Hachijo Island enjoys an eternal spring climate, with sea breezes carrying a heavy, salty scent.
Ryosuke traveled day and night, arriving late in the evening.
Following the information provided by his Kasugai Crow, he quickly rushed to the rendezvous point he had agreed upon with Rengoku Shinjuro.
At the edge of the dense forest, silence hung like a mystery.
Before he could delve deeper, a frantic scream tore through the tranquility.
"Help, help me! Don't come any closer!"
In an open clearing in the woods, a small boy stumbled and ran wildly.
Half of his face was wrapped in blood-stained bandages, his eyes, one blue and one gold, were filled with terror, and a silver-white snake, Kaburamaru, continuously flicking its tongue, was coiled around his neck.
Behind him, an oddly shaped Evil Demon was in pursuit.
Her upper body was a twisted female form, with an enchanting face, slit vertical pupils, and a gaping mouth.
Her lower body was a snake tail covered in dark scales, moving with extreme speed, and a spine-chilling laugh emanated from her mouth.
"Hee hee hee... Little offering, don't run, let me eat you obediently!"
The boy, exhausted, tripped over a tree root and fell heavily to the ground.
A greedy glint flashed in the snake demon's eyes as she bared her fangs and lunged!
"Thunder Breathing, Fourth Form: Distant Thunder!"
Boom!
Violent lightning tore through the darkness, striking like a raging dragon!
The snake demon couldn't evade in time, hastily adjusted her posture, was struck in the abdomen, and recoiled several meters.
Before the boy stood a person in black hair and black clothes, a silver-white long blade in his hand like warm jade, with faint, fragmented lightning interwoven around his body.
"Demon Slayer!"
The snake demon roared, lowering her body, continuously flicking her tongue.
"Die!"
Ryosuke roared, his figure transforming into a lightning spear as he charged!
Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!
At an astonishing speed, the snake demon had no time to react; she violently swung her tail, attempting to block and dodge backward.
Rip!
A brilliant flash of light streaked by, accompanied by the muffled sounds of scales shattering and flesh being cut, and the snake demon let out a painful shriek.
Her thick snake tail was severed by that single strike, leaving a deep, bone-visible wound, and dark red blood spurted out!
"Ugh! Damn Demon Slayer!"
The snake demon was furious and shocked.
She never expected Ryosuke's attack to be so fierce, and his speed to be so astonishing!
Having landed a hit, Ryosuke quickly pursued.
The blade was sharp, and a barrage of dense slashes rained down!
The snake demon was forced to retreat continuously, desperately swinging her claws to block and counter-attack.
Bang!
A crisp clang erupted, and the snake demon was knocked back several meters by a single blow.
Her body was covered in blood, and the healing speed of her wounds couldn't keep up with Ryosuke's slashes at all!
"Damn it! You clearly! You clearly aren't a Pillar! Why are you so strong!"
Ryosuke sneered.
After initially condensing his fighting spirit, every breath he took resonated with his blade, and every slash was several times stronger than before!
"What nonsense are you babbling about! Die!"
Thunder Breathing, Fifth Form: Heat Lightning!
Violent lightning instantly erupted, its awe-inspiring power shaking the heavens.
The area around the snake demon immediately transformed into a hell of scorching lightning!
The snake demon shrieked in pain, and as her snake eyes focused, a massive burst of demonic energy and blood mist exploded.
"Blood Demon Art: Constricting Bind!"
A foul wind swept in, and countless sharp claw slashes formed a storm, continuously shattering the lightning.
Ryosuke narrowed his eyes, lightning struck again, and his sword technique changed accordingly!
Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rolling Thunder!
Five bolts of thunder, wrapped in afterglow, surged forward, instantly crushing the snake demon's Blood Demon Art and fiercely striking her body!
Bang, bang, bang! Crack!
A bloodstain nearly a meter long spread across the snake demon's chest.
The more she fought, the more alarmed she became, even developing a fear of death, and she shrieked, coiling her snake tail to try and resist!
Ryosuke seized the opportunity, his fighting spirit blazing, and immense electric light crackled around him.
Thunder Breathing, Third Form: Gathering Thunder!
Blinding lightning struck down, instantly blocking her retreat.
Scales shattered, flesh flew, and the snake tail was severed by this strike!
The immense pain distorted the snake demon's movements, revealing a huge weakness!
Ryosuke instantly moved forward, his hand raising and lowering the blade!
The snake demon's body stiffened, her head fell to the ground, the light in her eyes quickly faded, and she turned to ash.
