A few minutes later, Kurozawa tore off his bloodstained haori and casually tossed it onto the ground.
Beside him, Iguro Obanai kept his head lowered, not daring to look at Kurozawa again.
All around them lay corpses sprawled in every direction—fifty-three in total. Just moments ago, they had been alive and gathered around them; now, their eyes were filled with the dead stillness of death.
Kurozawa reached out and rubbed Iguro Obanai's head. "What, are you afraid of me?" Iguro Obanai did not answer, so Kurozawa continued, "Every one of those women had a heart as vicious as a serpent. They raised demons and harmed innocent lives. If any of them had been left alive, they would have continued committing evil."
Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen could not attack ordinary people, even evildoers such as the Iguro women.
Swordsmen possessed strength far beyond that of ordinary people. Many generations ago, a Demon Slayer Corps Leader had realized that once swordsmen came to see human lives as insignificant as ants in their hands, their mindset could undergo irreversible and terrible changes.
Thus, the relevant rules had been established.
But Kurozawa did not care about such things. He had joined the Demon Slayer Corps not to be bound by its rules, but merely to use its intelligence network to search for traces of demons. Traveling all this way to complete a Demon Slaying Mission was his repayment for that.
"I'm not afraid. It's just..."
"They... they share the same blood as me."
With his head lowered, Iguro Obanai's voice was somewhat dazed. He seemed unable to believe what had happened before his eyes. He had only wanted to escape the dungeon; he had never intended to cause the deaths of the Iguro Family.
At heart, Iguro Obanai was a kind person.
Kurozawa shook his head. "You're wrong. Even if you share the same blood, have the same appearance, or similar habits, that does not mean you are one of them."
"Ask yourself: could you raise demons in captivity and plot to take other people's lives?"
Iguro Obanai lifted his head, then said blankly, "I couldn't."
"I tried to persuade my sisters not to do that too, but no one listened."
The Iguro Family had unusual constitutions; no matter how they bore children, they were always girls. As the first boy, Iguro Obanai had been considered an ill omen since childhood. He had been locked in the dungeon and was intended as a gift for the Snake Woman Demon.
Even so, Iguro Obanai bore no hatred toward the Iguro Family. He only hated himself.
"Then that's enough. Come with me."
"Your understanding is still too limited. Once you leave Hachijo Island and see the world outside, you can think about how to resolve your own problems."
Kurozawa could tell that Iguro Obanai had accumulated many complicated emotions in his heart. This might have been the root of the Serpent Pillar's silent and gloomy personality in the future of the original story.
Unfortunately, Kurozawa was no mentor in life. Offering a few words of comfort was already enough. Iguro Obanai's troubles would have to be resolved by Iguro Obanai himself.
Following behind Kurozawa, Iguro Obanai stepped over the corpses scattered across the ground, his lowered face betraying no expression.
Kurozawa had acted quickly, destroying their brains with lightning-fast strikes. He had not caused them much pain. Many of the corpses still wore their former expressions, most of them terror-stricken.
I was trapped in that dungeon the whole time and couldn't stop my sisters. Was what I lacked strength?
If I had strength like Lord Kurozawa's, could I have prevented many things from happening?
Having witnessed the formidable power Kurozawa displayed, a change came over Iguro Obanai's state of mind. As the two left the Iguro Compound and headed toward the coastal port, he made up his mind.
"Lord Kurozawa, can you teach me?"
"I want strength like yours too—the strength to save people and punish evil."
Kurozawa stopped walking and glanced at Iguro Obanai, studying him carefully for a moment.
As for the future Serpent Pillar's talent, there was no need to question it. It would surely surpass Kurozawa's by an unknown amount. His master would probably be delighted if Kurozawa introduced him; after all, he was a gifted prospect.
As for his experiences and personality, those were not matters Kurozawa needed to consider. Sakonji Urokodaki had taken in quite a few troubled children, and he had raised them all rather well.
"Since you've said so, then come back to Mount Sagiri with me."
Kurozawa had originally intended to hand Iguro Obanai over to Shinjuro Rengoku and let the Rengoku Family handle the matter. But on second thought, since he had been the one to rescue Iguro Obanai, he might as well see it through to the end. His master was now wholeheartedly devoted to becoming a good trainer and would properly teach Iguro Obanai.
More than twenty minutes later, Kurozawa arrived at the coastal port where he had separated from the Flame Pillar and saw a familiar figure.
Since it was the middle of the night, there was no one aboard the ferries docked there. They could only leave Hachijo Island after daybreak.
"You finished the mission that very night? Not bad efficiency."
A hand patted Kurozawa on the shoulder.
Shinjuro Rengoku had been lying on the beach, a blade of wild grass of unknown origin between his lips as he gazed up at the stars filling the sky. Upon hearing Kurozawa's footsteps, he swiftly rose and walked over.
"This is?"
Iguro Obanai stood beside Kurozawa, looking up at Shinjuro Rengoku, while Shinjuro Rengoku studied him as well.
The slightly chilly night wind continuously brushed against Kurozawa's bare upper body, but he did not notice it at all. Turning around, he said, "The Iguro Family the boat owner mentioned really did have a problem. They worshipped demons as gods and kept both demons and people. I have wiped them all out."
"This is Iguro Obanai. He was imprisoned by the Iguro Family from childhood and is different from those evildoers."
The instant Kurozawa turned around, the smile on Shinjuro Rengoku's face froze, and his expression rapidly turned cold.
"Wiped them all out?"
He saw Kurozawa's calm expression and smelled the pungent stench of blood on him. He could also vaguely sense the Power of Despair belonging to humans. However, as a Pillar, his willpower and strength ensured that Kurozawa's Power of Despair had no effect on him.
Shinjuro Rengoku did not know what the Power of Despair was. He only felt that Kurozawa was dangerous, like the oppressive aura of an apex predator he had felt when he was still weak and had encountered a demon for the first time.
Kurozawa gave him that same feeling, though it was still very faint, leaving Shinjuro Rengoku unable to be certain.
Yet Kurozawa's words were the true reason Shinjuro Rengoku's expression had turned cold.
Kurozawa seemed not to notice Shinjuro Rengoku's sharp, icy gaze and said to himself, "Yes. They were all scourges. Wiping them all out was the best choice."
After receiving Kurozawa's confirmation, Shinjuro Rengoku drew a deep breath, his expression incomparably solemn.
"This morning, we spoke of rules. You said rules were dead, and I believed you were right."
Kurozawa nodded and met the Flame Pillar's gaze directly.
"But! Everything has a limit!"
"I can accept acts of intimidation, but when humans commit crimes, they should be dealt with under human law. That is not the responsibility of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
"You are a swordsman! What you have done has already crossed the bottom line of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
"Surrender without resistance. Come with me to Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, where your punishment will be decided according to the circumstances."
That was right. The Demon Slayer Corps, as its name implied, was an organization that dealt only with demons and exterminated demons. To avoid countless disputes, it did not interfere with human crimes, instead leaving them to human law.
Kurozawa looked at the Flame Pillar, whose aura was gradually gathering around him and firmly locking onto Kurozawa, but showed no fear.
"Is that so? Then tell me, Flame Pillar, how would human law deal with what the Iguro Family did?"
"If you can answer that question for me, I'll willingly go with you."
He had accumulated more than five hundred Potential Points. The fourth stage of Water Breathing had already lit up, and he could break through to the fifth stage at any moment. Kurozawa had more than enough confidence.
Before you continue