Demon Slayer: I am a Demon

Chapter 132 The End of All This...Sadness (4/4 (Two-in-One))

The night was as cool as water. Most of the swordsmen participating in the Fujikashi Mountain swordsman assessment were fleeing for their lives in panic. Even the weakest ghosts, even those who had been hungry for a whole year and were weakened by the fragrance of wisteria flowers, were not so easy to deal with.

Ordinary swordsmen can only fight these evil spirits when they are breathing.

Most participants in the assessment could not maintain their "breathing" for long. If they had not ended the battle by the time their "breathing" ended, they would only be devoured by the demon.

Some people with a modicum of rationality, when there is no hope of fighting back, will often choose to leave the mountaintop before their last breath. As long as they leave the mountaintop and enter the area surrounded by wisteria, they can survive.

However, not everyone can remain rational. Some fail to recognize their own limitations, others encounter unexpected events during their escape, or the demons' strength far exceeds expectations. As a result, the entire night was filled with various wails of death on the summit of Fujikasa Mountain.

That's how ghost hunters are.

If you choose to walk this path, death is always inevitable.

"Breath of Thunder, Second Form: Inari Soul"

With a low sound, the dark golden Nichirin Blade instantly unleashed a lightning-shaped five-hit combo.

-

The attacking demon suddenly froze, stopping in its tracks.

With black hair, blue eyes, thick eyebrows, and wearing a magatama pendant, Kaigaku sheathed his sword.

As the sword was sheathed, the demon's body crashed to the ground.

As Kaigaku looked at the fallen demon's body, his eyebrows rose slightly, and the swordsmen beside him quickly stepped forward.

"Senior Brother Kaiyue, you are truly amazing."

"Senior Brother Kaigaku truly lives up to his reputation as a disciple of a 'Pillar'; he's incredibly strong."

The swordsmen all had flattering expressions on their faces.

"It's just average. Everyone will reach my level in the future."

Kaigaku listened to the compliments from the crowd and spoke calmly.

At that moment, he also saw the only female swordsman in the group looking at him with admiration, his thick eyebrows unconsciously raised, and a smile in his blue eyes.

He always believed that no matter what the process was, as long as he survived, he could change the status quo. Now, his efforts have finally paid off.

In the future, he will become a respected and admired Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps.

He was once a homeless orphan who even had to drink muddy water to survive.

Once, when he was a young orphan, he was adopted by people in a temple, but he was also isolated by other orphans there. He was even driven out at night. On the night he was driven out, he was almost eaten by ghosts. In order to survive, he chose to betray the other people in the temple and personally extinguished the lit wisteria incense and candles so that the ghosts would attack others. He also managed to survive by doing so.

After being bullied, he realized that only by having his own strength could he avoid being bullied and change everything.

Upon learning of the powerful swordsmen in Momoyama, he resolutely went there and became a disciple of Kuwajima Jigoro.

After becoming Jigoro Kuwajima's disciple, he has always worked hard and was regarded as a source of pride by his master. His only regret is that he has not yet mastered the "Thunder Breathing: First Form - Thunderclap Flash".

The thought that Zenitsu Agatsuma, that good-for-nothing who always cries, could learn the First Form, and that his master would treat such a good-for-nothing with the same care and love, filled Kaigaku with resentment.

"Boom—Boom—"

The ground began to shake, and trees in the distance collapsed with a crash. Kaigaku also snapped out of his thoughts and looked up into the distance.

A gigantic demon crawled out of the ground, destroying the surrounding trees. Before some people nearby could escape, the demon's tentacles attacked, and several people were swallowed whole.

Kaigaku's pupils contracted involuntarily; such a powerful demon was simply beyond his ability to handle.

After devouring three people, the Hand Demon that crawled out from underground quickly turned its attention to Kaigaku.

"Senior Brother Kaiyue, what should we do?"

A man gripped a knife, trembling all over.

"Senior brother————"

The only female swordsman approached Kaigaku, her eyes filled with fear.

"Boom—Boom—"

The ground shook as a giant hand demon, almost as tall as a house, rushed towards them, crushing countless trees beneath its weight.

"How can there be such a powerful demon?!"

Kaigaku whispered, and seeing his companions looking at him, he smiled instead: "Don't be afraid, everyone. Now, let's all attack together. Leave this demon to me."

Despite their immense fear, Kaigaku's reassurance emboldened them, and they gripped their weapons, charging towards the demon.

