The outskirts of Nagoya.
Natsunishi was the first to arrive at the rendezvous point, an abandoned brewery.
The factory grounds were completely empty, and many areas had fallen into disrepair. Moonlight filtered through the shattered roof, casting patches of brightness over dust-covered oak barrels and machinery. Like the cobwebs clinging nearby, the light was a stark, ghostly white.
In recent years, the Far East's economy hadn't been doing well, leading to the abandonment of many once-prosperous small breweries. An ordinary person would never come to a place like this at this hour. After all, such locations were usually shrouded in unfortunate rumors or occupied by bandits and rogues.
"Seriously, couldn't we have picked a more normal meeting spot?"
"Caw! The Kakushi said there is an evil demon in the city! We mustn't alert the enemy, caw!"
"Nagoya is a pretty big city, you know. There's no way we'd just run into it by chance."
"This demon is suspected to have accomplices, caw! We must be cautious!"
Leaning against a massive, empty fermentation tank, Natsunishi casually chatted with the crow while using the moonlight to quickly flip through the case files provided by the Kakushi.
To be honest, the information this time was fragmented and bizarre. It was completely different from previous missions.
Among the victims, aside from those who were missing, a few bodies had actually been recovered. However, what baffled the members of the Kakushi was that these corpses were externally intact, with not a single visible wound. Even after obtaining consent from the families to perform autopsies, no damage was found on any of their internal organs. It was as if they had suddenly suffered brain death.
Furthermore, several Tsuchinoe-ranked swordsmen who had been sent to investigate subsequently vanished. When the Kakushi searched the areas where they were last seen during the day, they found no signs of a struggle. Instead, they discovered a vast number of footprints.
It looked as though a crowd of people had quietly gathered together, and then quietly dispersed.
So, did the demon have accomplices? Or was this the effect of some specialized Blood Demon Art?
Natsunishi pondered over it for a good while without coming up with a definitive answer, so he simply dropped it. Whatever the case, once he saw the demon with his own eyes, he could just check the panel provided by the system. The effects of most Blood Demon Arts could be easily deduced from the names of the skills anyway.
It was during this moment of contemplation that Natsunishi detected an incredibly faint movement, causing him to look up.
The footsteps were deliberately kept very light—so light that even the trained crow hadn't noticed anyone approaching. But for the current Natsunishi, even if someone used specific stealth techniques to mask their steps, they couldn't completely eliminate the subtle friction their body created against the air as they moved.
It was the sound of the wind.
Height—roughly 190 centimeters, weight around 90 kilograms. Trained in stealth techniques.
Oh? They know a Breathing Style too?
Natsunishi stood up straight and fixed his gaze in the direction of the sound. The wind was a bit too loud, making it hard to hear clearly. So, who could it be?
A few breaths later, a tall figure gradually emerged from the shadows.
It was a Demon Slayer corps member. And it was someone Natsunishi knew well.
"Oh? To think you could flashily notice my approach."
A familiar, flamboyant voice echoed out. It was a man dressed as a shinobi, carrying his signature giant Nichirin Cleavers bound together by a chain on his back. He gave his headpiece a flick, waiting for it to emit a crisp jingle before flashing a smile at Natsunishi.
"Though, as a strong warrior recognized by this flamboyant god, possessing such sharp senses is only natural. It's been a while, Kuguruma."
It was the flamboyant guy he had briefly crossed paths with during his training days. However, compared to their last meeting, his physique looked noticeably leaner and more refined. His aura was much more grounded and solid as well. The only thing that hadn't changed was the absolute confidence written across his face.
[Uzui Tengen (Energy Level: 219)]
[Thunder Breathing LV.3]
[Sound Breathing LV.3]
Compared to their last encounter, the man's energy level had visibly jumped by a large margin, and both of his Breathing Styles had firmly stabilized at the Total Concentration level. His progress with Sound Breathing was even approaching the threshold of Level 4. Clearly, he had taken Natsunishi's advice to heart.
"Yo, long time no see, Tengen." Natsunishi raised a hand in greeting.
The shinobi gave a soft grunt as he walked over. "Since we last parted, I've undergone incredibly flashy training! My mastery of Sound Breathing is—heh, I feel like I've caught up to you!"
Running into Natsunishi on a mission was a pleasant surprise for Uzui. However, still possessing quite a bit of pride, he wasn't entirely content with lagging behind Natsunishi. The moment they met, he couldn't help but show off his strength.
The young man nodded.
The man's strength was roughly on par with Kazami's, meaning he was somewhere between a Kinoe-ranked swordsman and a Hashira. He was definitely stronger than Natsunishi had been back then.
Seeing Natsunishi acknowledge him, the flashy guy's nose held a little higher in pride.
