A strong sense of crisis crept into Aoki's heart. The air felt like thick, sticky blood, his throat felt sticky, and he felt like he couldn't breathe.
He had thought about revenge, but definitely not now.
Whoosh!
Just moments before, Muzan Kibutsuji was five meters away, but suddenly appeared in front of Aoki.
The aftereffects of the "Blood Boiling" left Aoki's head numb, and he didn't react for a moment.
Snap!
Muzan Kibutsuji grabbed Aoki's neck and slowly lifted him up.
Aoki finally came to his senses, grabbing Muzan Kibutsuji's arms with both hands, but he couldn't even shake him.
The difference in strength was too great! The two were simply on different levels! "How should I deal with you?" Muzan Kibutsuji coldly sized up Aoki.
Aoki stopped struggling, and his expression gradually returned to calm.
"Looks like this is the end of my life. Thankfully, Takina and my master's wife are gone.
Heh heh, I wonder if this death is final, or if I'll just be transported to the next world."
"Aren't you afraid of death?" Muzan Kibutsuji's eyes narrowed.
Aoki didn't answer.
Afraid!
How could anyone not be afraid of death?
It's just that, having died once, he could face it more calmly.
A cold smile appeared on Muzan Kibutsuji's face: "I've decided, I'll make you a demon too!"
For years, he had been searching for a demon capable of overcoming sunlight.
This human was worth a try.
Aoki's expression changed drastically.
Becoming a demon would distort his personality, turning him into a man-eating monster—no different from death.
What worried him even more was what if Takina and his master's wife returned and encountered him as a demon…
No!
He couldn't let that happen!
*Thud!
* Muzan Kibutsuji's fingers pierced Aoki's forehead and plunged into his head.
Aoki's thoughts came to an abrupt halt, his expression gradually turning ferocious, veins bulging at the corners of his eyes and rapidly spreading outwards.
"Let me see what you're capable of."
Muzan Kibutsuji released his grip, glanced at Aoki, and vanished in an instant.
Aoki lay on the ground, his eyes rolled back, his body convulsing, and inhuman sounds emanating from his throat.
*Pitter-patter!
* Large raindrops began to fall, quickly turning into a torrential downpour.
...
Boom!
Lightning flashed and thunder roared, accompanied by howling winds.
The icy rain lashed against her face, jolting Aomura Rie, who had been in a daze, back to reality.
"Takina, where are we going?"
"I don't know!" Takina replied calmly, "Just head in a direction far from home. The only thing we can do is not cause Aoki any trouble."
Aomura Rie felt a pang of guilt.
In this critical moment, she had proven far less reliable than her daughter.
"Don't wander off! The mountains are already fraught with danger at night, and with this heavy rain, it's too dangerous!"
Aomura Rie took a deep breath and grasped Takina's hand. "Come with me. I remember your father built a shelter here; we can go there to take refuge!"
The two braved the heavy rain, trudging along the rugged mountain path.
Fortunately, their stamina was quite good.
After all, living in the mountains, although they didn't hunt, they frequently climbed up and down mountains, so their endurance couldn't be lacking.
Finally, they arrived at a low cave.
"Takina, hang in there a little longer, I'll start a fire!"
Aomura Rie skillfully arranged the firewood.
Soon, a yellow campfire rose in the cave, dispelling the darkness and bringing warmth to the two shivering figures.
"Luckily, the supplies your father prepared are still here, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to start a fire…" Aomura Rie stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence.
After a moment, she forced a smile and said, "Takina, take off your clothes and dry them. Wearing wet clothes will make you sick!"
"Okay!" Takina replied.
Neither of them spoke again, sitting blankly by the campfire, letting time pass, still unable to fall asleep.
How much time passed, they didn't know.
They were awakened by a strange noise. Suddenly, the makeshift door made of branches blocking the cave entrance was moved aside.
Aomura Rie shielded Takina behind her, while Takina quietly picked up a stone. Both looked tense, with a hint of fear.
Deep in the mountains, in the dead of night, with a torrential downpour, who would suddenly come knocking? Two figures, one large and one small, wearing straw hats, entered the cave. As they approached the firelight, their features became clearer. They looked remarkably alike, both beautiful, and dressed similarly—dark blue uniforms covered with colorful butterfly-patterned haori.
The tall girl removed her straw hat, a gentle smile on her face, and bowed slightly. "I'm so sorry to bother you. My name is Kanae Kochō, and this is my sister, Shinobu Kochō. We were passing through this area when we were caught in a sudden downpour. We wonder if we could take shelter here?" "Of course."
Aomura Rie lowered her guard, swaying slightly.
She had almost thought "Aomura Kazuhiko" had followed her scent.
"Thank you very much."
Kanae Kochō and Shinobu Kochō bowed slightly, put the door back in place, and sat down by the campfire.
Although the appearance of the Kochō sisters was strange, Aomura Rie and Takina had no interest in chatting at this moment.
Silence returned to the cave.
Kanae Kochō and Shinobu Kochō exchanged a glance.
They could both sense the fear, worry, pain, and sorrow emanating from the two women opposite them, who resembled mother and daughter.
This cave showed few signs of habitation, clearly not a place where the two had lived for long. They had likely fled here as well.
They had experienced and witnessed similar situations many more times.
Kanae Kochō asked softly, "Excuse me, but what trouble have you encountered?"
"We..." Aomura Rie opened her mouth, but her eyes involuntarily reddened.
She dared not think about what had happened today.
Just thinking about it made her feel unbearable, like she was about to have a mental breakdown.
Kanae Kochō tentatively asked, "Is the trouble you've encountered related to demons?"
"You...you know about demons?" Takina suddenly looked up.
Kanae Kochō lifted her butterfly-patterned haori, revealing a long sword at her waist: "My sister and I are both members of the Demon Slayer Corps, specializing in fighting demons!"
Only then did Takina notice that both of them were carrying weapons.
Aomura Rie grabbed Kanae Kochō's hand, disregarding the fact that Kanae was only the same age as her own daughter, tears streaming down her face, almost sobbing uncontrollably: "Please, please, save Aoki!"
Kanae Kochō's expression turned serious, but her tone remained gentle as she patted Rie's hand, comforting her while asking, "Don't rush, please explain clearly, who is Aoki? What exactly happened?"
Takina said urgently, "My father has become a demon, and Aoki is fighting the demon to buy us time to escape."
The Kochō sisters' expressions froze.
Things were worse than they had imagined.
However, the most important thing now was to save lives.
"Please take us to where the demon appeared immediately!" Kanae Kochō said sternly. "Yes, yes!"
Aomura Rie and Takina were even more anxious than they were.
Kanae Kochō kicked aside the branches at the cave entrace, carried Aomura Rie on her back, and rushed into the torrential rain, with Shinobu Kochō and Takina following closely behind.
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(End of this chapter)