Warm orange hues dyed the distant horizon, pushing the dark sky aside. The Sun is going to rise.
The ground cracked as Ryou kicked the ground with force, he dashed forward at extreme speed while slashing his sword multiple times in diverse styles.
'First Form: Wind Slash' His blade spawned pressurized wind slashes, blitzing Doma.
Doma nonchalantly fended off the slashes with the pair of war fans while some wind blades made cut marks on his body, but they soon disappeared, a quirk of being a demon.
"Oh, that was so much fun!" Doma said with a friendly smile on his face. Waving the fan before his face, he spoke. "You mastered a weird breathing method, one that I haven't seen before!
I will remember you both. Especially you...", pointing at Kanae, "don't get killed by my other demon friends, you are mine!"
After saying the words, Doma withdrew at a quick pace. Exiting the small village, his figure disappeared into the woods surrounded by trees.
Within a few seconds after his disappearance, the Sun began to illuminate the world.
Ryou's entire body relaxed as he plopped to the ground, gasping for air. To tell the truth, he's just putting on a strong front. The skill 'Tekkai' and strong body protected him from fatal injury.
Holding the breath during battle and performing the breathing method, at the same time, is too difficult. It's completely different from when he did underwater.
If Doma had a few more minutes to spare, he wouldn't survive as the latter hadn't fully exerted his strength. The luck was on his side today.
At that moment, the system notification sounded in his mind.
[~ Task: Save Kanae Kocho from Upper Rank 2 Demon - Doma.
Reward: Primary Lottery Draw + 2 Demon Points ~]
Before he could check, Kanae's voice sounded.
"Who are you, really?" Ryou felt Kanae looking him up and down. When he looked up, he was stunned.
Because Kanae stood a meter away from him covering her breast region with one of her hands, while her other hand pointed the sword at him.
Looking at her guarded expression, Ryou clearly felt a cracking sound in his heart. 'It's true I said something inappropriate but don't look at me like a thief who's ready to pick the flowers.'
"You don't have to thank me but please don't insult me!" Understanding she won't change her opinion of him, Ryou didn't try to reason with her.
With unsteady steps, he walked away. After walking a few steps, he thought in his heart. 'Why isn't she stopping me? Isn't she supposed to stop me, doesn't she feel any pity?'
After taking another two steps, Ryou stopped and looked back just to see a slight smile at the corner of Kanae's lips as if she foresaw all his moves.
'Fuck! What a cunning woman! I underestimated her!' She's completely different from the gentle image shown in the manga. 'You win, woman!'
"Cough...You are Flower Hashira, Kanae Kocho, right? Isn't your Butterfly Mansion responsible for taking care of injured people?" Ryou asked, pretending to grimace in pain.
"Now, now...you are good at acting. Are you the masked man who took care of a demon some months ago?" Kanae asked. She let down her guard, at least for now.
"Yes,"
"As a Flower Hashira, I formally invite you to join the Demon Slayer Corps!" Kanae conveyed in a serious tone.
"I can't decline such a beautiful girl's invitation. I accept, so that I can stay by your side!" Ryou cheekily responded, while looking at her intently.
"Don't take it for granted. It's just an invitation, you will only be accepted after passing the Final Selection." Kanae said, glaring at him. She couldn't keep the image of Hashira before him for long.
His cheekiness and pervertness completely infuriate her. She couldn't wait to punch him in the face. But his strength is good. If guided properly, he may become a powerful Demon Slayer.
At that moment, a sound traveled from a distance. "Sister...Sister..."
Soon, the figure of Shinobu appeared before them. After seeing Kanae, she let out a sigh of relief. "Sister, are you okay? I heard from my Kasugai crow that you met an Upper Moon Demon."
"I am okay" Seeing Shinobu, a gentle smile appeared on Kanae's face.
Shinobu looked much younger than Kanae, wearing a plain white Haori over the standard Demon Slayer Uniform.
"Hello...Are you Kanae's sister? Nice to meet you." Ryou showed a sunny smile and with a slight bow, he introduced himself, showing his gentlemanly character.
Wariness appeared on Shinobu's face as she shielded her sister and asked," Sister, who is he?"
"Thanks to him, your sister is still alive. He fought Upper Moon for a few minutes before sunrise forced the demon to retreat!"
"Oh!" Shinobu's opinion of Ryou changed as she looked at him curiously.
A flurry of Footsteps sounded and soon, a bunch of people arrived. They wore different Demon Slayer uniforms with their identity concealed by dark head coverings with white linings, and a paper-like mask.
Ryou knows them. They are 'Kakushi', a division of people who works as attendants to the Demon Slayer Corps. They support the Demon Slayers, including first aid, cleaning up the battlefield, transporting people, etc.
As soon as they arrived, they started cleaning the mess done by the Upper Moon Demon.
"Hey, what's your name? Are you a Demon Slayer, why haven't I seen you before?" Shinobu asked.
"My name's Ryou. I'm not a Demon Slayer yet but I will be soon!" Ryou responded calmly.
"What? If you aren't a Demon Slayer, then how did you fight the Upper Moon? Sister, what's going on?" Shinobu's completely confused. For a second, she even thought her sister was lying.
How could someone who's not even a Demon Slayer fight an Upper Moon Demon? Even if it's for a minute, it's unbelievable.
Similar to Shinobu, Kanae is curious about Ryou's strength, breathing style, and the sword that can injure the demon.
"I also want to ask you about this, but this is not the time and place to discuss. Let's get you treated first; we will discuss it when we reach our residence."
After cleaning the village, Kanae, Shinobu, and Ryou traveled towards the Butterfly mansion.