After sprinting for a few hours, Ryou and Kyojuro finally arrived at the location mentioned by the Kasugai crow. By then, the sun had begun its descent, casting a warm glow over the landscape.
Before them was a retro village, consisting of about a hundred houses nestled between the vast rice field. It seems like the villagers rely on agriculture for their survival.
The village was quiet with no movements but both of them perceived a smell of blood lingering in the air.
Without needing to explore the village, they stumbled upon a demon slayer resting beneath the shade of a tree. His body was clumsily bandaged with traces of blood.
As Ryou approached the wounded demon slayer to awaken him, the slayer's alertness came into play as he regained consciousness, instinctually swinging his sword.
However, his strike was intercepted by Ryou's firm grip. He held the sharp edge of the katana without any damage by hardening his hand.
Seeing the two individuals in Demon Slayer attire before him, the demon slayer quickly came to his senses and apologized, "I'm sorry... I was having a nightmare and mistook you for a demon," his voice tinged with apology.
"It's alright! You're in bad shape, don't swing your sword, or else your wounds may open up." Ryou reassured him, releasing his grip on the sword. "We're here to help. What happened here?"
"We were a team of five, we came here after receiving the news of a demon attack," he explained. "But we didn't expect to encounter a pack of demons, especially one with four arms. It's too strong."
He continued, "Around 20 villagers lost their lives to the demons' rampage last night. Only I survived with injuries while the others were slaughtered. If not for the sunrise, I too would have perished.
A kind villager dressed my wounds to prevent excessive blood loss,"
"Are the villagers still in the village?" Ryou inquired.
"Most of them left under my instructions, but a few are still hiding in their homes on the other side," the injured Demon Slayer responded.
"Ryou, ordinary demons wouldn't act in such a high-profile manner or group together easily. It may be a Lower Moon!" Kyojuro suggested, his tone serious.
"If it's a Lower Moon, I'd say we're lucky. Killing one we will be directly promoted to the rank of Hashira," Ryou stated eagerly. Naturally, he didn't regard the strength of the Lower Moon highly, considering his current strength.
Hearing the conversation between them, the injured demon slayer looked at both of them incredulously, 'Didn't they hear clearly what I just said and understand the severity of the situation?'
He couldn't help but think, 'Perhaps they are fools. Why did the corps only send the two of them?'
"Take some rest, man. We will handle it from here!" Ryou assured the injured demon slayer and looked at the distant horizon where the sun had completely disappeared.
"Kyojuro, are you ready?" Ryou inquired, as they already sensed the presence of demons nearby upon arrival. They were likely hiding within the villagers' homes.
"Yeah! Let's put an end to this matter as soon as possible," Kyojuro affirmed, his voice loud and clear as always.
As the land welcomed the nightfall, a deep, roaring voice came from one of the houses. "Ahh... the cursed sun has finally disappeared."
Following the voice, a four-armed demon emerged from one of the houses. Standing at around 6.6 feet tall with a muscular body, the demon exuded a menacing aura.
Aside from its four arms, its overall appearance was human-like, which set it apart from ordinary demons.
Its strong presence made the injured demon slayer tremble in fear as he took a cautious step backward, his eyes fixed on the four-armed demon before him.
The memory of the previous night came back to him, the sight of his fellow demon slayers massacred by the four-armed demon.
"Be careful of that one," he warned, steeling his heart. "He's strong, stronger than any demon I've encountered before. He's the one who wiped our squad."
"Is it? The demon indeed looks strong. He should have devoured countless humans to possess such strength," Kyojuro remarked solemnly as he unsheathed his Nichirin katana.
"He may not have the number of a Lower Moon in his eyes, but his strength is certainly at their level," Ryou could tell from the demon's imposing presence that it was no ordinary demon.
Seeing Ryou and Kyuojuro wearing Demon Slayer uniforms, "Nice. The next batch has arrived. Keep coming, so I can kill more," the four-armed demon growled, with a cruel grin on his face.
"He promised me that I would be promoted to the rank of Lower Moon and grant me a drop of his blood once I've killed a Hashira or dozens of Demon Slayers.
"From your presence, I can tell you guys aren't Hashira. What a disappointment," the four-armed demon mocked.
"What do you think, Ryou?" Kyojuro asked, ignoring the taunts of the four-armed demon.
"You play with him, I will take care of the weak ones before joining you," Ryou replied calmly, drawing his nichirin sword.
Hearing their chat, the injured demon slayer finally noticed four demons surrounding them. 'On my god! When did we get surrounded? I didn't notice their presence.'
Getting Ryou's answer, Kyojuro charged at the four-armed demon with an upward sword slash, but the demon easily intercepted the strike by sacrificing one of its arms to block the attack.
The next moment, the severed arm regenerated in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, one of the other demons, a lanky demon with spiked hair, locked onto Kyojuro as its target. Planning to ambush him from behind with a surprise attack.
Of course, Ryou won't allow it. Breathing in, he muttered. 'Nature Breathing, Eighth Form: Time Zone.'
Before the lanky demon could initiate its attack, it found his head had been cut off and saw his body disintegrating into ashes.
'+1 Demon Point!'
He didn't finish his attack by killing the lanky demon as he swiftly shifted his focus toward the remaining three demons.
--
P@tre0n/FanficMortal