Chapter 65

Plop!

With a swift strike, the demon before him was beheaded instantly, turning to ash!

Yesterday, following the instructions of the kagura crow, he arrived at the mission site, spent a day investigating, and used his own nose to track scents.

Finally, at night, he captured the culprit behind the “Missing Girl” case.

It was a swamp demon capable of using Blood Demon Art to burrow underground, along with its two clones.

Along the way, he rescued a young girl who was about to be killed by the swamp demon.

With the help of his sister Nezuko, who had become a demon, he descended underground and fought the two clones all night, finally slaying them both!

When Tanjiro returned to the surface, he saw the swamp demon’s true form harming Nezuko; in a rage, he slashed off its arms in one blow.

Though furious, Tanjiro did not forget to ask about the whereabouts of Muzan Kibutsuji while completing his mission!

Upon hearing the name Muzan Kibutsuji, the swamp demon’s mind flashed with the terrifying figure and the words he had spoken.

His body trembled uncontrollably.

Tanjiro also smelled the fear emanating from the swamp demon—a terror that shook even the marrow of bones.

Taking advantage of Tanjiro’s momentary pause, the swamp demon regenerated its arms and launched a surprise attack.

But Tanjiro dodged it, then brought down his blade in one swift strike, beheading it!

Not far behind Tanjiro, a young man knelt on the ground, staring despairingly at the sky.

Beside him was the young girl Tanjiro had saved.

“Riko...”

The young man murmured a girl’s name—his fiancée.

Who had also been brutally murdered by the swamp demon...

“Mr. Kazuha,” Tanjiro placed Nezuko back into the box on his back and walked to the young man’s side, saying: “Even if we lose more things and suffer greater blows, we must still keep living...”

Hearing this, Kazuha angrily grabbed the edge of Tanjiro’s haori collar and shouted: “How could a child like you possibly understand my pain! I lost my fiancée! Can there be anything more painful, more devastating?!”

Tanjiro did not lose his composure due to Kazuha’s rage; instead, he smiled gently and softly removed Kazuha’s hand.

He pulled an item from his chest and placed it in Kazuha’s hands.

He had picked it up while fighting and slaying the swamp demon’s two clones—decorative items belonging to women.

Every time the swamp demon ate a girl, it kept one of her ornaments as a memento.

“Hold onto this. I must go.”

“I hope... you can find Riko’s belongings among these...”

Then he bowed to Kazuha and turned away.

Under the rising sun, Tanjiro’s shadow stretched long.

Kazuha stared at the items in his hands, then at Tanjiro’s retreating back, filled with sorrow.

“Do you... also lose someone close to you?” Kazuha thought.

Tanjiro lost his father, and his mother and younger siblings nearly died at the hands of Muzan Kibutsuji—if not for Zero.

And one of his own sisters had become a demon...

Tanjiro understood the pain of losing loved ones, and deeply sympathized with Kazuha’s suffering.

“I’m sorry!! I said such cruel things!! Please forgive me!! I’m sorry...” Kazuha shouted toward Tanjiro’s distant figure.

Tanjiro turned back, smiled gently, and waved at him: “Mr. Kazuha, I leave that girl to you.”

When Kazuha saw Tanjiro’s hands, his heart ached even more.

Those thick little hands were covered in calluses from training—heartbreaking to look at...

A boy’s hands shouldn’t be like this...

Kazuha thought.

Along the way, Tanjiro’s heart burned with rage, his fists clenched tight, joints cracking.

He thought: “Muzan Kibutsuji—I will never let you go!”

“Gaaah! Next stop: Asakusa in Tokyo Prefecture! Reports say a demon is hiding there! Head there immediately! Head there immediately! Gaaahhh!”

Before Tanjiro could think further, his kagura crow sent another mission alert.

“Huh? Another mission already?! Can’t we rest for a bit?!”

“No! Leave immediately!!”

“Wait a moment...”

“No! No waiting! Leave now!!”

The kagura crow pecked Tanjiro’s face hard, signaling no rest—must depart immediately for the destination!

Two days later, Asakusa in Tokyo Prefecture.

“Has the town developed this much?! It’s night, yet it’s this bright!!”

“The buildings are so tall! What even is this!! Are all big cities like this...?”

Looking at the brightly lit, bustling streets, Tanjiro looked like a country bumpkin in the capital, stunned.

The scene overwhelmed him, dizzying him, making him lose his sense of direction.

Nezuko had been taken out of her box earlier; he held her hand and walked in another direction.

