"I'm going to die!!! I'm really going to die this time!!!"
Zenitsu's scream echoed through the corridor.
Senior Aoyama was gone.
The little girl was gone.
That open room held nothing but empty air.
All that remained were himself, injured Tanjiro, and a small boy.
Aside from death—
Zenitsu couldn't imagine any other outcome.
"Zenitsu, calm down. Senior Brother will be fine. Don't panic."
Zenitsu abruptly stopped screaming and looked at Tanjiro with a blank face.
"I'm not worried about him. I want to be with Senior Aoyama! And the reason I'm panicking is you. You're injured. You can't protect me, can you?"
Black lines slid down Tanjiro's forehead.
So this was somehow his fault now?
"Shoji! Shoji! Shoji! Where are you?!"
The boy shouted desperately for his missing sister.
Zenitsu lunged forward and grabbed him.
"Don't shout! Don't shout! Absolutely don't shout!"
Tanjiro's mouth twitched slightly.
Wasn't the one screaming just now… you?
"Senior Aoyama said shouting would attract those monsters! That would be bad!"
Zenitsu's imagination filled in horrifying images automatically.
"We should leave! Let's go outside and wait for Senior Aoyama and Shoji!"
The boy looked at him with open disdain.
"What? Why should we leave? You just want to save yourself!"
"You kept yelling you're going to die. Aren't you embarrassed? You're even clinging to a kid's arm. Don't you feel ashamed?"
…
An invisible arrow pierced Zenitsu's heart.
Critical hit.
He felt as though fate itself had grabbed him by the back of the neck.
His body tipped backward dramatically.
This kid's words were too sharp…
There were multiple demon presences in this house. With Aoyama gone, Tanjiro knew he couldn't waste time.
He heard movement somewhere down the corridor.
If Zenitsu wanted to leave, he could take the boy out through the back entrance.
Tanjiro decided to move first and ran toward the sound.
When Zenitsu finally scrambled up—
Tanjiro was gone.
That sealed it.
He definitely couldn't stay here.
Grabbing the boy, he rushed toward the entrance.
"Let's go! Let's go! I only wanted to find adults because I'm useless!"
"Let go! I'm not leaving!"
The boy dragged his feet stubbornly.
"Do you even understand what's happening? This isn't something you and I can handle!"
Clack—
Zenitsu flung open the door.
He expected to see the outside.
Freedom.
Safety.
Instead—
Another room.
"What—?! Wasn't this the entrance?!"
He frantically opened several other doors.
Every single one led to empty rooms.
"Wh-What?! We can't get out!"
Reality struck like thunder.
Grinding his teeth, he yanked open another door.
A shadow stood in the darkness.
"T-Tanjiro?" he whispered.
The figure slowly turned.
Two enormous eyes stared back.
That wasn't the worst part.
The worst part—
It had a wild boar's head.
Steam puffed from its snout.
"AHHHHHHH!!!"
"Monster!!!"
The shock hit Zenitsu straight in the heart.
The figure burst forward in a blur and disappeared down the hall.
Zenitsu crouched on the floor, clutching his head, trembling violently.
The boy stood up, staring at him blankly.
"It's gone already. Why are you still scared?"
Zenitsu looked up tearfully.
"I don't like that look! Stop looking at me like that!"
Meanwhile, in another room—
Aoyama's hand rested on his blade.
If Kyogai made even the slightest move—
He would strike instantly.
"If not for them… if not for those nuisances…"
Kyogai muttered angrily.
"If they hadn't interfered, I wouldn't have let one escape. Why do they always run into other people's homes? Infuriating. Those were my prey."
Aoyama slowly removed his hand from Shoji's mouth, signaling her to hide in the corner.
His blade slid gradually from its sheath.
Once she was safely tucked against the wall, he spoke coldly:
"Prey? Since when are living humans your prey?"
"I discovered them on my territory. They belong to me!"
Aoyama let out a soft, mocking laugh.
"What a wonderful justification."
His eyes lifted, sharp as drawn steel.
"In that case… you are now my prey."
Kyogai barely paid attention, still muttering about the rare-blood child who escaped.
Eating that one would equal devouring fifty… maybe even a hundred humans.
Aoyama's foot pressed off the ground.
He launched forward—
Blade flashing straight toward the Drum Demon at the doorway.
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