I don't want to be an elf!

Rather than letting a frail woman travel alone, it's better to keep her by his side to ensure her safety.

"Since we're going to the same destination, let's go together."

Rengoku Kyojuro said.

"We'll set off immediately once you're ready."

Chapter Seven: The Man's Descendant? (Two-in-One)

Asakusa is one of the cities in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

The journey between the Rengoku family and Asakusa is not actually that far, and Rengoku Kyojuro originally planned to walk there.

However, considering that he had brought Kotori Itsuka with him, he finally decided to take a train ride, which was a rare occurrence for him.

As evening fell, the two arrived at Asakusa.

After instructing his younger sister to stay obediently at the Demon Slayer Corps' settlement in Asakusa that night, Kyojuro Rengoku immediately began his search operation in Asakusa.

Late at night, at the appointed time.

Kotori Itsuka slipped out of the mansion in the dark, evading the eyes of the other residents.

No matter which world she was in, this was her first visit to Asakusa.

Following Tanjiro Kamado's description and referring to many landmarks along the way, she arrived at a clearing in a forest on the outskirts of Asakusa.

"We meet again, Commander Itsuka..."

They sensed each other's approach, and soon, Tanjiro Kamado, who had been hiding there, appeared before her.

Beside him was a pure-looking girl with waist-length black hair and a bamboo stick in her mouth.

Curiosity flickered in the girl's eyes as she stared at Kotori Itsuka, but she didn't take any further action.

She is Nezuko Kamado, who inherited the blood of Muzan Kibutsuji but suppressed her demonic instincts and became a demon who did not need to eat human flesh.

It was already late at night, and without the sun's influence, Nezuko, who usually hid in the box, could move freely outside.

However, Kotori Itsuka's attention was not on her.

"You failed to persuade them?"

Seeing that Tanjiro Kamado was alone, Kotori Itsuka frowned: "The two potential members you mentioned, are they unwilling to join Ratatoskr?"

"Don't worry, it's not that they're unwilling to join. After I told them about you, they all showed great interest," Tanjiro Kamado replied. "It's just that they're usually very cautious and aren't sure if they can truly trust you."

Kotori Itsuka naturally knew who the two potential members Tanjiro Kamado mentioned were.

Tamayo and Yushiro.

As ghosts, they are two special cases who can survive without eating people.

However, unlike Nezuko, who can recover her energy simply by sleeping, they have not completely reversed their instincts as demons, but only suppressed them. Therefore, they still need to drink a small amount of human blood to maintain their sanity.

Most importantly, they could also be the two demons who stand on the opposite side of Muzan Kibutsuji.

Moreover, they are the two experts who are most qualified to speak on how to transform demons into humans and how to change their eating habits.

These two demons are ones that Kotori Itsuka is determined to bring into her camp no matter what.

"It's reasonable to have doubts. If I were them, I wouldn't immediately trust a stranger."

Seeing their caution, Kotori Itsuka expressed her understanding: "Then what do I need to do for them to believe me?"

Tanjiro Kamado remained silent.

He simply stood silently beside Nezuko.

Just as Kotori Itsuka was wondering why this guy was silent, she seemed to remember something, and a look of understanding appeared in her eyes.

Soon, just as she expected, two figures appeared as if by magic from the bushes not far away.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Itsuka."

A woman dressed in a kimono embroidered with flowers, exuding traditional feminine charm, slowly walked up to the two men.

Behind the woman followed a man who seemed to have a bad temper; his gaze toward Kotori Itsuka subtly revealed wariness and hostility.

"Please forgive my rudeness, but in order to confirm that you are not someone sent by that man, I must observe you first."

Tamayo's voice was gentle and soothing, making one feel a sense of goodwill without realizing it: "I didn't detect the same bloodstains on you as other demons, nor did I sense that man's mark. It seems that, as Tanjiro said, you are indeed a special demon."

Ghosts, by common sense, are monsters that eat people.

Anyone with a sensitive sense of smell can immediately detect the strong, bloody scent emanating from a ghost.

As for Tamayo, she can not only identify the identity of a demon from the smell of blood, but also from a deeper level.

Those are Muzan Kibutsuji's cells.

Every demon was once a human, but after being given Muzan Kibutsuji's blood, they became monsters like him.

However, Muzan Kibutsuji was not merciful to his own kind; on the contrary, he was even more cruel.

Any demon possessing his cells could have its life in his hands; with just a thought from Muzan Kibutsuji, its life could be easily taken away.

Because Muzan's cells bring not only power to demons, but also curses.

Tamayo was once one of the monsters.

However, through her continuous research on Muzan cells, she finally found a way to remove the curse within them and gained her freedom.

