The missing girls and the shadows of two demons

After several more days of peaceful yet fulfilling training on Mount Sagiri, a Kasugai Crow brought a new mission. This time, their destination was Wisteria Town, a relatively prosperous town at the foot of the mountain. According to the report, three young women had mysteriously disappeared at night over the past half month, leaving only a faint trace of a demon's presence behind. The local authorities were at a loss and had appealed to the Demon Slayer Corps for help.

The mission site was not far from Mount Sagiri, and the faint demonic presence described in the report suggested the demon might not be particularly strong. Sakonji Urokodaki considered it a good opportunity for Moyu and Tanjiro to learn to work together in real combat. More importantly, Nezuko needed to begin gradually adapting to accompanying Tanjiro on missions, and this relatively manageable environment was just right.

"Nezuko, we're leaving now." Tanjiro carefully checked Nezuko's wooden box to make sure it was well ventilated and secure, then placed some clean cloth padding and the wild fruit she treasured inside. Nezuko obediently climbed into the box herself and curled up. Then she tilted her little face up toward Tanjiro and Moyu, who stood nearby, and let out a "mmp." Her pink eyes blinked, as if to say, "I'm ready."

Moyu watched, a nearly imperceptible softness flashing through his azure eyes. He gently patted Azure Star at his waist, the cold scabbard reassuring to the touch. As his resonance with his personal Nichirin Blade grew stronger by the day, he felt his control of the Azure Flow Breathing Style becoming ever more refined.

"Let's go, Tanjiro. The sooner we resolve this, the fewer victims there'll be," Moyu said.

Tanjiro hoisted the wooden box onto his back and nodded firmly. "Right!"

The two humans and one demon set off for Wisteria Town.

Wisteria Town was livelier than they had imagined, with shops lining both sides of the streets and crowds streaming past. Beneath that surface prosperity, however, hung an oppressive sense of unease. Families with young daughters shut their doors particularly early, and pedestrians hurried through the streets. After nightfall especially, young women were hardly to be seen.

Tanjiro's nose had been twitching slightly ever since they entered town. "Moyu, there are all kinds of smells in the air... but there really is a very faint scent of a demon, mixed with... a cloying sweetness and a metallic smell I can't quite describe. And it seems like... there's more than one?" His sense of smell had grown keener through training, but the scents here were too jumbled for him to track them precisely.

At his words, Moyu quietly activated his Six Eyes, his vision instantly piercing through ordinary appearances. He "saw" traces of energy lingering in the air—mostly the muddled life auras of ordinary people, but also extremely faint, cold and twisted threads of energy scattered like a spiderweb. They did indeed lead to different sources, and they were all fresh, indicating that the demons had been active recently and might even still be operating in town.

"You're right. There's more than one demon, and they're cunning. Their movements are erratic, as though they've deliberately covered their tracks," Moyu said quietly. "Let's look at the place where the last missing girl was seen."

Using the information provided by the Kasugai Crow, they found the alley where the last missing girl, a dyehouse worker named A Kiku, had last been spotted. The alley was dark and damp, with debris scattered about.

Tanjiro crouched down and carefully sniffed the ground and walls, his brows knitted tightly. "The scent is strongest here... that cloying sweetness and the metallic smell... and the smell of the girl's fear... The demons were here, but the trail they left... is strange. It's like they suddenly disappeared?"

Moyu's Six Eyes swept over every corner of the alley, including every crack in the walls and every inch of dust on the ground. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on a small, inconspicuous patch of slightly darker soil in a corner. Through the Six Eyes, that patch gave off a faint energy fluctuation from the same source as the demons' aura, but more subtle.

"They didn't disappear. They went underground." Moyu walked over and gently brushed the soil aside with his scabbard, revealing a narrow opening that sloped downward, just large enough for one person to pass through. Its edges were smooth, as if deliberately shaped by some force, and a faint residue of energy concealed the scent. "It looks like one of the demons can manipulate earth or something similar."

The opening was small and seemed deep. Going straight down would be too risky. Moyu stood and looked around. "They must have a lair if they're abducting girls. This hole might be one passage, but there's definitely more than one entrance. We need to find their den."

Just then, Tanjiro's nose caught another faint trace of the sweet, metallic smell from before. It was drifting from the edge of town, and it seemed to be moving!

"Moyu! Something's happening! Over there!" Tanjiro immediately pointed in one direction.

The two exchanged a glance and immediately used their Breathing Styles, racing toward the scent like the wind. Moyu's Flowing Cloud Step was swift and graceful, while Tanjiro's strides were steady and powerful, no slower in the least.

