The door was opened by an elderly man who appeared to be over sixty, likely a butler.
"And you are?"
Namiko nodded slightly: "Hello, I am a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps."
The old man immediately beamed: "Please come in, both of you! Please come in! The master is troubled by this very matter!"
The old man turned and led the two inside, his steps hurried and his body swaying slightly.
Mizuki lowered her eyelids, observing the old man's inexplicably trembling body.
The Transparent World was already visible in her eyes; this old man was just an ordinary person, but his heart rate and pulse were terrifyingly high.
It didn't seem like excitement, but more like... fear.
Mizuki subtly looked around. This place was not as prosperous as the tsugikuni family residence in its prime; the entire mansion was desolate, presenting a lonely, quiet scene.
Along the way, the two had not seen any servants or family members.
Namiko couldn't help but ask, "Old man, where are the people in the mansion?"
The old man subtly shivered, then feigned composure and sighed: "Alas, it's all because of that incident. Everyone was terrified and fled."
He could only fool Namiko; under Mizuki's penetrating eyes, he had nowhere to hide.
He was so nervous his heart was practically leaping out of his chest.
Bringing this up, Namiko couldn't help but ask, "Besides the Samurai Lord's wife, have any other people disappeared these days?"
"No, everyone else has left."
Namiko felt much relieved.
The old man led the two into a room.
"Please wait a moment, I will go call the Master of the House."
The old man closed the door and left.
Namiko observed the room's decorations and said to Mizuki, "Miss Mizuki, don't you think something is strange?"
Mizuki felt a bit ashamed inwardly.
How slow! React!
Even without the Transparent World, this atmosphere is clearly wrong!
Namiko murmured a couple of words, walked around the room twice, and then went to the door, intending to open it.
She pushed the door, but it didn't budge.
"Huh? The door won't open."
Mizuki said helplessly, "That old man must be colluding with the demon here."
Namiko was surprised: "How could that be? That old man is clearly human."
"Some humans are worse than demons," Mizuki said calmly, looking out the window.
Namiko was about to say something, but subconsciously followed Mizuki's gaze toward the window.
A dark shadow flashed past the window.
Namiko immediately drew the nichirin blade from her waist, feeling tense.
Mizuki secretly shook her head.
This child... it's no good.
Soon, dense sounds came from the roof, like some creature was moving quickly across it.
Namiko tightly gripped her nichirin blade with both hands, looking up nervously: "It's on top!"
Boom!
The skylight was broken open, and a demon resembling a centipede dropped from above, coiling on the room's beam. The hundred legs beneath its body were lined up like sharp blades, and it was at least ten meters long.
The centipede coiled on the beam, lowering its head, which turned out to be an ugly human face.
The Face Centipede smiled sinisterly at the two: "Two Demon Slayers~"
Namiko's eyes were slightly unfocused, and a trace of fear appeared on her face.
It wasn't that she hadn't slain demons before, but this was the first time she had seen such a bizarre demon; it was spine-chilling.
Mizuki remained silent, taking half a step forward: "You ate the samurai here a long time ago, didn't you?"
"Ah, quite delicious~" A pale blue tongue slicked out, as if savoring a memory.
"So those reports were all fake, right."
"No, they are real, oh." The Face Centipede looked down at Mizuki, a strange smile curling its lips. "I really made everyone disappear, oh."
"Literally disappeared. Everyone vanished into my stomach." Its deformed hundred legs pointed toward its long, narrow abdomen, looking very bizarre.
Namiko's voice trembled slightly: "Miss Mizuki."
Mizuki slowly drew her nichirin blade and said without turning her head, "Stay right where you are."
Watching Mizuki draw her nichirin blade, the Face Centipede's alarm bells rang wildly. Unlike the weak-kneed brat behind her, this swordsman with a Demon Slayer Mark right in front of him...
His intuition told him.
Very dangerous!
The Face Centipede's coiled body rapidly writhed, its hundred legs quickly scrambling across the beam, making dense clicking sounds like a locomotive charging toward Mizuki.
"Watch out!" Seeing this, Namiko wanted to step forward and pull Mizuki away.
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust." Water-patterned breathing was exhaled, and Mizuki raised her sword with one hand, thrusting quickly.
Water Breathing was not the optimal solution, but Snow Breathing was too taxing for her right now.
Just then, the Face Centipede slammed forward, and the nichirin blade struck the center of its face's brow.
The Face Centipede instantly became rigid, its winding body almost arching up.
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance."
Taking advantage of the Face Centipede's rigidity, Mizuki's figure flowed like water, rapidly advancing toward the centipede's torso. Where her blade swung, it resembled a lifelike Water Dragon.
"No... impossible!" The Face Centipede's shocked expression froze on its face. The parts of its body Mizuki had slashed broke off piece by piece, naturally including its neck.
Its massive body gradually vanished under the nichirin blade's decapitation.
"Cough, cough..."
Namiko was roused by Mizuki's light cough and couldn't help but show admiration.
She said with an excited tone, "That was amazing, Miss Mizuki!"
Mizuki calmed the pain in her lungs and said faintly, "Namiko, if you only joined the Demon Slayer Corps to repay a debt of gratitude, I suggest you leave the Demon Slayer Corps."
Namiko's excited expression instantly froze, and her mood visibly dropped.
"I'm sorry... I wasn't able to help at all..."
Mizuki shook her head: "I'm not trying to blame you, but a state like yours will eventually harm you."
Too slow-witted.
Most members of the Demon Slayer Corps have had their loved ones harmed by demons and share an irreconcilable hatred for them.
This is why they press forward relentlessly, and it is the destiny of generations of Demon Slayers.
If one cannot disregard life and death, they cannot fight demons.
Being assessed this way by her benefactor, Namiko was very downcast: "I just want to help others however I can."
"You don't necessarily have to fight on the front lines to help others. Didn't the Demon Slayer Corps establish a support unit called the Kakushi?"
"I think that would suit Namiko better."
Since Michikatsu killed the Master, the Demon Slayer Corps' headquarters have become hidden, and the support unit called the Kakushi was established.
Namiko took a deep breath: "I will seriously consi—"
Her voice abruptly cut off, and Mizuki looked up in confusion.
She saw Namiko's expression filled with terror, her face almost collapsing, her teeth chattering as she stared behind Mizuki, as if some terrifying presence was there.
Namiko's trembling voice began, "Yu—"
"Moon Breathing, Second Form: Pearl Flowers in the Moonlight!"
Mizuki's eyes darkened slightly, and she rapidly spun her body, swinging out two gusts of blade wind. Two circular moon blades carrying tiny crescent moons swept toward her back.
Before she could fully turn to see what was behind her, a dignified voice simultaneously rang out.
"Moon Breathing, Third Form: Loathing Moon - Chains."