Torrential rain lashed the rice fields, water overflowed the ridges, and a thunderous flash of lightning split the clouds.
Walking briskly along the muddy country road, Kiyokawa Izumi, clad in a straw raincoat, didn't complain.
It was just rain.
There was nothing special about this mission either; just a Demon attacking people, with several victims appearing in a short period.
Once the Demon Slayer Corps took notice, they immediately dispatched Demon Slayers to subjugate it.
More than one Team Member was chosen.
The reason was simple: with multiple victims in a short time, they considered the possibility of there being multiple Demons.
"Wait a moment!"
A faint voice came from the distance. Kiyokawa Izumi's hearing was decent; stopping in his tracks, his hand was already on his sword hilt in a wary stance.
He only relaxed slightly once the person approached.
"Who are you?"
"Kakushi!"
The man, whose face was obscured, wore a straw raincoat over a Kakushi uniform. Upon seeing him, he spoke hurriedly.
"You are an Official Member of the Demon Slayer Corps, right? The two Team Members who arrived first have already entered the mountain. They asked me to inform you to meet at the ruined temple in the mountains; the Demon attacking civilians is very likely there."
"What?"
Hearing this, Kiyokawa Izumi frowned slightly.
The two Official Members who arrived first had already gone in; he didn't know what they were thinking.
"Tell me briefly about the situation in the mountains."
It was rare to encounter a Kakushi, so Kiyokawa Izumi couldn't help but ask a few more questions.
"There's a ruined temple in the mountains where woodcutters and hunters stop to rest."
"People have been disappearing continuously for the past four days."
"According to the nearby villagers, someone saw a strange figure in that ruined temple that didn't look like a wild beast."
"We've determined it's likely a man-eating Demon."
It was as simple as that.
Having understood the situation, Kiyokawa Izumi simply said, "Thanks!"
Watching his retreating figure, the Hidden Member couldn't help but shout, "Stay safe!"
...The mountain path on a rainy day was exceptionally difficult to traverse. Kiyokawa Izumi casually wiped the water droplets from his face.
Due to a momentary lapse in attention, he was nearly tripped by something hard.
It wasn't a stone exposed by the rain.
Kiyokawa Izumi crouched down and examined it closely by the moonlight—it seemed to be a human bone with clear bite marks.
His initial assessment was that it dated back to about a week ago.
It didn't look like a wild animal encounter; there really was a Demon in these mountains.
"Help!!"
A terrified cry for help rang out suddenly. Kiyokawa Izumi stood up instantly and looked in the direction of the sound.
What was happening?
Could the two Team Members who went in first have already been killed?
Official Members of the Demon Slayer Corps shouldn't be that weak, right?
The Wind Hashira had said that the quality of Team Members was declining and the Trainers were irresponsible—but wasn't that something for the future?
Besides, that whole Final Selection thing was just nonsense.
Allowing the Hand Demon to live for so long was enough to show that the Demon Slayer Corps' system for recruiting newcomers was far from perfect and full of issues.
For talented swordsmen like Sabito to die so inexplicably in the Selection—wasn't that a waste of talent?
Complaints aside, Kiyokawa Izumi's movements were not slow.
Within a few breaths, he had followed the sound and arrived.
"Save me! Save me!"
A wretched Swordsman appeared before him. His right arm had been torn off by immense force, and hot blood flowed uncontrollably. Amidst the mangled flesh, white bone was faintly visible.
His nichirin blade was nowhere to be found.
Thunder roared. The Swordsman crying for help was in a miserable state; his face was covered in blood, his eye sockets were hollow, and both eyeballs had been gouged out.
Seeing this, Kiyokawa Izumi's heart skipped a beat—the Demon that attacked them was incredibly cruel.
With a strange Swordsman asking for help, he wouldn't just stand by if he had the capacity to assist.
'This is bad... even though I'm not from a medical background, I can tell this person is beyond saving!'
Kiyokawa Izumi stepped forward quickly, sighing inwardly as he hurried to support the Swordsman.
"Do you... have anything else to say?"
Blood mixed with rainwater, making them indistinguishable.
Setting aside whether the bleeding could be stopped, this amount of blood loss was undoubtedly fatal.
Rather than trying to stop the bleeding, it was better to ask if he had any last words.
"I..."
The strange Swordsman's voice grew faint, and his remaining left hand tightly gripped Kiyokawa Izumi's wrist.
"What? What did you say?"
Perhaps out of resentment or a refusal to die like this, he struggled to lift his head.
"I..."
He really couldn't hear him!
Kiyokawa Izumi instinctively leaned closer, but a roar echoed from the distance.
"Watch out!"
From the Swordsman's mangled eye sockets, two white unidentified objects shot out, heading straight for Kiyokawa Izumi's eyes.
The poor Swordsman's left hand, which was gripping Kiyokawa Izumi's wrist, gradually lost its strength. His body collapsed unconsciously, his breathing having already ceased.
"Is my luck really this bad? I get the feeling the Demon I've encountered this time isn't simple either!"
Just as he finished speaking, the dark silver blade was already sheathed.
When he looked up again, his blood-red Sharingan had already manifested.
The White round worms that had emerged from the eye sockets were sliced clean in half, spraying foul-smelling black liquid.
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This is the last chapter for today... I'll see you once we've finished the stones for the extra chapter