Chapter 81: The Slasher Demon [Part 2]

Arriving at the Infinite Train Repair Yard, lights blazed inside, punctuated by the clanging of metal.

Zero and Rengoku Kyujuro each carried a large bag of bento boxes into the repair yard.

Before them, the front car of the Infinite Train rested on the railway tracks inside the yard, its bow inscribed with the characters 【Infinite】.

“Infinite Train…”

“This demon’s aura… though faint, it still lingers.”

“Mm, indeed.”

“Hey, you two over there…” As the two spoke, a mechanic stepped forward and said: “This area is off-limits.”

“Good evening. We’ve been dispatched by the Railway Authority to deliver bento boxes.” Rengoku Kyujuro explained.

“Ah, I see… Hey, someone brought bento! Take a break and eat.”

All the workers in the yard stopped their tasks and gathered around.

Rengoku Kyujuro and Zero opened the packages and handed out bento boxes to everyone present.

“Take this one to Chen in the break room.”

“Yes, Boss.”

The workers then carried their bento toward the rear break room. Rengoku Kyujuro asked the boss: “Why was the Infinite Train brought here?”

The boss replied: “Who knows?! The Infinite Train itself can’t possibly be faulty, yet everyone in town is whispering about a man-eating train. We won’t stand for it! So if we’re going to restore service, we’ll give it the most thorough maintenance possible before running it again!”

“Restore service?”

“Yes—tomorrow night. That’s why we’re…”

Before he finished, Zero and Rengoku Kyujuro sensed the demon’s aura.

Immediately, screams erupted near the rear break room!

The two rushed toward the break room.

Moments later, they arrived to find a bald demon standing with its back to them, its body marked with tattoos resembling criminal brands.

He was the Slasher Demon.

The worker who had brought the bento to the break room collapsed to the ground in terror.

The bento box slipped from his hands and fell to the floor.

Zero drew his Sun Blade Scythe, ready to strike—when Rengoku Kyujuro stopped him.

“Zero, this one has a hostage. Leave him to me. You protect the others!”

“Understood.”

Zero helped the fallen worker to his feet and shielded him behind himself.

The Slasher Demon turned, clutching the boy named Chen tightly, his sharp nails embedded deep into the boy’s chest, blood streaming.

“Chen!”

“Boss!”

The boss and the other workers arrived behind the break room.

“Fall back! Don’t come closer!” Zero stood before them all.

Rengoku Kyujuro pressed his finger against the guard of his blade and shouted: “Release the boy!”

“Demon slayers? Hahaha… What bold words!” The Slasher Demon sneered, his eyes filled with contempt for the two.

“Hm? Sniff… sniff… What’s that smell?” The Slasher Demon caught a scent he found utterly repulsive.

He looked down at the beef stew bento beside his foot—and felt nauseous.

“Ugh! Such a disgusting smell!” He crushed the bento under his foot.

“Since becoming a demon, human food tastes revolting to me!”

Seeing his bento trampled, Rengoku Kyujuro’s fury flared: “That bento was made with all the heart of someone I know. Take back your words!”

The Slasher Demon shrugged, squeezing his hostage harder: “Disgusting is disgusting! If it tastes good, I eat it. If it tastes bad, I torture someone all night for fun!”

“So the girl from last night… you were the one who hurt her?” Zero asked, his eyes glinting with crimson frost.

Seeing that gaze, the Slasher Demon flinched, unable to meet Zero’s stare.

“You’re right. That was me. Last night, I tortured her for a long time—then got bored and left.”

“I see… I thought you fled because you sensed our arrival!” Zero now understood why the Slasher Demon had escaped so quickly. “You must have great confidence in your speed, Slasher Demon.”

“Of course I do!”

Shuu! Shuu! Shuu…

The Slasher Demon, still clutching his hostage, glowed blue along his tattoos, darting wildly in every direction.

His speed was so fast only flashes of blue light remained.

The workers, never having seen such a thing, fled in panic.

Some, paralyzed by fear, trembled and couldn’t move.

Zero felt these people were a hindrance—but decided against abandoning them. He kept his Sun Blade Scythe drawn, standing guard before them.

If it were him alone, he would have already cut down the Slasher Demon.

To be blunt, if not for Rengoku Kyujuro’s presence, he wouldn’t give a damn about these people’s lives.

The Slasher Demon halted beside a corner and said: “Catch me if you can, hehehe…”

Rengoku Kyujuro: “In evasion, you truly stand supreme! But last night’s victim, under our care, is no longer in danger! She’ll recover soon—without a single scar!”

Slasher Demon: “Hah! Even if you save her, she’ll live in terror forever!”

Rengoku Kyujuro: “No. Even the deepest wounds of the soul, we heal with time.”

Slasher Demon: “Since you’re so righteous, I’ll teach you a lesson—I’ll hunt down that woman.”

Rengoku Kyujuro: “Useless. She’s been hidden somewhere safe. You’ll never find her.”

“Tch!” The Slasher Demon hadn’t expected demon slayers to be this meticulous.

