After receiving just a single kiss from Soma, Nezuko's entire body felt weak and dizzy, as though all her strength had melted away.
Faced with a Nezuko who was almost completely defenseless toward him, Soma felt that even if he went further, she probably would not resist him at all.
But… he still forced himself to hold back a little.
Only after feeling Soma pull away did Nezuko slowly regain some clarity. Her tightly shut eyes finally opened again at that moment.
The instant she remembered that Soma had just kissed her cheek…
A strange feeling rose uncontrollably within her heart.
Yet the moment she opened her eyes and met Soma's gaze directly, overwhelming embarrassment instantly flooded her again. She had managed to endure it before, but now she truly wished she could dig a hole and hide inside it.
"I… I should go out now. Mother has probably been waiting for a long time."
The girl spoke softly, her voice so quiet it was barely audible. Earlier, Kie Kamado had already come by once, only to silently leave again after seeing her in Soma's arms. Nezuko felt that if she stayed any longer, her mother would start worrying about her.
Although… although if Soma had gone further, she would not have rejected him.
Still, it was an incredibly embarrassing thing to think about.
Soma did not stop her, allowing Nezuko to easily slip free from his embrace. The girl walked out with weak, unsteady steps.
Not long after leaving the room, Nezuko saw her mother standing beneath the wisteria tree in the courtyard outside.
Lowering her head with flushed cheeks, she slowly walked over.
Kie Kamado carefully looked her daughter over from head to toe. Nezuko's clothes were not messy, and aside from her reddened face, everything else seemed normal.
That allowed Kie to quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
As a rather traditional woman, she still believed that certain things were best saved for the wedding night.
"Did you come looking for me, Mother?" Nezuko asked softly.
"Mm. I originally came to ask whether Nezuko wanted to help make some red bean porridge…"
…
Without anyone noticing, time quietly passed.
The sun sank below the horizon, and darkness descended.
Tokyo's most luxurious district, the place where the most powerful and noble families lived, remained brilliantly lit even deep into the night.
Everyone who walked these streets belonged to the highest levels of society. It was also the safest place in all of Tokyo. Even though rumors of demons appeared throughout many parts of the city, not a single demon had ever shown itself here.
Or rather, very few demons dared to step into this district at all.
But tonight, several demons who had previously been knocked unconscious slowly woke up in confusion.
They had originally been wandering the outskirts of Tokyo, preparing to hunt, when a sudden pain struck their heads and everything went black. By the time they regained consciousness, they had somehow appeared in this district.
"Who knocked us out?" One demon rubbed his head while speaking.
The other demons nearby shared the same confusion.
The demons stared at one another, all feeling uneasy deep down. But soon, the scent of humans drifting through the air reached their noses, causing them to inhale sharply.
"Food… so much delicious food…"
Their bloodthirsty instincts and overwhelming hunger immediately filled their crimson eyes with greed.
At last, one demon could no longer suppress its desire to feed and rushed toward the luxurious district ahead.
"Aaahhh!"
A terrified scream shattered the quiet night, breaking the peace this district had maintained for so long.
The one who died was a samurai guarding the entrance gate. He was tall and strong, a man who could easily overpower ordinary people, yet before a demon, his strength meant absolutely nothing.
The demon tore open the samurai's throat, and crimson blood poured onto the ground.
The smell of fresh blood completely stimulated the remaining demons. Unable to hold themselves back any longer, they rushed forward within moments and charged into the most luxurious area in the district.
And within the heart of Tokyo's most noble territory, the most important place without question was the imperial residence itself.
Even though much of its political authority had long since faded, in terms of status, it still remained the most honored place in the entire nation.
At that moment, a grand banquet was being held inside the imperial residence. The elegant sound of shamisen music drifted through the halls while noblewomen moved gracefully through the room, their sleeves swaying softly as they walked.
Several members of the imperial family sat together drinking and chatting leisurely.
"I heard many places have recently been troubled by demons." A noblewoman dressed in a dark purple kimono covered her mouth with a laugh.
"Only uncivilized places would have such problems."
"Exactly," another woman agreed with a smile. "Demons have never dared to come anywhere near this district. After all…" She paused, her tone filled with open arrogance. "Even demons understand the difference between nobles and commoners."
The moment her words fell, a shrill scream suddenly echoed from outside.
"What was that?"
One of the men stood up and looked toward the entrance.
Before he could finish speaking, the doors of the estate were violently slammed open from the outside.
Several demons rushed in.
Their bodies were covered in blood, their skin bluish-purple, their faces twisted and horrifying. Crimson eyes glowed in the darkness, and the terrifying sight of them sent a deep chill through everyone present.
"D-Demons!"
Everyone trembled violently. None of them had imagined these monsters would ever come so close to them.
"Do you wretched creatures have any idea whose domain you have entered?!"
