One Punch Kill

"Ah!"

Another scream rang out. The black-haired, violet-eyed female Demon Slayer Swordsman wearing a butterfly-patterned haori furrowed her brow, her face filled with grief. She knew that another companion had been killed by demons.

She had to kill all the Man-eating Demons as quickly as possible, but...

"You're a Hashira-level Swordsman, aren't you? I never thought there would still be Hashira-level Swordsmen daring enough to come out at night."

A gloomy male voice sounded. Kocho Kanae looked at the human holding a gleaming Nichirin Blade to a young girl's throat.

Yes, the one who had brought a group of Man-eating Demons to attack these Demon Slayer Corps members was a human...

Kocho Kanae looked pained, but it was obvious that her companions behind her could no longer withstand the attacks of dozens of Man-eating Demons.

As though he had seen through the woman's resolve, the swordsman with gray hair hanging down from both temples lowered his blade another two inches and threatened her further.

"If you make a move, this girl will become another victim of the Nichirin Blade. You understand the current situation, don't you..."

"The Ubuyashiki Family has long drawn the attention of those above for raising swordsmen like you. If Demon Slayer Swordsmen slaughter ordinary people again now, I imagine the Ubuyashiki Family will soon be eradicated, even if they hide in the mountains!"

Kocho Kanae's face turned slightly pale. She had never imagined that simply coming out to save people would turn the situation into this.

At this moment, her companions were surrounded by Man-eating Demons on one side, while a traitor holding a Nichirin Blade threatened her on the other. What was she supposed to do...

"Help! Lady Flower Hashira!"

Another agonized cry came from behind her. Kocho Kanae's expression changed. She still could not bear to watch her companions die beside her. She suddenly drew her sword, its orange four-leaf-clover guard gleaming beneath the moonlight.

The next moment, Flower Breathing bloomed.

The gray-haired swordsman saw only Kocho Kanae's incomparably nimble movements. She flitted backward in an instant and slashed with her blade. Sword light scattered like falling petals, and several Man-eating Demons were decapitated at once.

Panic rose in his heart. No, if all these demons died here, he would suffer terribly when he returned.

He lightly drew his sword across the neck of the witless girl in his grip, and blood immediately flowed.

"Stop! Are you trying to get everyone killed?!"

Since Kocho Kanae had acted, she had already made her resolve. Amid her graceful movements, her voice remained calm.

"Everything that happened tonight was my own decision, Kocho Kanae's alone. It has nothing to do with the Master. Once I send everyone away, I will take my own life to atone for it!"

Her voice was resolute, and her sword light was merciless.

In an instant, dozens of Man-eating Demons were cut down and scattered in flight.

Because they trained in Breathing Styles year-round, Hashira-level Swordsmen possessed extremely powerful physical abilities, and their swordsmanship was specifically designed to counter Man-eating Demons. Ordinary Man-eating Demons were simply no match for a Hashira-level Swordsman.

Only the powerful Man-eating Demons known as the Twelve Demon Moons were monsters capable of fighting Hashira-level Swordsmen, or even hunting them.

Hirano Katsumi's heart had gone cold. He desperately considered what he could do to keep his life before that official. Suddenly, a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes. He picked up the witless girl, who could not even cry, and charged straight at the female swordsman in the haori.

Sensing the movement, Kocho Kanae glanced behind her from the corner of her eye and saw the girl being thrown directly at her. She withdrew her sword intent and gently caught the girl with one hand.

Kocho Kanae was not particularly strong among the Hashira, but she was still far stronger than her younger sister Shinobu. Under Total Concentration: Constant, her strength greatly surpassed that of an ordinary man.

Her movements were smooth and rounded. Flower Breathing was originally a branch of Water Breathing and excelled at deflecting and borrowing force.

Kanae caught the girl just as the man's sword arrived late with its thrust.

With a light flick of her blade, she blocked his strike.

