Demon Slayer: Strength Gained with Every Swing of the Sword

One Month Later, Noon

"Ga-ga! Master, master, southwest, southwest! There seems to be a Twelve Kizuki presence there! Please head out immediately to find the demon and kill it!"

Xiao Hei said anxiously.

"Senior Feng Yu, please go quickly. This situation seems urgent!" Tanjiro said, looking at Feng Yu.

"Mm. I was planning to continue training your Total Concentration Breathing, but it seems we'll have to put that on hold. We'll resume once the mission is completed."

"Tanjiro, just continue practicing with the current methods. Building a strong foundation is the most important thing. Your performance this month has exceeded my expectations."

"Alright, I'll be off. Let's inform Sakonji Urokodaki!" Feng Yu said as he leapt onto Xiao Hei, who had already grown larger and was ready to take off.

"By the way, take care of Xiao Bai!"

With a swift takeoff, Xiao Hei shot into the sky, indicating the urgency of the mission.

"Senior Feng Yu, please come back safely. May your martial prowess thrive!"

"I'll take good care of Xiao Bai. We'll be waiting for your return!" Tanjiro shouted toward the direction where Feng Yu and Xiao Hei had disappeared, though their speed was so quick that they were soon out of sight.

"No matter how many times I see it, I'm always startled by Xiao Hei's speed. I really wonder how they trained him…"

Tanjiro shook his head, his gaze becoming more determined as he watched the distant horizon. After a month of grueling training, his strength had transformed greatly, now on par with his previous self when preparing for the final trial.

With the Water Breathing techniques now extended with additional moves, Tanjiro believed that, should he encounter Hand Demon again, he could easily defeat him.

"I wonder how Senior Giyu and Senior Feng Yu came up with the advanced Water Breathing techniques. Could I create my own new Water Breathing technique as well…?"

Tanjiro clenched his fists, looking forward to what the future might hold.

"Southwest… Twelve Kizuki… I don't remember this storyline in the original… Could it be the Butterfly Effect caused by my actions?"

Feng Yu's face grew grim as he thought to himself.

He had a vague, unpleasant feeling about this mission.

"Well, there's nothing we can do but face it head-on. Water and soil will block the attack when it comes."

"Xiao Hei, are there any other Hashira joining us on this mission?"

"Ga-ga, Master, the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kochou, is also coming with us!"

"Shinobu Kochou, huh… that's a bit of a surprise. Could my bad feeling be because of her?"

"Ugh, what am I thinking? I shouldn't be judging Shinobu Kochou like that... She shouldn't cause me any trouble…"

Feng Yu shook his head, though the uneasy feeling continued to gnaw at him.

Elsewhere: Southwest of Tiangcheng Mountain

"Ah! No! Please, don't kill me!"

"Why are there such monsters here?!"

"Someone, please, help me!"

...

Countless screams echoed throughout Tiangcheng Mountain.

The mountain was surrounded by a perpetual mist, with thick trees blocking out the sun. Skeletons were scattered across the ground, with Demon Slayer uniforms and Nichirin Swords discarded nearby.

There were bloodstains everywhere, some still fresh. Severed heads, limbs, and other gruesome remnants littered the ground—this was a battlefield of horrors.

A battlefield for the Demon Slayer Corps!

It was also the hunting ground for evil demons!

The demons were feeding on the still-breathing members of the Demon Slayer Corps, tearing them apart, drinking their blood, and spilling it all over the ground, forming a ten-meter-long streak of crimson.

The demons howled.

The humans screamed.

Despite the strength of some of the Demon Slayer members, their resistance was futile. With each line falling, more demons began focusing on those still fighting back.

The number of demons grew, but the Demon Slayer forces grew fewer.

"Damn it! What's happening? Why hasn't the Hashira come to help us yet?!"

"I should never have come… I should never have come…"

"We're going to die here… We're going to be eaten by these demons…"

"Everyone's dead… Everyone's dead…"

...

The demons' numbers were increasing, while the Demon Slayer members continued to fall, and despair began to spread.

"Everyone, we must pull ourselves together! Even if we die here today, we must fight with everything we have to kill as many demons as possible!"

"Don't forget why we joined the Demon Slayer Corps!"

One of the A-ranked Demon Slayer Corps members shouted.

But it was all in vain. The screams of their dying comrades surrounded them, gnawing at their spirits.

"Ahhh! I'll fight you to the end! Damn demons!"

A younger member of the Demon Slayer Corps rushed forward, wielding his Nichirin Sword.

"Don't!"

The A-ranked member shouted.

But it was too late.

A demon with a face resembling a praying mantis appeared in front of the rushing member. Its expression was mocking.

In the blink of an eye, the demon became a blur.

Then, the young member's body was split in two.

"I... I…"

The young member's eyes widened, unable to comprehend the scene before him. In an instant, he was dead.

The mantis demon returned to its original position and licked the blood off its scythe-like tongue.

"Hahaha, how delicious! Scream! Scream more! I'll kill all of you, and then eat you bit by bit!"

The mantis demon's face twisted with madness.

"Hey, Mantis, are you looking down on us?"

The other demons nearby sneered, clearly displeased with the mantis demon's arrogance.

"Hmph, those two adults said that whoever kills the humans gets to claim them as prey!"

The mantis demon sneered.

"Then let's see who kills the most!"

The others grinned.

"However, those two adults did say that we must kill them slowly, so we can draw more of the Demon Slayer Corps' reinforcements..."

"Hehehe!"

"Hahaha!"

The demons all laughed, knowing full well who the "two adults" were—the legendary Twelve Kizuki.

And not just any Twelve Kizuki, but ones of high rank.

If it weren't for the goal of luring in more powerful reinforcements, these demons would have already wiped out the remaining members of the Demon Slayer Corps and devoured them all.

They were just biding their time to trap even stronger opponents!

"This is bad… they're using us as bait to lure the Hashira…"

"And this mountain might hide even more terrifying presences…"

One of the Demon Slayer members with sensing abilities spoke shakily.

He could feel an even more powerful presence lurking nearby.

The demonic energy from these demons, though potent, didn't match the ominous aura he was sensing.

He knew all too well—the presence was far beyond the strength of ordinary demons.

Could it be the Twelve Kizuki?

He felt true despair.

"We're going to die… we're all going to die..."

"They're just torturing us..."

A fellow member, noticing his despair, spoke up in an attempt to reassure him, "Don't give up, the Hashira are coming! We just need to hold on!"

The sensing member looked up at the trembling comrade and gave a weary smile.

"Yes... even if we die... we'll take one demon down with us..."

The Demon Slayer Corps members who had the ability to perceive adjusted their breathing, changed their previous desperate attitude, and looked firmly at the evil demon in front of them who was still laughing. 

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Shoutout to:

Jokull Runarsson 

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