"Let go of me!"
"We're both demons, why are you killing us?!"
"I won't let you get away with this! Never!"
Two demons were tied to a tree, their arms broken, unable to even untie the ropes. Yōsen stood not far away, coldly watching them struggle. He turned his head to the east, where a faint light appeared in the distant sky. Yōsen took a few steps back and retreated into the shade of the trees.
Seeing the sun about to rise, the two demons on the tree struggled even more frantically. One of them, with pale gray eyes, shrieked hysterically at the other demon,
"It's all your fault! If it weren't for those few bites, I wouldn't be here! If you're going to die, then you die! I don't want to die, I don't!"
The demon who was yelled at froze, looking at him in disbelief. They were brothers, both turned into demons together. The older brother had always taken good care of him. When they first became demons, they ate their loving parents. The two were so scared that they didn't even go out at night, consumed by the horror of killing their parents. They were even more afraid of being discovered as monsters and went without food for several days, so hungry that they couldn't even move, and the older brother was the same.
Until one day, a neighbor who hadn't seen their parents for a long time felt something was wrong and came to check. When he opened the house and saw blood everywhere, he was so scared he wanted to run. The two starving brothers pounced on him directly and devoured him completely. When they ate their parents, they lost their minds. This was the first time they felt the deliciousness of eating humans.
He was truly starving. When he reached for that last arm, another hand also reached out. He looked up at his older brother, who still gave him that arm.
"Little brother, from now on, it's just the two of us. Big brother will definitely protect you."
Several years passed. The two of them, while avoiding the pursuit of the Demon Slayer Corps, supported each other until now. But now, the older brother was actually blaming him.
Recalling the scene from last night, he and his older brother found three humans returning late in the forest. After killing them, they began to feed. After a hearty meal, the older brother stood up and looked at his younger brother, who was still eating, and sighed. The younger brother had always been very greedy, always wanting to eat everything until nothing was left to be satisfied, even if he was already full.
But just as they were about to leave, a figure appeared not far away. Those eyes stared at them like an abyss. Before the two could react, their arms were both broken. They had no room to fight back, but ironically, the opponent was also a demon and couldn't kill them. They couldn't even run away and were slowly worn down until now.
"Big brother! I don't want to die! Save me, big brother!" At this moment, the sun had already shone down. The younger brother was the first to be hit by the sunlight, his whole body burning from the sun, howling in pain.
"Little brother!" The older brother still couldn't bear to see his younger brother die in front of him and struggled to save him.
Yōsen watched all of this quietly, without a trace of sympathy. When they harmed others, his loved ones might have suffered similarly. Let them atone for their sins in hell!
The sun fully rose, and Yōsen turned and walked deeper into the forest. The two evil demons were burned to ashes. Yōsen had been away from the Butterfly Mansion for five days. While traveling at night, he would check for the presence of demons. His reconnaissance skills were quite good. Within five days, he had already killed 5 demons using sunlight, including the ones just now.
But it was still too troublesome. He should have asked Shinobu for a nichirin blade. Using sunlight was still too slow and would delay his journey.
..."Caw ~ Demon to the southwest, southwest! Please go and slay it as soon as possible!" Shinobu's Kasugai Crow, "Yan," cried out.
"I hope to see a demon this time ~" For some reason, for three consecutive days on missions, she hadn't encountered any demons. Shinobu wouldn't question the intelligence capabilities of the Demon Slayer Corps, nor had any Demon Slayers reported killing demons, but the demons had indeed just disappeared.
Weaving through the forest, Shinobu arrived at her destination and searched around, still finding nothing.
"West! Traces of a demon in Linshan to the west!"
Linshan to the west was still a bit far. Today's mission came late, and by the time she reached Linshan, the sky would probably be bright. Just in case, Shinobu could only speed up. No matter what, she had to go and see first.
A strong smell of blood permeated the air. Was she too late? Following the scent of blood, Shinobu arrived at an open space. Large patches of blood, still fresh. Shinobu looked around. There were several mounds of earth not far away. She walked closer to look.
"Did someone bury them?"
But looking at the blood, the people had probably died recently. And who could have buried them right under the demon's nose? Catching a glimpse of bloodstains on the ground that extended out of the forest, Shinobu quickly went to investigate. The bloodstains stopped on a tree, and two pieces of clothing and a rope were scattered on the ground. Shinobu clearly sensed that these were demon clothes. Had someone tied them up and killed the demons with sunlight?
Out of the corner of her eye, under a patch of shade, a piece of blue cloth lay on the ground. Shinobu picked it up. She recognized it; it was Yōsen's. She had personally chosen this outfit, and it surprisingly suited him very well.
Everything became clear. Why had the demons disappeared these past few days, leaving no trace?
Shinobu's lips curved slightly upwards. For some reason, she suddenly really wanted to see Yōsen. Shinobu knew his speed, but he hadn't left her territory for five whole days, just to help lighten her burden. Recalling Yōsen's caring words when he said goodbye last time, Shinobu looked at the fabric in her hand and sighed softly,
"Mister Yōsen is really something. He seems not to care about anything, but he's quite meticulous in his actions..."
Putting the blue cloth into her sleeve, she looked at the dazzling sunlight, a little worried.
"I wonder if he hid well. He should have just left, right? Mister Yōsen, I am a Pillar; I'm not that fragile."
Shinobu inexplicably felt a little happy. Even though Yōsen often had a cold demeanor, he still had a soft heart ~
...At this moment, the sun had fully risen, and Yōsen could no longer move quickly. He could only avoid the sun while hiding in the shadows, waiting for night to fall. He still didn't plan to leave Shinobu's territory. In Yōsen's opinion, since he was going to repay her kindness, he might as well do it thoroughly and eliminate all the demons within her territory!
Shinobu was a good person, but she carried too much. She was like a delicate Kochou, yet her personality was very strong. There were too many burdens on her small shoulders. Yōsen hoped she could be a little more relaxed. He would diligently repay those who were kind to him!
In his demon-hunting experiences these past few days, Yōsen understood the flaws of humans. Human injuries were irreversible, while demons could recover quickly. With what kind of determination did they fight demons? Was it justice or revenge?
If people harmed by demons became Demon Slayers, then why did demons become demons?
What about me? Why did I become a demon?