"I'm afraid this demon-hunting mission isn't over yet."
Hiroshi Furukawa crouched to examine the tracks on the ground. He had noticed something unusual during the hunt, and even after slaying the demon, he had remained alert, carefully watching their surroundings. Now, sure enough, he had found a clue.
Several swordsmen came closer to look at the ground. Their eyes narrowed, especially when they saw the footprints.
"Could it be?"
Footprints were nothing unusual, but these were different. An ordinary person's footsteps left only faint impressions in the ground.
Demons, however, were different.
Demons possessed physical abilities far beyond those of humans. When walking normally, their footprints were not much different from a human's, but when they started running, especially at high speed, the marks they left became much more pronounced.
Because demons possessed physical abilities far beyond those of humans, their feet struck the ground with greater force. As they lifted a foot, they unconsciously pushed harder against the ground, adding to that force. This left deep footprints, completely unlike those of ordinary people.
As swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, whose duty was to protect humanity and eliminate demons, they had all been taught by Cultivators about demons' habits and weaknesses, as well as how to track them. Those lessons included how to identify a demon's footprints.
And here before them was another set of footprints that clearly belonged to a demon. They also looked very fresh.
"No wonder that demon ran this way. It was trying to get help from another one."
One swordsman spoke coldly.
"But how could there be another demon here?"
The swordsman who was limping from an injury looked incredulous. According to the intelligence gathered by the Hidden Ones, there should have been only one demon in the area assigned to them.
Moreover, most demons were solitary by nature. Except under very unusual circumstances, they rarely lived in groups.
After all, demons were highly territorial, and few would allow another demon into their hunting grounds.
With the existence of the Rank Replacement Blood Battle, any demon aspiring to join the Twelve Kizuki instinctively regarded other demons as rivals, further intensifying their hostility toward one another.
Even when demons lived in groups, it was usually because a powerful demon had enslaved weaker ones.
Thus, under normal circumstances, only one demon would occupy an area.
At least, over all these years, aside from battles against the Twelve Kizuki under a Hashira's leadership, where they might have to fight several demons, they had very rarely encountered ordinary demons gathering together.
"Maybe a demon wandered over from somewhere else."
One swordsman offered a guess.
"Hmph. Who cares why there's another demon? Since it's here, we'll kill it too."
Another swordsman rested his hand on his Nichirin Blade, his face filled with murderous intent.
At those words, the other swordsmen turned to Hiroshi Furukawa.
"Boss, what do you say? Let's chase it down and cut its head off."
The injured swordsman tightened his grip on his Nichirin Blade and asked Hiroshi Furukawa, his eyes fierce despite his limp.
They all hated demons. Apart from a few exceptions, most people who became swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps bore some kind of grudge against them. Nearly all had seen their happiness destroyed, directly or indirectly, at a demon's hands.
Now that they knew another demon was nearby, they naturally refused to let it escape.
Hiroshi Furukawa wanted to slay the demon too. But as his gaze swept over their exhausted faces, he shook his head. "No. We need to rest first."
"Boss..."
One swordsman was reluctant to accept that. He hated demons deeply. Now that he had learned there was another one, how could he willingly let it go? All he wanted was to sever its neck with his Nichirin Blade immediately.
Hiroshi Furukawa walked over and patted the swordsman's shoulder. "I know how much you hate demons. I want to chase this one down right now just as badly. But we have to keep our heads. Only then can we hunt it instead of becoming its prey."
"We've only just slain one demon, and everyone's nearly exhausted. If we fight again in this state, how long can we last?"
"Demons are different. Their stamina is limitless. If it stalls us for even a little while, we'll be the ones in danger once our strength runs out."
Although they were still reluctant, everyone knew Hiroshi Furukawa was right. None of them had reached Total Concentration: Constant in their Breathing Styles, so they could not maintain their breathing at all times.
For now, most could only maintain their breathing for a few minutes to a few dozen minutes before they could no longer keep it up. At that point, they would lack the physical strength to contend with a demon and be no different from ordinary people.
And ordinary people could not fight demons.
Worse still, being forced out of their breathing state would leave them extremely weak for a short time, even weaker than ordinary people.
"Rest first. Once we've recovered, we'll pick up this demon's trail."
Hiroshi Furukawa looked at them and clenched his fist. "This demon won't get away. Once we've rested, we'll strike to kill."
"All right. We'll listen to you, boss."
"Let that beast live a few days longer."
The swordsmen voiced their agreement.
Seeing this, Hiroshi Furukawa nodded. He had everyone rest while summoning the Hidden Ones responsible for the area.
The Hidden Ones formed the logistical backbone of the Demon Slayer Corps. They handled noncombat support, primarily battlefield rescue, intelligence delivery, equipment maintenance, and undercover infiltration. They also dealt with the aftermath of battles between the Corps and demons.
"Sir."
Two members of the Hidden Ones approached Hiroshi Furukawa and bowed slightly. "We've prepared lodgings nearby, along with food and clean water. A physician from the Butterfly Mansion has also come to treat everyone... Do you have any other instructions, sir?"
"Once the sun rises and sunlight covers the land, send people to trace these footprints to their source. Be extremely careful. If you find its hiding place during the day, notify us immediately."
"Understood."
The Hidden Ones nodded at once, then bowed and withdrew.
After the two had left, Hiroshi Furukawa looked at the footprints on the ground. His hand brushed the hilt of his Nichirin Blade as he murmured:
"Run, demon. Flee in terror. I'll find
you, and then I'll sever your neck myself with my Nichirin Blade."
"It won't be long."
He lifted his head and gazed at the full moon in the dark night sky. "After all, I still have to treat Lord Kyojuro to a meal. I can't afford to take too long."
A smile touched the young man's lips. He could almost see Lord Kyojuro, as warm as an older brother, giving him a thumbs-up and praising him loudly.
Thank you to the reader "20190928115857004" for the two monthly tickets, and thank you for your support! This is the first time I've received monthly tickets as a newbie author. I thought I'd just keep writing quietly on my own forever, so I never expected to receive any. I'm so happy.