Late at night, on the railway line from Kanagawa Prefecture to Kyoto, a small squad of police officers with flashlights was searching along the tracks.
At the back of the group, a young officer looked up at the dim sky and complained.
"This is ridiculous. We've been investigating for so long and found absolutely nothing. What a waste of time."
The young officer's words immediately resonated with his companions.
Several police officers expressed their dissatisfaction.
"Exactly, having to investigate so late at night."
"Those damn rich people, ordering us police around like this. It's too much!"
The old officer leading the team sighed and said.
"Alright, alright, stop grumbling. This is an order from above after all. Even Kyoto has issued orders, what can we small-town folks do about it?
That's the Moriki Financial Group we're talking about. They have so much money they could pave a railway with gold. Even the police chief bows and scrapes before them. Who are we compared to that? Let's take this seriously. If we actually discover any clues, the group might reward us handsomely."
And so, the police team finished patrolling their assigned area and was about to head back when something strange occurred.
In the dim light of the railway, a shadowy figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Who goes there?! Stop!" The police quickly noticed the anomaly and charged forward with their batons raised.
But strangely, no matter how fast the officers ran, they maintained the same distance from the figure.
Gradually, the old officer leading the team felt a chill.
He realized the heavy breathing of his companions had disappeared at some point.
"Something's wrong! Everyone stop, there's a problem!" The old officer shouted.
Just as he was about to turn around, his feet suddenly froze and an eerie feeling of weightlessness appeared beneath him.
Before the old officer could say anything, a creepy laugh suddenly rang out on his ear.
"Hee hee hee~"
He turned his head in shock and met a pair of cunning eyes.
His hand, which had just reached for his holster, along with his entire body, suddenly became paralyzed.
The old officer could only watch helplessly as those black claws grabbed a brush and lightly drew a circle on his chest.
A horrifying scene unfolded.
Through that circle, the old officer clearly saw a living, beating heart.
Then, the black claws reached into the circle and grabbed the heart.
Under the gaze of those eyes marked with "Lower Six", the claws closed.
The old officer's body violently shuddered, and then his life force was extinguished.
Thud!
After casually tossing aside the old officer's corpse, Lower Moon Six - Kamaro's pale face revealed a cruel smile.
Gazing into the distance, it softly murmured, "Demon Slayer Corps..."
Swish swish!!
Flashes of silver light passed by.
Several police officers' eyes widened, unable to react in time.
The next second, their bodies were torn to pieces, blood spraying everywhere.
"Boring..." A pale hand silently retracted the blood-soaked threads.
*****
Meanwhile, in the direction of Kanagawa Prefecture, inside a slowly moving train car, three enthusiastic figures were circling around a tall young man, accompanied by excited cries of "Big bro! Big bro!" Flame Hashira Rengoku Kyojuro threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh.
"Well done! Determined youths like you can all become my adopted brothers. Hahaha!"
At the other end of the car, Water Hashira Tomioka Giyuu kept a straight face, as if oblivious to what was happening before him.
On top of the train car, a solitary figure sat feeling the whistling wind.
When the laughter and cheer from inside the car reached his ears, those heterochromatic green and yellow eyes revealed a hint of disdain.
Serpent Hashira Iguro Obanai coldly snorted, "Bunch of fools...".
His voice was quickly drowned out by the howling wind.
On this train, apart from a few crew members operating it, there were no passengers in any of the cars.
Instead, there was one Demon Slayer swordsman one after another, sharpening their blades.
Meanwhile, at the front of the railway where this train was heading, another train was approaching from the opposite direction.
However, on this train, pairs of bloodthirsty and brutal eyes were opening one after another.
Low, terrifying growls constantly echoed.
At the very top of the locomotive, a strange figure stood straight with a face wearing a sickly smile and face flushed with excitement.
Raising both hands high, he said ecstatically, "The show is about to begin~"
"I don't like this guy, or the iron lump under our feet. It feels like we're stepping on its intestines. Disgusting!" Mukago frowned, baring her teeth in disgust.
Beside her, Kaigaku chuckled and pushed aside a dazed demon blocking his view.
Looking at the night scenery outside the train, he couldn't help but click his tongue.
"The Lower Moons' final dance, huh~ Haha."
"What are you muttering about?"
*****
"Master, something's not right. The life force in this place is abnormal!" Yuichiro crouched beside a large tree, his hand lightly touching the roots as he turned back to speak seriously.
"Forest Breathing, Eighth Form: Whispering Forest Eyes!"
Rich life force flowed into his left eye.
Soon, Shinichi confirmed Yuichiro's statement.
Looking at the two forking railway tracks before them, Shinichi decisively ordered.
"The demons' trail isn't clear enough, but they're definitely in the vicinity. We'll split into two groups. Keep in close contact with the Kasugai crows. If anything seems off, notify each other immediately!"
"Understood. Master, Shinobu-san please be careful," Yuichiro nodded in agreement.
He then set off with his brother Muichiro and over ten Demon Slayer Corps members to search along one of the railway tracks.
Shinichi and Shinobu exchanged glances, sharing a knowing smile as they led the remaining dozen or so Demon Slayer Corps members onto the other railway track.
*****
"Ah!! Monster!!"
Crack!
Before the police officer could continue screaming, his jaw was torn off by an invisible thread.
He could only stare in horror as his body, out of his control, drew the gun from his waist.
Limping along with the grotesque monsters and even corpses around him moving like puppets, all he could hear was a woman's voice full of eagerness to please.
"Rui, is this how Mother should do it? Don't worry Rui, Mother won't disappoint you. We, we are the dearest family, aren't we?" The words seemed gentle, but the voice carried hints of fear.
"Mother, you talk too much... And all of you, family members are supposed to help each other. Don't disappoint me, or my family will have to be replaced again..."
"!! That won't happen! Big sister will help you along with Mother!"
"Me too! Big brother and Father will protect you!"
"ROARRRR!!!"
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