The deeper he went into the forest, the thicker the stench of rot became. Ryousuke picked up a stone from the damp earth, coated it with the wisteria powder he carried in a small pouch, and flicked it deep into the dark mouth of the cave.
"ROAAAR!"
A furious howl shattered the silence of the woods. A dark blur streaked out of the cavern.
The demon was hunched, moving on all fours, its skin a sickly, putrid grey-green. Its head was unnaturally elongated, with fangs dripping thick, black bile. Its eyes locked onto Ryousuke with primal hatred.
"Demon Slayer... you gnats just never go away!"
"Yo. Old acquaintance?" Ryousuke dropped into a low stance, his thumb clicking the guard of his white blade. He vanished into a streak of light. "Let's skip the small talk."
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring echoed. To Ryousuke's shock, the demon swung a massive claw and actually parried the strike.
Wait a minute. This isn't a ten-day-lifespan snack. This thing is a whole meal—maybe even stronger than the Hand Demon.
Ryousuke felt a surge of adrenaline. His movements blurred, his blade crackling with golden electricity against the lustrous white steel.
"Thunder Breathing, Third Form: Thunder Swarm!"
In an instant, a flurry of lightning-fast slashes rained down from every direction as Ryousuke circled the target.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The demon struggled to defend, its body quickly becoming a map of bleeding gashes.
"Finish!" Ryousuke roared, flickering behind the creature. His Nichirin Sword swept through the demon's neck in a clean, horizontal arc.
He exhaled a cloud of white vapor, his nerves beginning to settle—until he realized something was wrong. There was no System notification. And the feeling of the cut...
It was too light. I only took the skin and a bit of muscle.
But the head had clearly fallen off. How?
He didn't have time to process it. His instincts screamed turn!
Ting—!
Sparks flew as Ryousuke parried a sudden strike. The severed head, which should have been dissolving, was flying through the air—and it had caught his blade between its teeth!
Too fast! Too close!
He shoved the head back with the flat of his blade, but a massive fist whistled toward him from behind.
BOOM!
A heavy blow slammed into Ryousuke's back. He was sent sprawling, crashing into an ancient cedar tree. He clutched his chest, eyes wide with disbelief.
The demon's head was floating in mid-air, while the headless body stood firmly on the ground, fists clenched.
What the hell? A demon that survived decapitation? No, wait... are you seriously more broken than an Upper Moon?
"Heheheh..." The floating head let out a piercing, shrill laugh.
Ryousuke narrowed his eyes. A memory from his previous life—old Japanese folklore—flickered in his mind. The description matched perfectly.
"Damn it! It's a Hitoban!" Ryousuke growled.
In the legends, the Hitoban—or Rokurokubi—could detach its head and act as two separate entities. This wasn't a demon that had overcome decapitation; it was two consciousnesses in one body, a symbiotic parasite.
"Head and body working separately... you guys really know how to party," Ryousuke complained.
His tactical assessment was off. This thing was significantly more dangerous than a standard mid-tier demon.
"Hehehe!" The head shrieked as the body lunged forward again.
Ryousuke sliced through the body's reaching arms, but the head circled behind him, its mouth unhinging.
"Blood Demon Art: Mad Needles!"
A cloud of blood mist erupted and solidified into hundreds of crystalline red needles, raining down on him.
Ryousuke's pupils shrank. Static roared around him like a physical barrier.
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rice Spirit!"
The white blade transformed into five overlapping slashes of lightning.
Clang-clang-clang!
The blood needles shattered into dust. Simultaneously, the body's arms regenerated, and it swung a heavy hook. Ryousuke didn't retreat; he charged forward, straight at the floating head.
One of them has to go first!
Slash!
The blade bit deep. The head shrieked, darting back, but Ryousuke had already taken its jaw off.
"You cursed Slayer!" the head hissed, its flesh bubbling as it tried to heal.
"Stop babbling and die! Seki-nai!"
Ryousuke sheathed his sword, leaned forward, and let the lightning explode. Every ounce of his willpower channeled into his legs.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Triple Fold!"
BOOM!
The earth cracked under his feet. He became a bolt of golden light.
Rip!
The head, unable to dodge in time, was split down the middle. Before the body could react, Ryousuke's momentum carried him through the torso.
Screee—!
With a final, jagged scream, the Hitoban crumbled into ash.
Ryousuke didn't bother looking at its memories. He didn't care about its tragic past or how it met Muzan. He only cared about the payout.
[High-tier Demon 'Hitoban' slain. Lifespan +3 Years. Current Lifespan: 4 Years, 14 Days.]
Three years! A massive haul. He was nearly halfway to his "New Liver" goal.
Ryousuke hummed a tuneless song as he began bandaging his cracked ribs. He set off a signal flare to call the Kakushi.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps approached.
"Where?! I smell blood! Hang in there, I'm coming!"
A young man in the Corps uniform burst into the clearing. He saw Ryousuke, drew his sword instantly, and began scanning the area for the demon.
"Rest and recover! That flying-head demon is a nightmare to deal with!"
"Actually, about that..."
The newcomer, Iwasaki Soma, cut him off. "Don't push yourself! You'll lose your life!"
Can you let me finish a sentence, you idiot?
Ryousuke stood up and patted the boy on the shoulder. "Relax. The demon is already gone."
"Yeah, sure... wait, WHAT?!" Iwasaki's eyes bugged out. "You... alone?"
"Yeah. Got a few broken ribs. Pain in the ass."
"That's... that's incredible!" Iwasaki was almost vibrating with excitement. "The Kakushi reports said this thing was a killer! It's killed several of our comrades because decapitation didn't work. You took it down by yourself?! You must be a Hashira? Or at least a Kinoe? Maybe Hinoe?"
"Uh, yeah..."
Ryousuke held up the back of his hand. As he focused his breathing, the character for Mizunoto (癸) glowed faintly on his skin.
"Mizunoto rank. Yasui Ryousuke. Joined less than a month ago."
The forest went silent. Iwasaki's face froze in a state of terminal shock.
"Mizunoto?!" he shrieked, his voice hitting a high note. "How is that possible?! That was a demon that even Shinho-rank members struggled with! You... alone... and you're a rookie?!"
Iwasaki's world-view was crumbling. Then, a lightbulb went off. "Wait... are you the Yasui? The one from the Selection?"
"Yeah."
There was no hiding it. Between the Selection and meeting Oyakata-sama, his name was traveling fast. Ryousuke flopped onto the grass, exhausted.
"Iwasaki, right? Just call the Kakushi. I need to get back to Momoyama and fix these ribs."
He looked at the stunned rookie and shrugged. "And don't worry about the rank. As long as the demon is dead, the rest is just paperwork."