The gigantic hand demon also stopped at this moment, with countless tentacles extending out, knocking down or grabbing those who rushed up and stuffing them into its mouth. Occasionally, someone would leap up with a Nichirin Blade and slash at the hand demon's neck, but only sparks would fly between the blade and the neck.

The demon's neck was so hard that even the Nichirin Blade couldn't cut it.

Suddenly, everyone was filled with despair, instinctively hoping that Du Yue would make a move, but when they waited for Senior Brother Kuai Yue to appear, they couldn't help but turn around and see that his back had already run away and only a shadow remained.

"No----"

In a fit of desperate rage and fear, the tentacles coiled up and devoured everyone.

The enormous demon intended to continue its pursuit of Kaigaku, but when it looked up, it saw a fox mask with its eyes closed hanging from a treetop in the distance. Suddenly, the demon stopped in its tracks.

"Here they come again, that person has sent his disciples again."

The Hand Demon stuck out its tongue and greedily licked its lips, letting out a cackling laugh: "Another cute little fox is coming to be dessert."

"Urouge! Urouge, I'm coming to devour your disciple again. Tell me, this time, what kind of torment will you suffer when your disciple fails to return?"

"I really want to see your expression when you hear about your disciple's death!"

"Hehehe————"

Hand Demon chuckled softly, a look of satisfaction in his eyes. He had been trapped in this cage for many years, all thanks to Urokodaki.

In return, he devoured his beloved disciples one by one, cruelly devouring them and watching them die in despair and pain.

The campfire was lit, illuminating the surroundings. A gentle breeze made the flames flicker, but it couldn't dispel the stench that clung to the area.

These foul odors are the smells emitted by ghosts after they die, indicating that countless evil spirits have died in this area.

Another evil spirit that came looking for food had its limbs severed, and then, under the spirit's confused and resentful gaze, Su Mu severed its head.

Constitution +0.1

Strength+0.1

Agility+0.1

Spirit +0.1

The surging power within him made Su Mu's eyes shine even brighter, and the crimson hidden deep within his dark pupils grew even more intense.

Makomo landed on her toes beside Su Mu, her eyes looking at him with a mixture of doubt and a sense of unease.

I feel it's getting more and more dangerous.

Feeling that someone was watching him, Su Mu turned his head, his dark eyes, hidden deep within the crimson, also looking at Makomo.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

As a girl, Makomo was clearly unable to bear it. She turned her head away, her face slightly flushed, and unconsciously reached out to smooth the non-existent stray hairs on her forehead.

"So far, no ghost has shown any interest in that mask. Does a ghost that hunts down the master's disciples really exist here?"

"Who knows?"

Su Mu looked up at the closed-eyed fox mask swaying in the air, and knew clearly in his heart that if the Hand Demon saw this mask, he would definitely come immediately because of his obsession with the Urokodaki disciples.

"Boom—"

The ground shook, and in the distance came the sound of trees breaking.

Makomo's hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of the sword at her waist, and Su Mu also looked up into the distance and saw the enormous demon.

Hand ghost.

It's a demon with blood demon magic; if it were to be devoured, its own strength would likely increase even further.

"How can such a powerful evil spirit exist here?"

Looking at the enormous size of the Hand Demon in the distance, Makomo's mouth gaped slightly. Such a powerful demon should not have appeared here at all.

"I smell it—I smell the scent of Urokodaki's disciples."

"I'm really looking forward to it. I hope it won't be as troublesome as that flesh-haired boy last time. I wonder what it will taste like to swallow Urokodaki's disciple this time. But, that boy last time tasted really good. His muscles were very firm, and the taste was really unforgettable."

As it ran, the Hand Demon's enormous size crushed the surrounding trees, and it muttered under its breath.

As the evil spirit walked, it kept talking to itself, and its voice clearly carried to the surroundings.

Some of this also reached Makomo's ears.

The girl clenched her teeth.

"So, the one who ate the pitiful rabbit was the evil spirit right in front of me."

"Unforgivable."

Makomo pressed her hand against the hilt of the sword at her waist, her beautiful eyes filled with a chilling killing intent amidst her pain.

Soon, the Hand Demon rushed over, extending a tentacle that swept the closed-eyed fox mask from the treetop right in front of it.

"It smells like a Urokodaki disciple—"

The Hand Demon muttered under its breath, "Why is there only a mask? Could it have been eaten by other demons? How could he be so useless? Urokodaki, how could your disciple be so useless!"

"Why don't I eat it?! I should be eating it!"

