For a demon, killing a few ordinary people is as simple as eating and drinking water.
Even if these people have rifles.
Kamihara Tetsuya's Sharingan saw their movements clearly: the aiming position, the intention to pull the trigger, and it was not difficult to dodge the bullets.
It wasn't that Kamihara Tetsuya's speed was faster than the bullets, but that his reaction speed completely overwhelmed those ordinary people.
Inside the spacious room, a chilling wind blew, and more than half of the Black Dragon Society's high-ranking members were killed, their incomplete corpses scattered across the floor, emitting a strong smell of blood.
Kamihara Tetsuya had no time to pay attention to that pile of dead people.
A system panel, visible only to him, popped up in front of him, and the system's auxiliary function displayed his awakened Blood Demon Art in text form.
Blood Demon Art Awakened: Soul Manipulation!
Reaper: Harvest the souls of the dead and store them within one's own body; direct physical contact is required.
Devourer: Devour stored souls and transform them into one's own energy.
Controller: A special ability to control souls; the ability disappears after the soul is devoured.
Imposter: Control a soul to cover one's body, acquiring the soul's form and appearance.
Kamihara Tetsuya's eyes lit up; it was a soul-type Blood Demon Art that hadn't even appeared in the original timeline!
Soul Manipulation - Reaper!
Kamihara Tetsuya knelt down, his palm gently sweeping over a bloody male head on the ground, extracting fragmented soul energy from the incomplete corpse.
The soul energy formed a semi-illusory, lifelike small figure in Kamihara Tetsuya's hand.
It was the scarred strongman from before, with eyes tightly closed, in a deep sleep, and the fear from his life still lingering on his face.
"Soul Manipulation - Imposter!"
Kamihara Tetsuya murmured, and with a thought, this mass of soul energy dispersed, spreading over his body.
As moonlight shone, Kamihara Tetsuya's shadow on the wall stretched and suddenly changed.
A moment later, looking in the room's mirror, Kamihara Tetsuya saw that his body shape and appearance had transformed into that of the scarred strongman—this was his Blood Demon Art.
It was simply the perfect method for doing bad deeds without leaving a trace!
The soul energy retracted, re-converging in his palm, and the appearance of the scarred strongman dissipated.
Soul Manipulation: Devourer!
Kamihara Tetsuya unhesitatingly used the Devourer ability from his Blood Demon Art, and the scarred strongman's soul transformed into an azure starlight that surged into his body.
Soon, a feeling of fullness came over him.
He distinctly felt that while his stamina was replenished, his own strength had slightly increased—though insignificant, it was indeed an improvement.
Kamihara Tetsuya understood; he didn't need to eat people, but rather, he ate souls.
The upper limit of the Soul Manipulation Blood Demon Art was extremely high.
Harvested souls could be used to disguise himself, serve as backup energy to sustain him in prolonged battles, or even allow him to use the soul's abilities.
For example, if he could get Akaza's soul, he could also use Akaza's Blood Demon Art.
Just thinking about it made Kamihara Tetsuya drool.
Walking around the room, Kamihara Tetsuya collected the souls of the Black Dragon Society members, totaling thirty-four, including the executives and the thugs who were behind them.
With these souls, Kamihara Tetsuya finally felt a bit of security; currently, if he encountered an ordinary Lower Moon, he might not win, but he should be able to contend.
"What's all the noise about?"
John Deere, awakened by the screams, pushed open the room's door in annoyance, only to be met by a strong smell of blood that instantly dispelled his drowsiness.
His widened pupils reflected the horrific scene in the room, and John Deere stumbled backward in fear.
It was the legendary demon!
"Monster!"
John Deere drew the pistol he carried, disengaged the safety, and immediately pulled the trigger; the muzzle spewed a fiery snake, and several bullets flew towards Kamihara Tetsuya.
Bang!
Kamihara Tetsuya sneered, his calf muscles tensing, instantly exerting force, the immense power in his legs shattering the wooden floor in the room, his figure like a shadow, dodging the bullets.
Appearing in front of John Deere as if teleporting, he reached out and grabbed the man's neck, pinning him against the wall.
"Hateful demon!" John Deere cursed, his face turning red from the intense feeling of suffocation.
Kamihara Tetsuya's blood-red eyes stared coldly at him, "In my opinion, you are more like demons!"
Saying this, Kamihara Tetsuya increased his grip, about to crush the man's neck.
John Deere's expression was pained; was he going to die?
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Just then, a light and rapid footsteps sounded, making Kamihara Tetsuya frown. This feeling—such fast speed. Who could it be?
Whoosh!
No sooner said than done, a tall, slender figure appeared at the corner of the corridor.
"Stop!"
The girl drew her nichirin blade, its translucent blade reflecting the bright moonlight onto Kamihara Tetsuya's face.
Kamihara Tetsuya squinted, seeing the nichirin blade in her hand: the tsuba was orange, shaped like a four-leaf clover, with a dark green hilt, a peach-colored blade gleaming with sharp edges, and the words "Demon Slayer" inscribed on the blade.
"Pillar?" Kamihara Tetsuya's expression changed.
"Flower Breathing, Third Form: Dance of Petals!"
The girl had a sweet and gentle smile on her face, and her delicate, soft voice seemed to echo in Kamihara Tetsuya's ears, yet it made him feel a deadly sense of crisis.
Whoosh!
The girl's speed was superior to Kamihara Tetsuya's; her tall figure danced gracefully, as if vibrant flowers appeared behind her, fluttering in the wind, free and unrestrained.
She instantly charged forward, appearing before Kamihara Tetsuya, and the sharp edge of her nichirin blade easily severed his arm.
"Not good!" Kamihara Tetsuya's face showed surprise as he activated his Sharingan at the fastest speed, his body retreating sharply.
Having forced Kamihara Tetsuya back, the girl's sole purpose was to rescue the man; she had no intention of pursuing.
"Too fast!" Kamihara Tetsuya's expression was not good; the development of events was beyond his expectations.
The Demon Slayer Corps' actions typically had a delay; usually, they would dispatch demon slayers after a demon had committed killings.
Originally, Kamihara Tetsuya estimated that Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen wouldn't arrive in this small town until at least tomorrow night, by which time he would have long since escaped.
The fact that the other party arrived so quickly could only mean one thing!
Akaza didn't just kill that Middle-aged Man.
Kamihara Tetsuya cursed inwardly, Akaza, that bastard, how many people did he kill?
"Cough! Cough!"
John Deere knelt on the ground, coughing painfully.
The clouds in the sky moved, revealing the bright moon, and the silver moonlight shone into the room.
This allowed Kamihara Tetsuya to see the girl's true appearance.
She was a stunningly beautiful girl, tall, with black hair and purple eyes, exquisite features, and hair reaching her waist, with emerald green butterfly hair clips with pink edges on either side of her head.
She wore the standard Demon Slayer Corps uniform, covered by a colorful butterfly-patterned haori, like a beautiful butterfly.
Flower Pillar Kanae Kocho!
Kocho Kanae's beautiful face bore a sweet smile, and her lovely eyes swept over the horrific scene in the room, a hint of helplessness in her expression. "Did you do all of this?"