Danger Beasts were a distinct power classification in this world.
They were divided into Super Danger Beasts, Special-Class Danger Beasts, First-Class Danger Beasts, Second-Class Danger Beasts, Third-Class Danger Beast, and Fourth-Class Danger Beast.
The gap between each rank was enormous.
Even a relatively weak Second-Class Danger Beast was still far beyond what an ordinary person could handle.
At the beginning of the original story, Tatsumi was already capable of killing a First-Class Danger Beast on his own, and both Sayo and Ieyasu possessed strength on roughly the same level as his.
So for them, taking down a First-Class Danger Beast alone was not considered especially difficult.
In Ieyasu's eyes, a First-Class Danger Beast was already incredibly, unbelievably powerful. As for Special-Class or Super Danger Beasts, those were practically the stuff of legends.
Being able to defeat a First-Class Danger Beast in single combat was the very reason Ieyasu believed he had what it took to make a name for himself in the Imperial Capital.
And to be fair, that really was impressive.
"I didn't mean it like that."
"Although I don't really understand what Mr. Ieyasu means by 'Danger Beast,' the demons I'm talking about are definitely different from what you're imagining."
Yoriichi said this with complete seriousness.
"What I'm searching for is something that completely transcends common sense."
"Something beyond ordinary understanding."
Looking at the somewhat hot-blooded Ieyasu, Yoriichi was reminded of his days in the Demon Slayer Corps.
Back then, the companions around him had been just like Ieyasu and Sayo were now—full of spirit and hope.
The memory made the corners of Yoriichi's lips lift ever so slightly.
He revealed a faint smile, one so gentle that to Sayo and Ieyasu, it seemed tenderness itself had taken form.
"O-Okay."
"I think I more or less understand what you mean, Mr. Yoriichi."
For a moment, Sayo was spellbound by that gentle smile.
It couldn't be helped. Yoriichi was already handsome to begin with, and paired with that soft, impossibly gentle smile...
Well, Sayo had to admit it—just for that brief instant, her heart skipped a beat.
Coming back to herself, her cheeks flushed faintly. She quietly took a deep breath to steady herself, then smiled at Yoriichi and said,
"But Mr. Yoriichi..."
"I think that having companions with you couldn't possibly make things worse than they are now, right?"
Yoriichi's emotions had mostly settled by now.
He no longer radiated that unguarded grief as he had at the beginning, when his feelings had shown through with no attempt to conceal them.
Sayo could no longer sense that soul-deep sorrow from him, but she didn't believe for a second that what she had felt before had been her imagination.
Someone capable of carrying that much sadness, she felt, could never be a bad person.
When Sayo finished speaking, Yoriichi paused for a moment.
"Couldn't possibly be worse than things are now...?"
"Miss Sayo, what you're saying does seem to make sense."
Looking at the hope in her eyes, at the way she offered her kindness without reservation, Yoriichi smiled again.
In truth, because he had been born with the mark and the Transparent World, Yoriichi understood Sayo's feelings quite clearly.
A city this prosperous could not possibly be without demons.
He decided to remain in this bustling city for a short while before leaving to continue his search for the source of all demons.
And while speaking with Sayo, there were moments when he found himself wondering:
Who had been the last person, before Miss Sayo, to show him such pure and unreserved kindness?
In the end, Yoriichi chose to stay with Sayo and Ieyasu for a time.
Unfortunately, since Yoriichi had no money at all, and neither did Sayo nor Ieyasu, the three of them could only wander the streets aimlessly.
After drifting around for most of the day, and with barely anything to eat, they eventually found a relatively clean spot and sat down to rest.
Even with Yoriichi joining them, Sayo and Ieyasu's circumstances had not improved in the slightest.
Just like in the original story, they were still penniless and forced to rest out on the street.
Since there was nothing else to do, Sayo, Ieyasu, and Yoriichi continued chatting.
Still bothered by Yoriichi's apparent lack of confidence in his strength from earlier that day, Ieyasu began questioning him about these so-called "demons," wanting to know what kind of Danger Beast they actually were.
If the situation had been more appropriate, Ieyasu would have loved nothing more than to demonstrate his own strength to Yoriichi in person.
He was absolutely confident that with his record of killing a First-Class Danger Beast in single combat, he would definitely make something of himself in the Imperial Capital.
"So demons are creatures that can't be killed?"
"Now that you explain it like that, Mr. Yoriichi... that actually sounds pretty terrifying."
After hearing Yoriichi's simple explanation of what demons were like, Ieyasu instinctively shrank his neck.
"Eating people is already bad enough, but they also have those Blood Demon Arts? How can there be such Danger Beasts?"
After all, Ieyasu was still just a boy who had left his village for the first time.
Yoriichi had only given a brief explanation of a demon's traits, and that alone was enough to frighten him.
The rest was one thing, but the fact that demons could shrug off most physical attacks and wield Blood Demon Arts made them feel almost impossible to deal with.
In the world of Akame ga Kill!, beings with special abilities comparable to Blood Demon Arts were almost always wielders of Teigu.
"That really does sound frightening."
Sayo nodded in agreement, clearly feeling the same.
Then she looked at Yoriichi with curiosity and asked,
"But where exactly are you from, Mr. Yoriichi?"
"I've read books introducing Danger Beasts before, but I've never seen any mention of the 'demons' you described."
Unlike the poorly educated Ieyasu, and Tatsumi, who was still on his way, Sayo had prepared thoroughly in advance.
To make sure that she, Ieyasu, and Tatsumi could succeed in the Imperial Capital and help solve the difficulties their hometown was facing, she had done her homework in every area she could.
In terms of raw combat ability, Sayo might have been a little weaker.
But when it came to knowledge, she was a different story.
As the elders back in her hometown always said, strength alone was never enough to rise in the world.
So Sayo had done everything she could to fill the gaps with knowledge.
If she had not been quite so naive, if she had been just a little more guarded, she might really have been able to make something of herself.
The original story may not have emphasized it much, but being able to solo a First-Class Danger Beast was genuinely impressive.