Hirano Katsumi knew that the rudimentary Breathing Style he had learned could not possibly defeat a Hashira-level Swordsman, but he had his own reliance.

Facing Kocho Kanae's agile swordsmanship, he neither dodged nor retreated. Gritting his teeth, he gripped his katana in both hands and charged forward.

He looked as though he were practically throwing himself against her blade.

His face twitched as he said viciously,

"Today, your Demon Slayer Corps killed me, a Public Order Officer. Let's see whether your one life can quell the Minister's fury!"

Hearing his words, Kocho Kanae shifted her blade and actually took the initiative to avoid Hirano Katsumi.

Seeing that his strategy had indeed worked, Hirano Katsumi attacked even more aggressively.

The Man-eating Demons that had already fled saw that this useless human swordsman could actually hold back that powerful woman. They turned back and pounced like wolves.

Kocho Kanae instantly fell into a disadvantage. Her swordsmanship began to lose its flow, every strike interrupted as Hirano Katsumi threw himself forward to block it.

Hirano Katsumi secretly rejoiced. This woman really was the type to disregard her own safety for the so-called greater good and the safety of others.

There seemed to be especially many such fools in the Demon Slayer Corps.

He had not expected to truly find a way out of certain death. As long as he captured this beautiful Hashira-level Swordsman today, he likely would not be blamed by that lord even for the deaths of over a dozen Man-eating Demons.

After all, the lord in Kyoto had likely already reached a partnership with Kibutsuji Muzan by now. Even the Twelve Demon Moons probably would not dare act too recklessly at this time.

Thinking of this, he completely forgot his fear. He attacked Kocho Kanae without regard for his own life, even voluntarily acting as a shield for the Man-eating Demons, with the attitude that she could not kill the demons without killing him first.

Kocho Kanae kept retreating. Suddenly, Hirano Katsumi turned and thrust his sword at the witless girl. Only then did Kocho Kanae realize that the Battlefield had somehow shifted back here.

She instinctively raised her sword to block, but Hirano Katsumi threw himself at her. Kocho Kanae barely withdrew her blade when Hirano Katsumi turned his Nichirin Blade and stabbed her in the calf.

Joy rose in his heart. With her leg injured, she could not run!

Bang!

A tremendous sound suddenly came from the hillside behind them.

Bang!

Another boom rang out. Hirano Katsumi had assumed it was a disturbance caused by demons, but when he turned around, he suddenly saw a muscular giant in a pink robe charging down from the hillside.

On such a steep descent, the man was rushing toward them in huge strides, terrifying as a rolling boulder.

A Man-eating Demon caught the scent of a human and turned to pounce on him. The next second—

Splat!

The pink-clad giant threw a punch and blasted the scrawny Man-eating Demon into a sky full of flesh and blood.

Hirano Katsumi's heart lurched. The newcomer was already charging over in a frenzy, and he immediately shouted.

"I am Public Order Officer Hirano Katsumi under the Minister of the Left—"

Bang!

Bai Cangshu's fist landed solidly on the man's chest. In an instant, the sounds of a rib cage shattering and flesh bursting apart rang out together.

As blood and flesh flew everywhere, Kocho Kanae's pupils widened in a daze. Blood instantly dyed her delicate face crimson.

Bai Cangshu's left fist was still smeared with flesh and blood, whether human or demon, he did not know.

Hirano Katsumi only felt an immense force strike him before he was sent flying as though riding the clouds. He felt no pain, but when he looked down at his completely caved-in chest and tried to speak, he first spat out purplish-black chunks of flesh.

"Y-you... who... are you..."

Bai Cangshu remained in the posture of his punch. His right hand had been injured from using the Magic Spear, and now his left was also covered in blood.

A terrifying smile that Kocho Kanae could not understand spread across his face. His body stood rigidly upright in a posture so straight that it seemed almost twisted.

"There's no need to tell my noble name to evil demons like you, jojo."