In the area of ​​Muzan cell research, even Muzan Kibutsuji himself might not know as much as Tamayo.

As for why they appeared out of thin air, it's because Yushiro's Blood Demon Art allows him to manipulate vision and create illusions.

Before Kotori Itsuka arrived, he must have prepared talismans drawn with his own blood to conceal their presence and aura.

"Now that my identity has been confirmed, let's skip the small talk and get down to business."

Kotori Itsuka showed no surprise at the two's appearance and said bluntly, "I know you must have a lot of questions for me. Ask away, and I will answer them to the best of my ability."

"Tanjiro said that Miss Itsuka is a decisive person, and it seems that she is indeed so."

Tamayo nodded, and without much formality, asked, "Regarding your organization, Ratatoskr, Tanjiro said it's a neutral organization that doesn't belong to the Demon Slayer Corps or any demons, and its goal is to end the war between humans and demons, is that right?"

"Yes."

"So, how do you intend to do that?" Tamayo asked earnestly. "The conflict between humans and demons has lasted for over a year, and it is not something that one person or even one demon can end."

"That's why I established Ratatosk and recruited capable people and ghosts."

"The most direct way to end the war is to eliminate Muzan Kibutsuji. Why do you think that with your newly established organization, you can accomplish what the Demon Slayer Corps has not been able to do for years?"

"The answer is simple."

A wild smile appeared on Kotori Itsuka's lips.

The aura she exuded surged to a level that caused people's expressions to change drastically with the appearance of the Divine Might Spirit Armor, Fifth Edition.

The crimson flames swept across the area, causing the temperature of the surrounding air to soar instantly.

It was like being in magma; even the air was distorted by the heat, and waves of heat burned all the weeds within a ten-meter radius, turning them into ashes.

"Lord Jushi!"

Yushiro, who had been silently observing Kotori Itsuka, suddenly stepped forward and shielded Tamayo behind him.

As his demonic instincts were aroused, Yushiro's human-like appearance suddenly became ferocious, and the whites of his eyes turned a terrifying scarlet.

Even Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko retreated repeatedly, as if afraid of being caught in the flames and getting burned.

"Because I possess a power that the Demon Slayer Corps has never had."

Amidst the rising flames, Kotori Itsuka, like an immortal phoenix, arrogantly raised her chin: "Power sufficient to kill Muzan Kibutsuji."

It must be admitted that the power she displayed has exceeded Tamayo's expectations.

The most direct way for a ghost to increase its strength is to eat people.

The more people a demon eats, the stronger it becomes.

However, if one does not gain power by eating people, then another more convenient way is to obtain more of Muzan Kibutsuji's blood.

The more Muzan Kibutsuji's blood is in one's body, the greater the upper limit of one's strength.

This is also why ghosts sometimes fight each other.

Since Muzan Kibutsuji was stingy with distributing his own blood, they could only steal it from their own kind.

However, neither of the two fastest ways for demons to increase their strength works for Kotori Itsuka.

There was no trace of blood on her, indicating that she had not eaten humans or ghosts for a long time.

As for a demon like her who is not controlled by the curse contained in Muzan's cells, it is even less likely that Muzan would give her more blood.

Therefore, neither Tamayo nor Yushiro took Kotori Itsuka's strength seriously before meeting her.

This is one of the reasons why they dared to meet with Kotori Itsuka directly.

But now they realize they were wrong.

Big mistakes.

"Your strength is indeed very strong. Ordinary Pillars, or even the Upper Moon of the Twelve Demon Moons, who is the strongest among the demons, should not be your match."

Tamayo suppressed her shock and tried to keep her voice calm as she said, "However, Muzan Kibutsuji's strength is far superior to that of the Pillars and the Twelve Demon Moons. With your current strength, you still cannot defeat him."

"Did I say that this was all the strength I had?"

Kotori Itsuka chuckled softly, extinguishing the surrounding flames and making everyone feel much better: "Even if you manage to emerge unscathed from the scorching aftershocks, this forest will be burned to the ground by my power... I suppose you wouldn't want to attract attention, would you?"

"That's exactly what you said."

Tamayo nodded slowly.

Whether it was Tamayo, who hadn't eaten people for hundreds of years, or Yushiro, who had never needed to eat people since birth, their power was extremely limited.

Not only do they need to evade Muzan Kibutsuji's capture, but they also need to avoid the Demon Slayer Corps' search.

They lived in seclusion in Asakusa, relying on their centuries of caution and prudence.

If Kotori Itsuka were to burn the entire forest to the ground, attracting the attention of the demons and the Demon Slayer Corps, it would be the worst possible news for them.

However, after witnessing a glimpse of Kotori Itsuka's power, Tamayo's confidence increased considerably.