"Lower Moons! Two Lower Moon demons!"
Despair filled the Demon Slayer Corps members.
The Twelve Kizuki... Those were powerful beings only Pillars could face. They were just two "Kanoe" rank members.
Why?
Why were Lower Moon demons on Mt. Fujikasane?
And two of them, together!
"Demon Slayers," the female demon with "Lower Four" carved in her eyes licked blood from her fingers. A bloodthirsty hunger burned in her eyes. "Should we eat someone to replenish our strength before we fight?"
The ogre-like demon grunted. "Just kill them! Don't delay that man's business!"
"Brainless idiot! No wonder you're just a bottom-tier Lower Six!"
The female demon cursed in her mind.
Couldn't he see the wisteria flowers?
She'd suggested eating someone to avoid going up the mountain.
"Then you do it," the female demon said, bored. If she couldn't eat, she didn't feel like killing.
The ogre-like demon didn't argue. He stepped towards the Demon Slayer Corps members.
He took two steps, then stopped. He looked up at Mt. Fujikasane, almost at the same time as the female demon.
...
Aoki walked down the mountain path.
He wore the protective suit, but he still tried not to touch the wisteria.
"Almost at the base... Need to be careful, avoid the Demon Slayer guards."
Aoki thought. He rounded a bend, stopped short.
His sharp eyes and night vision gave him a clear view of the scene below.
He ignored the two Demon Slayer Corps members. His eyes were on the demons.
Why were demons on Mt. Fujikasane?
The demons looked up.
Their eyes met.
Aoki's gaze hardened.
"Lower Moon Six and Lower Moon Four?"
Demons didn't travel in groups.
Not unless Muzan Kibutsuji allowed it.
Lower Moon Six and Lower Moon Four, together, on Mt. Fujikasane... It had to be Muzan's order.
The reason?
Aoki was ninety-nine percent sure it was him.
"Muzan sensed I broke free? I regained my freedom?"
It was strange.
In the original story, Muzan didn't notice when Nezuko broke the curse.
But it didn't matter.
He had full control of his bloodline now. Whatever happened, Muzan wouldn't sense it.
The most important thing was dealing with these Lower Moon demons.
*Ding! New Task: Escape from Death.]
[Escape from Death]
Muzan Kibutsuji wants your secret. He has sent demons to capture you.
Task: Evade your pursuers.
Reward: 1 Free Skill Point, 500 Experience, Demon Brew Gourd.
"So skill points come from tasks."
Aoki blinked.
He'd been wondering.
The cost of skills was rising.
He might not level all his skills, even at max level.
This was the answer.
"One free skill point, 500 experience, a mystery item... That's a big reward."
Aoki murmured.
Big rewards meant hard tasks.
The name said it all: Escape from Death. How dangerous did it have to be to call it that?
Aoki looked at the task description. A thought flashed through his mind. "Demons? Is it just the Lower Moons?"
Lower Moons were scattered. They couldn't gather fast. If it was more than two Lower Moons, it had to be an Upper Moon.
Damn!
Muzan was using all his strength to catch a rabbit!
Aoki inhaled.
Whether his guess was right or wrong, he had to lose these demons.
If he escaped today, Muzan would have a much harder time catching him.
...
"Why is someone coming down Mt. Fujikasane now? Did someone send a demon? Why didn't we get the message?"
The Demon Slayer Corps members were confused.
They didn't think it was a demon.
Mt. Fujikasane, with its wisteria, was more terrifying than a sea of fire.
...
Unlike Aoki's tension and the Demon Slayers' confusion, the female demon and the ogre-like demon were excited.
"Is that him?" The ogre-like demon grunted.
"Don't know," Rui said. "But it doesn't matter. Capture him first!"
Neither demon wanted to climb Mt. Fujikasane.
The wisteria could kill them.
If the target came to them, that was perfect.
"Right! Let's get him!"
The ogre-like demon grinned. He leaped, his power tearing the air, charging Aoki.
Aoki tore off the protective suit, met the charge.
Thump!
Fists met. Blood sprayed. Bones cracked.
The ogre-like demon flew back. Aoki stumbled back three steps.
It was a draw.
Aoki had the advantage of attacking from above, but his strength was still raw. He couldn't control it fully.
"Strength 13... He can fight a Lower Moon."
Aoki thought. The ogre-like demon charged again.
Fists met.
A power much greater than before slammed into him.
Boom!
The air exploded. The force became a blast of wind. A sharp crack filled his ears.
Aoki's arm shattered, flesh and bone flying. His body flew like a rag doll, into the wisteria.
Purple flowers fell like snow, mysterious and beautiful.
But they felt like acid. Where they landed, Aoki felt a burning pain.
His regeneration slowed.
Aoki rolled, stood. He ran, without looking back.
For a moment, he'd thought he could fight a Lower Moon.
Reality had set him straight.
Maybe his strength was a match. But strength was just part of fighting ability.
"That was his Blood Demon Art, right? Blood Demon Arts are the core of a demon's fighting power."
Aoki wanted Space Warp.
"500 experience is enough to level up again. Plus the skill point from the task... When I finish this, I can learn Space Warp."
Close, but not yet. He couldn't count on it for this fight.
...
The Demon Slayer Corps members were stunned.
They'd been ready to die. Then, the two Lower Moon demons chased the man down the mountain.
They didn't even look at them.
"Who was that? The Lower Moon demons came for him."
"He wasn't wearing a uniform. He didn't have a Nichirin Blade."
"Was he a demon?"
They looked at each other, amazed.
How had a demon come down Mt. Fujikasane? What was happening on the mountain? Why were the Lower Moon demons fighting a demon who came from Mt. Fujikasane?
"Let's leave. Report this."
They couldn't figure it out. They helped each other, limped away.
---
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