But she was still half-asleep.

Passing down an alley, he heard sultry, suggestive moans—making his face flush red.

“W-We should go another way, Nezuko.”

Eventually, they reached a quieter street with fewer people.

Not far away, a bald noodle vendor sat smoking a pipe.

Thin and exhausted, Tanjiro led Nezuko to the noodle cart and said: “Please give me a bowl of yam noodles...”

While waiting, Tanjiro sat on a chair, sipping hot tea.

For Tanjiro, visiting such a bustling city for the first time was undoubtedly overwhelming.

Sniff... sniff...

“This scent... is so familiar? Have I smelled it before?” Following the scent, he found its source on a nearby bag—filled with bolts of new fabric.

The scent clinging to it felt strangely familiar, as if he’d encountered it somewhere before.

A figure flashed in his mind—he wondered where that person was now. Were they also on a mission?

Soon, the yam noodles were ready; the bald vendor placed them before Tanjiro.

“Boss, what’s that bag?”

“You mean this? Ah, two customers left it behind. I figured they’d come back for it, so I waited here. But those two were unusual—the brother was beautiful, and his sister was adorable!”

But those two guests really are extraordinary—the brother is very handsome, and his sister is very cute!

He thought: Maybe it’s just a similar scent. How could it possibly be the same person?

Just as he was about to taste the noodles, he froze—his bowl slipped from his hands and crashed to the ground!

Tanjiro smelled another scent in the air—a scent he would never forget!

The scent of the man who nearly killed his family and turned Nezuko into a demon!

“This scent!! How could he appear here?!”

Ignoring dazed Nezuko beside him, he dashed out, following the scent to its source.

“This is the same scent that lingered in my home!”

“Muzan... Kibutsuji!!”

Pushing through the crowd, he quickly found Muzan Kibutsuji.

Dressed in a suit, wearing a Western hat.

“It’s him!!”

He placed his hand on Muzan’s shoulder and shouted: “Muzan Kibutsuji!!”

Muzan turned his head, saw only a child—but when he noticed the Sun Breathing earrings on Tanjiro’s ears, his body stiffened slightly.

As if recalling something unpleasant!

Just as Tanjiro reached for his Nichirin Blade, a child’s voice spoke up.

“Daddy, who’s that?”

Tanjiro then noticed Muzan Kibutsuji was accompanied by a mother and daughter—the woman cradling a four- or five-year-old girl.

“I don’t know. Probably just mistaken identity.”

But what stunned Tanjiro even more was that Muzan Kibutsuji had disguised himself as a human and lived an ordinary life!

The woman and girl beside him clearly carried the scent of ordinary people!

“Darling, who is he?” the woman asked.

“I’m not sure. I have no recollection of this child at all. Probably just a mistake.”

Though he spoke calmly, Muzan’s eyes showed clear impatience—he reached out to inject his blood into a random passerby, hoping to create chaos and escape.

But before he could act, his shoulder was seized again—and he felt pain, as if his blood was being drained!

“Long time no see, Muzan Kibutsuji... hehehe~”

When Muzan turned and saw who it was, his eyes filled with terror.

His body trembled uncontrollably.

His body couldn’t stop trembling!

…………

“Xiao Yue, you’re so careless! You left the fabric I bought for clothes at the buckwheat stall!”

“I’m sorry, Master, I didn’t mean to.”

“Alright, alright, I’m not blaming you. After all, we agreed today was for you to go out and have fun. Let’s go back and see if it’s still there.”

“Mm, okay~”

The two speaking were naturally Zero and Xiao Yue.

Xiao Yue had activated her [Growth Function] and shrunk into a one-meter-four little girl.

With her blue hair, blue-and-white clothing, and the blue hat on her head, she looked extremely playful and cute.

Every one or two months, Zero kept his promise to Xiao Yue and took her out to play.

He had originally planned to bring Kanae, Mitsuri, and the Kamado family along.

But Kanae told him she had a mission and couldn’t accompany them.

Mitsuri was the same.

The Kamado family wanted to stay home—they’d already bought a huge amount of supplies and snacks the last time Zero took them out.

Accustomed to frugality, they hadn’t even finished using those things yet, so they refused.

They returned to the buckwheat stall run by the bald owner.

There they saw the bald owner scolding a little girl.

“What’s your brother thinking? Why did he smash my bowl!? Don’t you know wasting food is shameful?!”

“You’ve had enough! I’m not even arguing about money anymore!”

