Chapter 48: Murderer? Man-slaying demon?

The gears of fate had started to turn, although he was the only one who knew about it, but his fleeting change in momentum was noticed by Kocho Shinobu who had become even more familiar with him.

"Feng, What happened to you just now?"

After seeing Kanzaki Aoi and Kanao off, Shinobu returned to the training ground, and sat next to Maple naturally and asked about his abnormal momentum just now.

"Nothing, just a strange premonition."

He glanced at the perceptive Kocho Shinobu in with some surprise. Maple noticed the hint of persistence and doubt in her eyes and vaguely stated some of his "premonition".

"Shinobu, you should have noticed that recently the number of demon slayer corps has been increasing and even the demons showed some varying degrees of restlessness, this feeling of calm before the storm is really unsettling."

"Ara, Feng is truly keen. In fact, I have previously suggested to oyakata-sama, to increase the number of demon slayers, but it was not unanimously agreed yet."

Speaking of this, Shinobu seemed to have thought of something, her beautiful eyes looked at Maple sitting beside her, and jokingly said.

"But Feng's joining has been a big help to everyone! It seems that I will have to 'rely' on Feng in the future as well!"

"What 'rely' are you talking about, it's nothing like that. The new technique Shinobu created a few days ago is already very sharp, you have also fully absorbed my soul breathing technique. In fact, there is nothing much I can teach you anymore."

Maple calmly concluded, and he was right. After absorbing the soul breathing technique, Shinobu's insect breathing also showed significant improvement, Maple never had the impressions on those few brand-new sword moves. It was obviously a result after supplementing Shinobu's shortcomings, her talent had bursted out again.

If He wanted to continue teaching, the only thing left he could teach would be the "bright red sword" and "transparent world". However, this two techniques, other than Maple who had inhuman physical attributes, if others wanted to learn, except for those who are exceptionally talented, only those who had undergone persistent sharpening would be able to learn.

However, did Maple truly understood what Shinobu meant?

Regarding this point, just looking at the helpless expression on Kocho Shinobu's face, you would have understood.

"Ara, unexpectedly Feng is sometimes also an idiot."

"?"

Shinobu just smiled and said a sentence, got up and left the training ground without looking back. Leaving Maple alone behind to sit on the stone rubbing his chin while doubting life.

"What is...going on? Did I say something wrong? That's not right, there is no abnormality in the rational modeling and persona, spirituality also did not show any distortion. Logically speaking, Shinobu's reaction to my words should not be this way...don't tell me, this is another problem from emotional perspective? Did I miss taking into account Shinobu's emotional factor?"

It's a pity that even after thinking about it for a long time, Maple was still unable to find the answer. Even after he went to see Shinobu in the afternoon to "question" her, and was given a helpless smile from Shinobu which said "idiot", made Maple "returned miserably" once again.

Maple actually did not realize that for some things, unless you have personally experienced it, no matter how much "raw data" was provided, no matter how strong the "algorithm", all they could do is type the word "GG".

Of course, Maple also did not have more time to be entangled with such "small problem", because after a week, kasugai crow's urgent report reached Shinobu and Maple's hands.

"Caw! Caw! Lord insect pillar (soul pillar), urgent message, the recent investigation task in mount Yatagumo has suffered setbacks, several teams of demon slayers have lost contact. The initial judgement is that there are twelve moon demon-levels in mount Yatagumo. Please lord insect pillar and lord water pillar go and investigate and for lord soul pillar to be ready to provide assistance and support at any time!"

"Orders received (understood)."

Watching the kasugai crow gradually disappear, Maple's eyes flashed with inexplicable meaning and understood that the gears of fate had begun to turn.

"Ara, twelve moon demon, is it? This seems to be the first time Feng and I go on a task together."

Shinobu smiled sweetly while saying those words, however the cold murderous intent in her voice could be clearly sensed by Maple, when she heard demons had killed someone.

At this moment, Shinobu once again showed the unique courage of a "pillar", as she made a series of arrangements vigorously and resolutely as soon as she received the message.

