The Butterfly Mansion.
Sanemi Shinazugawa strode through the entrance carrying the severed hind leg of a monstrous creature over his shoulder.
Dark blood still dripped from the limb onto the wooden floor.
Because of the bizarre biological structure of these creatures, killing them completely was extraordinarily difficult. Most Demon Slayers could only return with severed body parts after driving them away.
Without ceremony, Sanemi tossed the grotesque appendage onto the ground.
"I ran into that thing yesterday," he said bluntly.
However, the moment he looked further inside the treatment room, his expression changed.
A complete corpse lay there.
Sanemi's eyes widened slightly.
"What the hell?!"
Even among Hashira, fully killing one of these monsters was extremely rare.
A complete corpse possessed enormous research value for Shinobu's poisons and medical studies.
Nearby, Shinobu Kocho calmly dissected the creature with a scalpel while several Kakushi assistants helped organize samples.
Without looking up, she replied:
"Mr. Tomioka killed it."
Then she immediately frowned.
"And please lower your voice."
Sanemi looked genuinely shocked.
"Hah? That gloomy bastard actually managed to kill one completely?"
The irritation in his tone remained completely undisguised.
Shinobu instantly shot him an annoyed glare.
"Of course he did."
Her voice sharpened unexpectedly.
"And please stop speaking about Mr. Tomioka like that."
Even Shinobu herself failed to realize she had instinctively defended Giyu.
Kanae Kocho, who stood nearby cleaning blood from her hands, smiled gently.
"Mr. Shinazugawa, you really should change that habit."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Mr. Tomioka is actually a very kind person. Besides, he's a Hashira just like you."
"Exactly!" Shinobu immediately agreed after receiving support from her older sister.
Sanemi clicked his tongue irritably and turned away.
"No wonder you two aren't bothered by all those rumors anymore."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"So you've both gotten close to that Tomioka guy."
Shinobu nearly dropped her scalpel.
"W-What nonsense are you saying?! I-I'm not close to Mr. Tomioka at all!"
Unfortunately, the more flustered she became, the more suspicious she looked.
Kanae chuckled softly while wiping blood from the creature's shell.
Then her expression became more serious.
"I heard you received a new mission."
Sanemi nodded.
"Yeah."
Kanae continued:
"A mysterious man-eating creature has appeared recently. Nobody knows exactly what it is."
"Several Demon Slayers disappeared while investigating it."
Sanemi's expression darkened slightly.
Unlike ordinary demons, this creature apparently attacked anything in sight without distinction.
Humans.
Demons.
Even wild animals.
Nothing escaped it.
After a brief silence, Kanae suddenly spoke again.
"Then let me accompany you."
Shinobu froze immediately.
"Sister?!"
Ever since becoming a demon, Kanae rarely participated directly in dangerous combat missions.
Most of the tasks she handled involved investigations, support, or covert nighttime patrols.
But this time, she genuinely wished to help.
Especially after hearing rumors that the creature possessed a biological nature capable of suppressing demons.
Shinobu hurriedly tried to stop her.
"That thing is extremely dangerous!"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"If the reports are true, it might even be naturally hostile toward demons "
Kanae simply smiled gently.
"That's exactly why I should go."
Her eyes remained calm.
"We can't continue letting others risk their lives alone."
Then she looked quietly at her own hands.
Her nails had unconsciously sharpened into demonic claws.
"These days… I survive because everyone else protects me."
A trace of loneliness crossed her face.
"Sometimes I feel completely useless."
Sanemi remained silent.
But something in his chest stirred strangely upon hearing those words.
Eventually, Shinobu could not persuade her sister otherwise.
That night, Sanemi and Kanae traveled together toward the mission site.
The streets were silent beneath the darkness.
Kanae walked peacefully with her usual gentle smile, while Sanemi beside her looked permanently furious, as though the entire world owed him money.
After several minutes, Sanemi finally spoke.
"Oi."
Kanae looked at him curiously.
"What is it?"
"What are you smiling about?"
His tone remained rough as ever.
"You realize you're basically acting as bait tonight, right?"
Kanae nodded cheerfully.
"I know."
Then she looked toward the moonlit sky.
"But I'm happy if I can help everyone."
Sanemi frowned slightly.
Kanae continued quietly:
"Even after becoming a demon, the Corps still accepted me."
