Chapter 110: The Shadowed Streets of Kuroyanagi

The moon hung low over Kuroyanagi Town, casting an eerie glow on the cobblestone streets as Jon and Kanae emerged from the inn's sanctuary. The air was thick with an ominous energy that seemed to claw at their senses, a palpable presence of malevolence that weighed heavily upon the night.

Jon's eyes narrowed, a glint of steel in his gaze. "Kanae-san, be on guard. The stench of sin here is suffocating. An Upper Moon may be lurking in the shadows."

Kanae, her instincts honed to a razor's edge, merely nodded, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. "The scent of blood is overpowering, and it's not just any demon's work. We must tread carefully."

The town was shrouded in darkness, the silence broken only by the distant echo of their footsteps. The residents, wise to the horrors that stalked the night, had retreated behind locked doors, leaving the streets to the hunters and the hunted.

Suddenly, a blur of motion caught their attention. A handball, whistling through the air with deadly intent, aimed straight for Jon's head.

Slice!

Kanae's reaction was a dance of death, her blade unsheathed in a flash of silver, cleaving the projectile in twain. The halves fell to the ground, dissolving into a foul mist that reeked of dark magic.

"Blood demon art!" Kanae hissed, her eyes scanning the darkness for their assailant.

As if summoned by her words, two figures materialized from the shadows. The male demon stood with eyes closed, a grotesque eye pulsating in his palm, while the female demon juggled handballs, her lips curled in a sinister smile.

These were the Temari Demon and the Arrow Demon.

Jon's lips twisted into a smirk. "They're not even Lower Moons. Let's finish this quickly."

With a fluid motion, Jon unleashed his fiery chain, a serpent of flame that sought the Arrow Demon's throat. The demon's eyes widened in shock as the chain coiled around his neck, and with a swift, merciless yank, his head was torn from his shoulders.

The Temari Demon's wail pierced the night. "Yahaba~!"

[Ding! Soul Sacrifice function used successfully, soul exchange completed, you got 50 penalty Points]

However, before she could react, Kanae charged forward, drawing her Nichirin Sword.

"Flower Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirling Peach!"

With a graceful sidestep, Kanae's elegant figure accompanied by the flash of her blade, petals appeared out of thin air, followed by a horizontal slash across the Temari Demon's neck, decapitating her. The demon's head fell to the ground and turned to ash.

Compared to Jon's brute force approach, Kanae's technique was clearly more graceful and elegant.

"Something's not right. There must be a member of the Twelve Kizuki hidden here, but these two clearly aren't it, which means there's another demon here." Jon said calmly.

Kanae replied, "Demons often fight among themselves, it's rare to see them in pairs. The spider family you encountered before was an exception."

"Anyway, we should be more cautious," Jon said lightly.

"No, I was actually thinking we should split up," Kanae said softly. "Look, the people here keep their doors shut tight at night, which means they've been living in fear of demons for a long time. But you and I both know that no matter how tightly the doors are closed, it's useless. Demons can infiltrate homes and abduct people at any time, so even a moment's delay could cost lives. That's why splitting up is the best choice to increase efficiency!"

Jon then said, "But the demon here is an Upper Moon. As far as I know, a Hashira cannot defeat an Upper Moon. That's a balance that hasn't been broken for hundreds of years."

Having seen the original anime, Jon knew that a Hashira could not defeat an Upper Moon. To seriously challenge an Upper Moon, it would take at least three Hashira working together to win.

Kanae nodded and said, "That's true, but even so, I swore before joining the Corps that I would be ready to sacrifice myself at any time to protect the lives of others, even if it means fighting an Upper Moon with all my might! Besides, I am a Hashira after all, capable of protecting myself."

Seeing that he couldn't dissuade Kanae, Jon simply nodded and agreed, "Alright, but take this with you!"

Jon handed her a device resembling a remote control and said with a smile, "If you encounter an opponent you can't beat, press the blue button on it. I'll receive the signal. Don't worry about me; I'm essentially immortal~"

Jon had no ulterior motives; he simply didn't want such a girl, who had also helped him, to die an untimely death.

Kanae understood Jon's intentions, accepted it with a smile, and said, "Thank you, I'll use it properly."

Still, she looked at the remote control with curiosity and asked, "What is this?"

After all, it was her first time encountering such a technologically advanced object.

Jon casually replied, "I got it from fighting aliens."

This wasn't a lie; he had obtained it in a Men in Black world.

"You really have a sense of humor!" Kanae said with a warm laugh.

***

Meanwhile, at the burial mounds of Kuroyanagi Town.

A young man with peach-colored short hair, golden eyes, and pale skin covered in tattoos stood under the moonlight.

He was the Upper Moon Three, Akaza.

The burial mounds were filled with numerous corpses, but as a demon, the scent emanating from these bodies was not of decay, but rather an appetizing aroma to him. However, even so, he did not actively consume the corpses. As a creed of the strong, unless he was starving, he would not stoop to eating humans.

Just then, two figures suddenly appeared behind him.

One was a young man with black medium-length hair, and the other was a middle-aged man with a slight beard. The numbers etched in their eyes revealed their identities.

They were Lower Moon One, Enmu, and Lower Moon Two, Rokuro, the only remaining Lower Moons among the Twelve Kizuki.

"How goes it?" Akaza didn't turn around but spoke indifferently, clearly not considering the two demons worth his attention.

Rokuro spoke in a steady tone, "Yahaba and Susamaru have been killed. They were attacked by two humans, one of whom is a female swordsman from the Demon Slayer Corps, likely a Hashira. The other one..."

At this, Akaza raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued, and turned to face the two.

"The other is a man wrapped in chains, not from the Demon Slayer Corps. If I'm not mistaken, the four Lower Moons who died earlier were his doing!" Rokuro said.

"Hehehe, what an interesting human. It seems he's treating the Twelve Kizuki as his prey, just as we do with humans~" Enmu suddenly chuckled.

However, Akaza shot him a sharp look and said sternly, "Did I give you permission to speak?"

"Sorry... My apologies, Akaza-san!" Enmu immediately bowed his head.

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