Demons and the Demon Slayer Corps

"Was I already too late..."

As he entered the village, blood and severed limbs filled his vision, and Kyojuro's heart grew heavier.

He beckoned, and a crow circling overhead flew down.

"Have the Demon Slayer Corps send the Kakushi here."

Kyojuro spoke to the Kasugai Crow.

After receiving Kyojuro's order, the Kasugai Crow cawed twice, then flew off in one direction.

Once the Kasugai Crow had left, Kyojuro began searching the village for survivors. Soon, he heard sobbing and followed the sound to find Chiba Yo kneeling before his mother's dismembered remains, weeping.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Mother..."

Pat.

A hand settled on Chiba Yo's shoulder.

"Young man, let's lay them to rest first."

Kyojuro spoke to Chiba Yo in a heavy voice.

Kyojuro was suffering too. His guiding principle was to protect the weak, and he had always lived by it, all the more so after becoming a Hashira. Now, nearly an entire village had been slaughtered by a demon. It was easy to imagine how he felt.

Chiba Yo knew someone had approached, but he did not move. He felt lost, unsure what to do. Kyojuro's words reminded him that the most important thing now was to give his mother a proper burial.

"If it's too painful, I can help you bury your mother." Kyojuro understood how the boy before him felt and offered his help.

"Thank you, but I'll do it myself."

Wiping away his tears, Chiba Yo stood up. At the sight before him, his eyes reddened again, and his hatred for that monster burned fiercer than ever.

Still, he forced down his grief. With empty eyes, he pieced his mother's remains together, then found a hoe and began digging.

Watching Chiba Yo, Kyojuro gave him an approving look, then began helping bury the villagers' bodies himself.

The Green-Skinned Demon had not eaten many people. Most had simply been tortured to death, leaving no shortage of bodies to bury.

A while later, a large group of Kakushi arrived and began dealing with the aftermath.

Chiba Yo noticed them, of course, but said nothing.

After burying his mother, Chiba Yo knelt before her grave and bowed his head to the ground three times. The other villagers who had died had also been laid to rest by then, and Kyojuro approached him.

"Stay strong and keep living, young man. The dead are gone, but the living must be all the stronger," Kyojuro said gently.

"Did you come here because of that monster?" Chiba Yo suddenly asked.

He wanted to know what that monster was and why it had attacked their village.

Kyojuro paused at the question. He had assumed the boy had survived because he had never encountered the demon. Apparently, he had been mistaken.

The demon must have already eaten its fill.

He did not dwell on it.

"Yes. The monster that attacked your village was a demon, a creature that must eat people to survive. Once one comes into being, it kills humans for food."

Kyojuro answered him.

"Then what about you?"

Chiba Yo continued asking.

"We're members of the Demon Slayer Corps, an independently formed civilian organization. Our goal is to destroy every demon in this world so that no more tragedies are caused by them.

I came here to kill the demon, but unfortunately, I was too late. I'm sorry."

None of this information was secret, so when Chiba Yo asked, Kyojuro told him everything.

"Can I join you?"

Chiba Yo stood and turned to look at Kyojuro as he asked. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with hatred for demons.

Kyojuro was not particularly surprised by Chiba Yo's reaction. Most members of the Demon Slayer Corps were people who had suffered at demons' hands and wanted to avenge themselves and protect others.

"If you join us, you'll face the risk of being killed by demons at any moment. Aside from decapitating them with blades made from a special material, their only weaknesses are sunlight and wisteria. They also possess powerful regenerative abilities and all kinds of formidable supernatural arts.

Of course, once you join, the Demon Slayer Corps will teach you a Breathing Style and its corresponding Sword Techniques so you can fight demons. But even then, fighting them remains extremely dangerous. Are you sure you want to join us?"

Kyojuro asked solemnly.

In his eyes, Chiba Yo was only an ordinary boy. He had not seen Chiba Yo defeat the Green-Skinned Demon earlier, so he had yet to realize just how terrifyingly gifted the boy before him was.

"I'm sure. I'll wipe every demon in this world out of existence!" Chiba Yo answered firmly.

"Good! Become my Tsuguko. I'll train you into an outstanding swordsman!" Understanding Chiba Yo's resolve, Kyojuro wasted no more words and offered him the position.

"Yes, Master!" Chiba Yo immediately changed how he addressed him. He trusted the man before him. Through the Transparent World, he had seen the righteousness surrounding him.

Besides, Kyojuro had been helping bury the villagers all this time, and Chiba Yo had seen it all.

Perhaps it was a coincidence of fate. A hundred years earlier, the swordsman born with the Transparent World and a Demon Slayer Mark had also been brought into the Demon Slayer Corps by the Flame Hashira of that era. Now, a hundred years later, another genius born with the Transparent World and a Demon Slayer Mark had been recruited by the current Flame Hashira.

The morning sun emerged over the eastern mountains, its light dispelling the darkness and shining on everyone. Chiba Yo glanced back at the village, then turned and followed Kyojuro...

Inside the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.

Kneeling on one knee, Kyojuro finished reporting the details of his mission to Kagaya Ubuyashiki. He also told him that he wanted to take Chiba Yo as his Tsuguko.

"I see... Thank you for your hard work, Kyojuro. Don't blame yourself too much, my child. Demons' movements are unpredictable to begin with. You carried out several missions in succession; there was nothing you could have done about not arriving in time." Kagaya Ubuyashiki smiled as he comforted him.

Kagaya had heard the self-reproach in Kyojuro's words. That might also have been part of the reason he had taken the sole surviving child as his Tsuguko.

Kyojuro was momentarily taken aback. He did indeed blame himself deeply for what had happened, though he had not voiced it. Kagaya's words helped ease much of that burden.

"Since you've made your decision, I'll leave that child's instruction to you. However, the Final Selection begins in just seven days. He may not be ready for this one," Kagaya continued.

"That's true, but spending more time training before taking the Final Selection isn't a bad thing. I'll teach him well." Kyojuro nodded in agreement.

"I believe in you," Kagaya Ubuyashiki said with a smile.

Then, after taking his leave of Kagaya, Kyojuro left the estate.

Chiba Yo, who had been waiting outside the estate, went to meet Kyojuro when he emerged.

"Master Rengoku," Chiba Yo greeted him respectfully. They had learned each other's names on the journey, and Kyojuro had also told him more about the Demon Slayer Corps and demons.