A dizzying sensation washed over him, and the Drill Ground Demon experienced a strong feeling of weightlessness. At this moment, he also understood that he had been decapitated.
Damn it, how could this happen? He was clearly a coward, yet unexpectedly, he was so strong…
A strong sense of unwillingness surged into his heart. The Drill Ground Demon's body had already begun to turn into ashes. He never expected that this guy in front of him would possess such strength. His speed was so fast that he couldn't even see him clearly. He was decapitated before he even saw what this person's nichirin blade looked like.
Zenitsu returned his nichirin blade to its sheath. At this moment, he was still somewhat afraid, but it was much better than when he first started.
Because it was his first time fighting a demon while conscious, and coupled with the fact that the demon's attack was about to land on him, Zenitsu immediately used his strongest current move. However, the demon's strength was not as strong as he imagined, and his own strength was not as weak as he thought.
His still trembling hand moved away from the sword hilt. Zenitsu bravely turned his head. The demon that had terrified him moments ago was now headless.
"Damn brat…" the Drill Ground Demon cried out unwillingly. His body had completely turned into ashes, followed by his head, which also disintegrated. Zenitsu's fear immediately lessened considerably.
"I knew you could do it. How is it? Demons aren't as scary as you imagined, right? Your strength is already formidable. You can completely slay these ordinary demons, and even a Lower Moon should no longer be your match."
Chiba Yo walked over to Zenitsu with a smile. He could feel that Zenitsu's fear had significantly diminished. This plan was a success. Although there were some minor twists in the middle, with his efforts, the plan still smoothly got back on track.
Upon hearing Chiba Yo's voice, Zenitsu angrily turned around and immediately pounced on him, tears still streaming down his face, while shouting loudly at him, "Yo! You…"
Halfway through his shout, Zenitsu suddenly remembered what he had just said and forcibly swallowed the rest of his words. He turned his head away, no longer speaking to Chiba Yo. After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he walked out of the cave.
Chiba Yo saw this and followed him out of the cave, not paying much attention to Zenitsu's little tantrum. Based on his understanding of Zenitsu, he definitely wouldn't be able to hold it in for long, and Zenitsu also understood the reason for his actions.
"It's my fault for not explaining it clearly this time. I'm sorry. I'll treat you to a meal later," Chiba Yo said to Zenitsu as he walked beside him.
Although Chiba Yo was quite poor before, virtually penniless, the Demon Slayer Corps offered excellent benefits, even more so after becoming a Hashira. A Hashira-level swordsman could earn as much salary as they wanted.
However, swordsmen who become Hashira are all individuals with a great sense of justice and do not care much about money. Sometimes, they earn less salary than even the lowest-ranking Mizunoto-class swordsmen.
Even the flamboyant Tengen Uzui's jewelry and ornaments were bought with the wealth he accumulated during his time as a ninja, not by using his privileges as a Hashira.
Chiba Yo also wouldn't take much salary, but he still had enough money to treat someone to a meal.
"Then I forgive you."
Upon hearing Chiba Yo's words, Zenitsu turned around and accepted his apology. Then, he could no longer hold back and began to complain to Chiba Yo.
"Although I know you're doing this for my own good, that demon just now was really super scary! Its face suddenly appeared in front of me and scared me so much that I fainted! I even thought I was going to die!"
Every time Zenitsu fainted when encountering a demon, he thought he was going to die. However, except for the time on Mount Natagumo, he was always fine after waking up, and the demon was gone. He attributed all of this to his luck and believed that he couldn't be so lucky every time.
He wondered what those demons he had slain while unconscious would think if they knew about this situation.
"You're not as scared now, are you? After all, you slayed it all by yourself," Chiba Yo asked Zenitsu with a smile upon hearing his words.
"I'm not as scared, but I'm definitely still afraid. After all, those demons look so scary, not even one-ten-thousandth as cute as Nezuko. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't be afraid of them!" Zenitsu said somewhat indignantly.
After mentioning Nezuko, a light bulb went off in Zenitsu's head, and he immediately spoke excitedly to Chiba Yo: "By the way, Yo, as a Hashira, you can mobilize Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen who are lower ranked than you, right?
Then, when you go on your next mission, can you let me and Nezuko go together? After all, neither I nor Nezuko have reached the Hashira rank. If that happens, I'll definitely work hard! To protect Nezuko, I will absolutely not be afraid of demons!"
As Zenitsu spoke, he began to imagine the scene in his mind: himself carrying the box containing Nezuko, happily going on missions every time, and at night, he could let Nezuko out, and they would walk hand in hand together.
When they encountered a demon, Nezuko would show a scared expression and say to him, "Brother Zenitsu, I'm so scared…"
At the same time, she would pull on his sleeve, looking absolutely adorable.
Then, he would smile faintly with an air of nonchalance, hold Nezuko's small hand, and say to her, "Don't worry, I will protect you. Nothing will harm you!"
"Brother Zenitsu…"
Immediately after, Nezuko showed a moved expression.
He turned around, and under Nezuko's worried gaze, he gripped the hilt of his nichirin blade. His entire being transformed into a flash of lightning, instantly decapitating the powerful demon.
"Wow! Brother Zenitsu is amazing!"
"Hahahaha, it's nothing, it's nothing."
Nezuko immediately praised him happily after seeing his heroic posture slaying the demon, and he also responded happily. Afterward, the two continued to walk hand in hand, happily on their way. As for a certain irrelevant passerby Hashira, he had already been ignored by him.
"Heh… hehehehe…"
Thinking of these wonderful scenes in his mind, Zenitsu unconsciously laughed out loud, but he didn't know why the scenes in these images were in a peach orchard.
Chiba Yo looked at Zenitsu, who was giggling foolishly to himself after spouting a long string of his wild fantasies, and couldn't help but sigh and shake his head, feeling that Zenitsu's obsession with cute girls had reached a terrifying level.
"Stop dreaming. The Hashira themselves are extremely powerful, and situations where they need to mobilize you are few and far between, let alone only mobilizing you and Nezuko. I naturally can't do that either.
Leaving aside whether such a situation is even possible, even if it did happen, do you think Tanjirou would confidently entrust Nezuko to you?
I think it's more realistic for you to think about going on missions with Tanjirou." Chiba Yo said to Zenitsu, interrupting his daydream.
Upon hearing Chiba Yo's words, Zenitsu also stopped daydreaming and said with regret, "I also want to be able to carry Nezuko on my back and happily go on missions like Tanjirou, instead of following someone as strict as you."
As he spoke, Zenitsu even glanced at Chiba Yo, still feeling a bit bothered by his previous harsh training and his recent actions.