After a brief glance at Kaigaku's disintegrating ashes, Shinichi turned away and sheathed his Nichirin Blade.
Gazing up at the starry night sky, he pondered Kaigaku's dying words.
It seemed this train incident was indeed a premeditated trap by the demons—a scheme targeting the Demon Slayer Corps.
More demons must be lurking in the shadows, possibly even other Lower Ranks or Upper Moons.
With that thought, Shinichi prepared to leave and regroup with Shinobu.
But just as he took his first step, an eerie, whimpering voice suddenly reached his ears from behind.
"Uweehee~ Such a scary sword... I can't handle this... I'm just a poor, weak thing... So terrifying~"
The abrupt voice sent a chill down Shinichi's spine.
His eyes widened in shock.
'When? How did someone get behind me without me noticing?'
In a flash—literally within 0.01 seconds—Shinichi reacted.
Shing!
The freshly sheathed Nichirin Blade erupted with radiant green light once more.
BOOM!!
The ground split open from the sheer force of his slash, but the small figure nimbly leaped into the air, effortlessly dodging the attack.
"Forest Breathing Fifth Form: Soaring Bamboo Slash!"
Without hesitation, Shinichi swung with all his might, streaks of green light illuminating the darkness.
"Eeeek! Stop it! You're so strong! I'm just a helpless weakling! Don't be so rough with me! Waaah! Don't bully me! I only wanted to take your head... Why won't you grant this poor weakling's wish?"
The bizarre, tearful wails left Shinichi momentarily stunned.
Only then did he properly observe the demon before him.
Its body was gaunt, stunted, and grotesquely deformed, draped in an ill-fitting robe.
An oversized head bore a face that was anything but handsome—wrinkled, repulsive, and utterly hideous.
Between two jagged horns protruded a melon-sized tumor, veins bulging grotesquely across its surface, enough to make anyone retch.
Before him stood a grotesque and aged demon, its murky eyes inexplicably brimming with tears.
From its fanged mouth came intermittent, shrill shrieks and wails, making it appear utterly cowardly.
Yet Shinichi wasn't fooled by the old demon's facade.
Though it kept wailing about fear, pity, and weakness, its speed was absurdly agile—every slash Shinichi delivered with his full strength was effortlessly dodged.
Such terrifying speed was not something a Lower Rank demon should have.
Swish!
The blade grazed past the old demon's forehead.
"Eek! So scary!"
Ssskrt!
The Nichirin Blade sliced through the demon's sleeve.
"Ahh! Terrifying! That almost got me!!"
Clang!!
The Nichirin Blade finally struck the demon's head with full force, but to Shinichi's shock, the hardness of its head made his hand slip.
The blade only managed to sever one of the demon's sharp horns.
"Eek!! I'm gonna die, gonna die! Nooo! I'm weak, don't kill me!"
"Damn it! Shut the hell up, you disgusting freak!!" Shinichi was genuinely losing his patience.
This damn old demon was definitely mocking him.
Dodging without fighting back was one thing, but who was it pretending to be weak for?
And its voice—so revolting it made Shinichi's skin crawl, just like Gyokko's had back then.
Furious, Shinichi stomped the ground and swung his blade with all his might, roaring in rage.
Instantly, his right eye glowed crimson, and his canine teeth elongated.
Demon Transformation!
Though he hadn't activated his Blood Demon Art: Raging Blood, the sudden transformation still boosted his speed drastically.
His Nichirin Blade moved so fast its afterimages blurred.
Thud!
"Eek!!" A shrill scream pierced the air as Shinichi glared at the old demon—now with one of its horns gripped tightly in his hand.
Ssskrt!
A clean slash.
The demon's head rolled to the ground, and Shinichi kicked away the spurting, headless body.
Was it over? How could this be so easy?
Though the fight had been frustrating, it seemed straightforward.
But how had it appeared behind him so suddenly?
And its speed—comparable to an Upper Rank, yet its eyes bore no numbers.
Was this just a coincidence?
Unbeknownst to Shinichi, in that brief moment of distraction—
Crack! Crack!
The sound of flesh and bone grinding echoed clearly.
The headless body, as it toppled backward, began to writhe at the neck.
Its withered form swelled like a sponge soaking up water, and in the blink of an eye—a brand-new head formed.
Sharp horns.
A face brimming with malice.
And within its pupils, the characters "Upper Moon" and "Four" were clearly inscribed.
Shinichi's instincts had been right.
This was no ordinary demon—it was a genuine Upper Rank Demon.
Upper Moon Four, Hantengu!
"You insufferable brat! What have you done?!" A furious roar erupted from the newly formed Upper Moon Four's mouth.
As it snarled, the character for "Wrath" could be seen etched on its crimson tongue.
"Upper Moon Four?" Shinichi's pupils contracted slightly as he reacted instantly.
But just as his Nichirin Blade was raised, the severed head of the old demon he was holding suddenly underwent a bizarre transformation.
A new body sprouted from the severed neck, its turbid eyes now clear and alert.
The characters "Upper Moon" and "Four" appeared simultaneously as its expression suddenly turned youthful, even playfully sticking out its tongue at Shinichi with the glaring character "Pleasure" visible on its tongue.
"A clone?"
The word flashed through Shinichi's mind instantly.
"I'm furious!"
BANG!!
A staff slammed violently into the ground.
Sekido, one of Hantengu's clones, glared at Shinichi while gripping the staff.
A massive surge of terrifying lightning erupted from its staff.
ZAP!!
The terrifying electric current instantly coursed through Shinichi's entire body.
The sudden intense paralysis momentarily disrupted his control, allowing Karaku - another of Hantengu's clones - to break free from his grasp with a series of backflips to create distance.
"Ehahaha~ This is great! Even getting my head grabbed is so fun!" Karaku stuck out its tongue, suddenly producing a palm-leaf style fan aimed directly at Shinichi.
But Sekido's roar interrupted Karaku's movement.
"Stop! You idiot! Where are you trying to blow him? Infuriating! Just kill him directly!!"
"Ara ara~ No need to rush, right? I still—"
SCREECH!
A piercing hawk cry rang out.
SLASH!
Before Karaku could finish its cheerful words, a sharp Nichirin dagger had already severed its head.
Shinichi, still crackling with electricity, raised his stiffening arm slowly as he enunciated each word.
"Up...per...Moon...Four?"
-----------------------------
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