70. The Strongest Demon Till Now (6)

Twelve Kizuki. 

Twelve demons known as the strongest demons. They are the ones who work directly under the Demon Lord. Most demons haven't even seen them, yet they are revered and envied. 

I, too, want to be part of Twelve Kizuki. 

Everyone carried that wish, and Kamanue wasn't any different. He, too, wanted to join Twelve Kizuki. At the start of his journey as a demon, he was quite afraid. 

He had become a demon, and now various humans were waiting to hunt him. What could be scarier than this? But… 

"I am strong. Yes, I am strong!" 

A fight with a random Demon Slayer made him understand the power of a demon. The superhuman strength, speed, senses, and the regeneration that comes with it… Isn't that amazing? 

All he needed to do was keep eating humans, and he could become stronger than anyone, live longer than anyone. 

"Humans? They're nothing but food." 

And thus came the superiority complex. Just like any demon, he, too, looked at humans as food. And during this time, he heard of the Twelve Kizuki, the group of the strongest demons. 

Who wouldn't want to join? 

Was it his fate? He ate more and more humans, and it didn't take long for him to gain a Demon Blood Art. And upon gaining one, he became even more obsessed with being a demon. 

As a human, what did he get? A limited lifespan and limited strength. But as a demon, he could live for eternity and gain unlimited strength. 

Now, he felt like a chosen one. He had such amazing powers… Of course, he was destined to be special. 

"Twelve Kizuki. That's the place." 

Yes. Twelve Kizuki—he was destined to become one of them. So, using his Demon Blood Art, he started to eat more and more humans to become stronger. 

But his excessiveness caused a stir in the town, and before he knew it, a Demon Slayer was dispatched to kill him. 

"Is he Hashira?" 

Kamanue looked at the Demon Slayer. He didn't look particularly special. If there was anything different about him, it was the staff he carried. 

Heh~ Kill him with a staff? Idiot! He is definitely not a Hashira. 

Despite it not being a cloudy night, Kamanue appeared, ready to deal with this Demon Slayer. But now that he had taken several hits from the staff… 

"I have to escape! I have to escape!!" 

If not for his Demon Blood Art, he would have been dead! Fighting to the death? There was no way he could do that! 

The fear he thought he'd forgotten since his early days as a demon now returned to him. If he didn't run, he really might die! 

The sense of crisis! 

His tiger-like limbs sped up, and in the mountain, Kamanue ran as fast as he could. He had to escape from the clutches of this strange Demon Slayer! 

"Run!" 

Whoosh! 

But then he heard a sharp howl of the wind, making him look upwards. And there it was: a human figure under the moon, emanating golden sparks, holding a staff and flying toward him. 

"Demon, you're not going anywhere!" 

"Damn! Demon Slayer!" 

This time, his cries were not out of rage like before but of fear. 

… 

"…" 

Kotaro was stunned. What the f*ck! Did the demon run away? He thought that after becoming a tiger, the demon would become more ferocious. 

But it escaped! 

Snap! 

"That demon, don't think you will escape." 

Kotaro bowed down and took a runner's position. With both of his fingertips on the ground, toes behind, he took a deep breath and pushed himself as fast as he could. 

[Hamon Steps] 

He repelled the ground with the highest amount of Hamon he could infuse and dashed. And when optimal speed was reached, he bent his knees a bit and then… 

He jumped. 

His figure soared into the sky, and he wheezed through the wind, flying like a plane. And then he found a rustling figure between the trees. Fortunately, the night was clear, and he could see it—the tiger running as fast as it could. 

And it seemed the demon had noticed him as well. 

Good. 

"Demon, you're not going anywhere!" 

"Damn! Demon Slayer!" 

Kotaro grabbed his staff with both hands, and as if it were a knife, lifted it, ready to stab simultaneously as he landed. 

"Die!" 

Booooommm! 

All that was left was a crater with trees uprooted within a certain radius. Dust filled the air, affecting visibility even more on this night. But to Kotaro, it was nothing. With Hamon, he could still detect the demon. 

"Tsk! I missed it." 

The demon had escaped his strike again. The dust settled down, and Kotaro was surprised. He expected the demon to take this chance and escape again, but the demon didn't. 

"I-If I can't run, then…" 

When Kotaro landed, Kamanue was sure he couldn't escape the clutches of this Demon Slayer. If he truly couldn't escape, then… 

"Demon Slayer, you will truly regret facing me." 

Even a mouse fights when cornered. And Kamanue is a demon. Once again, his Demon Blood Art activated, and a blood cauldron appeared out of nowhere, sucking him inside it. 

The cauldron spun faster and faster until it disappeared with a loud bang. The wind forced Kotaro to involuntarily raise his hand to block his eyes. 

When he lowered it, he saw a form much different than before. 

"Blood Demon Art: Ultimate Form – Nue!" 

It was not any animal that was part of the Nue. It was the form of the Nue itself.

===

A/N:

Give me some feedback!