"Uncle, don't be misled by the demon!" Tanjirou pointed at the statue and warned loudly, "This isn't some god; it's a man-eating demon!"
Hearing this, the man trembled, his body shaking violently. His emaciated hand suddenly pulled out a stick from the ground and, without warning, swung it at Tanjirou.
Tanjirou stepped back to dodge. The man swung the stick, his teeth clenched, eyes wide with fury, a look of utter desperation. His voice, which had been somewhat gentle towards Tanjirou, became a hoarse roar.
"Insolent scoundrel! How dare you insult a god!"
"Kowtow and apologize to the god!"
Dodging the flying stick, Tanjirou continued to try and persuade him.
It's no use; he's not listening at all!
But it's confirmed now!
While it's certain that the demon isn't here.
This village is closely connected to the demon.
If they don't come out during the day, then I'll wait until the villagers emerge at night. There might be some rational people then, and hopefully, I can get some useful information.
He leaped out of the ancestral hall in a few steps, rushing into the forest, with the man's angry curses following him.
"The god won't let you get away with this!"
After running into the forest, Tanjirou asked Yoizumi, who was in the wooden box, "Yoizumi-nii, did you find anything?"
"The demon isn't in the village; it's probably hidden in some secret place."
"I'm a bit curious what that demon did to make that person believe so fanatically."
Yoizumi pondered. Anyway, if that demon were good, this village wouldn't be so desolate.
What methods did it use to bewitch people's hearts, turning the entire village into a food storage?
"Tanjirou, first investigate the surrounding environment of the village. We'll discuss the rest tonight."
"Alright!"
As night fell, people finally began to appear in the village.
Men, women, and children, without exception, looked haggard, their cheeks sunken, making their eyeballs protrude from their sockets. Many came to the ancestral hall. Tanjirou concealed himself, carefully observing.
People with wild expressions knelt before the ugly statue, praying devoutly, mumbling incantations. Tanjirou listened for a long time and summarized it.
Oh God, please protect us and let us live good lives.
Tanjirou clenched his fists, his face solemn.
Good lives?
If their god truly acted, how could the people here be like scattered sand that would blow away with a gust of wind?
Using people's hopes for a better life, how outrageous!
Seizing an opportunity, Tanjirou randomly grabbed a woman who seemed relatively normal.
"Hello, excuse me, have many people gone missing here recently?"
"Outsider? Then you wouldn't understand!" The woman's scornful gaze swept over Tanjirou. Her bony hand pressed against her face, her eyes bulging with emotion as if they might pop out.
"They are all chosen by the god! My husband is one of them. It won't be long before he returns and takes me and our child to enjoy a good life!"
The woman seemed to have already envisioned the scene in her imagination, grinning foolishly with joy.
Knowing that the god was a demon, Tanjirou looked at the woman with pity. The chosen ones were probably all eaten.
"How many people were chosen?" Tanjirou thought, "I should confirm the exact number first."
"How would I know? The great god is all-powerful, and his blessings cover the entire village. Every household must have someone chosen."
Every household?
Tanjirou suddenly turned his head. This village wasn't large, but it had about sixty households. This meant the demon had eaten at least 60 people!
I must find it!
"Where were the chosen people sent? Tell me!" Tanjirou grabbed the woman's shoulders, his voice urgent.
The woman looked suspiciously at the agitated Tanjirou, then suddenly understood, pointing a finger at Tanjirou's nose, "You must be jealous that our village has such a good god, and you've come to poach him!"
"You won't find out!"
"What god? That's a man-eating demon!" Tanjirou retorted with a frown. What method did this demon use to make these people worship it so much!
Please, wake up! Don't be misled by the demon anymore!
"You... you! How dare you blaspheme a god!"
"Help! This brat is insulting our god!" The woman's scrawny hand, with unknown strength, grabbed Tanjirou's arm. Tanjirou resisted but was worried about hurting the woman, so he could only try to persuade her to let go.
"Please let go of me, I'm not lying!"
"I came here to eradicate the demon!"
Many villagers began to approach, and some even rushed over with weapons. Tanjirou recognized one of them as the middle-aged man from the morning!
The man held a rusty scythe, muttering.
"No! No blasphemy!"
As people got closer, Tanjirou hesitated. If he broke free, the woman would surely be injured. The man was already swinging his scythe. Tanjirou adjusted his stance, aiming to receive only minimal injury. Just as he was about to be cut, the imagined pain didn't arrive. Instead, there was a muffled groan of discomfort from the man.
Yoizumi, who was in the wooden box, had run out at some point and kicked the man down. He had held back his strength, and the man only rolled a few meters before stopping.
The sudden change made everyone present afraid to act rashly. Yoizumi took the nichirin blade from Tanjirou's hand. The frosty white nichirin blade gleamed with a cold light. Everyone felt the temperature drop sharply, making them rub their arms for warmth.
The intense pressure made them breathless. Yoizumi's cold blue eyes looked at the crowd. The woman who had been holding Tanjirou suddenly let go and retreated. Yoizumi thought that these ignorant people, whatever was said to them would be a waste of breath. It would be faster to just force them to obey.
"Village head, come here," he said in a flat, uninflected tone that no one dared to disobey.
The kicked man clutched his stomach, his forehead covered in cold sweat. He carefully got up from the ground. Facing life and death, the revered god no longer mattered; he knew that much.
He hunched his body and shuffled in front of Yoizumi, looking fearfully at the blade in Yoizumi's hand. He swallowed, then humbly replied, "I... I am the village head."
"Lead the way!" Seeing that the village head still wanted to stall, Yoizumi directly held the nichirin blade in front of him. The village head's body trembled, and he immediately gave in.
"Please... please follow me."
No matter how well the facade was maintained, the malice emanating from the man was detected by Tanjirou, and Yoizumi was no exception.
Tanjirou walked beside Yoizumi. The man and the demon exchanged glances, understanding each other's intentions.
The man clutched his injured stomach, walking with difficulty ahead, leading the way. His eyes, however, were malicious as he looked back at the two behind him, believing he hadn't been noticed.
How dare you hurt me! The god will avenge me!
I am the one chosen by the god to be his messenger. The god will not let you off!
That great one is an omnipotent being!
I will make you pay, make you kneel before me and admit your wrongdoings!
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