Raiden finished preparing and stepped outside to meet Tanjiro and Zenitsu.
Zenitsu was clinging to Tanjiro, loudly insisting that Tanjiro let him carry Nezuko's box. Tanjiro looked visibly troubled. Although he knew Zenitsu was also a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, they had only just met, and he did not feel comfortable entrusting Nezuko to him so easily.
Caught between hesitation and courtesy, Tanjiro instinctively turned to Raiden for help.
Bang.
Raiden acted without hesitation, planting a clean punch on Zenitsu's head.
"Raiden, what was that for?" Zenitsu yelped, clutching his head.
In the past, Raiden had never beaten Zenitsu in arm wrestling or physical contests, so Zenitsu initially did not think much of it. But now, the punch felt like being struck by a hammer. His knees almost buckled.
"Girls don't like clingy men," Raiden said calmly.
Zenitsu's complaints froze on his lips. He straightened up immediately, posture stiff and obedient.
Behind Tanjiro, Nezuko quietly peeked out, her eyes briefly settling on Raiden before she retreated again.
[Detected that Tanjiro Kamado's intimacy with the host has increased to 'Friend'.]
[Random reward obtained.]
[Skill acquired: Water Breathing First Form, Water Surface Slash (Mastery).]
[Fuse now?]
[No]
Raiden glanced at Tanjiro with mild surprise.
That counted as becoming friends already?
It seemed raising intimacy was not as difficult as he had assumed. For a fleeting moment, he considered whether befriending more Blood Demon Art users might increase his chances of drawing useful rewards.
The thought faded just as quickly.
Tanjiro's kindness and straightforward nature played a major role in how quickly their bond formed. Raiden had also helped him at a crucial moment, naturally closing the distance between them.
Demons were different.
They wanted to eat him.
Even if Raiden could suppress them with force, controlling their minds was another matter entirely. Compared to that, meeting demons for the first time and making quick judgments was far more efficient.
As dawn fully broke, the group set off. A Kasugai Crow descended from above, flapping its wings as it cried out.
"South southeast, south southeast. Proceed to the next mission location."
"Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, Raiden. You are to complete this mission together."
The crow circled once before flying off. Zenitsu's sparrow hopped along beside him, chirping energetically as if responding to orders of its own.
Zenitsu let out a quiet sigh. Raiden's and Tanjiro's Kasugai Crows could relay clear instructions. His sparrow only chirped, and he could not understand a word of it.
The Drum Mansion was not far from Asakusa.
After nearly an hour of travel, Raiden caught the familiar stench of a demon.
Tanjiro noticed it at the same time, his expression darkening slightly.
"Zenitsu, hurry up," Raiden said, quickening his pace. "We're close."
Zenitsu stiffened. While he was no longer paralyzed by fear at the thought of demons, the nervous tension still crept into his limbs.
Tanjiro looked at Raiden's back with surprise.
He relied on his keen sense of smell, but Raiden had noticed the demon just as quickly. What was Raiden using to track it?
Following the scent, the trio arrived before a secluded courtyard.
Two children were trembling in the forest nearby. Raiden gestured toward them, signaling Tanjiro to handle it.
As Tanjiro approached the siblings, Raiden turned his attention to the mansion itself.
Every door and window was tightly shut, sealed like a coffin.
Raiden inhaled slowly. Inside, the smells of humans and demons were tangled together. Yet the demonic stench was weaker than he had expected.
The intensity of a demon's scent was Raiden's way of gauging its strength.
Judging by this alone, he had likely overestimated Kyogai.
Raiden pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The interior was pitch black. He wrinkled his nose slightly. There were no demons nearby, for now.
The door closed on its own behind him.
The sound snapped Tanjiro and Zenitsu out of their focus on the siblings. When they turned back, the mansion door was shut, and Raiden was gone.
"Raiden went in alone?" Tanjiro said, alarmed.
From the children's account, one or more demons inside had already devoured many people. Even with Raiden's strength, charging in alone carried risk.
Tanjiro had to help.
He glanced at Zenitsu. From their brief interactions, he understood that Zenitsu was powerful but deeply timid. Perhaps Zenitsu could stay behind and watch Nezuko.
"Zenitsu, I need to go in and help Raiden," Tanjiro said quickly. "Please watch over Nezuko for me. She's very important."
Tanjiro had barely finished when Zenitsu shook his head, eyes fixed on the mansion.
"No. I'm going in too."
Tanjiro was stunned. Zenitsu knew demons were inside, yet he was insisting on entering?
This was not how he had behaved earlier.
Still, there was no time to question it. Tanjiro entrusted Nezuko to the siblings and entered the mansion alongside Zenitsu.
Inside, Raiden moved steadily forward, following the lingering stench.
This time, his priority was clear. Befriend Kyogai first, then deal with Inosuke.
Neither should be difficult.
If Kyogai refused, Raiden would simply beat him until he agreed.
As for Inosuke, the boy believed in strength above all else. Displaying overwhelming power would earn his acknowledgment easily.
As Raiden considered his objectives, a faint drumbeat echoed through the room.
He stepped off the wall and landed smoothly on the floor below.
Frowning, Raiden exhaled through his nose.
Again.
This was the third time he had heard the drums. Each beat altered his position within the mansion, changing the distance between him and Kyogai.
Tanjiro and Zenitsu should have only just entered. They would not have encountered Kyogai yet.
Which meant this drum was not Kyogai's doing.
Was it the rare blood child? Had he encountered danger again?
The thought irritated Raiden.
He was not concerned about facing Kyogai. What bothered him was the constant shifting of the rooms, preventing a direct confrontation.
"Hm?"
Raiden lifted his head, eyes locking onto the far end of the room.
A demon's scent drifted from the shadows, faint and unimpressive.
Much weaker than Kyogai's.
If Raiden remembered correctly, there were three demons inside the Drum Mansion. Kyogai, the Tongue Demon, and the Gluttonous Demon.
They had fought over the right to devour the rare blood child, Kiyoshi. During the struggle, one of Kyogai's drums had been torn away and ended up in Kiyoshi's hands.
Using it, the child had escaped, while the three demons continued hunting him through the mansion.
The presence ahead of Raiden could only be the Tongue Demon or the Gluttonous Demon.
As the thought settled, a massive figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
Its bloated body was layered with swollen flesh. A short, sharp horn protruded from the center of its forehead. Cracks ran across its skin like fractures in porcelain, as though its body might shatter at any moment.