About half a kilometer outside town, near an abandoned graveyard, the scent grew stronger. In the moonlight, two short, thin, bald demons in tattered kimonos, nearly identical in appearance, were dragging an unconscious girl toward a cave entrance hidden by overgrown weeds. The girl was about fifteen or sixteen, her clothes disheveled and her face pale. She was one of the latest to go missing!

"Stop!" At the sight, Tanjiro burned with anger. With a shout, he drew his blade and charged. Water Breathing: First Form: Water Surface Slash! His blade flashed like a bolt of silk as it slashed at one demon's arm.

The two demons jumped, clearly not expecting anyone to have followed them here. But they reacted swiftly. One shoved the girl into its companion's arms, then let out a shriek. Its arms swelled and lengthened unnaturally, lashing at Tanjiro like two yellow-brown whips, whistling through the air. Its arms seemed to be made of earth and rock, and were incredibly hard.

Clang! Tanjiro's Nichirin Blade struck the demon's arm, sending a spray of sparks flying, but failed to sever it! It left only a deep gash.

"Hee-hee, another tender-skinned little brat!" the demon with the hardened arms cackled. "Big brother, we've got an extra meal tonight!"

The other demon, the one called "big brother," quickly dragged the girl back toward the cave, its eyes glinting cunningly as it pressed both hands to the ground. At once, the earth beneath Tanjiro's feet churned, and two giant hands of soil burst out, grasping for his ankles!

"Tanjiro, watch the ground!" Moyu's warning came just in time. At the same moment, a flash of azure blade light, though unleashed later, arrived first and swept across the two giant hands with the precision of a surgeon's scalpel. Azure Flow Breathing: Zero Form: Second Style: Mirror Dissection! There was no earth-shaking explosion. The instant the hands touched the blade light, their structure came apart, and they crumbled back into loose soil scattered across the ground.

Moyu appeared beside Tanjiro, his azure eyes calmly fixed on the two demons. "One can harden parts of its body, and the other can control earth. They work well together."

"Another one? What a strange eye color." The hardening demon stared at Moyu warily.

The "big brother" demon that controlled earth set the girl down at the cave entrance and said darkly, "Little brother, there's something uncanny about this blue-eyed brat. Let's attack together and finish them quickly!"

Before it had finished speaking, the hardening demon lunged again, swinging its arms like two enormous stone pillars, roaring through the air as they smashed toward Moyu and Tanjiro. Meanwhile, "big brother" continually manipulated the ground, creating spikes and bogs in an attempt to restrict their movements.

Tanjiro roared, "Water Breathing: Third Form: Flowing Dance!" Moving like rippling water, he deftly dodged the earthen spikes and sent a continuous stream of slashes at the hardening demon. But its hardened arms provided formidable defense, blocking most of his attacks.

Moyu, by contrast, seemed completely at ease. His Six Eyes precisely anticipated every attack and every change in the ground. He did not even use an Azure Flow Breathing form. Relying only on basic Water Breathing footwork and slashes combined with the insight of his Six Eyes, he dodged every attack at the last possible moment, as if he could see the future. He weaved through the two demons' attacks as though taking a leisurely stroll.

"Damn it! I can't hit him!" The hardening demon grew more and more frantic as it fought.

The "big brother" demon also found the situation troublesome, unsettled by his composure and precision. A vicious light flashed in its eyes, and it slammed both hands against the ground. "Rock Prison Binding!"

The earth around Moyu and Tanjiro suddenly surged upward, forming four thick walls to trap them. At the same time, soil rapidly closed over the top.

"Tanjiro, break through!" Moyu shouted. Instead of retreating, he moved forward, drawing Azure Star as a flash of azure light raced along its blade. Rather than attack the walls, he charged straight at the "big brother" demon using the technique.

Tanjiro trusted Moyu completely. He immediately drove his Breathing Style to its limit. Water Breathing: Sixth Form: Twisting Whirlpool! His body spun at high speed, and his Nichirin Blade struck the earthen wall before him with tremendous cutting force!

Boom! Tanjiro forced a breach through the wall.

Meanwhile, Moyu had slipped like a phantom through a gap before the earthen walls closed, appearing before the "big brother" demon. The demon clearly had not expected him to be so fast. Startled, it hastily retreated, attempting to manipulate the earth again to defend itself.

But Moyu's blade was faster. Azure Flow Breathing: Zero Form: First Style: Vortex Slash! Rather than thrusting straight ahead, the tip carried rapidly spinning azure cursed energy as it bored like a drill toward the "big brother" demon's hands, which controlled the ground.

