creatures..."

In the darkness, footsteps accompanied by an eerie rustling sound suddenly rang out, and a light, cheerful female voice appeared abruptly behind the two ghost hunters.

"They love to hunt at night, enjoying the bloody thrill of the hunt alone, so..."

The two of you are still wandering the streets so late at night; could it be that you're also for the same purpose?

The hairs on their bodies stood on end. The two ghost hunters on the roof turned around almost simultaneously to look in the direction from which the sound came.

In the darkness, a beautiful young woman stood quietly on the street below them, tilting her head and smiling as she watched them.

The girl's skin was as pale as paper, and her long, snow-white hair was unkempt and hung loosely behind her.

Her kimono was slightly disheveled; the cuffs drooped past her fingertips, and one side of the collar had slipped down her neck, revealing half of her rounded shoulder.

The girl's demeanor lacked any semblance of elegance or reserve, exuding an air of nonchalance and casualness.

"Hey? What's wrong? Isn't it funny?"

Seeing that the two people on the roof did not react, a hint of regret appeared on the girl's delicate face.

"That's a real shame. I was hoping for an even more dramatic reaction from you all..."

From any angle, the girl in front of me doesn't seem like a normal human being.

When the two people on the roof looked at the girl's arm, they saw that she was dragging something that looked like a tattered sack.

The strange "rustling" sound they had just heard was the noise made by the "tattered bag" rubbing against the ground.

No, that's not right, that's not a rag bag...

It was Yamada, their companion who never returned to meet them!

"Yamada?!"

"Yamada? So that's his name?"

Mitsuha suddenly realized what was going on and a look of apology appeared on her face.

"I'm sorry, he was right next to me when I first woke up, and he looked like he wanted to kill me. I wasn't thinking straight at the time, and I accidentally killed him..."

"What a pity. If I had known he had companions, I should have questioned them before killing him."

As soon as she finished speaking, Mitsuha casually tossed Yamada's corpse in front of the two of them.

Yamada's corpse looked very strange. Although he should have died recently, his whole body was shriveled and wrinkled, as if he had been dead for thousands of years.

It was as if some force had instantly drained all the blood and flesh from his body.

"Asshole!!"

Seeing their former comrade die so tragically before their eyes, the two men on the rooftop, enraged, didn't exchange any more words and immediately charged towards Mitsuha with their swords drawn.

Their blades were each wrapped in pale blue water and pale green air currents, and the two attacked Mitsuha's upper and lower halves of his body respectively.

"Are these techniques from Water Breathing and Wind Breathing?"

Leaning back, Mitsuha precisely dodged the Water Breathing Swordsman's horizontal slash, and at the same time raised her leg, firmly stomping the Nichirin Blade swung by the Wind Breathing Swordsman under her foot.

"You all really are demon hunters..."

Looking down at the Wind Howler swordsman at her feet, who was stunned and unable to draw his sword, Mitsuha subconsciously raised her hand to touch her chin, deep in thought.

“Strange, I’ve never heard of any evil spirits haunting my city before. Could it be that you’ve come looking for me?”

Hmm... that shouldn't be right either, since I only just woke up, you couldn't have gotten my information so quickly.

Then, it must be Lord Muzan.

"It must be that when Lord Muzan came over last night, he injured other people for some strange reason, which attracted your attention..."

Having received the answer, Mitsuha sighed softly.

“This won’t do. This is still my town, and the people here were once my subjects.”

I can't control other people, but I hope that everyone in this town can stay safe and sound.

When I see Lord Muzan again, I must have a proper talk with him…

"Water Breathing - First Form - Water Surface Slash!"

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept up from behind, and the Water Breathing Swordsman who had shifted his position from Mitsuha turned around again and swung his sword at Mitsuha's neck.

Facing the attack from behind, Mitsuha showed no intention of dodging.

One of her feet remained firmly planted on the Wind Slayer's Nichirin Blade, while the other hand slowly rose to grab the blade that was rushing towards her from behind, accompanied by a stream of water.

The next instant, the water flow stopped abruptly, and the blade was forcibly stopped.

Mitsuha used her seemingly delicate and fragile hands to catch the Water Breathing Swordsman's slash with her bare hands.

The movements were effortless and comfortable, and there wasn't even any broken skin on the palms!

Slowly turning her head to look at the Water Breathing Swordsman behind her, Mitsuha saw his pupils shrink in an instant and then smiled brightly, but the words she uttered were quite sarcastic.

"Sir, haven't you eaten?"

Without responding to Mitsuha's taunts, and in utter shock, the Water Breathing Swordsman gritted his teeth and instantly increased his strength, trying to pull the Nichirin Blade from her hand.

However, no matter how hard he tried, Mitsuha's hand remained completely still.

The blade that was once invincible was now in her hand as if it were a tree branch that could be found anywhere by the roadside, unable to even cut her palm.

How is that possible?