[Killed Final Stage Evil Demon Snake Woman, gained 5 years of lifespan, current remaining lifespan: 10 years and 253 days.]
Ryosuke flicked the blood from his blade and sheathed it.
After refining his fighting spirit, Ryosuke's strength had significantly improved.
He could now suppress Final Stage Evil Demons, quickly resolve battles, and even avoid injury.
Though he still couldn't compare to the level of a Pillar.
After all, in the original story, the snake demon was killed by a single strike from Shinjuro, without even using her Blood Demon Art!
The path to becoming stronger is long and arduous... "Um..."
A faint sound pulled Ryosuke's thoughts back.
He lowered his gaze slightly, finally looking at the boy he had rescued.
The boy sat slumped on the ground, staring blankly at everything before him.
Ryosuke naturally recognized him by his attire.
The future Snake Pillar! Iguro Obanai!
"Hiss, hiss, hiss—"
The silver snake flicked its tongue towards Ryosuke.
Obanai immediately stroked its head and anxiously explained, "Its name is Kaburamaru, it, it doesn't mean any harm..."
"En, it must be your companion."
Ryosuke raised his hand, and a small, azure figure descended from above, landing on Ryosuke's shoulder.
"I have one too."
"En."
Ryosuke's words made Obanai sigh in relief and chuckle softly.
Just then, a hurried sound of footsteps approached, accompanied by an anxious shout.
"Young Yasui! What happened! I heard fighting..."
Before he could finish, Shinjuro saw the dissipating demon corpse and the terrified boy on the ground, instantly understanding most of what had happened.
"It seems I arrived a step too late!"
Shinjuro surveyed the traces of battle on the scene, a hint of surprise and admiration for Ryosuke's progress in strength flashing in his eyes.
Then, he looked at the boy on the ground, his voice softening considerably.
"Young man, are you alright? Are you injured? Where are your family members?"
Obanai lowered his head, his voice a little muffled: "No, no family... They're all dead..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something, suddenly looking up, his eyes filled with a last glimmer of hope.
"But... but I still have a cousin, she might still be alive! Please, please take me to find her, I want to know if she's safe..."
Ryosuke and Shinjuro exchanged glances.
Shinjuro said in a deep voice, "Lead the way, young man, we'll take you there."
Guided by Iguro Obanai, they arrived at the Iguro main residence.
The mansion was grand and imposing, no less magnificent than the Rengoku Family's.
Before even opening the door, the thick scent of blood emanating from within was nauseating.
Ryosuke paused, recalling this part of the original story.
The Iguro Family was an ugly clan that accumulated wealth through plunder and lived a life of luxury.
And that snake demon was their backing and reliance, the god they worshipped.
Besides the snake demon foraging for herself, the family also offered newborn female infants to her to eat.
The eaten infants were called sacrifices.
Among the family, Obanai was an extremely rare boy, and he was born with heterochromatic eyes.
This is what piqued the snake demon's interest, leading her to decide to raise Obanai and eat him later.
When Obanai escaped tonight, the snake demon was enraged, killing fifty family members to vent her fury.
Before Obanai could step forward, there was a stir from a nearby haystack.
A haggard-looking woman emerged from it.
When she looked at Obanai, instead of joy, extreme disgust instantly appeared on her face!
"Is, is that you?! You jinx! Why aren't you dead yet?!"
The woman shrieked, her voice piercing: "Why couldn't you just obediently let That Lord eat you!"
"If you had been eaten, everyone wouldn't have died!"
"It's all because you ran away! That's why That Lord got angry! It's all your fault!"
Her words were utterly baseless, yet they were like the sharpest thorns, savagely piercing Obanai's heart.
The boy's slender body trembled, and the color that had just returned to his face drained away completely.
The light in his heterochromatic eyes was utterly extinguished, leaving only endless despair and self-loathing, and Kaburamaru, coiled around his neck, also twisted restlessly.
"I... I..."
Obanai's lips trembled, unable to utter a complete sentence.
"What do you mean 'I'! You damn bastard!"
The woman roared and lunged to hit him.
"Enough!"
Ryosuke suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her hand.
The woman was startled by Ryosuke's aura, but then she shrieked even more vehemently.
"Who are you?! This is our Iguro Family's business! It's none of an outsider's..."
Slap!
A loud slap interrupted her shouting!
Ryosuke didn't hold back, directly knocking her to the ground, her cheek instantly red and swollen.
The woman covered her face, staring at Ryosuke in disbelief.
Ryosuke looked down at her, his eyes full of contempt and disgust.
"F*ck you!"
"You piece of trash! Shut your mouth!"