Iguro Obanai fell to the side, his mind blank as he watched Yukito's blood-soaked body fly through the rain.
What the hell?
Why did he save me? I'm just a sinner.
Obanai roared and punched the muddy ground again and again, guilt flooding his chest.
The attacking demon revealed itself.
Its thin body was hunched, blue fish scales opening and closing in the rain like gills.
"Hehehe. So it's Rare Blood. What a great catch."
The fish demon licked the blood from its claws greedily, eyes locked onto Yukito.
It slowly approached, every cell in its body trembling with excitement.
Suddenly, Obanai ran in front of Yukito, spreading his arms.
"Monster, if you want to eat someone, eat me first!"
The fish demon looked at him with disdain. Compared to Rare Blood, Obanai was worthless.
"Move. Don't ruin my meal."
It swung its arm.
A tearing sound followed.
But it wasn't Obanai's head that flew off.
It was the demon's forearm.
"I ambushed you too, dried fish."
Yukito stood up behind Obanai, one hand resting casually on his shoulder.
Both the demon and Obanai stared at him in shock.
"You're not dead?"
"Oh, relax. It's just some blood. I'm not going to die from that," Yukito said lightly.
He pulled Obanai back several meters.
The fish demon finally reacted.
He's not dead? Am I the demon or is he?
"Tch. Eating you alive works too. If I can kill you once, I can kill you twice!"
The demon flattened its body against the mud and shot forward like a dart.
Yukito gripped his Nichirin Blade.
Crimson-gold lightning burst from his legs and spread through his body.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
The blade left its sheath with a sharp ring.
In a single instant, crimson-gold light split the rain curtain, followed by a thunderclap.
From above, it looked like a meteor crashing down.
The fish demon's head separated cleanly from its body.
The entire exchange lasted less than a breath.
Obanai stared in disbelief.
So strong.
They were the same age.
Yukito flicked the blood from his blade and sheathed it calmly.
He looked at Obanai and extended his hand.
"Obanai, do you want to become this strong? Join the Demon Slayer Corps. We hunt these monsters. Young man, come save the world with me."
His eyes shone with sincerity, almost exaggerated.
"Can… can I?" Obanai hesitated.
Yukito immediately grabbed his hand.
"Thank you for joining!"
Obanai blinked. "I didn't even agree yet."
Yukito coughed awkwardly. "Okay, that was a bit too much."
Obanai didn't understand half of what he was saying, but one thing was clear.
This person had saved him.
If killing demons meant atoning for his family's sins, he would follow.
Suddenly, a large arm wrapped around both of them from behind.
Rengoku Shinjuro's booming laughter echoed through the rain.
"Not bad, Yukito! I didn't expect another demon here. How exciting!"
Yukito narrowed his eyes. "Uncle, you weren't watching the whole time, were you?"
"Hahaha, of course not," Shinjuro replied, looking slightly to the side.
He had returned just as Yukito was attacked and decided to observe how the boy handled it.
"By the way," Shinjuro said more seriously, "before I arrived, your family was killed by that demon. Only one person survived."
Obanai felt nothing.
Those people had sacrificed infants to demons in exchange for wealth.
They had lured travelers into ambush.
Their deaths were inevitable.
"And I brought the surviving girl," Shinjuro continued. "She said she's your cousin."
In the distance, a girl stood under an umbrella.
Her eyes were filled with fear and hatred.
"Obanai, why did you run? Why didn't you just let it eat you? If you had died, everyone else wouldn't have had to!"
Her voice cracked as she screamed.
"You're the sacrifice! Why didn't you just die?!"
Her words made no sense, but her fear had turned into rage.
Obanai stood silently in the rain.
He had thought about this outcome.
But he did not want to be eaten.
If he had to die, he would die fighting.
"Why didn't you die?!" she screamed again.
The rain fell harder.
Then—
A crisp slap cut through the storm.
The girl froze, staring at Yukito.
He withdrew his hand calmly.
"I usually don't hit women, but don't keep spouting nonsense at me. Why should he let himself be eaten? What does he owe you?
Your family died because of their own actions. If you want to live, go somewhere else. There's probably still demon money left in that house."
The girl covered her face and collapsed, sobbing.
Deserved.
Did they deserve it?
Yukito ignored her.
He turned to Obanai and Shinjuro with a grin.
"Uncle, Obanai, let's go. I'm starving."
At that moment, the rain gradually stopped.
A ray of sunlight broke through the clouds and shone down on Iguro Obanai.
For the first time, he felt warmth.