When he first received this mission, he hadn't been entirely confident. After all, they might be facing one of the Twelve Kizuki. Even though he had spent the last six months or so undergoing brutal training and slaying demons all over the country, his knowledge of the Twelve Kizuki was strictly limited to rumors. Exactly how strong were they? He still wasn't entirely sure.
But seeing Natsunishi here now, a massive portion of his anxiety instantly vanished. As long as the two of them teamed up, even if it was a Kizuki, they would surely stand a chance.
Tengen asked, "Want to grab a bite to eat after the mission is over?"
Natsunishi replied, "What, so you can have your three wives call you away again and leave me with the bill?"
Tengen choked on his words.
Speaking of that incident, he was filled with frustration. He had actually been labeled a dine-and-dasher by this kid, which resulted in him being teased by the shop owner and regular customers for a long time.
Seeing the other man fall silent, Natsunishi glanced at his new hairstyle and delivered another blow. "Also, what is that wrapped around your head this time? Your taste is even worse than before."
The shinobi instinctively touched the bandages meticulously wrapped around his hair. This was a new style he had spent days carefully designing. Was... was it really ugly? He plunged into a wave of self-doubt.
Meanwhile, a faint, mischievous curve played at the corner of Natsunishi's mouth.
Right at that moment, both of them turned their heads simultaneously, looking toward another direction of the brewery. A set of footsteps, much more distinct than Uzui Tengen's had been, was drawing closer.
"There's actually a third person joining us for this mission besides you and me?"
"Who knows? Maybe the Kakushi felt a Lower Rank would be too dangerous, so they gathered all the available forces in the surrounding area." Natsunishi looked at the flamboyant guy. "Of course, if you don't mind, you can just watch from the sidelines and leave the experience points to me."
Tengen scoffed, "Experience points... you mean the demon? No way. Lord Tengen wants to see exactly how strong these so-called Kizuki really are."
As they spoke, the final swordsman for the mission arrived. Well, look at that, it was another familiar face.
"I didn't expect us to meet again so soon, Sabito." Natsunishi raised his hand and offered a casual greeting.
"Natsunishi-senpai?" The pink-haired youth's voice carried a hint of surprise.
Sabito took off one side of his fox mask, revealing a slightly exhausted but still handsome and sharp face. He had just finished two consecutive missions and had rushed over without getting any rest. However, his aura was significantly steadier than it had been a while ago. His recent time spent slaying demons had clearly forged his strength to a higher level.
The shinobi glanced at the two of them. "You know this kid?"
Natsunishi answered, "Yeah, during our training days... you could say he was my senior disciple brother."
Senior disciple brother? This kid looked quite young, and while his aura was steady, he didn't seem... remarkably strong. How could he be Kuguruma's senior? Could he be hiding his strength? The shinobi cast a questioning gaze toward him.
Hearing this, Sabito quickly waved his hands in embarrassment to clarify, "Senpai, please stop joking. Whether it was Water Breathing or our regular training, you were always the one guiding Giyu and me."
Ever since becoming official members of the corps, Sabito and Giyu had parted ways to begin their respective demon-slaying journeys. Not long ago, he happened to be resting near Nagoya when he received an emergency backup request, prompting him to rush over as fast as he could. But he never expected to run into Natsunishi-senpai here.
Unlike Uzui, the moment Sabito saw Natsunishi, his heart tightened slightly.
The stronger he became, the more clearly he understood the massive chasm that lay between himself and this senpai he admired. Now, even Natsunishi-senpai had been deployed. Just how powerful was this Kizuki? Would he end up being the weakest link and a burden to the team?
He then looked at the flamboyant man standing nearby. The rank calloused onto his hand indicated he was a Kinoe. Sabito could vaguely sense the man's formidable strength as well, causing the tension in his chest to tighten further. At the very least, he couldn't let himself pull them down. The youth silently tightened his fists.
Sensing Sabito's slight awkwardness and tension, Natsunishi introduced his companion. "This is Uzui Tengen. As you can see, he's a shinobi."
Sabito blinked. A... a shinobi? Wasn't he a fellow Demon Slayer senpai?
What Uzui did next threw Sabito's already struggling train of thought into utter bewilderment.
The flamboyant guy completely rejected Natsunishi's introduction. Using his tall, muscular frame and thick arms, he traced a few flashy arcs in the air. He then struck an eccentric yet highly dynamic pose, declaring loudly, "I am no ordinary shinobi. Listen up, fox boy! I am a god! The god ruling over flamboyance and festivals—the God of Festivals!"
Sabito stared blankly. Great, he's an incomprehensible eccentric just like Natsunishi-senpai. We definitely have a chance on this mission! The pink-haired youth thought to himself.