Then he spotted the crushed beef stew bento nearby—and grinned. “Then I’ll kill the one who sold the bento. That’s a station bento, right? I know where it is!”

“They have nothing to do with me!” Rengoku Kyujuro moved to stop the Slasher Demon from targeting the two granddaughters.

But the Slasher Demon tightened his grip on his hostage, driving his nails deeper—forcing Rengoku Kyujuro to freeze.

“Don’t move! If you want to save him, you’ll have to be faster than me. But first… I’ll kill this one!”

The Slasher Demon raised his claws to tear the hostage in half—when Rengoku Kyujuro moved faster.

Pshhh!

A flash of blade—both arms of the Slasher Demon were cleanly severed.

The hostage was freed.

Sensing defeat, the demon fled the repair yard the instant his arms were cut off.

Along the rails, he sprinted at top speed.

Laughing as he ran, he headed for the station to find and kill the two granddaughters who sold the bento.

The moment the demon vanished, Zero immediately pulled out a medical kit and rushed to the hostage’s side, administering emergency treatment.

At that moment, cries of a Haku crow echoed from outside the repair yard.

“Over here! Over here! Right here!”

Behind the crow, four swordsmen arrived.

They rushed into the yard and formed a circle, alert to all surroundings.

“Lord Rengoku! Lord Zero!” said one of the female swordsmen.

Rengoku Kyujuro nodded and said: “Zero, I’m leaving this to you. I’ll pursue the Slasher Demon—before more lives are lost!”

“Understood. I’ll join you shortly.”

Rengoku Kyujuro then left the repair yard, following the Slasher Demon’s trail.

“Total Concentration Breathing…”

Thud! Thud! Thud…

His speed increased until he became a flame afterimage—vanishing instantly.

Soon after Rengoku Kyujuro departed, Zero finished the emergency treatment, injected a painkiller, and handed the rest to the arriving swordsmen.

“I’ve handled everything here. Take over.”

“Yes, Lord Zero!”

Stepping outside the repair yard, Zero activated his [Light Energy Flyer] and strapped it to his back.

Shuu!

Wings unfurled—he shot forward, leaving only a trail of crimson light.

Not long after, he caught up to Rengoku Kyujuro.

…………

On the other side, Old Fu pulled a cart of freshly made bento boxes to the train station, preparing to open her stall.

Behind her, her granddaughter Xiao Fu pushed the cart with all her strength.

“Honestly, Xiao Fu, why won’t you listen…?”

“I said I’d help, so I’m helping.”

At the station, a station attendant was on night watch upstairs.

“Good morning!” Xiao Fu called up.

“Hey, you’re here early again today.”

…………

Whoosh!

The Butcher Ghost quickly arrived at the station and sniffed the air.

Sniff… sniff…

“Found it!”

He swiftly followed the scent through the air.

After Xiao Fu and her grandmother had prepared everything, they hung up the price tags.

“Phew… finally done!”

At that moment, the Butcher Ghost appeared in the dark corridor near Xiao Fu, having followed the trail.

Xiao Fu thought it was a station attendant and opened her mouth to speak.

But when she saw the face of the figure, she was stunned, drenched in cold sweat.

“I smell it, I smell it~ Your whole body reeks of stinking bento!”

The Butcher Ghost stepped out of the dark corridor, sneering: “I have no grudge against you. Blame those two demon hunters!”

Thwack!

A beef stew bento smashed onto the Butcher Ghost’s head; the smell made him recoil in disgust.

“Xiao Fu, run!” shouted Xiao Fu’s grandmother.

Seeing this, Xiao Fu sprinted toward the nearby door, flung it open, leapt from the platform onto the tracks, and ran full speed!

But before she had gone far, the Butcher Ghost caught up, seized her throat, and slammed her against the rails, pinning her in place!

Just as he raised his other hand to strike, a red streak and a flame-shaped figure arrived from afar.

Sensing danger, the Butcher Ghost leapt away instantly.

Though he escaped, one of his legs had been severed.

When he saw the two figures clearly, terror surged within him.

In midair, Bai Fa, the white-haired demon hunter, hovered with a pair of black-and-white wings spread behind him, cradling the little girl from earlier.

On the ground, the flame-haired demon hunter held a Nichirin Blade; at his feet lay the severed leg of the demon just cut down.

“T… an angel?!” Xiao Fu, held in Zero’s arms, gasped.

Seeing this, the Butcher Ghost dared not delay. After regenerating, he bolted into the station.

Even if he killed that old woman, it would be enough to make these two demon hunters regret it!

He rushed up to Xiao Fu’s grandmother, furious: “Old woman, how dare you throw a bento at me just now!”

Seeing his stance, Xiao Fu’s grandmother thought she was going to die and collapsed to the ground.

But just as he prepared to kill her, Rengoku Kyujuro appeared again behind the Butcher Ghost.

“How did you two manage to catch up?”

Rengoku Kyujuro said nothing more—he immediately unleashed his sword technique.

Flame Breathing, First Form: Shishin.