Two Class A swordsmen, one with his sword trampled under his foot, the other with his sword held in his hand.

The two were easily subdued by Mitsuha's overwhelming strength.

"Could this be... your Blood Demon Art?"

With an incredulous expression, the Water Breathing Swordsman looked at Mitsuha, who was so close to him, and finally couldn't help but ask his first question.

In all his years as a demon slayer, this was the first time he had encountered a situation where his Nichirin Blade couldn't even cut through the opponent's palm.

The material used to forge the Nichirin Blade is crimson ore, a type of mineral from the Sunny Mountain, which is rich in solar energy and has been exposed to abundant sunlight.

Nichirin swords forged from this ore have always been an absolute weapon for subduing demons.

How could any demon withstand the blade of a Nichirin Blade without getting hurt?

This is absolutely impossible!

Could this female ghost be using some kind of special blood demon magic?

Mitsuha was taken aback at first, then her eyes crinkled into a smile as bright as a flower:

"Rest assured, with your strength, you are not worthy of me using Blood Demon Art."

It was yet another sarcastic remark.

The female ghost in front of me seems to particularly enjoy using this seemingly polite attitude to deliver those particularly hurtful taunts.

"I am only slightly stronger because I have more of Muzan's blood."

Ah... However, I've heard that not everyone in this world can tolerate so much of Muzan's blood.

From this perspective, could a demon like me be considered exceptionally gifted in the art of being a ghost?

Chapter 31 Blood Demon Art: Causal Flower Picking

Curious about this, Mitsuha suddenly slowly loosened her grip on the knife.

Not only that, she even lifted her foot, releasing the Windcaller swordsman beneath her as well.

Amidst their bewildered gazes, she took two steps back and said with a smile:

"I had heard my older brother mention before that there seem to be quite a few Demon Slayers in the Demon Slayer Corps these days."

I've also heard that once a Demon Slayer awakens their Demon Slayer Mark, their strength increases dramatically. I wonder if you two are also among them?

"How about this? I'll give you both a chance. Please activate the markings within you immediately, and then attack me with your strongest power. Is that alright?"

Looking at the two people in front of her, Mitsuha made a very serious suggestion.

"This is also a good opportunity for me to test the limits of my current body..."

She wanted to use these two demon hunters to test herself.

Is this female ghost planning to use them as a testing ground for her?!

His seemingly sincere words were filled with extreme sarcasm and contempt.

The female ghost in front of them didn't even see them as real enemies, nor did she regard them as a threat!

"You bastard! There's a limit to how much you can look down on people!"

Anger surged into his heart instantly, and a green mark resembling a stream of air suddenly appeared on the Wind Howler's cheek. He almost roared as he swung his sword fiercely at Mitsuba in front of him.

In this day and age, the term "scarred swordsman" does not specifically refer to the few strongest Pillar-level swordsmen.

Under Yoriichi's influence, many other non-Pillar-level swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps are also capable of awakening their Demon Slayer Marks.

The two demon hunters in front of me are one of them.

While they cannot maintain their markings permanently like Pillar-level swordsmen, they can still briefly preserve them during battle...

Facing the Wind Swordsman's full-force attack after activating his markings, Mitsuba neither dodged nor evaded.

She stood there, looking up as the Windcaller's Nichirin Blade gradually approached her, and then once again raised her slender, delicate hand.

"Oh..."

As the blade fell, Mitsuha's hand once again firmly grasped the Nichirin Blade that was being swung at her.

But this time, she was no longer unscathed.

Mitsuha felt a sharp pain as the blade of the Nichirin Blade slightly cut her palm, and as she looked up at the blood dripping down the blade, a look of surprise finally appeared on her face.

"I see, so it's only to this extent that it can slightly cut my skin... I understand."

"Uh ah ah!"

Before him, the Wind Howler continued to roar and increase his strength, as if trying to prove something, desperately trying to sever Mitsuha's arm.

At the same time, the Water Breathing Swordsman, whose forehead was adorned with flowing water patterns, also swung his sword and attacked Mitsuba once more.

"Your performance was truly wonderful. As a farewell piece for you both, it seems I must also show my true skills."

Releasing her Nichirin Blade, the wound on her palm instantly healed. Mitsuha nimbly dodged the two's continuous attacks, and a black flower condensed in her palm.

This flower has a very unique shape; its color is close to black but not truly black.

Instead, it was an extremely rich, almost black, dark wine red that, under the moonlight, presented a velvety, dark luster, so deep it seemed to draw one's gaze into it.

The petals have five delicate points along their edges, like carefully cut stars, with a small cluster of bright red stamens in the center, as vibrant as fresh blood.

Without a doubt, this is a black datura flower, a symbol of the Three-Leaf Blood Demon Art.

"By the way, do you believe in God?"

With a swift turn, she landed lightly on a rooftop not far away, and looked down at the two people below with a smile.