Demons Descend on the Mountain

The scent of rare blood was like a sun in the pitch-black darkness. Not a single demon nearby could resist its deadly allure.

But when they discovered the rare blood, the Wisteria that had once been planted around it had all been destroyed. This was a place they normally couldn't even enter—a training ground where the Demon Slayer Corps raised new recruits. Surely they'd be interested in the flesh and blood of those swordsmen.

In the shadowy night, the demons crossed the Wisteria and surged up the mountain to begin their hunt.

"Where did all these demons come from? Could the Wisteria planted around the mountain have been destroyed?"

Inside a small cabin, the swordsman who had only just mastered Thunder Breathing clutched his chest, where claws had torn it open. He gasped for breath and stared at the demon before him, his hand trembling uncontrollably around his Nichirin Sword.

The sheets around him were already soaked with blood. Several dead people lay with their eyes closed, clearly killed in their sleep.

"Your hands are shaking so much you can barely hold your sword. What if I eat you bit by bit while you're fully conscious? I'll let you feel the pain and watch as you slowly disappear into my stomach. Yes, that's the look. Ah—how delightful!"

"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"

Before the demon could finish speaking, a thunderous boom rang out. Jigoro Kuwajima dashed in and, with blinding speed, cut off the demon's head.

"Move! Tell the others the demons are attacking. Anyone who can't fight, head for the shelters we prepared. Anyone who can fight, get up and help at once. There's no time! Hurry!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jigoro Kuwajima vanished from the spot like a bolt of lightning.

The disciple, terrified out of his wits, forced himself to lift the Nichirin Sword beside him and stab it into his thigh. The pain roused him, and his body finally stopped trembling.

He couldn't fall here. Everyone else on the mountain was still in danger. He had to warn them all at once!

Elsewhere, an invisible demon had quietly slipped into the cabin where Suzuki Mufeng and Zenitsu Agatsuma lay unconscious. It immediately set its sights on Suzuki Mufeng.

"Rare blood! It's definitely rare blood—there's no mistaking that scent. It's irresistible. If I eat him, I might even break through and become a Lower Rank. Don't mind if I do."

The Invisible Demon's drool was about to spill onto Suzuki Mufeng's face. Just as it was about to drip, he moved. Suzuki Mufeng, who had been lying on the bed, vanished.

"Too slow."

The world turned upside down. Its head dropped from its neck and rolled across the floor. Its body hadn't even realized what had happened before it died. In the last moment before losing consciousness, it saw only a figure wreathed in electricity. Fast—too fast.

"So my speed and this ability to release lightning must both be side effects of getting struck by lightning along with Zenitsu."

He hadn't turned into a blond, but he had gotten stronger.

There was no time to keep studying the changes to his body. Next, he had to deal with the demons surrounding the cabin.

Clang—

With no time to worry about Zenitsu Agatsuma, Suzuki Mufeng stomped, cracking the floorboards and launching himself into the air. An invisible horizontal slash split the cabin in two!

"You actually managed to react? What a pain. Couldn't you just let me cut you in half?"

As soon as the words left the demon's mouth, a straight line of golden light flashed into view. Zenitsu Agatsuma, still sleepwalking, used Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash, and sent the demon's head flying.

"I should've known. He's one of the Three Brats. Since Zenitsu's asleep, I don't need to worry about him."

Standing in a tree, Suzuki Mufeng surveyed the area with his Sharingan. Everywhere he looked, there were demons—at least twenty of them. He also spotted the gap where the Wisteria had been destroyed. His top priority now was to seal it off!

"Total Concentration—Thunder Breathing!"

Crack—

The branch snapped, and Suzuki Mufeng shot toward the gap in a golden streak. His blade flashed, and the demon that had just poked its head through was instantly separated from its body.

"No demons past this point!"

As soon as he landed, Suzuki Mufeng shaped his hand like a pistol. A giant bubble, a meter in diameter, shot from his fingertip.

"Demon Slayer, I don't care what tricks you're using. You really think we'd be afraid just because you cut off one demon's head?"

The demons were surprised by the strength Suzuki Mufeng had just displayed, and wary of the bubble.

But they were demons! They had practically infinite lifespans and could recover from anything. What could this human do against them besides wield that pathetic sword?

"You can't reason with a demon bent on dying. Here, have a Present from me."

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

After forming more than ten hand seals, Suzuki Mufeng summoned a water dragon from the ground behind him. Its target wasn't the demons, but the bubble in front of them.

The water dragon burst through the bubble, revealing the deadly force hidden inside. Lightning clung to its body like a tiger breaking free from its cage. The magnificent dragon now seemed to command the power of thunder as it charged at the demons.

The demons in front didn't even have time to scream before the water's force and the lightning's fury swallowed them. Those in the back were knocked to the ground and convulsed after even the slightest contact.

"How can this be? How can a human do something like this? Who are you?"

"You've still got some strength left. Looks like you've eaten quite a few people. Go to hell."

The tables had turned. Suzuki Mufeng wielded his Nichirin Sword like the Grim Reaper swinging a scythe. With every swing, another demon died. By the time he had cleared the last demon at the entrance, Soft & Wet had already gathered the surrounding Wisteria with its bubbles and used it to fill the gap.

"Lord Kuwajima is locked in a fierce battle. Lord Suzuki, please go help him immediately!"

After circling overhead and warning him, the Kasugai Crow flew toward a spot farther inside, showing Suzuki Mufeng the way.

On the battlefield, Jigoro Kuwajima had retired from active duty because of his age, and his body could no longer keep up with the demands of fighting demons. He could still force himself to fight the lesser demons who lacked Blood Demon Arts.

But now he faced a powerful demon with a Blood Demon Art. His strength was spent, and he had no chance of winning.

"Old man, I have to hand it to you. Even at your age, you killed eight lesser demons, and you almost took my head off too.

"Old man, do you want to live? I can ask Lord Muzan to turn you into a demon. You'll have an infinite lifespan and be rid of that feeble body."

"Keep dreaming, demon. I'd rather die standing than live on my knees. I'd never become a monster like you, one that's thrown away its humanity!"

Jigoro Kuwajima crouched once more and assumed a stance to draw his sword. He would use his life to make one final strike, determined to cut off the demon's head.

"Since you're so stubborn, I'll give you a quick death. Blood Demon Art: Thin Mist."

The demon's Blood Demon Art spread a thin mist around them. It obscured vision and could also make people hallucinate.

Unfortunately for him, he'd run into the master of illusions, who was on his way to the battlefield.

"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."

A flash of lightning tore through the darkness and split the Thin Mist Demon in two.

"I'm not too late, am I, Master Kuwajima?"