Demon Slayer: The Second God Who Walks the Earth

Chiba Yo then helped the boy search the forest together. Although it was night, the moonlight made it easy to see the path.

"This is where the police found the bloodstains. There's nothing else besides these bloodstains. Even if there were wild animals, there should have been something else left behind..."

The boy pointed to the bloodstains on the ground and said to Chiba Yang.

The two searched the forest for a while but found nothing. Chiba Yo then suggested that they go to the place where the police found the bloodstains to see if they could find any clues.

Chiba Yang observed for a while and found that, as the boy said, there was nothing but bloodstains. However, the bloodstains were scattered, with a pool every ten meters or so, and some were also on some trees.

"Xiaoying is very timid. She only dared to come out that day because she was with her friends. I was busy repairing shoes for a customer and didn't pay attention, so I casually agreed. I should have stopped her then and there..."

The boy muttered to himself in self-reproach, tears streaming down his face. In truth, he knew that his sister might have met with some misfortune, and that the bloodstains here couldn't have appeared out of thin air. But he refused to believe it; as long as he hadn't seen his sister's body with his own eyes, he felt there was still hope.

"Life was just starting to get better, so why did this happen..."

Chiba Yo felt a pang of sympathy for the boy, and at the same time, he empathized with him. He had felt the same way back then, filled with self-blame, pain, and confusion. Fortunately, he met Kyojuro and was able to join the Demon Slayer Corps, giving him a goal.

Should we tell this boy about demons? Perhaps he'll join the Demon Slayer Corps.

Chiba Yo thought to himself.

However, it cannot be confirmed that these things were done by ghosts. Even if he told the boy his guesses and about ghosts, he probably wouldn't believe him.

Chiba Yo knew this wasn't the time to talk about these things, so he remained silent and continued to observe the bloodstains, hoping to find some clues.

A sound like a branding iron scalding skin rang out. Chiba Yang suddenly turned around and looked at the source of the sound. For some reason, the trunk of a large tree had been corroded and a hole had been formed, and the hole was getting bigger and bigger.

The boy noticed this too, and for some reason, he stood there dumbfounded.

Chapter 16 Choice

“Little…Hotaru…” The boy’s voice trembled, and his body shook as he looked at the scene before him in disbelief.

Moonlight shone into the hole corroded in the tree trunk, revealing a familiar cherry blossom hair ornament to the boy.

"I really want to eat it..."

A soft murmur, narrow vertical pupils, sharp teeth, a petite body stained with a lot of blood, holding a slender severed arm in her hand, and drool at the corner of her mouth.

A familiar yet unfamiliar figure appeared before the boy.

Tick-tock! Sizzle—

Saliva dripped onto the ground, quickly corroding a small pit in the surface.

"What happened... Hotaru... Is that you? How did you become like this? You..." The boy's mind went blank, and he asked in a trembling voice, his words somewhat unclear due to fear and confusion.

However, before he could finish speaking, the little girl-like ghost reached out and grabbed his neck.

The next instant, a figure dressed in white appeared between the human and the ghost, picked up the boy, and moved away from the corrosive ghost.

"So you were hiding in the tree. It seems you ate those children from before."

Chiba Yo placed the boy some distance away from the demon, then turned and drew his Nichirin Blade as he spoke.

The slender arm that the Corrupting Demon was holding was clearly that of a child.

"Blood Demon Art: Blood Erosion!"

Seeing the boy rescued by Chiba Yang, the Corrosive Demon became somewhat angry. It squeezed the severed arm in its right hand, crushing it into thick flesh and blood. The blood dripped onto the ground with a hissing sound. With the enhancement of the Blood Demon Art, this mass of flesh and blood had become highly corrosive. Then it flung the mass of flesh and blood towards Chiba Yang.

This is the first time I've seen a demon that can use Blood Demon Art. Its ability is probably corrosion. The fact that there are only bloodstains and no clothing remains in this place is probably due to its ability.

Chiba Yo thought to himself, gripping his Nichirin Blade tightly.

"The Breath of the Sun, the Form of the Sun's Blazing Garment".

Chiba Yang exhaled a white rainbow from the corner of his mouth, and the black Nichirin Blade in his hand suddenly turned fiery red. Flames appeared out of thin air on the blade and covered it. The surrounding temperature rose rapidly at this moment, and the area was illuminated as if it were daytime.

