"Upper Moon Four?"
After Shinichi briefly recounted the recent skirmish, Shinobu gasped, her eyes widening in shock.
She looked at him with concern and asked.
"Then, Shinichi, are you alright? Did Upper Moon Four inflict any injuries on you?"
Shinichi shook his head, pulling his Nichirin Blade from the ground.
He glanced at the Demon Slayers around him, now revitalized, before smoothly sheathing his red-and-green Nichirin Blade.
"I'm fine. Upper Moon Four's abilities weren't particularly strong, but they were extremely troublesome. It could split into multiple clones, each with different powers. Fighting it alone was overwhelming—decapitating one or two clones didn't kill it. I suspect either multiple clones must be beheaded simultaneously, or there's something else hidden within its clones."
Shinichi's tone was grave.
Hearing about Upper Moon Four's abilities, Shinobu's expression gradually hardened, a contemplative look crossing her face—likely calculating the dosage of poison that could affect Upper Moon Four.
The demon's bizarre retreat left Shinichi on high alert.
An Upper Rank Demon lurking unseen in the shadows posed an immense threat to the Demon Slayer Corps.
Initially, Shinichi had feared Upper Moon Four might head towards Shinobu's location, but now she stood safely before him.
This realization instantly reminded him of Tomioka Giyu and the others in another direction.
Could Upper Moon Four have gone after them instead?
"Forest! Forest Hashira-sama!!"
Suddenly, a panicked, urgent shout rang out beside them.
Shinichi and Shinobu turned simultaneously.
A young, gray-haired Demon Slayer stumbled toward them, his uniform covered in dust, his face marred with small cuts, and his hair disheveled with grass and debris—clearly having taken many falls along the way.
More striking was the sheer terror and despair on his tear-streaked face.
Seeing this, Shinichi's heart sank, an instinctive sense of foreboding gripping him.
Other Demon Slayers quickly stepped forward to support the gray-haired boy.
Shinobu retrieved alcohol swabs from her small pouch to tend to his wounds, while Shinichi firmly gripped his shoulder and drew his Nichirin short blade—Forest Breathing, Second Form: Willow of Life!
The gray-haired Demon Slayer reacted violently.
Despite his exhaustion, he desperately clutched Shinichi's sleeve, gasping for breath as he struggled to speak.
"F-Forest… Forest Hashira-sama… over there… over there…"
Shinichi continued channeling his life force energy while urgently asking.
"Steady now, don't panic. Tell me what happened?"
....
Shortly after, when Shinichi and Shinobu rushed to the scene with over a dozen Demon Slayers climbing over a small valley, what greeted their eyes was nothing short of a hellish scene.
Some of the less mentally prepared Demon Slayers stood frozen in shock, their Nichirin Blades slipping from trembling hands.
Shinobu covered her mouth, and Shinichi's heterochromatic eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins.
Within the small mountain hollow, the scene was one of utter carnage—bloodied corpses and scattered flesh everywhere.
Nearly thirty Demon Slayers and dozens of Moriki Conglomerate security personnel had all perished in this nameless valley.
Most of the bodies—whether bearing expressions of terror, fury, or sheer agony—bore only a few fatal wounds, some even just a single, brutally precise slash that had cleanly severed them at the waist.
Almost every Demon Slayer and Moriki guard had been bisected.
The scattered sword marks on the ground, bullet craters, the Nichirin Blades still clutched in the hands of the fallen Demon Slayers, and the matchlocks held by the Moriki guards made it clear they had not gone down without a fight.
Yet the hellish scene before them spoke volumes—their resistance had been futile.
Not just the Demon Slayers, but even the pitch-black corpses of Kasugai Crows littered the hollow.
Not even the messenger crows had been spared!
That was why Shinichi and Shinobu had received no warning.
The Demon Slayer named Sagawa had originally been part of the group but had fallen behind while handling rear duties.
By the time he caught up, he found his comrades slaughtered before his very eyes...
"Damn it! Those cursed Demons!!"
"Bastards! We won't let them get away with this!!"
"Rest in peace, comrades. We will avenge you!"
After the initial shock and grief came an overwhelming fury.
The Demon Slayers behind Shinichi burned with rage—their fallen brethren's deaths did not instill fear but only steeled their resolve to eradicate the Demons.
We, the Demon Slayer Corps, are eternal—until the day the Demons are wiped from this earth!
No words were needed.
Though they could have waited for the Kakushi's support, the surviving Demon Slayers couldn't bear to leave their comrades' bodies exposed in this forsaken hollow.
One by one, they stepped forward to gather the remains, determined to do what little they could.
Shinichi crouched down and picked up a broken Nichirin Blade.
His gaze was heavy as he examined the fragment—the cut was flawlessly smooth.
Through his whispering forest eyes, he could faintly discern traces of lingering bloodlust clinging to the severed edge.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced—Old Man Moriki's recounting of the past.
The Demon who had slaughtered three Hashira in an instant, who had massacred dozens of Demon Slayers, including the old man's own brother.
The Demon who wielded a Breathing Technique, clad in the garb of a Warring States-era samurai.
The Demon with six hellish eyes!
"Upper... Rank... One...?"
"Shinichi, what did you say?" Shinobu asked in confusion.
But before he could answer, a Kasugai Crow's frantic cry echoed above them.
"Giyu under attack! Giyuu under attack by Upper Rank Three! Request immediate reinforcement from the Forest Hashira and Insect Hashira! Immediate reinforcement, Caw!"
The crow's voice was hoarse, its wingbeats erratic, but both Shinichi and Shinobu recognized it.
Not only was this crow, Kanzaburo, the oldest still-serving Kasugai Crow in the Demon Slayer Corps, but he was also the messenger of the Water Hashira—Tomioka Giyu!
"Shinobu!"
Shinichi didn't hesitate for a moment, gripping the Nichirin Blade at his waist as he dashed after Kanzaburo.
Shinobu moved with equal swiftness, her steps as light and graceful as a butterfly, closely following behind Shinichi.
The other Demon Slayers had also heard Kanzaburo's call for aid.
Needless to say, everyone wanted to rush over to assist, but in mere moments, the Forest Hashira and the Insect Hashira had left them far behind.
With no other choice, those who couldn't keep up could only cheer for the two Hashiras in their hearts while a few stayed behind to guard the bodies of their fallen comrades.
The rest continued to chase after the direction taken by the Forest Hashira and the others.
-----------------------------
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