Demon Slayer: I am a Demon

"That ghost... has appeared."

Urokodaki Sakonji's voice was low and heavy.

Makomo was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding what kind of ghost could make her master care so much.

"Stay here and train well on Mount Sagiri. I will continue to guide you when I return..."

Urokodaki Sakonji turned around, gave Makomo a few words of advice, and then left.

"Master, remember to eat properly. You haven't eaten for several days; your body will..."

The girl looked at her master's back and wanted to say something more about taking care of himself, but he had already disappeared from sight.

The vast, misty mountain was deserted, with only the lone figure of the young girl.

"Which ghost is it?"

Makomo was lost in thought when, without realizing it, she arrived at the giant rock in the jungle.

The huge stone is covered with knife marks, some old and some new, markings left by many senior brothers, sisters, and even junior brothers.

Makomo gently stroked the two newest engravings, left by Sabito and Giyu Tomioka before they participated in the "Fujikasayama" trial. Now, however, they have not returned.

Her master didn't tell her the outcome, but she already had some predictions.

Her lips clenched unconsciously.

He shook his head, deciding to stop thinking about it.

For any Demon Slayer, death is inevitable. One must never dwell on sorrow, but rather move forward, wiping away tears and continuing onward.

Even if she is not a swordsman now, she will become a swordsman in the future.

She wanted to cry, but she tried to purse her lips to stop herself from shedding tears. At the same time, she tried to keep her mind active so that she wouldn't think about those sad things.

"The only demons that can make Master pay attention are the Twelve Demon Moons. If it were just an ordinary Lower Rank Demon, there would be no need to alarm Master, who has already gone into seclusion. Could it be an Upper Rank Demon among the Twelve Demon Moons? But even if it is an Upper Rank Demon, there will be other Pillars to deal with it. There is no need to trouble Master. After all, although Master is still a Pillar, he is very old and has been in seclusion for a long time."

"Could it be...?"

In an instant, Makomo understood what it was that could alarm her master and cause the Demon Slayer Corps to be involved.

Only in this world, the source of ghosts, could the higher-ups be so eager to send their master out of seclusion.

As a senior "Pillar," my master possesses ample experience in dealing with demons, a skill many swordsmen, even "Pillars," lack. Furthermore, his sense of smell is extremely keen, allowing him to discern human emotions through scent and identify demons disguised as humans...

Only this one, only this ghost could make Master so terrified.

Yes

Only the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji.

At that moment, Makomo clenched her fists.

No member of the Demon Slayer Corps would be unaware of or forget the name of Muzan Kibutsuji, the progenitor of demons.

The Demon Slayer Corps' ultimate goal.

Similarly, this is also the reason why the Demon Slayer Corps exists.

Only by slaying Muzan Kibutsuji can the demons of this world be completely eradicated.

but……

It's really too difficult to kill Muzan Kibutsuji.

It wasn't just that Muzan Kibutsuji was incredibly powerful, but also that he was extremely good at hiding.

As far as she knew, Muzan Kibutsuji could not only perfectly hide in the crowd, but also freely change his appearance and even his gender. Moreover, since all demons were created from Muzan Kibutsuji's blood, all demons were cursed by him, and anyone who uttered his name would be destroyed by him.

This makes it impossible for the Demon Slayer Corps to find Muzan Kibutsuji through other demons.

In addition, Muzan Kibutsuji is too cautious, so much so that he has only appeared a handful of times in the past thousand years.

The last time Muzan Kibutsuji appeared was when the location of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters was exposed. That was the first time in hundreds of years that Muzan Kibutsuji had truly made a move, and he almost killed the "Headmaster". In order to protect the "Headmaster", the swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps who were practicing the "Sun Breathing" fought desperately to stop him, which allowed the "Headmaster" to escape.

However, this also led to the deaths of almost all swordsmen who practiced the "Breathing of the Sun" technique in that battle.

This also led to the extinction of the "Sun Breathing" training within the Demon Slayer Corps.

As of now, the Demon Slayer Corps has no swordsmen who have mastered the "Sun Breathing" technique.

"If only we could find Muzan Kibutsuji and kill him completely."

Makomo stood before the boulder, silently thinking that if she could kill Muzan Kibutsuji, so many people wouldn't be killed by demons, their happiness wouldn't be destroyed by demons, and so many people wouldn't die on their demon-hunting journey.

"Ugh!"

The girl sighed softly, her hand gently tracing the marks left on the boulder. Then, she turned and went back to the house halfway up the mountain, picking up the knife hanging on the wall.

A Nichirin Blade that belonged to her.

Ordinary people can only obtain a Nichirin Blade specially made for them by the Demon Slayer Corps by passing the swordsman test of "Fujikasayama".

However, since she was a disciple of "Water Pillar" "Urodaki Sakonji", and "Urodaki Sakonji" had a good relationship with a swordsmith in the sword-forging village, she received special treatment. Her master's friend had a Nichirin Blade custom-made for her.

In fact, not only does she have her own Nichirin Blade, but Sabito does too, as do the other senior brothers and sisters who embarked on the "Fujikasayama" assessment.

"My master repeatedly exhausted his favors, repeatedly filled with expectations, only to be disappointed time and time again..."

Makomo unsheathed her sword, gently stroked the blade, feeling its coolness, and narrowed her eyes slightly, revealing a beautiful slit.

"Just how difficult was Fujikasayama's trial? So difficult that even Sabito couldn't return?"

The girl bit her lip slightly, thinking of her master sitting alone on the mountaintop since receiving the news, and of his hunched back as he gently stroked the fox masks he had made to ward off disasters in his room.

"No matter what, I must pass next year's 'Fujiyama' test. I absolutely cannot let my master down again." The girl gently stroked the blade and then carefully sheathed it.

He closed the door, looked up, and murmured in the direction where Hiroshi Furukawa had left: "The test for 'Fujikata Mountain' is to survive for seven days on a mountaintop where ghosts exist."

As she spoke, Makomo pressed the fox mask on her face slightly, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits: "Let me see what these so-called demons are like, let me know just how different I am from them."

"Only in this way can we ensure that we truly pass the assessment next year."

The girl lightly touched the ground and chased after the place where Hiroshi Furukawa had left.