"I want to repay that kindness somehow."
For a moment, Sanemi found himself unable to respond.
Eventually, the two arrived within a district filled with narrow alleys and abandoned buildings.
According to reports, the mysterious creature lurked here every night.
Several groups of civilians had vanished recently after attempting to travel together through these streets.
It attacked indiscriminately.
Whether someone was alone or surrounded by companions made no difference.
The two proceeded cautiously from alley to alley.
Then suddenly
Kanae stopped moving.
"…Wait."
Her expression sharpened.
"There's something over there."
The moment she pointed toward a nearby alley, Sanemi instantly rushed forward without hesitation.
Kanae followed close behind.
And there
They finally saw it.
The monster resembled an enormous scorpion nearly three meters long.
Its shell was dark and grotesque, while countless smaller limbs twitched beneath its body like writhing insects.
Its crimson eyes locked onto them instantly.
The creature screeched and lunged forward at terrifying speed.
Boom!!
One gigantic pincer smashed into the ground where Sanemi had stood moments earlier.
Stone exploded everywhere.
Sanemi leapt high into the air while gripping his Nichirin Blade tightly.
"Ugly bastard…"
His eyes blazed fiercely.
"Die already!"
Wind Breathing, Ninth Form:
Idaten Typhoon!!
Violent winds erupted downward alongside countless slashes.
The attack descended like a raging storm and slammed directly into the giant scorpion.
Cracks instantly spread across the creature's hardened shell.
"HISSSSSSS!!"
The monster shrieked in agony while wildly swinging its tail and pincers in retaliation.
Meanwhile, Kanae moved gracefully through the chaos.
After becoming a demon, her reaction speed had become even sharper than before.
Dodging the creature's attacks effortlessly, she unsheathed her blade in one smooth motion.
People often forgot
Before everything else, Kanae had once been the Flower Hashira.
Flower Breathing, Fifth Form:
Peonies of Futility!!
Her blade flashed repeatedly like blooming flowers.
Nine elegant strikes erupted in an instant.
One of the creature's enormous pincers was severed cleanly from its body.
Dark fluid sprayed everywhere.
Sanemi immediately capitalized on the opening.
He had no intention of giving the creature time to recover.
Wind Breathing, First Form:
Dust Whirlwind Cutter!!
His body transformed into a rushing tempest.
The alley itself shattered beneath the violent force of the attack.
The gigantic monster was instantly torn apart.
Its body exploded into fragments beneath the storm of slashes.
Moments later, only a detached tail and the previously severed pincer remained intact.
Sanemi calmly sheathed his sword.
"Hmph."
He glanced sideways at Kanae.
"You really didn't need to come. I could've handled it myself."
Kanae laughed softly.
"Is that so?"
Her smile remained bright and unbothered.
"Then I suppose I was just extra baggage."
Seeing that carefree expression for some reason made Sanemi feel strangely uncomfortable.
Then suddenly
The detached tail moved.
Like a living spear, it shot directly toward Sanemi's neck.
Kanae's eyes widened.
"Behind you, Mr. Shinazugawa!"
Without hesitation, she shoved Sanemi aside and slashed toward the tail.
However, the appendage moved unnaturally fast.
It twisted midair and avoided the blade entirely.
Stab!!
The poisonous stinger pierced directly through Kanae's shoulder.
"Ah !"
Kanae cried out in pain.
This creature possessed an abnormal suppressive effect against demons.
And the venom carried within the tail was practically a natural poison to demonic flesh.
Sanemi's expression changed instantly.
He grabbed the tail violently and slammed it against the ground.
Crack!!
However, before he could destroy it completely, a tiny insect-like creature crawled out from within the severed tail and began fleeing rapidly through the alley.
Sanemi instinctively turned toward Kanae instead.
Her body trembled violently from the poison.
Part of him wanted to ignore the escaping creature and save her first.
But then
"Sanemi!"
Kanae shouted with all her remaining strength.
"Don't let it escape!!"
Sanemi froze.
Then his expression hardened completely.
His right hand tightened around his Nichirin Blade.
Full Concentration Breathing surged through his body.
In the next instant
He hurled the sword with all his strength.
The Nichirin Blade tore across the night sky like a meteor.
Straight toward the fleeing insect.
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