“Your brother skipping out on the bill is one thing—but you flat-out refuse to eat my udon? I absolutely won’t tolerate this!”

“And what’s this bamboo stick in your mouth? Take it out! Pick up your chopsticks! Do you hear me?!”

Suddenly, Zero noticed the little girl looked familiar—he stepped closer and confirmed it:

“Nezuko?! What are you doing here? And where’s your brother Tanjiro? Why did he leave you alone?”

Nezuko stood up and rushed into Zero’s arms, pressing her cheek affectionately against him.

Seeing this, the bald owner grew even angrier—he opened his mouth to scold Nezuko, then realized these were the two customers who’d eaten several bowls of yam udon at his stall.

“Ah, you’ve finally returned! Your things were left here—I’ve been waiting for you two for ages!”

“Thank you, Boss. By the way, what just happened? Why is she alone here?”

“Just thinking about it makes me furious! Her brother skipped out on the bill—ran off mid-meal! But that’s not the issue—the issue is she refuses to eat my udon!”

“Then, Boss, which way did her brother run off?”

“He seemed to go that way~”

“Got it.” Zero turned to Xiao Yue. “Xiao Yue, please watch over Nezuko. I’ll be right back. I’ll explain everything when I return.”

“Understood, Brother. Hurry back!”

Zero immediately ran in the direction the bald owner pointed.

On the street, noise filled the air everywhere.

“Doma no Jigoro!!”

At that moment, a shout came from afar. Hearing the name, Zero confirmed the direction and rushed over.

Pushing through the crowd, he saw Doma no Jigoro and Tanjiro.

“Hehe~ Since we’ve met, let me ‘borrow’ a bit more blood from you for Jushiro’s research!”

He took a specially designed miniature syringe from his [Nanospace] and slowly approached Doma no Jigoro.

He slapped Doma no Jigoro’s shoulder with one hand and swiftly jammed the syringe into his body with the other.

He withdrew a small vial of blood and immediately tossed it back into his [Nanospace].

“Long time no see, Doma no Jigoro! Hehehe~”

Doma no Jigoro turned his head and saw Zero—immediately recalling the events in the Infinite Castle!

His trembling body and terrified expression betrayed him completely.

“Since our parting after the Infinite Castle battle, I’ve missed you so much~”

‘Battle Armor, activate!’

‘Doma no Jigoro, are you ready to bear my wrath?!’

Doma no Jigoro involuntarily recalled that battle.

Even now, the memory was vivid.

“Hmm? Seems you’ve forgotten. Then let me help you remember again~”

‘Battle Armor, activate…’

Pfft!!

Hearing Zero was about to activate that steel monster, Doma no Jigoro instantly split himself into eighteen hundred pieces, blood spraying everywhere.

The gruesome sight sent pedestrians screaming and scattering.

“Damn it! What a coward, Jigoro!”

Zero ignored the stares of the crowd, instantly pulling out his Nichirin Scythe and activating [Transparent World].

He swung the Nichirin Scythe at blinding speed, instantly destroying about a thousand of the flesh fragments.

The scythe’s rotation was so fast it created miniature air currents and sonic booms, leaving only afterimages of motion.

The remaining pieces slipped away amid the panicked crowd…

Tanjiro stood frozen beside him, mouth agape, eyes wide, face filled with shock.

“Sigh… I just wanted to scare Doma no Jigoro a little. Didn’t expect him to be this cowardly!” Zero mentally grumbled.

But what happened next…

“Don’t move!” Several police officers ran over, raising guns and aiming them at Zero and Tanjiro.

The commotion had been too loud to ignore.

“You two, drop your weapons immediately—or I won’t hold back!” the lead officer warned Zero and Tanjiro.

Zero ignored them, preparing to grab Tanjiro and return to Xiao Yue and Nezuko.

Just a bunch of kids—their guns were no better than broken copper and iron.

“Blood Illusion: Visual Dream Fragrance!”

At that moment, a fragrance lingered in the air.

Anyone who smelled it saw the surroundings transform into swirling patterns.

Without guessing, Zero already knew who had arrived.

“Long time no see, Jushiro.”

“Yes, it’s been a long time!”

From afar, Jushiro tore her arm, releasing a Blood Demon Art that bewitched those nearby.

Ishiro stood behind her, his gaze avoiding Zero—he seemed afraid.

“This isn’t a place to talk. Come to my villa. Zero.”

“Alright. See you later—I still have something to handle.”

“Understood. Then Ishiro and I will await your arrival.”

…………