Then Chiba Yo swung his sword in a circular motion in front of him, the flames on the blade enveloping him like a garment.

The flesh and blood flung out by the Corrosive Demon collided with the flames surrounding Chiba Yang, and then melted away in an instant, leaving nothing behind.

"You can go to hell now," Chiba Yang said, looking at the Corrosive Demon in front of him. The Corrosive Demon's movements were completely under his control.

After its attack was blocked by Chiba Yang, the Corrosive Demon roared and charged towards him, drooling as it looked at the boy behind him.

"Sun Breathing, Second Form, Three Lives Heaven".

Chiba Yo held the sword in both hands, and then unleashed three fiery slashes forward in an instant.

"don't want!!!"

Suddenly, the boy behind Chiba Yang shouted and lunged at him.

Chiba Yo was caught off guard by the boy. Although he quickly reacted and adjusted his body to avoid being tackled, his attack still missed due to the boy's interference.

One of the three slashes grazed the Corruption Demon's hair, while the other two severed its two arms, leaving severe burn marks at the wounds.

"Ah!!!" The Corrosive Demon let out a shrill scream, its eyes filled with even more fear as it looked at Chiba Yang.

"She's my sister! Don't hurt her... cough cough..."

The boy hugged Chiba Yang and shouted loudly at him in a hoarse voice, but before he could finish speaking, he began to cough violently. His throat had been injured from shouting for too long.

Chiba Yo was about to reprimand the boy, but he swallowed his words and looked up at the Corrosive Demon again. Its shape was indeed that of a little girl, and it was wearing the cherry blossom headdress that the boy had mentioned.

The moment Chiba Yang saw the ghost, he entered the Transparent World and didn't pay attention to its appearance. He also didn't hear what the boy was saying earlier. It was only when he heard the boy's loud shout that Chiba Yang realized what had happened.

"Please, please let her go..." the boy pleaded with Chiba Yang in a hoarse voice.

Is it a newly created ghost? What should I do?

Hearing the boy's plea, Chiba Yo hesitated for a moment.

"These demons were once human too." Tanjiro's words echoed in Chiba Yo's mind.

Now he can understand what Tanjiro said to him before: demons were once human too; they loved others and were loved by others.

"The monster that attacked your village is a ghost, a creature that needs to eat people to survive. Once it appears, it will kill humans for food."...

The next instant, Kyojuro's words echoed in his ears, and the scene of the village's devastation and the corrosive demon holding a child's arm appeared before his eyes.

Chiba Yo tightened his grip on the Nichirin Blade.

"...What were his feelings when he pushed the monster out of the house and saw that the shadow was his mother? How did he feel when he killed his own mother, suffered a mental breakdown, and then heard his younger brother, whom he had risked his life to protect, verbally abuse him?"...

There was no need to hesitate. Even if it was once human, it was now a man-eating monster, and the boy in front of it, who was its blood relative, was its primary target...

"I'm sorry..." Chiba Yang looked at the boy with apology and sympathy, then shook him off.

The Corruption Demon's severed arms were completely unable to regenerate, and now it was filled with fear of Chiba Yang, turning to run away.

"Sun Breathing, Type One: Crimson Glow..."

The next instant, a flame as beautiful as the sunset streaked across the Corrupting Demon's neck.

"Aaaaaah!!!" The Corrosive Demon let out an even more shrill scream, its body collapsing limply to the ground.

"Little Firefly!!!"

The boy, who witnessed all of this, cried out in grief and then ran towards the corpse of the Corrupting Demon without regard for anything else.

"Don't go over there! Its corrosive properties will kill you!" Qianye Yang quickly warned him, and then swiftly grabbed at him.

Under the clear light of the world, Chiba Yo could see that the demon's body surface had something similar to the Blood Demon Art it had used before; any human body that came into contact with it would be completely corroded.

Chiba Yo's hand easily grabbed the boy's clothes, but the boy took the opportunity to take off his outer garment and pounced directly on the corpse of the Corrosive Demon.

After its head was severed by the Nichirin Blade, the corpse of the Corrosive Demon began to turn to ash, while the boy who was holding the corpse was also gradually being corroded.

"Don't be afraid, Xiaoying, your brother will be with you..." The boy murmured hoarsely, his eyes vacant, before vanishing into the world along with the corrupting ghost...

Witnessing all of this, Chiba Yo stood frozen in place, a shadow falling over his eyes...

