"You're really strange. You're not an Oni Devourer?"
Urokodaki Sakonji eyed Riku, his gaze sharp with scrutiny and confusion.
He could tell from the scent—this oni hadn't eaten humans. Otherwise, he wouldn't have held back at that critical moment.
"What's an Oni Devourer?"
Riku voiced the question that had been nagging at him. Another new term he'd never heard before.
He felt like a curious kid in a shonen anime, constantly asking questions to humans and oni alike.
"Oni Devourers are humans with powerful biting strength and special digestive organs," Urokodaki Sakonji explained patiently, addressing Riku's question with care.
An Oni Devourer can consume an oni's flesh and blood. Their unique digestive system immediately converts that power into their own, temporarily transforming their body into that of an oni. The stronger the oni they eat, the greater their regeneration and strength become. With further onika (鬼化, demon transformation), they can even use the kekkijutsu of the oni they've consumed—though only the ones they've eaten.
"…"
Riku fell silent. That's one hell of a talent.
If you ate enough oni, wouldn't you end up with a whole arsenal of different kekkijutsu?
Sure, it's temporary, and you'd need to keep eating oni flesh to trigger onika, but once transformed, your combat power would skyrocket.
Compared to a fragile human body, an oni's physique is clearly superior—tougher, more durable, and that regeneration ability is a game-changer.
Riku himself could grow stronger by having Shadow Wolf devour oni, but his Shadow Wolf hadn't yet consumed an oni with kekkijutsu. Whether it would enhance his own kekkijutsu or grant him the oni's abilities was still unconfirmed.
"Riku-san, care to explain?" Urokodaki Sakonji asked, his eyes fixed on Riku. "Tomioka Giyu's letter didn't mention you."
Giyu's letter had already filled him in on the Kamado siblings—Tanjiro and Nezuko. A sister who became an oni but could control herself, refusing to eat humans and obeying her brother. A brother brave enough to challenge Tomioka Giyu to protect her.
It sounded unbelievable, like something out of a wild tale. It had never happened before.
Urokodaki wasn't fully convinced. Though he didn't want to doubt his disciple, he needed to confirm the truth himself.
But compared to those two kids, the identity of this man—who looked every bit like a vicious oni—was what he needed to figure out first.
At first, Urokodaki thought Riku was an oni. Then, after realizing he hadn't eaten humans, he assumed Riku was an Oni Devourer who'd undergone onika. But now, after a closer sniff, he dismissed that idea. This guy was a genuine, full-fledged oni.
"While my talent isn't nearly as impressive as Kamado Nezuko's, I don't need to eat humans either. I can sustain myself by feeding on oni," Riku said.
If this old man could believe Nezuko didn't need to eat humans, there was no reason he wouldn't believe Riku.
"…"
Urokodaki Sakonji didn't respond, his tengu mask hiding his expression from Riku.
"It's true! Riku-san even…" Kamado Tanjiro started, eager to clear up the misunderstanding, but he stopped mid-sentence.
He'd wanted to say that Riku, to avoid eating humans, had even resorted to feeding on himself. It left a deep impression on Tanjiro. But realizing Riku might not want that shared—and since Riku hadn't mentioned it himself—Tanjiro quickly shut his mouth.
"Dawn's coming," Urokodaki Sakonji said, gazing at the horizon where the sun was about to rise, signaling the retreat of all things sinister back into the shadows.
"Huh?"
Tanjiro blinked, quickly turning to his sister.
Oni can't withstand sunlight. Riku-san had told him that exposure to it would reduce an oni to ashes.
Sure enough, Nezuko was already wincing, retreating into the mountain shrine. The scent of human flesh inside was tough for her, but her fear of sunlight was overwhelming.
Tanjiro hesitated. He wanted to check on Nezuko but was worried Riku-san and this Urokodaki-san might clash again.
"You're not hiding?" Urokodaki Sakonji asked Riku. Even without seeing his face, Riku could hear the thick confusion in his voice.
"Why would I need to hide?" Riku replied with a grin. Old man, get ready to have your mind blown.
"Riku-san?!" Tanjiro's face was full of shock. Why wasn't Riku-san taking cover?
The sun rose as usual, its first rays piercing the night's curtain and bathing the earth in light.
The morning glow was like a master artist's delicate brushstrokes, softly outlining the land. Sunlight dotted the forest like ink spots.
Shadow Wolf had already melted into Riku's shadow at his feet. As the sunlight hit Riku's body, nothing happened. He stood there, perfectly fine.
Urokodaki Sakonji couldn't hold it together anymore. Even without seeing his face, Riku could sense his shock through subtle body movements.
"Why aren't you afraid of sunlight?" Urokodaki's voice trembled.
Tanjiro was puzzled. He could even smell fear emanating from the old man.
He was afraid? Of what? Riku-san? Because he wasn't afraid of sunlight?
Tanjiro knew oni couldn't handle sunlight, but he'd never seen what happens to one under its rays. He didn't fully grasp what sunlight meant to an oni.
Unlike Tanjiro, Urokodaki knew exactly what this implied, and it terrified him.
If oni no longer feared sunlight, how would the Demon Slayer Corps (Kisatsutai, 鬼殺隊) kill them?
If oni could walk in the sun, was there any hope left for the world?
"No, I'm still afraid of sunlight," Riku said, his expression turning serious. "I just found a way to shield myself from it, so I can barely manage to walk under it. But every step feels like walking on thin ice."
He didn't push Urokodaki further. The old man seemed emotionally unstable, and Riku didn't want him to do something reckless, like trying to test if he could kill him. All Riku wanted was to prove he was special.
"What method?" Urokodaki asked, his emotions stabilizing slightly after hearing Riku's words. He could tell Riku wasn't lying.
As long as oni still feared sunlight, the worst-case scenario hadn't arrived.
"I could tell you, but it's a pretty important secret…" Riku said, giving a playful shrug.
He wasn't about to reveal all his cards. If he could trade this for some benefits, that'd be ideal. This Urokodaki guy seemed reasonable—exactly the kind of professional Riku needed to have a proper conversation with.
"…"
Urokodaki fell silent, seemingly deep in thought. But Tanjiro couldn't hold back.
"Riku-san, can Nezuko use this method?" he asked, a bit embarrassed but pushing through for his sister's sake.
(Chapter End)