Chapter 34: The Logging Camp
The mission was initially reported by an experienced Kakushi.
The report stated that at a logging camp north of Yamanashi City, workers and their families had been disappearing one after another.
Seventeen people were missing so far.
The local police had investigated immediately but found nothing. No signs of struggle, no blood. Some futons in the worker dorms even had fresh wrinkles, as if the occupants had just gotten up and vanished into thin air.
The police eventually closed the case, citing "collective flight after theft" as the reason.
But to the Kakushi, who dealt with demons regularly, there were too many suspicious points. The case was escalated to the Demon Slayer Corps.
The next day, a nearby Kanoto (Rank 8) Slayer was dispatched to investigate.
The day after that, the Slayer and his Kasugai Crow also joined the list of missing persons.
The Corps immediately dispatched a squad of three Slayers operating nearby to investigate again.
The team consisted of two Kanoe (Rank 7) swordsmen and a Hinoe (Rank 3) swordsman who had been performing exceptionally well recently: Kocho Kanae.
Normally, this lineup would be more than enough to handle the situation.
As expected, the Kasugai Crow soon brought back news.
The missing workers were confirmed to be victims of a demon. The previous investigator was confirmed dead. One of the Kanoe swordsmen was injured, but Kanae had engaged the demon and repelled it.
The three of them were currently pursuing the demon into the forest.
Just as the dispatch officer relaxed, another crow arrived with an urgent report.
One Kanoe Slayer: KIA (Killed in Action).
Hinoe Slayer, Kocho Kanae: Requesting Emergency Backup.
Cold sweat soaked the officer's back. He grabbed the roster and began frantically contacting every available Slayer in the vicinity.
Meanwhile, outside the logging camp at Mt. Myoken.
Two swordsmen stood back-to-back, their Nichirin Swords drawn, scanning the dense forest.
They had been careless during the pursuit. Not only had they lost a comrade, but now they were trapped in this endless sea of trees.
Shortly after arriving, they had noticed details the police missed.
There were no signs of battle or blood, but they found faint, linear drag marks on the ground and trees near the camp.
Not animal tracks.
They followed the trail into the logging area. But the tracks always ended abruptly in front of large trees or piles of stone. Splitting the trees or moving the stones revealed nothing.
It wasn't until nightfall that they found a clue deep in the woods: a broken Nichirin Sword belonging to the missing Slayer.
The strange thing was that half the blade was embedded deep inside a massive boulder. As if the sword had grown out of the stone itself.
Seeing this bizarre scene, the three went on high alert. Kanae, being the highest-ranked, stepped forward to inspect the details.
There was a lot of dust on the rock surface, but it didn't look like wind-blown dust. It looked more like... stone powder squeezed out from internal friction.
Just as the thought crossed her mind...
The surrounding trees exploded!
Thick trunks shattered, and countless wood splinters shot toward them like a storm of shuriken.
"Scatter!"
Kanae reacted first. Her blade traced arcs of light, shattering the debris as she retreated. The other two Kanoe swordsmen weren't rookies either; they activated their Breathing Styles and dodged the ambush.
"Mmm... Mmm... I just finished digesting that arrogant brat. I didn't expect more food to deliver itself so soon."
Amidst the dust, a figure slowly "flowed" out of a shattered tree trunk.
As expected, it was a demon.
It used its hands to push against the wood, pulling itself out of the timber as if emerging from water. Its hollow eyes scanned the three swordsmen.
"So, which one should I eat first?"
"No, maybe I should save you as winter reserves. Mmm... my stockpile isn't enough to last the season."
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
A blue sword light carrying a splash of water aimed for the demon's neck. One of the swordsmen, unable to hold back his anger, launched the first attack.
"Don't be rash!" Kanae shouted a warning.
THUD!
It sounded like hitting solid hardwood.
The demon raised an arm and easily blocked the slash. Although the blade cut slightly into the flesh, for a demon with regenerative abilities, it was nothing.
So hard!
The swordsman's face paled. This demon's body was several times harder than any he had fought before. Forget the arm—even if it stretched out its neck, he'd probably need dozens of hits to sever it.
"That hurts, Mmm..."
A greenish-gray hue flowed over the demon's wood-grain skin. It yanked the swordsman forward before he could retract his blade.
"Food should act like food."
Before the swordsman could regain his balance, the claws on the demon's other hand swept toward his throat.
Fortunately, his teammates arrived in time.
The other Kanoe grabbed his collar and dragged him back, while Kanae stepped in to intercept the claw.
But she didn't just block.
"Flower Breathing..."
"Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo!"
Two curving, pink slashes struck from below, twisting like flower petals. They hit the demon's wrist and elbow simultaneously.
Snap.
The arm that had withstood the previous swordsman's full power was cleanly severed into three pieces.
Is that Flower Breathing?
It's so much stronger than our Water Breathing, the rescued swordsman thought.
(Actually, if Natsuya were here, he'd correct him: It's not the Breathing Style. It's the user.)
[Kocho Kanae (Power Level: 86)] — Flower Breathing LV.3, Water Breathing LV.1
[Fujiki Sai (Power Level: 36)] — Water Breathing LV.2
[Kondo Kojiro (Power Level: 31)] — Water Breathing LV.2
The dancing petals faded.
Kanae stood between the swordsmen and the demon, her sword held ready in a low guard.
"You... seem delicious, Butterfly..."
The greenish-gray hue flowed over its body again, and the severed arm regrew instantly.
Staring at Kanae's butterfly hair ornaments, the demon mumbled, "Let me take a bite... maybe Mmm will let those two low-quality snacks go."
Naturally, the girl refused.
Without looking back, she spoke to her two teammates.
"I will take the lead."
"Please cover me."
"Yes!"
"Leave it to us!"
White mist escaped from their lips as they synchronized their breathing, preparing for a desperate fight.
☆☆☆
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