The moon shone brightly, casting its faint light over the rough mountain road.
Tanjiro, along with Nior, Kie and Nezuko, trekked the mountain path.
The sun has long since set, so there was no need to carry Nezuko in the basket.
After a tiring journey, they reached a way station, which did not look in its best condition.
They decided to take a short break, but suddenly-
"I smell blood," Tanjiro muttered and ran toward the entrance of the way station. "The path is dangerous. Someone must have hurt," his voice trailed behind.
---
(Kie POV)
Fate has been unkind to me recently.
Not long ago, my husband passed away due to an illness. It was painful, but I had to be strong for my children. Fortunately, Tanjiro took the responsibility of selling charcoal, allowing us to afford food. He is such a good child.
Life had been hard, but with my children, it was enjoyable.
Until that day, when-
'That man,' I grit my teeth, remembering that devil. Hatred fills my heart at the slightest thought of him.
He took everything from me. In front of my eyes, he killed my children while asking me about a blue-coloured flower.
I couldn't do anything. My family was lying dead in front of me. All I could see was blood. Blood in that dark, moonless night.
But before I could lose myself further in that darkness, 'He' came.
Like the brightest sun after the darkest night, he stood above me. He had an unbelievably handsome face, with hair so bright that it shone even in the dark.
When he put his hand over my head, I felt warmth, even in that cold night. I don't remember much afterwards, but I am sure he must have used what he calls "magic" to alleviate my pain and suffering.
After waking up, I learned more about him. He was a friend Tanjiro made downhills. The more I heard about him, the more mysterious he seemed. He told us stories that I had never heard about, of different countries and their cultures.
He showed us one miracle after another. He can heal wounds, create beautiful lights in the sky, and make his clothes change shape by themselves.
If that is not a God, I don't know what is. It was our great fortune to meet someone like him. I would have spread his name and let others get the blessing of God's, too, but he told us not to tell anyone about his powers, so that is what we will do.
"I smell blood"
Tanjiro's whisper brought me out of my thoughts.
We ran behind him, but then we were shocked to see what was before us.
Blood and bodies lying on the ground, and a man eating the hand from one of the bodies.
"You are human, aren't you? Good, more food tonight," the demon said and lunged toward us.
My eyes stayed fixed on the corpses.
'Would this have happened to Tanjiro and Nezuko, if he hadn't come to save us?'
I don't fear death, but I want my children to be safe. Thanks to him, Nezuko and Tanjiro are safe.
Bamn!
A loud noise startled me.
Turning my gaze, I saw Nezuko kicking the demon's head before he could attack Tanjiro.
The demon's head got torn off by the kick to the neck, but his body kept moving.
"You took your time killing them, didn't you?"
Nior-sama said in a low voice and moved toward the demon's body.
"Shut up, bastard! Just Die!" The demon's head grew arms and shot toward Nior-sama.
"Look out," I shouted worriedly.
As the demon's head neared, Tanjiro swung his hatchet hard and threw it toward the head. Both the head and the hatchet got stuck in a tree.
"Let's see how you react to pain," Nior-sama said and plunged his red blade into the demon's body, now lying under his foot.
---
(Nior POV)
'Disgusting'
I can't believe these things are dark creatures - beings of night.
They are weak, don't have self-control, and have several limitations.
I will never allow these weaklings to exist alongside my creations. Even the weakest of my vampires possesses the strength to plunge a planet into destruction.
The psychological trauma that I inflicted on Muzan is intense. He will be tormented bit by bit, and most of the pain will be the result of his own imagination.
"Urh..."
The twitching, disgusting body of the demon sickens me even more. I directly put my foot on his chest. With precise manipulation of force, his quivering body went limp.
There are several ways to torture someone. The simplest way is to use my Divine Powers. I can enchant anything and everything. From as simple as enchanting air to be poisonous, to enchanting divine weapons, everything is possible with a mere thought.
But these weak demons are not worth using my powers.
"Tanjiro, you should kill that demon's head. If left alive, he will harm more people."
"Can't you do it?"
"No, you will encounter more demons in the future. You should learn to kill them."
Tanjiro did not hesitate any longer. Picking up his knife, he walked toward the head still lodged in the tree.
Tanjiro took a deep breath and raised his knife.
But a hand grabbed him by his shoulder.
"You can't kill it with that."