Its right hand tightly gripped a toddler less than three years old, whose tender arm was bruised purple from the constriction.
The toddler had fallen into a coma, though it was unclear what means had been used.
Seeing this scene, Kiyokawa Izumi's worldview was once again shattered by these bottomless, inhumane demons.
To them, humans were simply food.
They didn't care about the age of the food, only about how it tasted.
Some demons preferred young women, some liked small children, and others had more unique tastes, preferring robust men.
"So what if it's me? Children who haven't grown up are the most tender and delicious; their skin is exceptionally delicate, and their blood is exceptionally flavorful."
The demon spoke recklessly; it had heard rumors about Demon Slayers before.
But so what?
They were just humans, just food.
Kiyokawa Izumi took a deep breath, his right hand tightly gripping the hilt of his nichirin blade, but he did not rashly draw it.
The most troublesome situation had arisen.
The demon had a hostage in its hand, making Kiyokawa Izumi afraid to act blindly.
He was not a swordsman who mastered Thunder Breathing, and the advantage of Water Breathing did not lie in explosive power and speed.
'Troublesome!'
'At a distance of less than ten meters, can I kill it before it reacts?'
'Can I save the toddler being tightly held?'
Kiyokawa Izumi did not have speed like Kochou Shinobu's.
This kind of situation was the one he hated encountering most.
For a moment, his hands and feet were bound by hesitation.
"Is that so? Is that how it is? In other words, the missing children in this town are all related to you?"
Kiyokawa Izumi said expressionlessly, "Was it seven or eight? Have they all been eaten by you?"
"It's eleven! Five boys and six girls."
The demon said dismissively, acting as if it didn't matter at all.
'Eleven?'
Kiyokawa Izumi's heart sank upon hearing this number.
Having eaten so many people, it was possible that it had already mastered a Blood Demon Art.
Realizing this, Kiyokawa Izumi only felt the pressure increase.
"And this is the twelfth!"
The demon seemed to sense Kiyokawa Izumi's inner conflict and merely gave a hideous grin. Right before his eyes, it intended to bite into the toddler's pale, lotus-root-like arm.
This was pure provocation!
So what if you're a Demon Slayer? I'm eating someone right in front of you, what can you do about it?
Even if your blade is sharp, you can't save this kid.
When one loses their mind to excessive anger, openings appear.
Facing such an unsolvable situation, Kiyokawa Izumi did not lose his mind to anger as the demon expected.
On the contrary, his breathing remained rhythmic throughout.
"Do you need me to wait for a while?"
Abrupt words rang out, causing the demon's movements to pause slightly.
It couldn't understand why this human could say such a thing so calmly.
Out of curiosity, its gaze naturally followed the sound.
When it met those blood-red eyes, even an ordinary demon like itself was indeed intimidated for a split second.
How could a human possess such eyes?
Those eyes, which looked like they belonged to a demon, seemed to carry an ominous aura. For a moment, it couldn't help but doubt this person's identity.
Is a Demon Slayer really human?
Its attention was diverted.
The sudden sound of something cutting through the air broke the silence of the night.
Kiyokawa Izumi drew his nichirin blade without panic, the bluish tip glinting coldly under the moonlight.
The muscles in his right arm holding the blade were taut, veins bulging hideously, though they were hidden beneath his clothes and could not be seen.
Speed was indeed not Kiyokawa Izumi's advantage.
Taking advantage of the demon's attention being drawn by his eyes, he suddenly threw the nichirin blade in his hand.
This was a last resort.
As for the child in the demon's hand, he could only gamble with their life.
And Kiyokawa Izumi could only do his best to try and save this young life.
The sharp blade instantly pierced the demon's shoulder. Not only that, but its originally dark skin also turned dark purple at this moment.
Kiyokawa Izumi's blade had been coated with poison beforehand—he didn't think there was anything wrong with doing so; he only felt the toxicity wasn't strong enough.
If it could be strong enough to poison an Upper Rank to death directly, that would be for the best.
Returning to the present, in its pain, the toddler held tightly in its right hand suddenly slipped out.
Falling from the height of the roof, if the landing posture was wrong and there was no buffer, the little fellow might be seriously injured.
"Whew—"
Kiyokawa Izumi's legs suddenly exerted force as he rushed forward, using his body as a buffer to tightly catch the young life about to hit the ground.
His fairly clean uniform was soaked by muddy water. Without lying on the ground for long, Kiyokawa Izumi quickly stood up, but then his expression changed again.
His brow furrowed deeply as he gently placed his finger under the toddler's nose, but there was no breath at all.
No wonder the child hadn't cried or made a fuss after being taken by the demon.
From beginning to end, this demon had been toying with him.
In unspeakable anger, Kiyokawa Izumi really wanted to ask: is doing this very fun?
He certainly didn't have an extremely kind or bright and cheerful personality, but encountering such a thing, anger was inevitable.
"Damn it! What on earth is going on?"
The demon's roar came; not only was the injured part not recovering, but the unknown toxin was still spreading, destroying its body structure.
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