The Second Demon

The Demon Slayer Corps uniforms were made from special fibers. They were highly breathable and highly resistant to moisture and fire. The claws and fangs of weaker demons could not tear them, and even mid-level demons could not scratch them.

The damage to Shinobu Kocho's uniform meant that this Soundwave Demon was at least a high-ranking demon.

Shinobu ignored her wound. The poison she had injected was twice as potent as usual. Even a high-ranking demon would die from it; it would simply take some time. All she needed to do now was stall for as long as possible.

Despite being in darkness, Shinobu was incredibly agile. The Soundwave Demon's Soundwave Blades could not hit her at all.

"Ducking around like an insect... are all Demon Slayers such cowardly trash?" the Soundwave Demon demanded.

"Your provocation won't work on me. After all, you're about to die!" Shinobu said with a smile as she evaded its attacks.

"Tch! Damn woman!" the Soundwave Demon cursed.

After Shinobu's improvements, the poison remained completely undetectable to demons before its effects fully took hold. Then, their bodies would rot away and slowly turn to ash.

Suddenly, the Soundwave Demon ran into a room. Shinobu heard movement from the corridor, and then a pitch-black figure appeared before her. It was the Soundwave Demon, which had taken a shortcut.

Shinobu came to an abrupt halt, then used Insect Breathing: Butterfly Dance - Trickery, evading the Soundwave Demon's claws with butterfly-like, nimble steps.

"Tch! You damn woman, you're really pissing me off! Why can't you just let me eat your heart?!" the Soundwave Demon roared furiously.

"You may not have much time left. Goodbye!" Shinobu smiled.

The Soundwave Demon looked at her as though she were an idiot. Had this woman lost her mind? What nonsense was she talking about?

The Soundwave Demon thrust its claw at Shinobu's heart, using the right hand Shinobu had stabbed twice. This time, Shinobu did not dodge. She simply stood there quietly.

Just before the Soundwave Demon touched Shinobu, the poison spread through its entire body. The areas where it had first been injected instantly rotted away.

The Soundwave Demon let out a heart-wrenching howl. It no longer had a shred of strength and collapsed to the ground. Its body was already vanishing. That was Shinobu's poison—once it took effect, it sent them off immediately.

The Soundwave Demon stared at Shinobu in disbelief, its mouth hanging open as it screamed, "You despicable, shameless woman! I'll kill you!"

"That won't be happening." Shinobu's expression was blank. She was merciless toward every demon.

Unlike Kanae Kocho's beliefs, Shinobu deeply hated demons that ate humans. If not for them, her parents would not have died.

Watching the Soundwave Demon vanish completely, Shinobu sheathed her Nichirin Blade. Suddenly, the sound of metal grinding came from deep within the corridor, accompanied by tremors shaking the ground. Shinobu stared into the darkness in the distance, gripping her sword with a grave expression.

Meanwhile, at Murata's home, Tsugikuni Kuuga suddenly sat up. Seeing that he was awake, the innkeeper hurriedly asked about his condition.

"Benefactor, are you all right?"

Tsugikuni Kuuga looked around in confusion and realized Shinobu was not there.

"Innkeeper, where's Shinobu?" Tsugikuni Kuuga asked anxiously.

"That young lady left a long time ago. She told me not to wake you!" the innkeeper explained.

Tsugikuni Kuuga immediately sprang up and rushed out the door. Like a wild horse breaking free of its reins, he raced toward the abandoned inn at incredible speed. He could now accelerate through one hundred meters in only five seconds.

A bad feeling welled up in his heart, and Tsugikuni Kuuga accelerated again.

Inside the inn, a burly One-Horned Demon emerged from the darkness. Its left eye bore the words "Lower Rank Six," though they had been crossed out.

"That useless Soundwave Demon couldn't even beat a woman. It was pathetically weak. It deserved to die!" Iron Prison cursed.

Then it raised its head to look at Shinobu and reached her in just a few breaths. Its enormous fist smashed straight at her, and the force of the punch blew apart an entire wall.

Yet Shinobu still dodged nimbly. At the same time, she used Insect Breathing: Dragonfly Dance - Six-Eyed Katydid, stabbing Iron Prison six times in rapid succession. Shinobu's expression changed, and she leaped backward to widen the distance between them.

Shinobu could clearly feel that, out of those six strikes, only one had pierced in. Iron Prison looked at her with amusement and said, "Your speed really is impressive, but if your blade can't pierce my body, your poison is useless, isn't it? That makes you nothing but a worthless Demon Slayer! Hahaha!"

"Not necessarily!" Shinobu forced herself to remain calm.

But then the other party abruptly introduced himself. "Lower Rank Six, Iron Prison. My Blood Demon Art is Iron Hardening. Your poison is useless."

"I have no interest in getting acquainted with a demon. Besides, you used to be a Lower Rank, didn't you? Now you're just a somewhat stronger demon!" Shinobu mocked.

That struck directly at Iron Prison's sore spot. He flew into a rage and charged straight at Shinobu. Shinobu jumped to evade the attack and unleashed Insect Breathing: Stinger Dance - True Draw in midair.

This time, her blade finally pierced Iron Prison's body. But Iron Prison suddenly turned around. Since she was in midair, Shinobu could not evade and was caught by the ankle.

Iron Prison forcefully hurled Shinobu away. She smashed through four wooden walls and flew out of the inn before crashing to the ground. She spat out a mouthful of blood.

At the same time, Iron Prison charged out of the inn. Shinobu endured the pain and stood up. Even then, she still raised her sword and pointed it at the demon.

Even if he had once been a Lower Rank, Shinobu believed that if she could stab him one more time, she could inject all of her poison into him.

Blood Demon Art: Heavy Iron Fist!

Shinobu then saw Iron Prison's right arm swell to three times its original size. It was even more of a Kirin Arm than a Kirin Arm.

Iron Prison leaped into the air and smashed his fist heavily toward Shinobu. Even after enlarging, his speed had not dropped by much.

Shinobu barely dodged, but the ground split apart beneath the blow, and a massive crater instantly appeared. As the ground suddenly twisted, Shinobu's footing became unsteady.

Iron Prison laughed. That was exactly what he had wanted. Aren't you fast? With the ground uneven, let's see how fast you can be.

Iron Prison seized that brief moment of instability. Using his right arm as a pivot, he kicked Shinobu. She was sent flying, and her body crashed into a large tree, snapping it in half.

Shinobu cried out in pain. The bones in her left arm were probably broken. Today, she had encountered a demon she was poorly suited to fight. If her blade could not pierce him, Shinobu was like a butterfly that had lost its wings.

Iron Prison slowly walked toward Shinobu, casually flexing his right arm. He then raised his fist and swung it down at her. If it landed, she would definitely die.

But Shinobu no longer had the strength to dodge. Perhaps, just as the demon before her had said, without her poison, she really was nothing but worthless trash.

Shinobu closed her eyes and waited for fate's judgment. Before death, the last person to surface in her mind was not her sister, but that guy. Shinobu smiled.