"The scent of a demon is here."
Those were the first words from Suzuki Makoto and Tengen Uzui upon arriving at the cult's church, and they immediately defined the nature of their intelligence.
"Is the demon here now?"
"No, it's just the lingering scent of a demon, probably from some time ago. This doesn't seem to be a place a demon frequents."
Hearing this, Tengen Uzui stood up, his expression serious.
"In that case, I'll go and investigate to see if I can find more of their bases."
"Alright, I'll leave it to you, Mr. Tengen."
Suzuki Makoto didn't stop him. He was well aware of the methods a shinobi uses to obtain information, and he wasn't about to feel any misplaced sense of justice over the interrogation of cultists.
After Tengen Uzui left, Suzuki Makoto also began to wander around the base, thinking he might find some important locations by following the concentration of the demon's scent and thus gather some intelligence.
However, to his surprise, the place with the thickest demonic scent was not some secret chamber or the main building—
but the grave mound before his eyes.
Suzuki Makoto looked at the tombstone, raising an eyebrow.
"'Tomb of Kotoha Hashibira... Hashibira?'"
He recalled the intel about Inosuke Hashibira; he had been raised by wild boars from a very young age, making him more like a beast than a human. And judging by the wear on the tombstone, it must have been there for over a decade.
His search yielded no other results, so he returned to his original spot to wait for Tengen Uzui's return.
A shinobi is, of course, efficient. In no time, the Sound Hashira returned with concrete information.
"Confirmed. Their leader is currently at the main temple in Kyoto."
Suzuki Makoto didn't ask how the information was confirmed, nor did he ask about the strange stains on the map. He simply nodded.
"Mr. Tengen, would you mind investigating one more thing for me?"
"What is it?"
"It's about that grave over there. Someone named Kotoha Hashibira is buried in it."
"Give me another ten minutes."
Five minutes later, the shinobi reappeared before Suzuki Makoto, looking relaxed.
"The story is she was a woman kept by the cult leader fifteen years ago and had a child. But one day, while the leader was away initiating new believers, the woman escaped with the child in her arms. In the end, it's said the child was thrown from a cliff into the rapids below, and the woman was executed."
Suzuki Makoto was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Let's get going."
"Right."
The two traveled to Kyoto, changed their clothes, and disguised themselves as tourists, strolling through the district where the cult's headquarters was located.
"There's the scent of only one demon, the same one from the base. All the others are human."
Hearing this, Tengen Uzui's expression darkened.
"That could be troublesome. Some demons do indeed cultivate human accomplices. You arrived late, so there are some things you don't know. The Serpent Hashira was born into such a family. The family worshiped a demon; the demon helped them acquire wealth, and they offered it human flesh in return. Obanai Iguro himself was raised as a sacrifice."
"In the end, it was the former Flame Hashira, Lord Shinjuro Rengoku, who killed that demon. And the people who worshipped it... even after the demon killed most of them to increase its strength, the matriarch was still blaming Obanai Iguro for not letting himself be eaten quietly, causing such a thing to happen to them."
This is why the Demon Slayer Corps has always operated in the shadows. After all, human desire can sometimes be uglier than that of demons.
"If I go back and report that all these people were killed by the demon, will Master Ubuyashiki believe it?"
The Sound Hashira paused for a second, then grinned.
"With me as a witness, I'm sure the Master will believe it."
The two silently drew their swords and, leaping across the rooftops, went straight for the central main building!
"Oh my, for two little mice to find my location so soon after Gyutaro and dear Ume died... It seems the Demon Slayer Corps' intelligence gathering has improved, hasn't it?"
The demon, with hair that looked as if it had been splashed with fresh blood and holding iron fans, greeted the two in a tone resembling a chanted waka poem.
"May I ask your names?"
No one paid him any mind. The two charged forward, swords swinging. As Doma blocked Tengen Uzui, he instantly realized something was wrong.
Suzuki Makoto shattered the ice puppet before him with a single slash and looked up at the young Doma in the distance. He restrained the urge to finish him off instantly with Thunderclap and Flash, wanting to see if fighting this ice-wielding Upper Rank Two could bring about a change in his sword.
Now, the change had come.
[Status: Awakening].
"How dangerous! If I hadn't habitually placed a few Crystalline Divine Children, I would have been beheaded just now."
Though he was still speaking idly, countless Crystalline Divine Children began to pour out from under Doma's iron fans. It was clear he had no confidence in either blocking or withstanding Suzuki Makoto's attack.
"Blood Demon Art: Rime: Water Lily Bodhisattva."
Even so, he didn't stop. He immediately unleashed the giant ice Bodhisattva, encasing himself within it, while most of the Crystalline Divine Children began to attack the pair with Blood Demon Arts, and a few started to flee.
Doma looked at the seemingly unremarkable Demon Slayer, feeling for the first time that he had touched the existence known as death. To him, however, death was nothing to be feared; rather, the man before him was far more interesting.
"This size is a bit of a problem."
Covering his mouth and nose, Tengen Uzui was about to break into a sweat. He never expected that investigating the Entertainment District would unearth two Upper Rank Sixes, and that the leader of a cult would turn out to be Upper Rank Two!
Is my luck just that ridiculous?
Moreover, this guy's Blood Demon Art was so insidious. Inhaling even a little of that freezing air would damage the trachea and lungs. It could be said that this was the Blood Demon Art most effective against Breathing Style swordsmen.
"Mr. Tengen, go after those fleeing little demons."
"Right! I'll deal with them as quickly as possible!"
Tengen Uzui wasn't being arrogant. The demon before them was not someone he could handle right now. He could only let Suzuki Makoto hold him off while he cleaned up the smaller demons and tried to compose his Musical Score.
Suzuki Makoto wasn't thinking that far ahead, though. To be honest, he was annoyed that none of these demons had been large-bodied; the only one, Enmu, was just a half-baked product. After all, he hadn't forgotten his previous opponent.
But the one before him offered a pleasant surprise—a massive body that could regenerate. Although its size and power were completely incomparable, it could serve as a test subject for his new ideas.
"Let me see... Let's find that thread called [Immortality]. Where could it be?"
A hint of eagerness appeared in the man's eyes.
_____
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