I don't want to be an elf!

That's herself.

The spirit crystal in Itsuka Kotori is the only one among the ten spirit crystals that has not been completely purified.

In the original story, when Mio Takamiya handed the spirit crystal to Kotori Itsuka, the spirit crystal belonging to the Flame Spirit was only a semi-finished product.

This is why Kotori Itsuka's spiritual power is the most volatile.

It is precisely because of this flaw that it is extremely difficult for Kotori Itsuka to maintain her rationality while fighting.

Once she uses her spiritual power to a certain extent, she will enter a berserk state, dominated by destructive urges.

This is why Kotori Itsuka in the original work spends most of her time staying in the rear and never takes action unless absolutely necessary.

She had already tested the berserk state.

When Kotori Itsuka first used her spiritual power to spar with Tanjiro Kamado, she was driven by her destructive desires and almost killed him.

In order to remain as rational as possible during battle, she needs to use as little spiritual power as possible and fight using other methods.

Otherwise, if you have to go berserk every time you fight a small fry, that would be too much.

Breathing techniques are a good alternative.

"Please enlighten me!"

Tanjiro Kamado took a deep breath and swung his wooden sword at Kotori Itsuka.

Kotori Itsuka used only a small amount of power to strengthen her body, recalling how to use the breathing technique, and spread the power of the air throughout her body.

As an elf, although her physical attributes are similar to those of an ordinary person without the aid of spiritual power, her perception far surpasses that of humans.

What ordinary people need years to feel is something she can feel by simply repeating the breathing exercises a few times.

In just one month, she had already made some progress in her breathing techniques.

In the courtyard, the two exchanged blows, gaining experience through their sparring.

Not only did Kotori Itsuka reap great rewards, but Tanjiro Kamado did as well.

Although he had not yet reached the highest level of breathing techniques, he could feel himself getting stronger little by little.

Strength is crucial for Ratatosk's future course of action.

According to Kotori Itsuka, what they need to do is recruit more like-minded members and expand the organization's influence.

Now, as the only human in the organization, Tanjiro Kamado has been given a very important task.

That is, to persuade the Pillar-level members of the Demon Slayer Corps to join Ratatoskr.

The method, then, is to go on a date with her and make her blush.

At least that's what Kotori Itsuka initially said.

However, Tanjiro Kamado's looks weren't good enough to make people fall in love at first sight, and he inexplicably exuded a kind of dullness. After several unsuccessful attempts to train him, Kotori Itsuka had no choice but to give up on the idea of ​​having him try to win over a Pillar member.

Therefore, the method of persuasion changed from dating her to make her shy, to challenging her to a duel to make her submit.

Simply put, it means beating the other person up first, and only starting to talk back after you've beaten them into submission.

Although he felt this method wasn't very reliable, Tanjiro Kamado couldn't think of any other way, so he had no choice but to compromise.

However, Tanjiro Kamado is still a long way from being able to defeat a Pillar-level member.

That's why he needs to put in extra effort.

After holding out for half an hour, a panting Tanjiro Kamado was finally defeated by Kotori Itsuka.

The time lasted five minutes longer than last time.

“There is progress, but it’s not enough.”

Kotori Itsuka wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at Nezuko beside her: "It's your turn next."

"Woo!"

Nezuko, who had been squatting in the corner staring blankly at the butterfly, stood up and stepped into the sunlight.

Whether it was due to her own evolution or because she accidentally ate the blue spider lily before becoming a demon, Nezuko in the original work was the first demon to overcome sunlight.

Under Kotori Itsuka's guidance, Nezuko, who was originally unwilling to appear during the day, overcame the sunlight and appeared in the sunlight earlier than in the original story.

However, just as the two were about to begin their sparring, an adorable calico cat appeared on the wall.

"Meow."

A cat's meow caught the attention of the three people.

Its name is Chachamaru, Tamayo's pet.

Since Tamayo and Yushiro are both demons, they cannot travel during the day. Therefore, if there is anything important to convey, it is the demons who deliver it.

The sparring session was temporarily suspended. Kotori Itsuka took the letter from Chachamaru's back and scanned its contents.

