A Slap in the Face

Obanai Iguro, who had fallen to the side, was stunned. His mind went blank as he watched Hiruma's blood-stained body being sent flying.

What the heck!

Why did he save me? I'm a sinner!

Damn it!

Iguro Obanai roared, pounding the ground with his fists, guilt filling his heart.

The attacking demon revealed its form. It hunched over, its skinny body wracked, green scales opening and closing in the rain as if it were breathing.

"Hehehe!"

"So it's a Rare Blood. This is our lucky day!"

The Fish Demon greedily licked the blood on its claws. At this moment, Hiruma was the only one in its eyes.

The Fish Demon walked unhurriedly towards Hiruma, every cell in its body cheering.

Just then, Obanai Iguro ran in front of Hiruma, spreading his arms and blocking him with his small body.

"Monster, if you want to eat, eat me first!"

The Fish Demon looked at Iguro Obanai with disdain. With a prime Rare Blood like Hiruma, this human in front of it was like tough, dry bark that was hard to swallow – even a dog wouldn't eat it.

"Get lost, don't interrupt my meal!"

It swatted at Iguro Obanai. With a swish, it wasn't Iguro Obanai's head that flew off, but the Fish Demon's forearm.

"I'll sneak attack you too, you dried fish!"

Hiruma placed a hand on Iguro Obanai's shoulder, mocking him without mercy.

The demon and Iguro Obanai were both dumbfounded. They both looked at Hiruma.

"You're not..."

"Oh, dear!"

"It's just a little blood, I'm not going to die. Don't make such a fuss!" Hiruma patted Iguro Obanai's shoulder with a smile, looking completely unfazed.

Iguro Obanai: "..."

As they spoke, Hiruma had already pulled Iguro Obanai back several meters.

The Fish Demon finally snapped back to reality. He wasn't dead? Was he a demon or was I?

"Tch!"

"Eating you alive will do just fine!"

"Brat, I killed you once, and I can kill you a second time!"

The Fish Demon's chest pressed against the muddy ground, its body moving as nimbly as a fish. It was incredibly fast and in the blink of an eye, it had already charged at the two of them.

Hiruma gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his eyes firm and focused. In an instant, crimson-gold arcs of electricity erupted from his legs, spreading rapidly throughout his body like lightning.

Thunder Breath, First Form, Thunderclap and Flash.

With a crisp draw of his sword, Hiruma swung with astonishing speed.

The blade flashed with dazzling crimson-gold light, and at the same time, a deafening thunderclap echoed through the rain.

Looking down from the sky, a crimson-gold meteor sliced through the rain curtain, and the Fish Demon was decapitated. This process lasted only an instant.

Iguro Obanai stared at the scene before him in disbelief, marveling inwardly.

So strong!

This guy looks about my age.

Hiruma stylishly twirled his blade before sheathing it.

He glanced at the speechless and astonished Iguro Obanai and extended an invitation:

"Iguro Obanai, want to become as strong as me? Join the Demon Slayer Corps!"

"We're an organization that specializes in hunting these monsters!"

"Kid, let's go save the world together!"

Hiruma's face showed an incredibly sincere expression, his eyes shining with a determined light, as if a blazing flame burned within them.

His voice was deep and powerful, filled with endless strength, and his tone carried an irresistible charm, like a cult leader.

"C-Can I?" Obanai Iguro looked at the boy who seemed to radiate golden light in the rain, hesitating.

Unexpectedly, Hiruma grabbed his hand, treating the question as an affirmation, and said:

"Thank you for joining!"

Iguro Obanai: "???"

"I can't, this is a bit too chuunibyou, I can't stand it!"

Hiruma awkwardly criticized himself, while Iguro Obanai was completely bewildered, not understanding the man's nonsensical ramblings.

However, this person had saved his life and could help him atone for his sins by killing monsters, so he'd just go along with it.

Suddenly, a tall figure embraced the two from behind, Rengoku Shinjuro's hearty laughter making their heads ache.

"Hiruma, you're amazing!"

"I truly didn't expect there to be another demon here; that was a close call."

Hearing this, Hiruma glanced at the enthusiastic older man and retorted, "Uncle, you weren't just watching from the sidelines, were you?"

"Ahahaha... how could that be!" Shinjuro's gaze involuntarily drifted to the side. He had only returned after Hiruma was attacked, wanting to see how the kid would slay the demon.

"Right, I'm very sorry. Before I arrived, your family was already slaughtered by that demon, leaving only one survivor. Alas!" Shinjuro said with great self-reproach.

Upon hearing that his family had been killed, Iguro Obanai felt no emotion. Those demons deserved to die long ago.

Sacrificing their own kin to monsters and helping monsters ambush passersby – each of these was an unforgivable atrocity.

Such a family was rotten to the core and deserved to be wiped out.

"Oh, right, I brought out the surviving girl. She said she's your cousin!"

As he spoke, Rengoku Shinjuro pointed in the distance. A girl holding an umbrella stood there, appearing terrified, but her gaze towards Obanai was filled with hatred.

"Obanai, why did you run away?"

"Why couldn't you just be eaten obediently?"

"Why don't you just die?!"

"It's all your fault! It's because you ran away that everyone got killed! As a sacrifice, shouldn't you have just been eaten obediently?!"

"Why don't you die, so no one else has to die!"

The girl questioned Obanai fiercely as she cried, even though her words were completely unreasonable.

Obanai silently watched his cousin, a flicker of emotion stirring within him. He hadn't failed to consider the fate of the Iguro family after he ran away, but he didn't want to be eaten by that monster.

At the very least, he didn't want to die a stifled death; even if he had to die, he wanted to die fighting.

"Obanai Iguro, why couldn't you just be eaten by it obediently, why?!"

The girl's fear transformed entirely into rage. She was hysterical, her resentful gaze piercing Obanai's body like daggers.

"Swish!"

In this world, only the girl's scolding and the incessant sound of rain remained.

Suddenly, a crisp slap cut through the air.

The girl's scolding stopped, and she watched with wide eyes as Hiruma withdrew his hand.

"I don't usually hit women, but don't you keep blabbering at me here."

"Why don't you go get eaten by the demon? What obligation does he have to be eaten?"

"The deaths of your clansmen were simply what they deserved!"

"Find a new place to live. You should go home and check if there's any money the demon stole!"

Iguro Obanai's cousin regained her composure. She clutched her face, sank to her knees, and burst into uncontrollable tears.

What they deserved.

Did we deserve this?

Hiruma ignored her further. He turned around, his expression clearing from cloudy to sunny, and said with a smile:

"Uncle, Obanai, let's go, let's go!"

"I'm starving!"

Just then, the sky suddenly cleared. A beam of warm sunlight pierced through the heavy dark clouds and shone down upon Iguro Obanai.