Tomioka Giyu did not expose Kocho Shinobu's little thoughts. Just as he was about to invite her to dinner again, Kanzaburo flew over.
"Caw! Caw!"
"Please proceed to Inunaki Village in the southeast! Please proceed to Inunaki Village in the southeast!"
"Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen who entered have not come out again. It is suspected that one of the Twelve Kizuki is present! It is suspected that one of the Twelve Kizuki is present!"
Tomioka Giyu subconsciously frowned. A mission came at this exact moment.
Could it be the so-called world-line correction? Forcing him not to save Kyojuro?
As for entrusting this matter to other Hashira, that was basically impossible.
Firstly, it's questionable whether others would believe him, and even if they did, how many could survive an encounter with Akaza?
Moreover, for the Hashira who possess such strength, did he really think they were idle?
"I'm leaving, Kocho. Thank you for telling me about Tanjiro and the others!"
"Mhm, be careful with everything, and don't get such serious injuries again!"
Kocho Shinobu nodded. She actually wanted to go with Tomioka Giyu, but she also had a very important mission on her end that she couldn't afford to miss.
Leaving home, Tomioka Giyu completely unleashed his speed, rushing towards Inunaki Village.
"As long as I get there before Kyojuro sustains serious injuries, it'll be fine. Hang in there, Rengoku Kyojuro!"
As dusk began to settle, Tomioka Giyu arrived at Inunaki Village.
Standing at the entrance of the village, Tomioka Giyu's expression was not very good.
He had been too rushed on the way here, so he hadn't had time to think carefully.
At this point in time, besides Lower Rank One, hadn't all the other Lower Rank demons been laid off by Muzan?!
"Then what is going on here?!"
Following Tomioka Giyu's gaze, the entire village was dilapidated, and the ground was even more terrifying—it was dark brown!
As the sun set, the entire village became incredibly eerie, and an ominous aura permeated the air.
Tomioka Giyu hesitated to move, as the village before him was too bizarre, causing him to be indecisive.
It wasn't that he was afraid, but if he got held up, Kyojuro would be in trouble.
Just as Tomioka Giyu was weighing the pros and cons, a little girl ran out of the nearest courtyard to him.
"Help, help! Monster, there's a monster inside!!"
Tomioka Giyu immediately gripped the hilt of his nichirin blade, warily staring at the house.
Seeing someone, the little girl quickly ran over and hugged Tomioka Giyu's leg.
"Save me, big brother! There's a monster inside that says it wants to eat me!"
The little girl's teary-eyed appearance still softened Tomioka Giyu's heart.
"You hide here. I'll go deal with the monster you're talking about!"
With that, Tomioka Giyu entered the village and walked towards the house the little girl pointed to.
But for some reason, a sense of unease arose in his heart, though he didn't know where it came from.
When Tomioka Giyu entered the courtyard with the monster, he suddenly realized what was off!
"That little girl has a problem! Her clothes are too clean, like they're brand new."
"In this desolate village, her situation shouldn't be possible!"
Tomioka Giyu rushed out of the house and looked towards the village entrance. There was no little girl there at all; it was completely empty!
"Heh heh, things are getting interesting now."
"Among the Upper Rank Six demons, not a single one would set up such a facade; they all just attack directly when encountered."
"As for the Lower Rank, except for Lower Rank One on the Infinity Train, all the others are dead."
"So, what is this one now..."
As Tomioka Giyu muttered to himself, smoke began to rise from the chimneys of several houses, indicating that someone was lighting fires to cook.
But just then, a sense of danger surged into his heart. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a dark shadow rapidly shooting towards him!
Without much thought, Tomioka Giyu quickly jumped back a step.
And in the next second after he moved, a long nichirin blade accurately struck the spot where he had just been.
"A nichirin blade?!" Tomioka Giyu was startled, and then just as he was about to go forward to check,
A young man in a Demon Slayer Corps uniform, holding a nichirin blade, charged straight at him!
Behind this young man was another Demon Slayer Corps member. He didn't have a nichirin blade in his hand, so the one that had just been shot must have been his.
"Stop! I am the Water Hashira, Tomioka Giyu! Stop!"
Strangely, Tomioka Giyu's shouts had no effect whatsoever.
The two Demon Slayer Corps members, one swung his nichirin blade, and the other went to retrieve the nichirin blade stuck in the ground.
Tomioka Giyu had no choice but to parry with his nichirin blade, but this also made him discover something.
That was, the eyes of these two Demon Slayer Corps members were completely dull and lifeless, as if they weren't looking at him at all, and they never blinked.
"Are they being controlled by something?!"
Tomioka Giyu was not in a hurry to knock out these two young men; he wanted to find the so-called "controller."
The situation with these two was very similar to the Demon Slayer Corps members who were controlled by spider webs on Natagumo Mountain back then.
But strangely, Tomioka Giyu did not find any traces of external control.
He had carefully observed the surroundings and basically ruled out control from the shadows.
Then there was another possibility.
"Internal control?!" Tomioka Giyu's eyes narrowed slightly. As he squatted down, he swept his legs, knocking both of them down.
The two who fell to the ground quickly got up, and their movements further confirmed Tomioka Giyu's guess.
"Indeed! Such smooth rising from the ground is almost impossible with external control!"
"Moreover, the demeanor and consciousness of these two also resemble internal control more."
With a conclusion, Tomioka Giyu no longer held back. He increased his speed, delivering two swift blows to their necks, completely knocking them out this time.
Tomioka Giyu knelt down and placed his hand on one of their pulses.
"Hmm? Still alive?!"
Immediately after, Tomioka Giyu felt the pulse of the other person, "Hiss, this one is also alive?!"
Tomioka Giyu was completely at a loss for a moment, then he looked at the distant chimneys and murmured,
"Never mind, being alive is a good thing after all. Let's go see what's going on over there first."
Tomioka Giyu chose a courtyard that looked relatively decent and cautiously walked inside.
But the next scene instantly sent a chill down his spine!
In the courtyard, there was only a Japanese-style bungalow of moderate size, and the door was nowhere to be seen.
Inside the house, a middle-aged couple sat silently beside a large pot.
The pot was covered with a lid, seemingly cooking something.
But Tomioka Giyu clearly saw that what was being cooked in the pot was a bloody, mangled child!
Tomioka Giyu's face was very grim. Although he had killed many demons, such a cruel and disgusting sight instantly made his stomach churn.
"Hey! Are you crazy?!"
As he spoke, Tomioka Giyu stepped forward and grabbed the middle-aged couple.
But then he discovered that both of them also had dull eyes and no expression on their faces, as if they had died long ago.
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