[A.N : Previous Untitled chapter was uploaded mistakenly and is deleted now. So , sorry for such a pathetic mistake. But , will try to do my best to not repeat these type of mistake again, thanks> Now the story .....]
After almost two days on the road, Ishida finally got to his village's market just as evening fell. The first thing he did was visit Akira.
Akira was the only person Ishida knew who understood anything about demons, especially about Ishida himself being attacked by one. Akira was the only person in the village Ishida could turn to for answers about these demon attacks and to gather some much-needed information about the disappearances.
As Ishida made his way through the market, the eerie silence struck him immediately. The usual hustle and bustle were gone, with no one outside, and all the shops were either closed or in the process of closing. He could feel the fear hanging heavily in the air.
When he reached Akira's shop, he saw it was already shut. Without wasting any time, Ishida headed toward Akira's house, which was nearby, so it didn't take him long to get there.
Upon arriving, Ishida detected the unmistakable scent of demons lingering around. Despite the unease creeping in, he kept his composure as he approached the house. Noticing the door was open, his heart skipped a beat, and his face turned a bit pale. He cautiously stepped inside, sword drawn and ready for anything.
As he walked inside, the only thing he saw was blood—just blood. Nothing else. He quickly scanned the room; there was blood scattered on the floor, and things were thrown around in a chaotic mess.
With just a moment's glance at the room, Ishida could tell what had happened—a demon attack.
But the question remained: where had Akira gone, or where had he been taken?
Ishida could still sense the scent left by the demon, and from how fresh it was, he could easily tell that it had happened half an hour or even less before his arrival.
He immediately tried to follow the scent left by the demon and walked outside the house. Soon, after walking a bit, he realized that the scent was leading toward the nearby forest as he began to sense the demons very close to him.
Ishida moved through the village with singular focus, following the demonic scent into the forest. The moon cast a cold light on the path, but he paid no mind to the eerie glow around him. His mind was set, his resolve unshakeable.
As he ventured deeper into the woods, the scent grew stronger. He knew he was closing in. Suddenly, a voice, smooth and mocking, broke the silence.
"So, the little demon slayer has finally arrived," it taunted. Ishida didn't flinch, his eyes scanning the darkness for his target.
Suddenly, a woman emerged from the shadows, her figure outlined by the moonlight. Her eyes, sharp and violet, locked onto Ishida's. Her height was average, but her eyes and look were completely different. The most striking feature was her eyes, which glowed with an eerie light, displaying the kanji "陸" (Roku) for Six. Her violet gaze was chilling, reflecting malice and confidence.
"What does that mean?" Ishida thought as he looked at her eyes, when suddenly a screen popped up over her head.
[Level - 21] [Lower Moon]
"Lower Moon?" Ishida questioned himself as he assessed the level of the demon in front of him. "Level 21 means it won't be very easy."
"You don't look surprised. I thought a lower rank demon slayer would run away after seeing me by now," she taunted as she walked forward.
"Where is he?" Ishida asked in a serious tone, referring to Akira.
"Who? The human I brought just now?" she asked casually.
"Yes, where is he?"
"Well, we demons generally don't let humans suffer after being killed, so we eat them. I guess the person you're talking about has already become my food. You know, I need strength to rank up and..." Before she could finish her words, Ishida was already on the move.
"I've heard enough!" he said, unsheathing his sword and leaping toward the demon. She gave a slight smile.
"Moon Breathing First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace," he said, and immediately the eyes of the demon turned to surprise as she tried to step back. However, before she could, a crescent-shaped slice from Ishida's sword slashed through one of her hands, completely severing it from her body, and it fell to the ground.
Ishida stood on the ground and took a few steps away from her to prepare for his next move. "Why did I go for her hand?" he questioned himself but tried to gather his thoughts for the next attack.
Before he could launch another attack, the hand he had just severed from her body faded into ashes, and immediately another hand regenerated in the same place on the demon.
The demon was a bit surprised and astonished as she looked at him. "How can it be!? I had already killed you... It can't be... I shouldn't have left the body there; I should have eaten him right then," she murmured. "How are you alive? I have already killed you," she said loudly.
Hearing the demon's words, Ishida felt a bit surprised and unsure because the demon he saw that night was not her. It was a man, and even aside from that, it looked completely different from what he remembered. So why was she saying she had killed him?