Even without Maple's intervention, only half a day had passed before Shinobu organized a rescue team. At this time, Tomioka Giyuu also arrived at the butterfly mansion. The three "pillars' ' met and galloped towards mount yatagumo.

…

"Shasahasha..."

Footsteps sounded in the bushes as Maple, wearing a gray haori with silver feather pattern, walked through the gloomy forest. With every step, the force would leave a trace of footprint, as if he did not bother to cover his whereabouts.

"Who will be the first demon to meet me?"

Following the screams in the forest, when Maple cut down the tough spider silk, and rescued the puppet-like demon slayer members, he had actually guessed which demon he would encounter.

"Is it 'mother' demon?"

Maples' eyes narrowed as he suddenly stopped. His eyes, like a hawk, looked at the low bush as his spirituality moved slightly.

"The demon I am looking for, should be you, right?"

Maple's emotionless voice echoed in the woods, hawk-like eyes silently announced to "demon mother" that she had been discovered.

"Wu!"

This lower-ranked fifth demon who roleplayed as "mother" while "playing house", was currently sitting on a stone, looking at the figure looming behind the bushes with trembling eyes.

"All the 'puppets' are gone..."

The demons who looked like a girl but was called "mother" whined meaninglessly, her eyes shaking violently.

She had controlled all the "puppets" to block in front of Maple, so much that she could not even block the unknown target coming from the other direction.

But even this iron-barrel-like defense line of hers was pitifully fragile in front of this young man. In "demon mother's" perception, the speed of Maple's attack did not even slow down, which was much better than the other one. This one was much stronger than the other "target"!

"Will die, I will definitely die!"

At this time, seeing the figure clad in white feathered haori walked through the bushes and stood not far from her, she could finally sensed Maple's undisguised terrifying aura.

"But, dying, is also a release..."

Recalling her experience of being abused and toyed with, for some reason, "demon mother" completely released the thread in her hands and completely gave up resistance.

"..."

But it was this unconscious "memory", caused Maple, who was standing in front of "demon mother", to freeze for a moment.

[Death, is despair]

Maple, who had obtained "despair" from death, up to that moment had never felt that there was anything wrong with it.

However, the crushing difference in strength allowed Maple to clearly felt the emotional fluctuations of the "demon mother" in front of him, and that was where the problem lies…

He did not feel any "despair".

This emotion, which was the only one he could resonate with, disappeared in a very "strange" way from this demon who was bound to die.

"What happened?"

This emotional question lingered in Maple's mind.

[Did you not feel despair?]

This was the first time he wanted to ask a question to a twisted demon, however, after he thought about it, he gave up.

"After all, it is a man-slaying demon, so what meaning could there be from an answer given by a twisted soul?"

"Clang, clang, clang!"

This was the sound of Maple's sword draw.

"Soul breah 2nd form – soul mist lock"

The dazzling and psychedelic blade light weaves an eternal illusion and allows the twisted soul to disappear in the dream.

"How beautiful..."

This was the last thought of "demon mother". Immediately afterwards, her eyes quickly dimmed. The fatal injury to her soul caused to fall even without having been decapitated. Nobody knew what it saw in that dream between life and death.

Only Maple, who was very close, could clearly see its sudden dazed smile before she turned into a "bubble", as if it had retrieved some forgotten memories of its life.

"...twisted and miserable soul."

Sheathing his "soul blade", Maple looked at the empty grassland, his eyes flickered, as he murmured softly

"Murderer, murderer, I see… I should be a man who extinguishes life, not a man-slaying demon."

Thinking of this, Maple's spirituality was slightly touched, and the potion power in his spirituality was unconsciously digested, even the "soul blade" on his waist, released a joyful sound.

"Hu..."

The sound of soul breathing echoed in the forest, blowing up a cool breeze. Soon, Maple was able to control his growing spirituality again.

"Bang!"

At this moment, a sudden muffled sound was heard not far away, the strange movement of falling objects attracted Maple's attention.

"I have killed this female demon, then Tanjiro's movement might speed up. I seem to remember that Tanjiro was "dumped" in the front of lower-ranked fifth?"

Looking through the memories in his mind, Maple had some guesses on what that sound was. He immediately moved and ran towards the source of the sound.