Chapter 17 Catching Ghosts

As night fell, the forest was bustling with activity, where six children had gathered.

"Hehehe, it's Ying who lost, you come and catch us!" a little boy said with a mischievous grin to a little girl wearing a cherry blossom headdress.

"Okay... alright, but don't hide too far away, I'm a little scared..." Xiaoying looked at the quiet surroundings and said to the other five children.

"Don't worry, we'll be hiding around here. You'll find us soon," one of the little boys assured Xiaoying, patting his chest.

"Mmm!" Xiaoying nodded happily upon hearing this.

Then she turned around, leaned against a tree, closed her eyes, and began to count.

"Where should we hide?" one of the children asked one of the boys.

The little boy didn't say anything, but smiled and pointed to the top of a big tree. The other children understood immediately, and the five of them quickly ran to the base of the tree. Then, helping each other, they all climbed up the tree and took turns climbing several branches.

"Hehehe, now Xiaoying won't be able to find us, right? And we're hiding right near her," the little boy said smugly.

The other children all nodded in agreement.

"Twenty-nine—"

After Xiaoying finished counting, she opened her eyes and turned around to find that all her friends were gone.

"I've come to find you!"

Xiao Ying looked around and then shouted to see if there was any movement around her, but there was still no sound.

Everyone hid very well.

Xiaoying thought for a moment, then chose a direction and started searching there.

The five children in the tree watched Xiaoying run past, covering their mouths to suppress their laughter. Only after Xiaoying left did they chuckle softly.

After laughing for a while, the little boy said to the others, "Let's go down next time Xiaoying comes. If she can't find us, she'll probably cry from fear."

Upon hearing this, the other children also agreed.

On the other side, Xiaoying searched for a while but still couldn't find anyone.

"Where has everyone gone to hide...?"

Looking at the desolate surroundings, Xiaoying felt increasingly frightened.

"Going out at night will lead to encountering ghosts!" Suddenly, the words of an old woman in town echoed in her mind, and she swallowed, feeling even more frightened.

Maybe I should go back...

Just as Xiaoying had this idea, the sound of footsteps reached her ears in the quiet night.

"Ah!!!" Xiaoying, who was already scared, screamed loudly with her eyes closed.

"It's Hotaru's voice!" The five children also heard Hotaru's scream.

"Is she in some kind of danger?" a child asked worriedly.

"Let's go down and find her!" The little boy who had initially suggested hiding in the tree said to the remaining children, and then slid down from the tree first, followed by the other children.

The five children started running in the direction that Xiaoying had just left.

"Little sister, what happened?" A magnetic voice entered Xiaoying's ears.

Hearing the voice, Xiaoying opened her eyes in fear. A tall, pale-faced young man with reddish-brown eyes, dressed in black and wearing a black and white hat, was walking towards her.

Oh, it's a person.

Xiaoying breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the man, and then said somewhat apologetically to the young man in front of her, "I'm sorry, Uncle, I... I thought there was a ghost just now."

The young man's eyes flickered slightly, then he smiled and said to Xiaoying, "Oh, I see. Why are you still out so late?"

With other "people" around, Xiaoying wasn't so scared anymore. She smiled and replied, "My friends and I were playing a game of catching ghosts. I lost a game of rock-paper-scissors and had to be the person to catch them, but everyone hid so well that I couldn't find any of them."

Upon hearing this, the young man reached out and patted Xiaoying's head, smiling as he said to her, "I see. But why is it humans catching ghosts instead of ghosts catching humans?"

Xiao Ying raised her head in confusion upon hearing this, and the young man smiled and tapped her forehead with his right index finger.

The next second, the young man's smile suddenly disappeared, replaced by cold indifference. His index fingernail suddenly extended and pierced Xiao Ying's forehead.

"Aaaaaah!!!" After screaming for nearly ten seconds, Xiaoying's appearance changed. Her teeth became sharp and her nails began to grow longer.

Only then did the young man pull his fingernail out of Hotaru's head. This young man was none other than the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji.

"Search for the Blue Spider Lily here. If you encounter any demon slayers, kill them," Muzan Kibutsuji said coldly to Hotaru, while simultaneously transmitting the information about the Blue Spider Lily from his mind to her.

The suppression of her bloodline made Hotaru completely unwilling to disobey Muzan. She knelt down and respectfully answered, as all her memories of humans had now disappeared from her mind.

"Little Firefly—Little Firefly—..."