Hand Demon roared loudly and quickly noticed Su Mu and the others by the campfire, and even more so, Makomo, whose face was full of murderous intent.

"Hey, have you guys seen the person wearing this mask? Have you seen her?"

The Hand Demon raised one of its tentacles and asked Su Mu and the others a question.

But immediately, the Hand Ghost tilted its head slightly, asking curiously, "Everyone else is terrified of me. Just now, a black-haired, blue-eyed man even abandoned his companion and fled in panic. Why aren't you afraid of me?"

"Are you too scared to walk?"

"Look, this pretty little girl is so scared she's crying. How interesting, how interesting."

The Hand Demon's two tentacles clapped in the air, looking quite joyful.

"Why, why————"

Makomo walked towards the demon, tears streaming down her face. "Was it you who killed Sabito?"

"I've killed too many people, I don't know which Sabito you're talking about."

"A fox mask with open eyes."

Makomo gritted her teeth.

"Oh, you mean that boy from last time! I remember him, he was really good. What a pity, what a pity, he had a good chance of beating me, but unfortunately, he didn't have the strength."

"Do you know how firm his muscles are? Do you know how delicious they are to bite into? He's more delicious than any of the previous Urokodaki disciples. The juices from his flesh burst in your mouth, the flavor is simply amazing!"

"Unforgivable, unforgivable."

Makomo gritted her teeth, tilted her head back, and looked at the Hand Demon: "The mask in your hand is mine."

"what!"

The Hand Demon exclaimed in surprise, then exclaimed with delight, "Amazing! Amazing! This time, Urokodaki's disciple is a girl who looks incredibly delicious. Her flesh looks really good, and her skin is so tender. She'll definitely taste wonderful!"

"Quick, put on this mask."

With a flick of its tentacle, the mask flew toward Makomo.

Makomo reached out and caught the flying mask. With tears in her eyes, she put on the smiling fox mask with her eyes closed, as if she were wearing the expectation her teacher had before leaving.

"Haha, this is the mask. Wow, it fits the body perfectly. Every mask Urokodaki wears fits his apprentices so well. The carving technique is superb, superb. It's almost identical to Urokodaki's tengu mask. It feels so familiar, like I'm seeing Urokodaki again."

"Every time I eat someone wearing a mask like this, it feels like I'm eating Urokodaki."

"Hehehe————"

The Hand Ghost laughed loudly, as if recalling the past.

"Were all the senior brothers and sisters eaten by you? Why are you targeting us?"

Makomo gripped her sword, her eyes fixed on the gigantic hand demon, tears streaming down her face, glistening and clear.

"Should we eat them all? Probably."

The Hand Demon fell into thought, while tentacles extended one after another: "One, two—ten, eleven—"

"I can't remember, I can't remember."

"But it's alright. Just thinking about Urokodaki hearing the news of his disciple's death will surely make him very sad, haha, he'll be very sad."

"Imagine Urokodaki's expression upon hearing of his disciple's death; it would be so beautiful, so wonderful. I really want to see it! It would be absolutely amazing."

"As for why I'm targeting you, it's all because of Urokodaki. He's the one who locked me up here, you know? I've been locked up here for decades, only getting one meal a year. Do you know how pitiful that was? It's all because of Urokodaki! I'm just getting my revenge. If you have anyone to blame, blame your master, Urokodaki!"

"Blame your master."

"He's the one who killed you all."

Makomo drew her Nichirin Blade, its blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight. The girl's voice was choked with sobs: "This is absolutely not the teacher's fault."

"Ha ha----"

Hand Demon clapped his hands and laughed: "Every disciple of Urokodaki says the same thing, and every disciple loves their master so much."

"Hahaha----"

"But everyone who loved Urokodaki so much died because of him. It's really... wonderful. If Urokodaki knew, he would be so happy, so incredibly happy."

Makomo didn't say anything more. The coldness in her eyes was as cold as ice. The girl lowered her head and spoke very softly, as if she had no strength at all, but it penetrated into the surroundings and carried the girl's resolute heart.

"I will—end all of this."

"The end of it all—sadness."

As the light voice faded, the girl's figure vanished from the spot, leaving behind afterimages in the air. When she reappeared, she was suspended in mid-air.

The ghost unconsciously raised its head.

A huge silver moon hangs high in the sky.

Against the backdrop of a bright moon, a young girl holds a blade in her hand, her jet-black hair flowing freely. She raises her Nichirin Blade, its blade azure blue, and unleashes the "Water Breathing. Seventh Form: Shizuku Ripple Thrust".