"A Demon Slayer?"
A soft murmur came from the depths of the shadows.
It sounded like a question, yet it was full of certainty.
'As expected, there's a leader... The two demons I encountered earlier were not strong, but to be able to subdue them, the leader's strength must not be weak.'
'Eaten more than a dozen people? Possibly more!'
Kiyokawa Izumi wasn't overly nervous—if it was only a strength comparable to the Hand Demon, he wasn't incapable of dealing with it.
Heavy footsteps slowly sounded, breaking the silence of the mountain.
The attacking demon wasn't so hideous as to be unwatchable, but it made Kiyokawa Izumi's pupils contract slightly, and his right hand on the hilt suddenly tightened, as if ready to draw his nichirin blade at any moment.
The demon that appeared was still highly humanoid.
It had a height similar to that of an adult male, with black, medium-short hair standing up like steel needles, and four neatly braided short, thick pigtails at the back of its head, glowing dark orange like burning flames.
Its pale face was etched with inexplicable blue patterns, and its ice-blue pupils revealed undisguised malice, staring intently at Kiyokawa Izumi.
Seeing this one, Kiyokawa Izumi almost couldn't help but gasp.
After observing for a moment, he realized that there were no 'Lower Moon' characters in its pupils—the good news was that the one in front of him was not one of the Twelve Kizuki.
The bad news was that it would become one of the Twelve Kizuki in the future.
That's right, it was the future lower rank six, Kamanue!
'An Aura far surpassing that of ordinary demons; even the Hand Demon is probably far inferior to it.'
'It hasn't been promoted to a Lower Moon at this point in time?'
'Does that mean the current lower rank six is still Kyougai?'
He didn't know if it counted as good news—Kyougai would soon be deemed too weak by his boss, Muzan, and kicked out of the Twelve Kizuki.
And because it was the boss himself who laid him off, there was no Blood Battle for Succession.
Kyougai was not killed by the new Upper Rank Six.
These two demons might not have even encountered it.
'A bit troublesome.'
'Being able to be promoted to a Lower Moon in the future is enough to show its potential is not bad.'
'I just don't know what its ability is related to.'
Without any visible movement, Kamanue violently forced its way into the center of Kiyokawa Izumi's vision, crossing a distance of over ten meters in an instant.
It raised its arm without warning, and its right fist shot out like a cannonball, its movement so simple it had no wind-up, the compressed air seeming to explode instantly.
Kiyokawa Izumi didn't even have time to react, instinctively raising his sword to block based on muscle memory.
The fist didn't directly hit his chest; his dangling black hair was lifted by the incoming punch's wind.
The sharp blade cut into the demon's wrist at a tricky angle, changing the direction of the attack while dissipating its force.
If he had blocked it head-on, Kiyokawa Izumi was afraid he wouldn't have been able to withstand such a fierce punch.
Strength had never been his advantage!
Failing in one strike, Kamanue did not continue to entangle, but rather decisively pulled back.
Its right hand hung naturally, the flesh connected at the wound like lotus roots, hot blood gushing out, yet the injury healed at a visible speed.
This recovery ability made Kiyokawa Izumi's scalp tingle.
"Do you feel it? This is the power that will soon be etched with the name of an Upper Moon! That adult has promised that as long as I eat more people, as long as I become stronger, he will promote me to the Twelve Kizuki!"
"That adult has promised that as long as I eat more people, as long as I become stronger, he will promote me to the Twelve Kizuki!"
Kamanue's tone was condescending. That earlier punch was just a test, and although it was blocked by the Demon Slayer in front of him with exquisite swordsmanship, it did leave him with a trivial injury.
But what was the use?
Before he finished speaking, the injury had already fully recovered!
"Is that so? But my sword is not dull either!"
Kiyokawa Izumi's face showed no fear. Blood-red eyes appeared in his pupils, and his breathing remained steady throughout.
When it was time to be timid, he would certainly be a little timid.
To put it bluntly, if he were to encounter Muzan in a crowd right now, he definitely wouldn't dare to make a sound.
Without the right timing, location, or people, encountering Muzan would be suicide.
But if it was just this future lower rank six, he wasn't so afraid as to lack the courage to fight.
_________
This is today's chapter.Because some of you don't remember the devil, you will see his picture in the comments.