"Ouch!!"
A shrill wail tore through the night as a demon's arms were ripped from their sockets by a pair of massive, shadowy fangs.
The creature struggled, but it was pinned helplessly to the ground by a colossal wolf paw pressing down on its chest.
Scarlet wolf eyes burned down at the terrified demon, and a low, guttural growl vibrated through the air.
A moment later, a second figure, cloaked in green, appeared in the demon's vision.
Shinichi frowned, looking at the low-level creature pinned beneath Maru-ni.
It was barely more than a beast, driven by pure bloodlust.
"Maru-ni…" he called out softly.
The shadow wolf opened his bloody maw and—CRUNCH.
The demon's head disintegrated into a blood mist.
Standing on the highest point of another abandoned factory, Shinichi's eyes were filled with a weary melancholy.
This was the fourth one he'd searched, and there was still nothing.
Hiraoka County, once a textile giant, was now a graveyard of over twenty abandoned factories.
The crow's report hadn't specified which one.
If he took too long, his chance of finding Shinobu might vanish completely.
Snap!
A powerful paw tapped his thigh.
He turned to meet Maru-ni's intelligent, scarlet gaze.
In his shadow wolf form, Maru-ni was larger than ever, his fangs and claws radiating a lethal
Noticing his master's low spirits, the massive wolf let out a soft whine and, with a touch of endearing clumsiness, gently nudged Shinichi with his enormous head, as if to offer comfort.
Shinichi patted his companion's broad head, signaling that he was okay.
"There is some good news, at least," Shinichi thought, pulling his collar straight before leaping down from the rooftop.
"The demonic presence in Hiraoka is almost non-existent. Even with your senses, we've only found a few stragglers. It proves something is here, hunting them."
"Let's keep going, Maru-ni!"
"AWOOO!"
The massive shadow wolf dissolved into a streak of black lightning, merging once more with the night.
…
"What in the hell is that thing!?" the three-eyed demon shrieked.
A terrifying wolf demon had just materialized from the shadows and, with a single swipe of its claws, had obliterated the entire lower half of the tumorous demon.
He began to wonder if he was even a real demon anymore.
Was killing each other the new trend?
His brain stalled for a single, crucial second.
The next moment, he turn around and bolted, abandoning his screaming "brother" without a second thought.
Swish!
Maru-ni's scarlet eyes instantly locked onto the fleeing demon.
His jaws opened wide, and a surging, dark energy began to gather deep in his throat.
Blood Demon Art: Shadow Wolf Howl!
"AWOOOO!!!"
A terrifying wave of pure sonic force erupted from Maru-ni's mouth, distorting the very air.
The ground buckled and exploded in its path.
No matter how fast the three-eyed demon ran, it couldn't outrun the speed of sound.
BANG!
The demon's body was slammed into an old brick wall like a cannonball, blasting a clean hole through it.
Its vision went black as consciousness fled.
When the three-eyed demon came to, it was staring up at a young human man holding a longsword that radiated an aura that made its very cells tremble.
The gleaming blade was resting on the neck of the tumorous demon, or what was left of it.
'A Nichirin Blade? The Demon Slayer Corps!?'
The three-eyed demon immediately understood, but before it could even process the thought—shing!
The sharp blade drew a brilliant green arc through the air.
The demon's head flew into the sky, dissolving into ash before it even hit the ground.
Shinichi turned his gaze, his amber eyes completely devoid of emotion.
To the demon, his voice was the sound of impending doom.
"You can speak. I'm going to ask you some questions. You will answer. Understand? Otherwise, I have no problem letting my friend here chew on you, inch by inch."
"Grrrrrr…"
As if on cue, Maru-ni's massive head loomed over the demon's shoulder, a low, menacing rumble vibrating from his chest.
The three-eyed demon began to tremble uncontrollably.
…
The textile factory in the western suburbs.
The moment Shinichi stepped onto the property, he felt the demon beside him begin to shake violently.
The fear coming off it was so thick it was almost a physical substance.
This was the place.
Maru-ni, sensing the strange yet familiar scent in the air, didn't wait for a signal.
He raised a massive paw and, with a single, swift motion, crushed the three-eyed demon's head, fulfilling Shinichi's promise of a quick end.
"That faint scent… wisteria," Shinichi whispered, a jolt of hope and dread shooting through him.
"This has to be it!" He rushed into the factory without a second thought.
"Forest Breathing, Eighth Form: Whispering Forest eyes!"
His vision sharpened, glowing with a green light as he scanned his surroundings.
But the factory was dead.
There was nothing but a profound, heavy silence.
"How can that be? This isn't right!" His heart sank, but he refused to give up.
He began to move through the factory, searching every dark corner, every collapsed floor.
At the same time, Maru-nisplit off, the black blur of his form darting through the rusted machinery, his powerful nose twitching.
Confusion flickered in his eyes.
The scent was here, he was sure of it, but he couldn't find the source.
...
High above him, perched silently on a rusted catwalk, a pair of thin, beautiful butterfly wings twitched.
Violet, slitted eyes watched Maru-ni's every move.
The beautiful face was a mask of cold indifference, her mind focused on one thing: a new target had entered her hunting grounds.
...
Elsewhere, Shinichi had stopped in a small room.
His eyes were fixed on the sight before him: strange, faintly glowing purple threads were strung across the walls, and a pool of viscous, dangerous-looking purple liquid was still bubbling on the floor.
"This is…"
"AWOOOOOO!!!"
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing howl echoed through the entire factory.
It wasn't a cry of aggression; it was a scream of shock, anger, and helpless pain.
"Maru-ni!?"
Realizing his companion was under attack, Shinichi abandoned the room and sprinted toward the sound.
...
A nimble, purple figure danced through the air, its trajectory impossibly graceful.
Under the pale moonlight filtering through the grime-caked windows, she looked like a beautiful, deadly elf.
But the purple light that trailed in her wake was no gentle caress; it was a terrifying, poisonous judgment.
When Shinichi burst into the main factory hall, he found Maru-ni in a miserable state.
His massive body was covered in dozens of glowing purple needles and dark poison was already beginning to seep from the wounds.
Bleeding from his eyes and mouth, his movements were growing clumsy.
He kept howling at the sky, trying to fend off the storm of poison that rained down on him.
And the purple figure floating in the air… the one attacking his friend…
Shinichi's breath caught in his throat, his heart shattering into a million pieces.
"Shinobu…?"
-----------------------------
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