"Yasui Ryosuke! Kinoto Rank! Kinoto Rank!"
The Hummingbird chirped, repeating it again.
"You know that already!"
Ryosuke jabbed its head with his middle finger, moving so fast it left afterimages.
"Himejima, that big monk, is a Hashira! He's a Hashira, and his mission is given to me?!"
Is there still justice? Are there still laws?!
The Hummingbird didn't respond, just tilted its head and looked at him.
Ryosuke rubbed his forehead, stopping his complaints.
Takinogawa Village —
Wait!
The Stone Hashira... Himejima Gyomei's request?!
Ryosuke's pupils suddenly contracted.
Damn it!
Could it be... Yes! No mistake!
Ryosuke's expression changed, and without even greeting Jigoro, he grabbed his simple travel gear and set off immediately.
No time to waste! No time to waste!
If he arrived late, and the Butterfly Sisters were gone, it would be a huge problem!!!
The medicine that can kill demons and turn them into humans, it would truly be a long, long time before it could be developed!
Indeed, Ryosuke had no other thoughts for the two of them; his eyes were filled with a burning desire to kill demons.
The thrill of battle is the real thrill... Deep in the night, all was silent.
In a corner of Takinogawa Village, on the second floor of a pharmacy with a lantern bearing the character "Medicine."
The male owner frowned in his sleep, vaguely hearing faint sounds from the pharmacy downstairs.
He gently nudged his wife awake.
"Did you hear... is there some sound downstairs? Could it be a thief?"
His wife groggily opened her eyes, listened intently, and her face also paled slightly.
"It seems there is a sound."
"You go to Shinobu and Kanae's room and watch the children; I'll go downstairs and check."
The man got up, grabbing a wooden stick from the side.
His wife looked worried and urged, "The village hasn't been peaceful lately; several people have gone missing. Be careful..."
"It's fine, I'll be careful."
The man gave his wife a comforting look and tiptoed downstairs in the dark.
By the moonlight filtering through the window, he saw a twisted, deformed figure frantically searching for something in front of the medicine cabinet, muttering incessantly.
"None... None! Why isn't it here either!"
"The medicine Lord needs..."
"Where is the medicine Lord is looking for?!"
The figure's build was abnormal, its skin greenish, definitely not human!
The man's breath hitched, his heart pounded, and he instinctively took a step back.
But it was this slight sound that made the searching figure suddenly stop.
The demon seemed to sense something and abruptly turned its head.
A pair of blood-red eyes, glowing in the darkness, instantly locked onto the man!
"You... What exactly are you?!"
The man was greatly alarmed, shouting sternly, trying to scare the opponent away with his voice, while holding the wooden stick horizontally in front of him.
However, what responded to him was an angry growl and an incredibly swift lunge!
The demon's speed was beyond imagination!
The man only saw a black blur, instinctively swung the stick to block, but felt a sharp pain in his chest!
Pfft!
A sharp claw easily shattered the wooden stick and pierced through his chest!
"Ugh..."
The light in the man's eyes quickly dimmed, and his body fell.
The demon pulled out its claw, let out an excited low growl, and stooped to begin devouring the warm corpse.
The sound of bones breaking and chewing was particularly jarring in the silent pharmacy.
Upstairs, in the bedroom.
The wife held her two daughters tightly.
At this moment, they had all heard their father's short scream.
"Papa... Papa is in trouble..."
Kanae's voice trembled, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."
The wife's face was pale, and she forced herself to endure the immense fear, holding her two daughters even tighter.
"It's okay... It'll be okay..."
However, things did not go as hoped; heavy footsteps came from the stairs.
Thump... Thump... Thump... Each step landed on their hearts.
The wife bit her lip, pushed Shinobu into Kanae's arms, and whispered.
"Kanae, take good care of your sister! No matter what happens, don't come out!"
Having said that, she resolutely rushed out of the room, attempting to buy time for her daughters to escape.
"Mama!"
Kanae cried out, watching her mother's back disappear at the doorway. The immense fear and worry made her almost unable to breathe.
She tightly covered her sister's mouth, hid her deep inside the closet, and soothed her with a trembling voice.
"Shinobu, be good, don't make a sound... Absolutely don't make a sound..."
However, young Kochou Shinobu seemed to sense the great danger and shook her head uneasily.
"Sister... No, don't go..."
At this moment,
A brief gasp and a muffled thud came from the hallway, followed by a teeth-grinding chewing sound... Kanae's heart sank, and tears silently streamed down her face.
She bit her lip hard to keep herself from crying out, and cautiously pulled open a crack to look outside.
Kochou Shinobu also pushed open the closet door at this time, standing behind her sister.
The two sisters just happened to see the demon cast aside their mother's headless body and look towards the room where they were!
The demon bared its teeth, revealing fangs stained with blood and flesh, and advanced step by step.
Kanae's face was pale, and she instinctively shielded her sister.
She held her with her slender body, closing her eyes in despair, waiting for doom to descend.
The demon roared, its sharp claw raised, sweeping down with a Blood Wind!
Bang!
The door shattered, the demon roared excitedly, the girls huddled together, holding each other tightly, with nowhere to retreat!
The demon slowly approached, greedily licking its right claw.
Boom!
Just then, a roar shattered the wooden window!
Amidst flying wood splinters, a figure wrapped in dazzling lightning flash descended as if from the heavens.
A pure white blade light drew a cold arc in the air!
Rip!
The blade flashed by, incredibly fast!
The greedy expression on the demon's face instantly froze, its raised claw stiff in mid-air.
The next moment, its head flew off, falling to the ground.
In the last moment before its consciousness completely dissipated, it only saw the man's cold eyes.
[Killed a mid-level demon, gained 1 year of lifespan. Current remaining lifespan: 1 year 241 days.]
Ryosuke's figure appeared in the lightning flash, standing with his sword.
He walked outside the door, saw the remains of the Butterfly couple, then turned to the girls still in shock in the corner.
He made it, yet it seemed he didn't.
Ryosuke rubbed his forehead, blaming himself, and a deep sense of powerlessness arose within him.
Knowing the original story, he always tried his best to rush, but each time he was just one step too late.
The tragedies that befell these characters always remained unstoppable.
It was as if they were playthings manipulated by fate, slowly pushed towards a predetermined ending by the constant turning of a giant gear.
Ryosuke clasped his hands together and bowed slightly to the two corpses.
May the living be free from sorrow, and the dead rest in eternal peace... He turned to look at the two, trying to make his voice as gentle as possible.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't save your parents. I arrived too late..."