"Snow Breathing Fourth Form: Wind-Ravaged Blizard."
The sound of the nichirin blade cutting through the air, the howling wind mixed with ice and snow, assaulted a forest, toppling trees and encasing the grass in ice.
He had successfully reshaped the terrain with sword skills alone. If not for the undisturbed trees nearby providing a contrast, one might have mistaken it for the depths of a harsh winter.
Exhaling a puff of white mist, he sheathed his nichirin blade. Experimenting with the Fourth Form in the forest was the right choice.
If he had done it at Butterfly Mansion, he might have torn the house apart, and then it wouldn't just be a matter of paying for repairs.
Returning to his room, he saw Tanjirou and Nezuko sitting on his bed.
When Yoizumi entered the room, Tanjirou immediately greeted him with a smile.
"You're back, Yoizumi-nii. Training must have been tough."
"Mm, what are you doing?"
"Miss Kanroji Mitsuri, the Love Hashira, came today. Nezuko seems to really like her hairstyle," Tanjirou said, using a comb to tidy his sister's hair. "So I wanted to braid one for her too, but it's a bit harder than I imagined."
"I see." Yoizumi sat on the other side of Nezuko, lifting her black and red gradient hair. He inexplicably recalled what Shinobu had said earlier.
"Does Yoizumi have confidence in helping me tie my hair back to its original style?"
This doesn't seem very difficult.
Using both hands, he secretly pondered the Love Hashira's hairstyle—a braid. He decided to try it.
Nezuko happily swung her short legs, seemingly very expectant.
Time passed minute by minute. Tanjirou wiped the sweat from his forehead and said proudly, "It's done!"
Yoizumi's side was also done. He clumsily tied the braid with a hair tie, looked at it a few times, and wondered if it was decent enough?
Facing her two brothers' confident expressions, Nezuko raised a small mirror, blinked her beady eyes, and stopped swinging her legs.
"?"
Two incredibly ugly, completely unaesthetic, asymmetrical braids dangled from her head. An indignant Nezuko suddenly stood up.
Tanjirou and Yoizumi also noticed their sister was angry. Tanjirou raised his hand, about to speak, when Nezuko forcefully shook her head, and the braid he had tied slapped Tanjirou's face.
Worried that his sister might twist her neck, Yoizumi pressed down on the top of her head. Now Nezuko couldn't move and could only protest with her arms raised, puffed up with anger.
So angry, huh? Was it that ugly?
Yoizumi thought his braid was quite good.
Tanjirou, despite being slapped by Nezuko's hair, didn't get angry. Instead, he said with an apologetic voice, "I'm sorry, Nezuko. Big brother will try harder next time and definitely braid a beautiful one for you."
Yoizumi smiled and released his hand. He would also put in more effort.
As dawn broke, the Kasugai Crow's sharp voice reached Yoizumi's ears.
"Takizawa Village has a large number of missing persons. Demons are suspected to be present. Yoizumi, Tanjirou, Nezuko, please proceed immediately!"
"Caw! Proceed immediately!"
After becoming a Hashira, Yoizumi received his first mission... "Then we're off! Zenitsu and Inosuke, make sure to complete your missions well on your own, alright?" Tanjirou, with two nichirin blades at his waist and a wooden box on his back, walked to the entrance of Butterfly Mansion and said to the two of them.
"Wah, wah, wah, Tanjirou, come back soon!" Agatsuma Zenitsu said reluctantly. He also had a mission to depart for, and no matter how unwilling he was, he couldn't rely on Tanjirou as he used to.
"Let's see who finishes their mission faster!" Inosuke was excited. After training for so long, a mission had finally arrived after a long wait. His blades were already eager to cut off demon heads!
"Then I'll set off first!"
The Kasugai Crow circled in the air, leading Tanjirou to the mission location. He had been training with Rengoku-sensei for a month now. Although the time wasn't long, he had gained a lot.
Both his physical strength and combat experience had seen a qualitative leap. Tanjirou secretly encouraged himself, determined to complete this mission well!
After traveling for a day and a night, Tanjirou finally arrived at Takizawa Village. He had thought, based on its name, that it would be a place rich in water, but he hadn't expected it to be so desolate.
Withered weeds, even the bark of many trees stripped away, yellow sand filled the sky, and every breath was filled with the smell of dust. He covered his nose and entered the village.
"Why is there no one here?"
Tanjirou asked curiously. It was daytime, yet he didn't see anyone outside in the village. Doors and windows were tightly shut. Based on the scent, Tanjirou clearly sensed that everyone was inside their houses.
He then looked for a household and, after confirming someone was inside, knocked on the door.
"Hello, would it be convenient for you to come out for a moment?"
"..."
For a long time, Tanjirou heard no response. In fact, the scent of the person inside even carried an additional hint of disgust.
"Let's go ask other people."
The result was the same every time. Although there were people inside every house, no one responded no matter how Tanjirou called out.
"What a strange village."
Unable to do anything else, Tanjirou could only try his luck, searching for anyone who might be outside.
Inside the wooden box, Yoizumi keenly sensed the incongruity in the village. The vitality of the people here seemed very weak.
"There's someone! Hello!"
After searching for a long time, Tanjirou finally saw a middle-aged man outside. He immediately quickened his pace and rushed over.
The man's eyes paused for a moment when he first saw Tanjirou, a meaningful expression flashing across his face, followed by a benevolent smile.
"Hello, child."
"That's great, I finally see someone! Hello, uncle. I wanted to ask why people here don't come out during the day?"
"You must be from out of town. I am the village chief of this village. Please follow me."
Tanjirou followed the man to an ancestral hall. The man smiled as he introduced, "This is the deity our village believes in. Because of the deity, our village rests during the day and is active at night."
"As the village chief, I sometimes come out during the day to patrol."
Day and night reversed?
That's not right, is it? It goes against common sense.
Led by the man, Tanjirou finally saw the so-called deity: a demon statue with a gray face, fangs, and demon horns on its head.
A faint demonic aura lingered around it.
The deity this village believed in was a demon!
"Don't be afraid, child. Our great deity absorbed evil for us, which is why he looks this way."
A fervent glint flashed in the man's eyes.
"What a magnificent deity!"
The man slowly knelt, bowing devoutly.
"Oh, great deity, please continue to protect our Takizawa Village." With that, the man also pulled Tanjirou's sleeve, tugging hard.
"Child, why are you still standing? Hurry and bow!"
Tanjirou gasped in surprise, furrowing his brows.
He was supposed to bow to a demon?
What a joke!
This village had been infiltrated by a demon!
If everyone was so fanatically devoted to a false deity...
This was a bit tricky, because he would personally kill anyone who deceived ordinary people!
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