The high-speed slash came too fast to see—before he could react, the Butcher Ghost’s head was severed.

The decapitated Butcher Ghost, face frozen in shock and rage, turned to ash and vanished into the air.

Xiao Fu’s grandmother knelt on the ground, staring at Rengoku Kyujuro’s back, recalling memories from twenty years ago.

Back then, she was young.

She had been carrying her daughter through a stormy night when they encountered a demon!

At that moment, a demon hunter—identical to the one before her—appeared and slew the demon, saving them both.

The same back, the same technique, the same hair color, the same haori.

“Was it you who saved us… saved me twice…?” Xiao Fu’s grandmother wept.

“Grandma…” Xiao Fu, set down by Zero, came to her side.

“I will never forget that face, that haori… My mother and I were saved by you twenty years ago.”

Hearing this, Rengoku Kyujuro felt a ripple in his heart. He turned and said: “That must have been my father! I inherited his vocation—my duty is to exterminate demons. To protect you, just as he did, is my honor!”

“Ah… it’s still hard to believe…” After all that had happened, Xiao Fu’s tense nerves finally relaxed. She sat on the ground and said: “Sorry, Grandma… I said demons didn’t exist…”

“Hahahaha… No, that’s perfect! Not knowing demons exist, never meeting them, and dying peacefully in old age—that’s the best life!” Rengoku Kyujuro declared boldly.

For ordinary people, Rengoku Kyujuro wished them to remain unaware of demons—to live safely and peacefully was best.

Seeing this, Xiao Fu smiled for the first time in a long while.

Zero walked beside Rengoku Kyujuro and stood quietly. Xiao Fu, curious about the wings, asked: “Um… are you… an angel?”

“An angel?” Zero smiled faintly. “No. I’m just a passing demon hunter.”

“Zero Pillar! Flame Pillar! Are you both alright?!” A swordsman they’d met yesterday, along with two Insect Division members, ran up from afar.

The Insect Division members approached the grandmother and granddaughter, learned the details, and checked them over.

“We’re fine! It’s all settled!” Rengoku Kyujuro replied.

“Thank you, both of you.”

“Mm.” x2

Dawn rose; the first rays of morning sunlight illuminated the sky.

The Butcher Ghost incident was over.

After a brief conversation, the three parted ways.

Rengoku Kyujuro and Zero prepared everything, ready to board the Infinite Train that night.

Tonight, the truth behind all these events would come to light.

…………

One day—long enough, yet short enough.

Soon, dusk arrived.

As the two entered the station, Xiao Fu called out to them from afar.

“Um… please wait.”

They stopped and greeted her.

Xiao Fu: “I don’t know how to thank you both for what happened this morning.”

Xiao Fu’s grandmother: “Please take this. It’s all we have to offer.”

Looking at the beef stew bento before him, Rengoku Kyujuro was delighted.

“Mm! Too bad I couldn’t eat it last night! Now I’m thrilled!”

He took the bento from Xiao Fu’s grandmother and added: “But I’ll still pay for it!”

“No, no—your kindness is enough.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll take this one—and I’ll buy all the rest!”

“Huh?!!”

Thus, Rengoku Kyujuro bought every single bento again. He reached for his money, but Zero moved faster, handing the coins directly to Xiao Fu.

“Zero, what are you—”

“I’m hungry too. And since I didn’t help last night, today I’m treating you.”

“Then thank you very much! Hahahaha…”

Each carrying a large bag of beef stew bento, they bid farewell to Xiao Fu and boarded the Infinite Train.

“Travel safely.”

“If you ever pass by again, come visit.”

…………

Wooh… wooh…

The Infinite Train sounded its departure horn.

Xiao Fu stood before the train window, holding bento and snacks, offering them to passengers.

“Premium bento, 36 coins. Would you like tea or sake as well?”

Thud!

In the distance, a man wearing a boar mask slammed into the side of the train.

“Boar Charge! Boar Charge! Yi-yah-hahaha!”

“Stop being an idiot! This is embarrassing!”

Xiao Fu stared, bewildered: “What’s going on? Who are they?”

Beeep!

Two train attendants rushed out, blowing whistles: “Who are you?! What are you doing here?!”

“They’re carrying swords!”

“Officer! Alert the officer!”

…………

Wooh…

The Infinite Train began moving.

Inside the carriage, Zero and Rengoku Kyujuro sat in their seats, enjoying the beef stew bento.

“Delicious!” Rengoku Kyujuro shouted, never pausing his eating.

Zero ate his bento, thinking ahead to what lay ahead.

Deep inside, he had a premonition that this journey would not be simple!

But none of it mattered—today, during his morning rest, he had prepared everything he needed!

All weapons were stocked with abundant [Energy Crystals].

This time, even if all the Upper Moons descended or Kokushibo himself arrived, he would not fear!

They would surely leave with no return!

“Big Brother Zero!”

“Huh? Tanjiro?! You three came too?!”

Zero, mid-bite into his lunch, was surprised— he hadn’t expected Tanjiro and the other three to show up…