Splurt! The spinning blade energy easily tore through the hastily formed earthen shield and cleanly severed the "big brother" demon's hands. It screamed, and its ability to control the earth was instantly broken.

Elsewhere, Tanjiro seized the chance to rush out through the breach before it closed and rejoined Moyu, who had just repelled an attack from the hardening demon.

The two demons stared in terror as Moyu and Tanjiro closed in step by step. The hardening demon stood in front of its injured "big brother" and roared, putting on a brave face despite its fear. "You... stay back!"

Tanjiro pointed his blade at them and demanded sternly, "Speak! Where did you hide the girls you abducted? And where is Muzan Kibutsuji?!"

At the name "Muzan," both demons began trembling violently as though struck by lightning. All color drained from their faces in an instant, and their eyes filled with utter terror, even greater than their fear of the Nichirin Blades.

"No... we can't say... that lord's name..." The "big brother" demon curled up on the ground, shaking and babbling incoherently.

The other demon was the same, trembling all over and filled with fear. "Don't ask about that lord... we can't tell you... if we do, we'll die... something even worse..."

Their minds had nearly collapsed. Their fear of Muzan had seeped into their very bones, leaving them unable to think clearly.

Moyu watched it all coldly, gaining a more immediate understanding of Muzan Kibutsuji's cruelty. He shook his head at Tanjiro, indicating that they would get nothing out of them.

Tanjiro watched the two demons' faces twist with fear. Though his anger toward Muzan burned even hotter, he understood that they would get no information from them. He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and looked at the unconscious girl, determination returning to his eyes. Saving lives and slaying demons were what mattered most now.

"Moyu, let's finish them off, then look for the other two girls."

Moyu nodded, a cold light flashing in his azure eyes. "Right."

Seeing this, the hardening demon roared in despair and made one final attempt, hardening its entire body as it charged Tanjiro. Tanjiro's gaze sharpened. Water Breathing: Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin! A powerful, waterlike impact came down from above, precisely smashing the hardening demon's head apart.

Moyu, meanwhile, flickered into place behind the "big brother" demon as it tried to crawl toward the cave. With a gentle swing of Azure Star, an azure flash swept silently across its neck like a shooting star streaking through the night sky.

Two heads fell and rolled across the ground, their faces frozen with fear of Muzan and despair at death. Their bodies swiftly turned to ash and scattered.

[Demons slain ×2. Gold coins +800.] The system notification sounded in Moyu's mind.

With the battle over, Tanjiro immediately ran to the unconscious girl and checked on her. Only after finding that she had merely suffered a fright and a few minor scrapes, with no serious injuries, did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Moyu walked to the cave entrance and used his Six Eyes to examine the interior. He confirmed there were no other demonic auras inside, only faint signs of life, which should belong to the girls captured earlier.

"Tanjiro, it's safe inside. There are survivors."

At that moment, the lid of the wooden box on Tanjiro's back was pushed open a crack, and Nezuko's little head emerged, looking around curiously. When she saw the unconscious girl and the demons turning to ash, a trace of fear appeared on her face, but concern showed more strongly. She looked at Tanjiro, then at Moyu, before finally fixing her gaze on the unconscious girl. She made a muffled sound and tried hard to point at the girl with her little hand, seemingly trying to express her concern.

Tanjiro gently patted Nezuko's head. "Don't be afraid, Nezuko. The bad guys have been defeated, and we'll save the people inside."

Moyu came over as well. Looking into Nezuko's pure, clear eyes, he felt the chill in his heart ease a little. He reached out and gently brushed a bit of grass from the ends of her hair. Nezuko seemed to enjoy the touch, narrowing her eyes and rubbing her head against his fingers. Then, seemingly a little embarrassed, she quickly ducked back into the box, leaving only a tiny crack through which to peek outside.

The corners of Moyu's mouth rose in an almost invisible smile. This little interlude brought a touch of warmth to the late-night battle.

The two settled the unconscious girl somewhere safe, then entered the cave, where they found only two other pieces of girls' clothing. Presumably, the girls had been eaten by the demons. Tanjiro and Moyu were both furious, especially Tanjiro, because he knew the pain of losing loved ones.

The mission was complete. The sky was beginning to pale with dawn.

Looking at Wisteria Town bathed in the morning sun, Tanjiro stood with his back to the rising sun and took a deep breath. Inside the box, Nezuko also seemed to feel the warmth of the sunlight, breathing peacefully.

Moyu stood beside him, the morning light reflected in his azure eyes.

"Let's go, Tanjiro. It's time to report to headquarters, then take this girl home."

"Right!"