Chapter 312: Shinobu Kocho: Be My Adopted Daughter, Clare

Memories kept surging up.

That was her experience before she joined the Organization, before she became a Claymore.

At that time, she was treated as a toy for a Yoma to ravage and use for disguise, abused until both her mind and body suffered severe trauma, until she was saved by a Claymore named Teresa, finally escaping the nightmare that felt like the Abyss.

The Claymore Organization ranks every generation of Claymores from No. 1 to No. 47 based on their strength.

And Teresa was the No. 1 of the previous generation of Claymores, the strongest of them all.

Her strength was so great that no matter how powerful the Yoma she slew, she never once released her Yoki, always wearing a smile, and was known as Teresa of the Faint Smile.

She was even judged by the Organization to be the strongest Claymore of all time since the founding of the Claymore Organization.

Teresa, who should have been loyal to the Organization, violated the Organization's ironclad rules by killing the bandits who raided the village and wanted to kill her to protect herself, and was thus seen as betraying the Organization.

Until just a moment ago,

Clare could not understand at all why Teresa, who had clearly done nothing wrong—the ones in the wrong were those bandits, the ones who raided the village, killed their own kind, kidnapped her, and committed every evil—was treated by the Organization as a traitor and an existence that must be purged, despite her constantly hunting Yoma, protecting villages, and never having done a single bad thing, all without any distinction between right and wrong.

Kocho Shinobu's words just now were like a heavy hammer, smashing open her bewildered chest.

"The reason there are no such survival skills is because the Claymore Organization has always treated us as tools."

Clare said this expressionlessly.

Every one of them, the Claymores, is a special tool fused with Demon Flesh; once the use of Yoki exceeds the limit, they enter the state of being Awakened.

Becoming a Yoma.

Therefore, they have fixed numbers, and hidden within the weapons they use for battle is a Black Letter that symbolizes the end of life.

Once they feel they are about to become a Yoma, they proactively send out the Black Letter to find someone to kill them.

It is just like a tool that has reached the end of its service life, a tool that self-destructs.

They did not learn those survival skills because a Claymore does not need to survive at all; they were never treated as humans, not even as Yoma, but as a cold, unfeeling Claymore.

When damaged, they are discarded, and then a new batch of Claymores is forged at an extremely fast rate.

Rip.

The white bodysuit was torn open,

exposing a hideous and terrifying body; the torso, which should have been full of allure, had a scar extending from the chest that cut the body in two.

It was crudely sewn together with individual threads.

Through the gaps in the stitches, one could vaguely see the organs slowly beating inside the body, as well as a mass of flesh and blood emitting a foul-smelling demonic aura.

"This is the power we use to fight against Yoma."

Clare bared her body without any avoidance and continued expressionlessly: "The Organization stuffs Demon Flesh into our bodies, and those who survive can become Claymores."

"This cut-open wound can never heal because of the Demon Flesh."

"The Demon Flesh interferes with our human consciousness at every moment; the more frequently we use Yoki, the deeper we are eroded by the Yoki."

"Until finally, we are completely eroded and turn into a Yoma to be slain."

A trace of sadness flashed in Clare's eyes as she said: "In fact, most Claymores don't even wait for the day they are eroded; they fall in the middle of fighting Yoma, either killed by Yoma or killed by their companions."

Kocho Shinobu was stunned.

She actually had a vague premonition, but after hearing Clare say these words, she was still moved.

What followed was anger; although she still wore a smile, her voice was chillingly cold as she asked: "Does a guy who doesn't care about life at all even deserve to be a Leader?"

With Kagaya Ubuyashiki as a shining example, the Claymore Leader appeared even more detestable by comparison.

The members of the Demon Slayer Corps all volunteered to become Demon Slayers because their families were killed by demons, and they were not very old.

If Kagaya Ubuyashiki had deliberately guided them, those immature Demon Slayers would likewise have been guided into a state like Clare's.