One nobleman forced himself to shout, though his voice was filled with fear beneath the surface bravado.
A demon tilted its head while staring at him before licking its lips slowly. "You look delicious."
The moment the words fell, the demon lunged forward.
Soon, a miserable scream echoed through the hall.
Only then did these powerful nobles finally realize that the status and authority they had always relied upon meant absolutely nothing before demons.
These creatures did not care about rank, wealth, or power.
In the eyes of demons, they were nothing more than food.
Panic instantly erupted.
As another noble was thrown to the ground by a demon, everyone began fleeing in terror.
The elegant noblewomen who usually carried themselves with perfect composure now screamed like frightened animals as they desperately ran for their lives.
But the demons were far too fast.
Like wolves entering a flock of sheep, they pounced on their prey one after another.
One nobleman hid beneath a table, trembling uncontrollably as bloodstained feet ran past before his eyes. His pants were already soaked, but he no longer cared about shame. He only prayed the demons would not notice him.
Then one demon suddenly stopped.
It lowered its head and met his terrified gaze.
"Found you."
Fresh blood soon stained the white tablecloth above him.
The nobles who once looked down upon everyone else now fled in complete chaos like headless insects.
Carriages crashed into one another outside. Lanterns fell to the ground. Fires began spreading through parts of the district, yet no one cared enough to put them out.
The guards dressed in formal uniforms tried to resist, but how could ordinary humans possibly stand against demons?
The swords they once took pride in were meaningless against a demon's regeneration, nothing more than scratches.
"Help! Somebody help!"
"Call the Demon Slayer Corps! Where is the Demon Slayer Corps?!"
"My child! Has anyone seen my child?!"
Cries, screams, and desperate pleas mixed together into complete chaos.
One nobleman wore an expensive kimono with a beautifully decorated sword hanging at his waist, yet he did not even have the courage to draw it. He only struggled desperately in a demon's grip like a fish caught on a hook.
"Please… please don't kill me… I have money… I can give you as much money as you want…"
"Money?"
The demon tilted its head again before revealing a cruel smile.
"What would a demon do with money?"
The moment its fangs pierced into the man's neck, his eyes widened in terror.
In the past, the Ubuyashiki family had approached him many times seeking support for the Demon Slayer Corps.
He had always dismissed them with contempt.
Fighting demons was the Demon Slayer Corps' problem.
It was the responsibility of the cursed Ubuyashiki family, the bloodline tied to Muzan Kibutsuji.
What did any of that have to do with him?
Why should he spend his own money for their sake?
But when the demons truly arrived, regret came far too late.
The night grew darker and darker, yet the flames burning through the district only became brighter.
Tokyo's most luxurious and safest district had now turned into something resembling hell itself.
Before long, the disturbance finally alerted the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen responsible for guarding this area.
Leading them was a tall young man with long hair colored red and yellow like blazing fire. Beneath his thick brows, his eyes shone brightly with spirit, and a confident, passionate smile rested on his face. He wore a haori split between deep crimson and orange-yellow, as though flames themselves draped across his shoulders.
"Rengoku-sama, why would demons appear in a place like this?"
One swordsman lowered his voice in disbelief. For many years, almost no demons had ever dared enter this district.
"This is not the time to discuss that. Save the people first and slay the demons."
"Understood!" Everyone immediately answered in unison.
During these past days, Kyojuro Rengoku had constantly traveled from place to place hunting demons. Although exhaustion weighed heavily on him, he still forced himself forward.
His figure burst ahead like an arrow released from a bowstring, his entire body radiating blazing heat.
"More humans coming to die?"
One demon crouched on the ground while feeding on a corpse. Hearing movement nearby, it sneered mockingly.
"These stupid humans really don't understand how terrify—"
Before it could finish speaking, a burning blade of light suddenly tore through the darkness.
The demon froze in place.
It watched helplessly as its familiar body grew farther and farther away from its vision. Only after crashing to the ground did it realize—
That body was its own.
Its head had already been severed.
"H-How… is that possible…"
The demon was unwilling to accept it, but death had already arrived.
Rengoku stood there holding his Nichirin Sword. Though traces of fatigue could still be seen on his face, the light in his eyes remained brilliantly fierce.
The remaining five demons finally realized that the man before them was completely different from the humans they had faced before.
"Attack together!" one demon roared. "He's only one person!"
All five demons moved at once, lunging toward Rengoku from different directions.
Their speed was incredibly fast, and their coordination was surprisingly smooth, nearly sealing off every possible path of escape.
The nobles hiding nearby watched the scene unfold, their hearts rising into their throats.
But Rengoku did not even blink.
His body lowered slightly, and his sword rested horizontally before him.
At that moment, he resembled a volcano moments away from eruption.
"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"
The blade swept upward.