"Tamayo has quite a wide network of connections; she found out so quickly."

After reading the information on the letter, Kotori Itsuka put down the wooden sword in her hand and spoke to the Kamado siblings.

"Let's end our sparring here for today; we have work to do."

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Author's note: I'll post the second chapter later today. I'm a bit too tired to stay awake any longer, so I'm going to take a nap.

Chapter Fifteen: Scorching Demon Extermination

Japan, Kyushu.

The train station was unusually quiet late at night.

Unlike the bustling crowds of the daytime, the platform is deserted at this moment, with only a few scattered lamps casting an orange glow, telling people that the train station is still in operation.

However, if someone has keen hearing, they can faintly hear the sounds of battle coming from the air.

Not far from the station, around the railway tracks, two wounded Demon Slayer Corps members stood together in tacit understanding, watching warily the man with a mocking smile in the distance.

No, it shouldn't be called a man.

It should be called a devil.

With grayish-white skin and black pupils, he looks very different from a normal person at first glance.

Moreover, he had several blue marks on his body, but they were not tattoos; they were more natural marks.

Compared to the Demon Slayer Corps members who had lost an arm and broken ribs, this demon was completely unharmed and in peak condition.

"So this is the Demon Slayer Corps? Haha, not as powerful as the rumors say."

The blue-striped demon raised his hand and licked the blood from his fingertip: "However, the blood does taste quite good. Eating the two of you is more nutritious than eating twenty ordinary people."

However, faced with his sarcastic remarks, the Demon Slayer Corps members could only grip their sword hilts tightly with grim expressions and glare at him.

They indeed had no way to refute it.

The Demon Slayer Corps has a clear ranking system, and the two of them are quite strong, both falling within the mid-to-high level range.

Since joining the Demon Slayer Corps, he has slain nearly ten demons.

However, even with their combined strength, they couldn't pose the slightest threat to this ghost.

A cruel smile crept across the Blue-Striped Demon's lips.

The lines on the skin glowed slightly.

The next moment, his figure blurred and turned into a phantom.

One of the Demon Slayer Corps members, who was in slightly better condition, instinctively raised his sword to block the incoming attack.

But he was too slow.

Or perhaps, this ghost was just too fast.

His Blood Demon Arts granted him extraordinary speed, making him practically a god.

To date, in terms of speed alone, he has not met anyone who can keep up with him.

"Crack—!"

Before the Demon Slayer Corps member could even raise his sword, he felt a sudden lightness in his arm.

You can't feel any weight at all.

"Aaaaaah—!"

As the arm disappeared, excruciating pain shot through the severed limb.

Blood splattered everywhere, and muscles were torn apart.

The Demon Slayer Corps member turned deathly pale, and couldn't help but kneel on the ground, letting out a suppressed roar.

His entire arm was torn off.

Breathing deeply and regulating their internal energy, the Demon Slayer Corps members managed to stop the bleeding and avoid dying from blood loss with the help of breathing techniques.

"As expected of the flesh of a breathing technique swordsman, although its strength is not as strong as rumored, the taste is just as good."

The Blue-Striped Demon gnawed at the severed arm in his hand, a look of enjoyment on his face.

Even the hardest bones became as fragile as tofu under his chewing, yet the sound he uttered still sent chills down one's spine.

"Don't get too cocky. Even if we die, there will be even stronger people to come after you!"

Another Demon Slayer Corps member's face was ashen, his tone tinged with fear, but more so with determination: "You are indeed strong, but our Pillars are even stronger. One day you will face retribution!"

"Pillar... Haha, I'm really looking forward to it."

Stuffing the last piece of flesh into his mouth, the Blue-Striped Demon looked at the two again, a bloodthirsty smile spreading across his face: "However, no matter how strong the Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps are, it has nothing to do with you, because you will die here tonight."

As soon as he finished speaking, the blue stripes on his skin lit up again.

However, just as he was about to kill the two of them completely, his expression suddenly changed.

From the dark forest, a Nichirin Blade shot out.

The blue-striped ghost immediately withdrew, dodging the sneak attack, and looked at the location where the sword had been thrown with a gloomy gaze.