Treating human lives as consumables could save a massive amount of capital investment.

But Oyakata-sama did not do that.

He would rather drain the Ubuyashiki Family's centuries of accumulation to hunt man-eating demons than ensure the safety of the children. Comparing the two, the difference is clear at a glance.

Kocho Shinobu suddenly asked: "In that case, Miss Clare, are you interested in joining the Demon Slayer Corps?"

She made a very bold decision.

This was something Oyakata-sama had not instructed her to do; she acted on her own initiative after hearing Clare's plight.

"Defection?"

Clare's expression changed slightly, and she turned to look around.

After not finding any men in black, she breathed a slight sigh of relief. She seemed moved in her heart, but shook her head with an ugly expression: "If a Claymore betrays the Organization, the Organization will dispatch the top-ranked single-digit Claymores to purge them."

"I am also not qualified to be recruited by you; within the Organization, I am the lowest-ranked and weakest Claymore."

Clare's expression was desolate.

The Claymores within the top 5 were extremely powerful, and she did not want to implicate Kocho Shinobu, nor the Demon Slayer Corps organization behind her that sounded so perfect.

"Clare."

Kocho Shinobu stood on tiptoe, her palm resting gently on the head of the desolate blonde beauty, which looked somewhat incongruous.

She said: "Do not underestimate the Demon Slayer Corps. Whether it is Oyakata-sama or Gyomei Himejima, they have become immeasurably powerful because of the Samsara Game."

"Furthermore, you do not need to betray the Claymore Organization."

"This is just a private agreement between us. I will report to Master and bring you a messenger crow; you can contact the Demon Slayer Corps at any time if you have any difficulties."

Kocho Shinobu's eyes were full of heartache. Neither of them was actually very old, and looking at Clare, she seemed to see the shadows of her younger sister Kanao Tsuyuri and herself in this girl who closed off her emotions.

Back then,

the girl who could not even perceive crying or pain due to a tragic childhood was saved by her and her sister Kanae, just as lost and helpless as this.

When her sister was killed by an Upper Rank demon, she must have been the same as Clare is now, her eyes full of longing for redemption and revenge, right? The resonance of spirit and soul is sometimes a very strange thing.

Some people who have spent hundreds of years together cannot achieve it, but for some, it feels like there is a unique connection upon their very first meeting.

Having inherited her sister's will, she seemed to feel the emotions her sister had at that time and could not bear to watch a child like Clare fall into depravity.

If her older sister were still alive and standing by her side, she would surely support her decision, right?

"Sister Shinobu Kocho."

Before she knew it, Clare was already streaming with tears, her voice sounding hoarse without her realizing it.

"Clare, good child, from now on you are no longer alone."

Shinobu Kocho gently embraced the slightly trembling Clare,

After a while, she taught the basic Breathing Technique of the Demon Slayer Corps to Clare and said, "Once you learn this Breathing Technique, it can improve your physical fitness; even without releasing Yoki, your physical strength will be enhanced."

"Before Sister finds a suitable method to suppress the Yoki erosion you spoke of, do not continue to release Yoki unless you encounter a Yoma that is difficult to fight, do you understand?"

Shinobu Kocho rubbed Clare's head,

Always standing on tiptoe, she felt her soles growing a bit sore and tired, and she looked at the tall Clare with envy.

Even without having fused with Demon Flesh, with this physique, Clare's strength would not be small after practicing the Breathing Technique.

Clare wiped away her tears and nodded solemnly, "I will practice hard, Sister Shinobu Kocho."

She made up her mind that not only would she avenge Teresa, but she would also protect Sister Shinobu Kocho well and never let the tragedies of the past repeat themselves.

For this, she needed the power to slay all Yoma.

Accompanied by her will,

A faint light appeared, condensing into a black Game Invitation that landed on the tavern counter.

It emitted an inexplicable attraction.

(End of this chapter)