Deep within the snow-covered mountain forest.
Crack!
A crisp sound echoed as Maito expressionlessly snapped off his own shattered right arm.
His golden pupils showed no fluctuation.
After tearing off the broken limb, the flesh at the severed end began to squirm and regenerate, new muscle and bone rapidly growing back.
However, compared to his usual recovery speed, the regeneration of the severed arm was now much slower.
Normally, Maito could fully restore a broken limb in just a few seconds.
But the bloody battle against Akaza had drained far too much of his stamina.
At this thought, a flicker of both admiration and wariness flashed through Maito's eyes.
What he admired was Akaza's exceptionally refined martial arts—among all the opponents Maito had faced over centuries, Akaza's skills ranked within the top three.
As for the wariness, he was directed towards the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji.
So far, Maito had clashed with both Upper Moon Two, Douma and Upper Moon Three, Akaza—neither of whom could be underestimated.
Crucially, both demons had already endured fierce battles before facing Maito.
Of course, Douma's condition at the time had been far worse.
Yet even so, their strength had left a deep impression on him.
Because of this, Maito cast aside the centuries of contempt he had held towards Muzan and his subordinates.
Just as Maito was lost in reflection, an unfamiliar presence suddenly emerged behind him—a scent both bloody and sinister.
"Who's there?!"
BOOM!!
Despite his depleted stamina, the explosive aura radiating from Maito violently shook the surrounding forest.
Countless heaps of snow were dislodged from the trees, cascading down like another heavy snowfall.
His golden pupils swiftly locked onto a direction.
From the shadows of the nearby woods, a writhing black figure was slowly approaching.
Whoosh!
Maito's brow furrowed.
As the shadow drew nearer, his flaring aura gradually subsided—clearly, he recognized the newcomer.
"Lee, why are you here?"
Reflected in those golden eyes was a petite figure.
Jet-black hair covered half his face, while the exposed portion was deathly pale.
His mouth was wrapped in layers of bandages and a single gray eye drooped lazily, devoid of vitality.
An oversized robe hung loosely on his body, giving him an air of lethargy.
Hearing Maitos question, the figure named Lee let out a wide yawn, revealing sharp fangs—proof that he, too, was a demon.
"Mmhah~ Emmm, Shokyu was worried you'd get into trouble out here, so he sent me to find you. Ugh, so sleepy~" Lee mumbled listlessly, his frail body swaying unsteadily as if on the verge of collapsing into slumber.
Watching Lee's demeanor, Maito's frown deepened.
He had always been at odds with this lazy demon, dug out from a graveyard by Shokyu two centuries ago.
Especially since, over these past two hundred years, the creature had spent at least a hundred and ninety of them asleep inside a coffin.
Maito never had a good expression for lazy fellows.
With a cold snort, he turned and walked away.
The sleepy demon swayed in place for a moment, barely lifting his drooping eyelids before belatedly following in Maito's footsteps.
*****
Meanwhile, in the nearby mountain forest...
Three—no, four figures were searching along the path: Shinichi, Shinobu, a girl named Yae and an adorable little Shiba Inu named Taro.
Perhaps because of Maru-ni, Shinichi got along exceptionally well with Taro, who kept circling him enthusiastically, wagging his tail.
The cute pup also made Shinichi miss Maru-ni back at headquarters.
Hmm, if only Maru-ni could be as slim as Taro...
As they searched for the "killer bear," Yae seemed visibly troubled.
After Shinichi revealed his identity as a police officer, everything went smoothly.
At the police station, a flash of his badge had the local officers scrambling to assist, providing whatever information he needed.
After getting a general understanding of the situation, Shinichi used his authority to order the mountain sealed off for two days while he handled the killer bear incident.
The officers readily complied, even offering help—though Shinichi, seeing how they all hunched their shoulders in fear, politely declined with a smile.
However, an unexpected twist occurred along the way.
At Shinobu's request, the girl named Yae joined their hunt for the "killer bear."
Shinichi glanced at Yae a few times but didn't object.
And so, the trio—plus one dog—ventured into the snowy mountains.
"Yae-san, your fever hasn't gone down yet. Make sure to keep yourself warm~" Shinobu said softly, smiling as she moved closer to Yae.
But Yae only gave her an uneasy look before muttering, "I'm fine."
Her demeanor clearly suggested otherwise—she was preoccupied, something both Shinichi and Shinobu noticed.
Sure enough, after a while, Yae hesitantly asked Shinobu, "Is there really no way for a Demon to become human again?"
Shinichi subtly glanced back at Yae.
On the way here, Shinobu had honestly explained the Demon Slayer Corps and the nature of Demons.
After hearing this, Yae had fallen silent for a long time, her eyes clouded with unmistakable worry.
At Yae's question, Shinobu couldn't help but look at Shinichi.
Yet, her violet eyes remained pure.
"Well... so far, no Demon has ever turned back into a human. But nothing is absolute. Even among Demons, there might be some with kind hearts."
Hearing this, Shinichi felt warmth in his chest.
But the moment his gaze met Shinobu's, a strange sensation surged within him, forcing him to quickly turn away as if nothing had happened.
"A Demon... with a kind heart?" Yae's eyes darkened further.
She lowered her head in silence and, unseen by Shinichi and Shinobu, ran her fingers over the rifle that once belonged to her father.
She had made a decision.
Soon after, Yae excused herself, claiming she wasn't feeling well, successfully delaying Shinichi and Shinobu.
Then, alone with Taro and carrying the rifle, she dashed off in a certain direction—her eyes filled with unwavering resolve.
Shinichi and Shinobu remained where they were, exchanging a glance that revealed a trace of emotion in each other's eyes.
Shinobu, "It seems Yae-san is a very upright person."
Shinichi nodded, his heterochromatic eyes also gazing into the distance.
"Indeed. But, Shinobu, thank you for what you said earlier."
Shinobu knew what Shinichi meant.
She stepped closer to him and gently took his hand.
This time, Shinichi slowly responded, clasping her hand in return.
"So.... Shinichi-kun, you must—absolutely must—remember this. You are Shinichi Moriki, the Forest Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. Always and forever. Never leave us, never leave..."
'...me.'
The final word remained unspoken, but Shinichi's grip on Shinobu's hand tightened even more.
-----------------------------
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