The two Demon Slayer Corps members shuddered, nearly losing control of their bladders.
They had witnessed the battle firsthand.
The weakest female demon was far stronger than them, and the other two were unimaginably powerful.
Especially the demon who survived.
Even from this distance, they could clearly feel his terrifying presence.
After Aoki left, the two gasped for air, their faces pale with lingering fear.
"Senior, I thought we were done for just now," the short-haired youth said, visibly shaken.
The long-haired youth said in a low voice, "If he had attacked us, we would have been dead for sure. Luckily, for some reason, he didn't."
The short-haired youth slumped. "Is this what Upper Moons are like? Can monsters this strong really be killed?"
"That's for the Pillars to worry about!"
The long-haired youth's voice remained steady. "I'm more curious about how the demon who won killed the other two."
The short-haired youth looked blank.
He hadn't heard of anything like that either.
A tall, white-haired man suddenly appeared beside them.
"Are you saying one of the demons killed the other two?"
The two immediately stood up, bowing respectfully. "Sound Pillar-sama!"
Uzui Tengen surveyed the shattered street, his expression serious. "Is the battle over?"
The long-haired youth looked slightly ashamed. "Yes, Sound Pillar-sama. The battle ended not long ago. The winning demon has already left. We couldn't stop him!"
Tengen shook his head. "It's not your fault. Upper Moons are beyond your capabilities. Even if you had tried to stop him, you would have only thrown your lives away.
Tell me about the battle, and what you meant by a demon killing a demon."
The long-haired youth recounted the events from when they discovered the chaos in Yoshiwara until Aoki's departure.
The short-haired youth occasionally added details.
"An Upper Moon and a Lower Moon, huh?"
Tengen made a rough assessment based on their descriptions.
The female demon, while strong, clearly hadn't reached the Upper Moon level.
He hadn't encountered an Upper Moon himself, but many Pillars had died at their hands, so he had a sense of their strength.
But why were an Upper Moon and a Lower Moon mixed up together?
"Oh well, they're both dead anyway. Why they were together doesn't matter anymore!"
Tengen quickly dismissed the question.
"If I'm not mistaken, the other demon is the Aoki Oyakata-sama mentioned. I didn't expect him to kill an Upper Moon!"
Tengen's expression turned serious.
Although Aoki had consistently opposed demons, the Demon Slayer Corps never wanted a demon to become too powerful.
Unfortunately, that was beyond their control.
The only silver lining was that today's events reaffirmed that Aoki had no malice towards humans, or the Demon Slayer Corps.
Otherwise, these two members would never have survived.
"I'll report this information to Oyakata-sama," Tengen decided, ceasing his speculation.
Aoki, while not hostile to the Demon Slayer Corps, didn't seem to want to interact with them either.
...
Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki looked at the report in his hands, his expression slightly excited.
"An Upper Moon! He defeated an Upper Moon! What our Demon Slayer Corps hasn't been able to do for centuries, Aoki-san has accomplished!"
His wife, Amane, sighed. "If only he were human!"
Kagaya shook his head. "It doesn't matter if he's not human. As long as our goals align, we have a basis for cooperation! Amane, I have a feeling Aoki-san will be the key to defeating Muzan Kibutsuji! Cough, cough, cough!"
His excitement triggered a coughing fit.
Amane quickly patted his back gently, while instructing their children to prepare hot water.
After a long while, Kagaya calmed down, regretting, "It's a pity Aoki-san doesn't seem to want to communicate with us."
"There will be opportunities!"
Amane comforted him. "It's only natural for him to be wary of us, being a demon."
Kagaya's eyes burned with determination. "Yes! As long as Aoki-san continues to kill demons, there will definitely be a chance to communicate!"
...
Butterfly Mansion.
A black crow landed.
Shinobu Kocho took the report, her pupils shrinking abruptly as she read it.
"Shinobu, what's wrong? Is there an urgent mission?"
Kanae Kocho, sensing her change, slowed her hand as she brushed Kanao Tsuyuri's hair.
"It's not a mission. Just read it yourself, sister."
Shinobu shook her head, handing over the report.
"Oh?"
Kanae looked surprised, reading it twice before putting it down. "As expected of Aoki-san, he actually killed an Upper Moon."
Shinobu said, "More than him killing an Upper Moon, I'm more surprised by how he always manages to find the Twelve Kizuki.
Even our Demon Slayer Corps takes a long time to find a single piece of information about the Twelve Kizuki, yet he finds them one after another.
Does he have a special method for finding demons?"
"That is a bit strange. But to know the answer, we'd probably have to ask Aoki-san himself!"
Kanae smiled wryly. "If this continues, Aoki-san will kill off all the Twelve Kizuki."
Shinobu didn't know what expression to make.
In terms of killing demons, Aoki had surpassed everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps, making him the top slayer of this generation.
Kanae said with a hint of regret, "It's a pity we still couldn't communicate with Aoki-san this time. If Uzui-san had arrived a little earlier..."
Shinobu said calmly, "Even if the Sound Pillar had arrived earlier, it might not have helped. You met him last time, didn't you, sister? What was the result? His attitude is already clear."
Kanae sighed again. "Because Aoki-san doesn't trust us, right? Oh, don't we have a girl in our corps who's friends with Aoki-san?"
Shinobu said, "Mitsuri Kanroji still doesn't know Aoki is a demon!"
Kanao Tsuyuri quietly watched their exchange, her small face expressionless, saying nothing.
...
The Stone Pillar, the Water Pillar, and other Pillars also received the information.
Their emotions were complex.
There was excitement.
The Upper Moons hadn't lost a member in centuries.
One less of the strongest demons meant fewer victims.
And it had come without any sacrifices, a gift from the heavens.
At the same time, they felt ashamed.
The one who killed the Upper Moon wasn't a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, not even a human, but a demon!
The Pillars felt their faces burning, as if they had been slapped.
In the following days, all the Pillars increased their patrol ranges and frequency, hoping to find an Upper Moon and restore the Demon Slayer Corps' honor.
But Upper Moons weren't so easily found.
Of course, it was hard to say whether that was fortunate or unfortunate.
---
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