A crescent-shaped wave of burning sword light exploded outward from Rengoku as the center. The five demons were struck almost simultaneously.
One had an arm severed cleanly away.
Another lost half its head.
Black blood sprayed wildly through the air.
"AAAAHHHH—!!"
Screams rang out one after another.
But Rengoku gave them no chance to recover.
His figure moved between the demons like a blazing flame itself. Every slash of his blade carried scorching heat, as though his entire body had transformed into living fire.
"Third Form: Blazing Universe!"
His sword spun like a fiery spiral, dragging the nearest two demons into a vortex of flames.
They did not even have time to scream before their bodies were shredded apart and reduced to ash.
The remaining three demons completely broke down.
"Run! Hurry and run!"
They turned and fled in different directions without hesitation.
One of them even trampled over the nobles collapsed on the ground just to gain a tiny chance at survival.
Rengoku watched their fleeing backs without immediately chasing after them.
Instead, he slowly inhaled before raising his sword once more.
"Flame Breathing, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation."
His body became a streak of light cutting across the night sky in a curved path.
The demon that had escaped the farthest had already leaped onto a rooftop and was about to jump toward another building when it suddenly felt a cold chill behind it.
Looking down, it saw the crimson flash of a Nichirin Sword.
"When did he…?"
In the next instant, the blade swept through its neck.
The demon's head slid cleanly from its body.
Its body fell from the rooftop and, before it even struck the ground, began to crumble into ash.
The remaining two demons did not manage to escape very far either.
Kyojuro Rengoku's speed was unbelievably fast. It was almost as though he appeared in multiple places at the same time.
A flash of blade light cut through the darkness.
Two heads flew into the air simultaneously before rolling across the ground.
Everything became quiet once more.
From the moment Rengoku made his move to the instant all the demons were slain, only a few breaths had passed.
The Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen behind him had not even had time to fully draw their blades before the battle was already over.
"Rengoku-san is too strong…" One swordsman muttered in admiration, his eyes full of awe.
Rengoku sheathed his Nichirin Sword and turned around, still wearing that passionate, energetic smile.
"Everyone! The demons have all been slain! You are safe now!"
The nobles stared at him blankly for a moment, unable to react.
"W-We're… safe?" one noblewoman asked with a trembling voice.
"You're safe!"
Rengoku nodded firmly before extending a hand toward her.
The noblewoman allowed herself to be helped up. Her legs were still weak, but after seeing the bright sincerity in Rengoku's eyes, much of the fear in her heart strangely faded away.
"Y-You are…"
"Kyojuro Rengoku! Flame Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, the swordsman responsible for this district! I arrived late and allowed you all to suffer fright!"
As he spoke, he immediately turned toward the other Demon Slayers nearby.
"Quickly check for injured people! Prioritize those who need medical attention!"
"Yes!"
The swordsmen immediately scattered in all directions.
Soon, all the Demon Slayers began moving throughout the district to rescue survivors and treat the wounded.
The nobles who had survived the disaster collapsed onto the ground one after another. Some still trembled violently, while others burst into tears.
These people who normally stood high above others now looked utterly miserable.
Dust and blood stained their clothes, and their carefully arranged hair had long since fallen apart.
…
After everything had finally been settled, Rengoku was able to find a brief moment to rest.
Sitting beside a window, he raised his head and looked quietly at the night sky.
He felt puzzled by tonight's events.
For many years, demons had occasionally appeared around Tokyo, but almost none had ever dared attack this district directly.
Demons were becoming more and more rampant.
And also becoming bolder.
Still…
Thankfully, all the demons had been slain.
At no point did Rengoku consider the possibility that these demons had been deliberately released into the district by someone.
…
The demons had been killed, but the existence of demons could no longer be hidden or suppressed afterward.
Especially for the nobles who had personally felt death breathing down their necks, their fear of demons could no longer be controlled.
After all, demons did not care about status, wealth, or power.
In front of demons, everyone was merely food.
And because of that, the Demon Slayer Corps, the organization dedicated to hunting demons, finally entered the public eye.
Support for the Demon Slayer Corps began increasing at an unprecedented rate.
It was not that no one found the sudden appearance of demons in this district suspicious.
But most people only briefly questioned it before their attention was completely overwhelmed by the terror demons inspired.
…
Thus—
For the first time in history, the Demon Slayer Corps began receiving official support on an unprecedented scale.
The organization was formally recognized as an official force.
Not only that, but after learning of the severe losses the Demon Slayer Corps had previously suffered at the hands of Muzan Kibutsuji, the authorities also agreed to fully cooperate with them.
They began providing additional manpower to support the Corps, including combat personnel, researchers, and logistics workers.
The Demon Slayer Corps, which had once been nearly devastated by Muzan, now began recovering and rebuilding itself at a speed even greater than before.
Its strength was growing with every passing moment.
...
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