Kanae Kocho

If Tsugikuni Kuuga had initially been nothing more than a piece of meat in the demon's eyes, then now he was a premium wagyu steak seasoned with every kind of spice—utterly delicious.

Earth Demon was clever too. Since Sun-Breathing could suppress regeneration, he might as well eliminate the problem entirely and cut off the whole leg. It would grow back anyway.

Tsugikuni Kuuga gasped for breath, yet his hand still gripped the broken blade tightly. After all, if he could pull it off once, he could pull it off a second time.

The Thirteenth Form of Sun-Breathing had long since been etched into Tsugikuni Kuuga's mind, but using a Breathing Technique for the first time made him understand what it felt like for his lungs to be about to burst.

At that moment, Earth Demon's left leg had already begun to regenerate. The flesh on it squirmed slowly like tiny worms, but Tsugikuni Kuuga was no fool—how could he possibly wait for his opponent to heal up and eat him?

Enduring the agonizing pain, Tsugikuni Kuuga charged at Earth Demon. Seeing the confidence and determination in his eyes, Earth Demon actually felt a trace of fear—a fear that came from his bloodline.

But even Tsugikuni Kuuga himself could not be sure whether this broken blade could still perform Sun-Breathing. Earth Demon immediately summoned five earthen spheres again, and they all smashed toward Tsugikuni Kuuga at once.

Tsugikuni Kuuga raised his blade and slashed forward, sending out a flaming crescent-shaped strike. He then swiftly unleashed four more strikes—Sun-Breathing First Form, Round Dance.

As the slashes collided with the earthen spheres, Earth Demon's attack was blocked outright. Seeing that his attack had worked, Tsugikuni Kuuga seized the chance to rush at Earth Demon.

Upon reaching Earth Demon, Tsugikuni Kuuga turned the broken blade sideways and used Sun-Breathing Third Form, Setting Sun Transformation.

A deep crimson horizontal crescent slash tore toward Earth Demon's neck with devastating force. Earth Demon's eyes widened, and he instinctively raised his right hand to shield his neck, but beneath that sun-like slash, his hand fell straight to the ground.

Tsugikuni Kuuga shouted as though this strike had drained every last ounce of his strength. He was already badly wounded; if he could not kill the demon before him, then Tsugikuni Kuuga himself would die.

With Tsugikuni Kuuga's furious roar, Earth Demon's head flew off. A smile appeared at the corner of Tsugikuni Kuuga's lips. His strength had run dry, and pain surged through his body as the effects of adrenaline began to fade.

Tsugikuni Kuuga dropped to one knee before Earth Demon's body, his broken blade planted in the ground to support his swaying form. But the scene he had imagined did not appear.

He had clearly severed the demon's neck with a Nichirin Blade. Was that not a demon's weakness? Had everything been wrong? Tsugikuni Kuuga began to doubt himself.

Then the demon's severed head on the ground burst into wild laughter. "Hahaha! I admit it, brat, you're pretty strong. But at the last moment, I cut off my own head. Didn't expect that, did you? In the end, you're still going to die!"

Tsugikuni Kuuga had no time to be shocked. He slammed forward with all his strength, knocking Earth Demon's body to the ground, and he fell as well. The pain was so intense that he could no longer stand.

But Earth Demon suddenly began to cry. His eerie sobs spread through the entire forest, sending chills down the spine.

"Why? Why does my neck hurt so much? It feels like it's burning! Why?! Ah! Ah! Ah!" Earth Demon roared.

"You'll be in pain for the rest of your life. Even if you eat me, it won't help!" Tsugikuni Kuuga laughed.

It was a mockery of demons. Demon Slayers fought demons in the darkness of night, where demons were strongest. Demons could regenerate, and their condition would not decline, but humans could not. Even so, Demon Slayers still strove to protect humanity and slay evil demons.

Yet Earth Demon's body stood up while clutching its head, then slowly walked toward Tsugikuni Kuuga step by step. Earth Demon laughed madly before kicking Tsugikuni Kuuga away with all his strength.

Tsugikuni Kuuga crashed into a large tree and spat out a mouthful of Fresh Blood. The broken blade flew away as well. Fresh Blood ran down from his forehead and over his eyes, blurring his vision.

"Tch! Damn human brat, you nearly got me killed. Let me rip off your arm first. If I kill a talented brat like you, my lord will definitely grant me even more blood. Then I'll be able to join the Twelve Kizuki! Hahaha!" Earth Demon had already begun imagining his future.

"A demon as stupid as you will sooner or later die by a Hashira's hand. You're trash who nearly got killed by a child!" Tsugikuni Kuuga mocked.

Earth Demon was so enraged that he no longer cared about his head. He grabbed Tsugikuni Kuuga by the throat and lifted him up, while his other hand seized Tsugikuni Kuuga's right arm.

Tsugikuni Kuuga felt unable to breathe as dizziness gradually overcame him. His heart pounded violently, his body trembled uncontrollably, and pain shot through his right arm.

Tsugikuni Kuuga felt as if he was about to die. Though it was not his first time, he was so unwilling to accept it. He had not even met Shinobu Kocho yet, and so many questions still remained unanswered.

Just then, Earth Demon's arms suddenly broke apart, and a slender figure stood between Tsugikuni Kuuga and Earth Demon.

The girl had black hair and purple eyes, with emerald-green butterfly hairpins edged in pink on either side of her hair. She wore the standard Demon Slayer Corps uniform beneath a colorful Haori patterned with butterflies.

Earth Demon felt fear at the woman's gentle smile. That was the oppressive presence only a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps possessed; after all, she had severed both his arms before he could even react.

"You're a Hashira?" Earth Demon asked.

The woman smiled. "I forgot to introduce myself. I am the Flower Hashira, Kanae Kocho. Mr. Demon, are you bullying a child? Then I'll have to set you free!"

Kanae Kocho's voice was like bathing in the warm spring sunlight—gentle in every way.

Of course, that was because she believed that demons and humans had once been the same kind of creature, and she felt sympathy for demons. She believed that hunting demons meant not only saving those they intended to kill, but also freeing demons from their sorrowful cycle of cause and effect.

Earth Demon picked up his head and fled into the distance. For a demon like him, encountering a Hashira-level Demon Slayer Corps member meant certain death. Especially when the woman before him was gentle even toward demons—it was terrifying just to think about.

Kanae Kocho immediately used Flower Breathing Second Form, Misty Plum.

Several slashes flew toward Earth Demon. Their trajectories were like falling plum blossoms, making them both unpredictable and beautiful.

After the blades passed through, both Earth Demon's body and head were torn into pieces. As he watched his body slowly turn to ash, Earth Demon felt utterly unwilling to accept it. He would have become so much stronger if he had eaten Rare Blood—why? Earth Demon roared inwardly.

But Kanae Kocho's gentle voice made Earth Demon recall the days before he became a demon. In the end, he faded away. Perhaps he had gone to atone for his sins.

"Mr. Demon, your life of evil has finally come to an end. I hope you can be a good person in your next life," Kanae Kocho said.