The door was opened by an elderly man who looked to be past sixty—likely a house steward of some kind.
"Who might you be?"
Namiko gave a small nod. "Hello, I am a swordswoman of the Demon Slayer Corps."
At once the old man's face lit up with relief. "Please, come in! Both of you, come in! My lord has been distressed over this matter!"
He turned quickly and led them inside. His steps were hurried, his gait unsteady.
Yuko lowered her gaze slightly, taking in the old man's faintly trembling body.
The Transparent World had already unfolded before her eyes. This old man was an ordinary human, but his heart rate and pulse were abnormally high.
It wasn't excitement. It was… fear.
Without showing any reaction, Yuko subtly scanned the surroundings. Unlike the flourishing Tsugikuni estate of the past, this mansion was desolate and empty, suffused with an eerie stillness.
As they walked, they saw no servants, no family members.
Unable to hold back, Namiko asked, "Elder, where is everyone in the mansion?"
The old man flinched almost imperceptibly, then forced a sigh. "Ah… because of that matter, everyone's been terrified and fled."
He might fool Namiko with that, but before Yuko's penetrating gaze, there was nowhere to hide.
His heartbeat was so frantic it seemed about to burst out of his chest.
Hearing this, Namiko asked, "In these past days, aside from the samurai lord's wife, has anyone else disappeared?"
"No, the others all left."
Namiko visibly relaxed.
The old man brought them into a room.
"Please wait here for a moment. I will fetch the master."
He shut the door and left.
Namiko looked around the furnishings, then said to Yuko, "Miss Yuko, doesn't something feel strange to you?"
Yuko felt a brief internal sigh.
Too slow…! React faster!
Even without the Transparent World, the atmosphere was clearly wrong.
Namiko murmured to herself, circling the room twice before going to the door to open it.
She pushed. The door didn't budge.
"Huh? It won't open."
Yuko said helplessly, "That old man is probably working with the demon here."
Namiko stared. "How? He's clearly human."
"Some humans are more despicable than demons." Yuko's expression stayed calm as she looked out the window.
Namiko wanted to respond but instinctively followed Yuko's gaze.
A dark shadow flashed past the window.
Namiko immediately drew her Nichirin blade in alarm.
Yuko quietly shook her head.
This won't do… this child…
Soon, a rapid skittering came from the rooftop—something large was moving fast above them.
Namiko gripped her sword with both hands, tense. "It's up there!"
Boom!
The ceiling window burst open. A centipede-like demon crashed down, coiling itself along the beam. Its hundred limbs were sharp like knives, its body stretching over ten meters long.
Dangling its head down, a hideous human face glared at them.
The centipede-faced demon grinned grotesquely. "Two demon slayers~"
Namiko's eyes unfocused slightly, fear rising on her face.
She had killed demons before, but never one so bizarre and terrifying.
Yuko stepped forward silently. "The samurai living here—you ate him long ago, didn't you?"
"Ah, he was delicious~" A blue tongue slithered out, savoring the memory.
"So the intel was fake too?"
"No, it was real." The demon lowered its face toward Yuko, smiling strangely. "I really did make everyone disappear."
"In the literal sense. Everyone disappeared… into my stomach."
Its twisted limbs pointed to its long abdomen in a grotesque display.
Namiko's voice trembled. "Miss Yuko…"
Yuko drew her Nichirin blade slowly. "Don't move from where you are."
Seeing her draw her sword, the centipede demon's instincts screamed danger. Unlike the trembling rookie behind Yuko, this swordswoman bore the mark.
His instincts told him—
She was deadly.
The demon's long body writhed and surged, its many feet clattering along the beams as it lunged like a charging train.
"Watch out!" Namiko tried to pull Yuko aside.
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust."
A ripple-like breath flowed out as Yuko raised her blade with one hand and pierced forward.
Water Breathing wasn't her optimal choice, but Snow Breathing placed too much strain on her current body.
Just then, the demon lunged. Yuko's blade struck true—piercing its brow.
The centipede demon instantly stiffened, its long body arching.
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance."
Taking advantage of the demon's paralysis, Yuko's flowing form surged forward, her blade tracing arcs like a living water dragon.
"No… impossible!"
The demon's expression froze in disbelief as every part of its body Yuko had struck began to sever—neck included.
Its massive form gradually dissolved under the decapitating strike of the Nichirin blade.
"Cough… cough…"
Namiko snapped out of her daze at Yuko's soft cough, awe lighting her eyes.
"That was incredible, Miss Yuko!"
Yuko steadied the pain in her lungs. "Namiko, if you joined the Demon Slayer Corps only to repay a favor, I suggest you leave the front lines."
Namiko froze, her expression collapsing into visible dejection.
"I'm sorry… I didn't help at all…"
Yuko shook her head. "I'm not blaming you. But with your current mindset, you'll get yourself killed."
Too slow. Too naive.
Most Demon Slayer Corps members had lost loved ones to demons. Their hatred drove them forward—it was their fate as demon slayers.
Someone who couldn't set aside life and death would not survive long.
Namiko looked crushed. "I just wanted to help others however I can…"
"You don't have to fight on the front lines to help people. The Corps has a support division now—the Kakushi."
"That may suit you better."
After Kokushibo killed the Master, the Demon Slayer Corps had hidden itself and formed the Kakushi support squads.
Namiko took a deep breath. "I'll seriously cons—"
Her voice cut off abruptly.
Yuko looked up, puzzled.
Namiko's face was twisted with terror, her expression collapsing entirely as she stared at something behind Yuko—her teeth chattering as if a monster stood at Yuko's back.
In a trembling voice, she whispered, "Yu—"
"Moon Breathing, Second Form: Pearl Flower Moongazing!"
Yuko's eyes sharpened. She turned swiftly, unleashing two crescent-edged blade arcs behind her.
Before she could fully turn and see what stood there, a solemn voice rang out at the same time—
"Moon Breathing, Third Form: Loathsome Moon, Chains."
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Currently at chapter 93 for advance chapters
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