Squelch!
The moment the words left his mouth, a sharp burst of sword energy sliced through the female demon's neck at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
"I won't die..."
"Not until I kill those women... I will not die..."
After muttering these final words, the severed head of the female demon gradually crumbled into ash.
This time, Fanma Lingyun was in no rush to leave. He stood quietly, watching the corpse that had not yet fully incinerated, a look of confusion on his face.
"How strange. I definitely killed this Evil Demon just a moment ago. Why has it appeared again? Could this be a clone-type Blood Demon Art?"
Fanma Lingyun couldn't help but recall Hantengu, whom he had fought previously. Hantengu could manifest his emotions into physical forms, splitting into four powerful clones. Perhaps this female demon possessed a similar ability.
"It seems this isn't over yet. This female demon will definitely go after that woman named Kaori again..."
With this thought in mind, Fanma Lingyun hurried away to regroup with Tanjiro.
---
meanwhile, Tanjiro had already brought Kaori to the inn where he was staying. He had asked the innkeeper for medical alcohol and gauze and was currently bandaging Kaori's wounds.
Kaori, however, was hugging her knees, curled up in a tight ball. Her body wouldn't stop trembling, and her facial expression was twisting into a mask of sheer terror.
Seeing her state, Tanjiro gently patted her shoulder and offered a comforting smile.
"It will be okay, Miss Kaori. Brother Fanma is very powerful. Please believe in him; he will definitely be able to slay the Evil Demon. Once he does, you can go home."
"Kill Suzune? Hahaha, impossible... He can't possibly kill Suzune..."
"She's back... Suzune has returned from hell... She's going to drag us all down there with her. I can't escape... Hehehe..."
"I'm going to be killed by Suzune... Hehehe..."
Seeing Kaori babbling incoherently from fear, Tanjiro was at a loss. He could only continue to gently pat her shoulder, hoping to calm her down.
"You still have one chance to survive: confess all the stupid things you and that other girl did. If you do, we might still be able to help you."
As he spoke, Fanma Lingyun pushed the door open and walked to Tanjiro's side, his deep eyes staring intently at Kaori.
"Brother Fanma!"
Seeing Fanma Lingyun arrive, Tanjiro let out a sigh of relief. The mentally unstable Kaori was driving him crazy.
"Brother, what happened to that female demon? Did you finish it off?"
"I dealt with it, technically, but I believe it was nothing more than a clone. After all, that was already the second time I've killed it..."
Fanma Lingyun briefly explained the first encounter with the female demon to Tanjiro, then turned his interrogation back to Kaori.
"I know you did something unforgivable to that female demon. Tell me exactly what you did!"
"So what if I tell you? Suzune won't let me go. I'm going to be killed... Hehehe... I will definitely be killed by Suzune..."
Smack!
Suddenly, without wasting another word, Fanma Lingyun delivered a harsh slap across Kaori's beautiful face. Her cheek swelled up instantly, marked by a fiery red handprint as burning pain swept through her body.
This was him holding back. If he had used his full strength, Kaori's head would have been punted away like a rubber ball.
"There is a difference. If you voluntarily confess your crimes, even if the police eventually sentence you to death, you will at least get a relatively quick end. But if you don't explain clearly, then we will wash our hands of you. When that female demon finds you, take a guess at how it will treat you? I imagine it will chop you into eight pieces and swallow you whole, alive."
Perhaps frightened by Fanma Lingyun's vivid performance, or perhaps slapped back to reality, Kaori gradually calmed down and began to speak voluntarily.
"That female demon's name is Suzune. Like me, she was a nurse at the Tokyo City Hospital. Because she was kind-hearted, sweet-looking, and took excellent care of people, she received unanimous praise from patients, families, and doctors alike."
"She was even confessed to by a wealthy merchant who wanted to marry her. Furthermore, due to her diligent work, she was nominated by the Director to be promoted to Head Nurse in six months. This sparked the jealousy of Head Nurse Yuriko..."
Head Nurse Yuriko was the woman Fanma Lingyun had helped bandage earlier.
Out of jealousy toward Suzune, Yuriko used her authority to unite the other nurses in the department to isolate Suzune. She even tripped her up at every turn, causing Suzune to make frequent mistakes at work, which eventually led to the cancellation of her promotion.
But it didn't end there. To retaliate further, Yuriko "accidentally" splashed concentrated sulfuric acid on Suzune's face. Suzune was disfigured, and the wealthy merchant broke off their engagement.
It could be said that because of Yuriko, Suzune's life was completely ruined.
And indeed, unable to bear the blow of disfigurement, Suzune eventually chose to commit suicide by taking poison...
"How could that happen? That's too much!"
After hearing Suzune's story, Tanjiro was furious. "Miss Kaori, how could you all do that? Nurse Suzune was such a good person; how could you bully her like that?"
"I didn't want to! I didn't want to either! But Head Nurse Yuriko told me that if I didn't join her in isolating Suzune, she would make me lose my job. I have a seriously ill mother to take care of; I couldn't lose that high-paying job."
"Please, I beg you, help me! I really didn't mean to, I know I was wrong, I really didn't want to bully her..."
By this point, Kaori had collapsed to the ground, covering her face and weeping hysterically.
However, Fanma Lingyun remained unmoved. He spoke coldly, "You don't know you were wrong; you just know you are going to die."
"And compared to your sordid little affair, I am more concerned about the female demon named Suzune. As you said, Suzune already committed suicide by poison. Therefore, the female demon just now cannot be her. The dead cannot transform into demons."
"Clearly, the female demon just now was a puppet created by someone else. The mastermind knows about the bullying Suzune suffered and is determined to avenge her."
"To the Evil Demon hiding behind the scenes, Suzune must have been someone very important—perhaps a family member or a friend. After becoming a demon, they are using a Blood Demon Art to take revenge for her."
Fanma Lingyun voiced his analysis. The next step would be to investigate Suzune's family or friends; they might be able to confirm the identity of the Evil Demon.
Although the motive was vengeance for Suzune, murder was still murder. To strengthen its Blood Demon Art, that Evil Demon would inevitably devour human flesh and blood.
Fanma Lingyun could not let it continue to harm people. More importantly, he could not allow it to create a female demon in Suzune's likeness, using her identity to hurt others.
Suzune was a kind girl. Now that she was dead, he could not let that Evil Demon defile her kindness any longer!
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]