In the sweltering summer, the sun beats down on the earth like a furnace.
Although it was only eight o'clock in the morning, the sun was already high in the sky, mercilessly casting its rays upon the ground, causing the temperature to rise rapidly. The heat was intense, and the air was thick with a suffocating stuffiness.
On a dirt road on the outskirts of Kumamoto City, a figure was slowly swinging a large bag along the road.
Finally, he climbed up the small hill and stood still for a moment.
The figure raised his free left hand, covering his eyes with his palm to shield them from the blazing sun. He looked up at the scorching sun in the sky, then his gaze moved downwards, landing on the solitary mansion at the foot of the hill.
"Living in a place like this is really inconvenient. It's one thing that I live alone, but I have to go all the way to buy groceries. The round trip plus the time spent buying groceries takes more than two hours."
"Well!"
With a helpless sigh, Teiichi continued walking towards the house at the foot of the hill.
"How about we talk to Kagaya Ubuyashiki at the next Hashira Meeting and see if we can change our accommodation?"
Teiichi's mind wandered, contemplating all sorts of things, and he subconsciously guided his body toward the house.
Soon after, he finally arrived at the house. He opened the door skillfully, went straight to the kitchen, and put down the groceries he was carrying. Then, he headed towards the meditation room.
That's the good thing about a big house; the different spaces are clearly separated, and even the training rooms are over 200 square meters.
They arrived at the outside of the training room, which was a spacious hall. Unlike ordinary houses, it had no doors; it was simply open. Several pillars were distributed throughout the hall, supporting the roof.
He slowly stepped to the center of the training room and carefully drew the Nichirin Blade from his waist.
With a series of "whoosh" sounds echoing in the hall, Teiichi began his daily cultivation.
It has been more than half a year since Teiichi arrived in Kumamoto City. The Hashira Meeting was held again last month, and tasks are being distributed to me about once a month.
After becoming a pillar, he took on significantly more tasks. Before, he might not have a task every two or three months, but now he has a new task waiting for him almost every month.
When he wasn't on missions, he continued his daily training and practice, constantly improving his strength.
Time passed slowly.
As the sun sets, the sky is dyed a golden-red. The sunlight gradually softens, no longer so dazzling, yet even more radiant. Golden rays filter through the clouds, falling on the eaves and forming beautiful halos that reflect a golden glow, enveloping the mansion in a warm and solemn atmosphere.
A white figure flew swiftly from the horizon, circled once above the mansion, and then let out a loud shout:
" Kato Teiichi! Kato Teiichi! A demon has appeared in Mount Hiraodai! Several team members have already perished! Please proceed to provide support immediately! Please proceed to provide support immediately!"
Under the eaves, Teiichi slowly opened his eyes.
night.
Mount Hiraodai.
The moonlight, like silver threads, spilled through the woods.
Three members dressed in Demon Slayer Corps uniforms were carefully moving through the mountains, their steps light and cautious.
Do you have any idea how many corpses we've seen along the way?
Shimada was walking in the middle, suddenly asked in a low voice, his voice carrying a hint of undisguised tension and unease.
Upon hearing this, Takeuchi, standing ahead, slightly turned his head to glance at him, then, recalling the corpses he had encountered along the way, spoke:
"We saw five corpses along the way, what happened?"
"Did you see they were all wearing Demon Slayer Corps uniforms?"
"You saw it? What's wrong?"
"Do you think we'll end up like that? Five team members have already died, why are we ordinary members still being sent on this mission? Shouldn't it be Zhu who's doing it?"
"Don't overthink it. They're probably all acting alone, but we're the three of us!"
Hearing Takeuchi say that, Shimada felt a little relieved.
The five corpses he saw along the way, dressed in Demon Slayer Corps uniforms, terrified him. He had never been a brave person, and if it weren't for his desire to find and kill the evil spirit that had murdered his entire family, he would have transferred to the Hidden Division long ago.
"Stop talking. We've seen so many corpses along the way, which means we've already entered that ghost's territory. Be careful, don't let it find us."
The last team member, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, and both Shimada and Takeuchi nodded in agreement.
The three continued their careful search through the woods.
And so, the search continued for another two hours.
The long search yielded no trace of the ghost. Just as the three were beginning to worry that the ghost might have gone somewhere else and their vigilance began to wane, a barrage of pebbles hurtled towards them.
"Whoosh--"
"Whoosh--"
"Whoosh--"
The pebble moved at high speed through the air, making a sharp whooshing sound as it violently rubbed against the air.
"Careful!!"
Takeuchi, Takeuchi was walking at the front, was the first to notice the situation and quickly alerted his two teammates behind him.
Shimada quickly drew his Nichirin Blade from his waist and stepped forward, passing Takeuchi.
" Water Breathing!"
" Eighth Form Waterfall Basin!"
The Nichirin Blade traced silver trails in the air as it slashed rapidly forward. With each clang, the incoming pebbles were quickly cut down.
The blade seemed to be coated with streams of water, which greatly reduced the damage to the blade when it collided with the stones.
In the blink of an eye, Shimada had blocked all the incoming stones.
Just as Shimada's joy was beginning to rise, the "whoosh" sound rang out again in the distance.
One after another, pebbles came rapidly from the dark forest, quickly approaching.
"Bang"
The Nichirin Blade collided with the pebble again, and Shimada's heart sank as he felt the force of the pebble thrown this time.
" Takeuchi, hurry! I can't hold on much longer."
"Learn!"
Takeuchi quickly responded from behind Shimada and ran to the side.
As Takeuchi left, some of the incoming pebbles shot towards his Takeuchi, but none could catch up with his agile movements.
As some of the pebbles were deflected to attack Takeuchi, Shimada immediately felt the pressure lessen considerably and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
" Shimada, move a little closer to the demon! It's throwing stones at me like this, I can't possibly rush over to it!"
Takeuchi's words came from not far away, Shimada's heart, which had just settled down, jumped again upon hearing them.
He knew that Takeuchi's words made sense. He himself was good at Water Breathing and defense, and he was under so much pressure in this situation, let alone Takeuchi's Thunder Breathing.
Let's give it our all!
" Iguro, you stay hidden for now, then we'll see how things go. I'll rush towards the demon and draw some fire for Takeuchi."
Shimada gave a brief instruction to his teammate behind him, and without waiting for a reply, he gritted his teeth and began to walk towards the direction from which the pebbles had been shot.
" Water Breathing!"
" Third Form Flowing Dance!"