In reality, Tetsuya Kamihara and Akaza hadn't fled the town at all. With only a dozen minutes left until sunrise, they had no choice but to find a nearby hiding spot if they didn't want to turn into ash.
They randomly selected a lucky town resident, broke into his house, and forcefully occupied it. As for the actual owner of the house, Akaza casually snapped his neck and tossed the body down the well in the courtyard.
Demons didn't need a reason to kill. It was simply their nature, their base instinct!
With their temporary shelter secured, Akaza leaned against the wall to wait for sunset. That was when a demon's true day began.
Rather than suffering through the usual boring wait, Akaza found himself staring at his new sun-dodging companion with keen interest.
Tetsuya sat slumped in the corner. His head hung low, his crimson eyes glowing as he remained completely silent. Ever since killing the Flower Hashira, his aura had been wildly erratic, occasionally surging with volatile intensity.
An overwhelming sorrow swallowed Tetsuya's heart. Deep within his eyes, the scarlet light churned violently. The two blood-red tomoe spun like mad, while the faint outline of a third tomoe flickered in and out of existence, radiating a profoundly sinister aura.
'What is this?' Akaza's gaze sharpened, taking on a far more serious edge. There was definitely something uniquely special about Tetsuya. That volatile, evil energy pouring off him rivaled demons who had lived for centuries and devoured hundreds of humans.
A flash of clarity finally cut through Tetsuya's eyes. The third blood-red tomoe ultimately failed to manifest, but the ocular power of his Sharingan had undeniably received a massive boost.
"You did well. Even those Lower Rank guys haven't managed to kill a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps," Akaza chuckled.
It was the absolute truth. When the vast majority of Lower Rank demons ran into a Hashira, the encounter almost always ended with them getting decapitated. Tetsuya had essentially hit the peak on his debut—slaying a Hashira on day one!
"I couldn't have done it on my own," Tetsuya replied, shaking his head. After watching Kanae fight Akaza, he finally understood. Back at the Black Dragon Syndicate, Kanae Kocho had been holding back against him.
Maybe it was because she saw the grave he had dug for that innocent man outside of town, causing her heart to soften.
But in the end, that very kindness had gotten her killed.
If she had just decisively executed him back then, she would have left the town and never crossed paths with Akaza. At the very least, she wouldn't have sustained those severe injuries. Dragging a wounded, heavily infected body into a deathmatch with Akaza meant she never stood a chance of surviving until sunrise.
Thud!
Suddenly, Tetsuya slumped forward, collapsing heavily onto the floor. His skin morphed into a sickly, bruised purple.
"What's wrong with you?" Akaza asked.
"That girl's Nichirin Sword... it was poisoned!" Tetsuya hissed through gritted teeth.
"Tsk, tsk." Akaza clicked his tongue. He had heard rumors that certain Demon Slayers used specialized poisons to hunt their kind. Tetsuya really had the worst luck to run into one of them.
Tetsuya lay paralyzed on the floor, letting his body actively purge the toxins. Shinobu Kocho wasn't the master poisoner she would eventually become yet; this early, trial version of her Wisteria poison wasn't potent enough to kill him.
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Time flowed quietly until night finally fell. In that exact moment, every demon hiding in the shadows opened their eyes. It was their time to move!
Akaza slowly stood up, a cruel glint flashing through his golden eyes. Freedom at last. It was hunting time.
"Good luck!" Seeing that Tetsuya still hadn't fully neutralized the poison, Akaza simply waved a dismissive hand and turned to leave. He had absolutely zero interest in playing babysitter. If Tetsuya ended up getting killed by some passing Demon Slayer in his weakened state, it just meant his luck had run out.
Tetsuya watched Akaza’s retreating back with cold indifference. This was exactly how demons interacted with each other. The fact that Akaza hadn't stabbed him in the back while he was down was already considered a mercy.
Sharingan!
More than half an hour later, Tetsuya’s eyes bled into crimson, the two tomoe materializing. Using his enhanced dynamic vision, he swept his gaze over his surroundings again and again.
Once he was absolutely certain Akaza was truly gone, Tetsuya calmly stood up. He had completely flushed the poison out of his system over three hours ago. He had only been faking weakness to make Akaza drop his guard.
A bright azure cluster of light materialized in the palm of his hand. Taking its true form, it revealed the miniature, stunning figure of a girl with long black hair—Kanae Kocho's soul.
Snatching the kill right out from under Akaza's nose was, of course, purely so he could use his Blood Demon Art: Reaper, to secretly harvest Kanae's soul.
...
The Butterfly Mansion.
Shinobu gently cleaned Kanae's body, dressing her older sister in a clean, neat set of clothes.
Kanae's funeral was a simple affair. Her cold body lay in a coffin brimming with vibrant flowers. Her hands rested peacefully on her lower abdomen, her eyes completely shut, and a gentle, serene smile graced her lips.
Dressed in black mourning attire, Shinobu and Kanao Tsuyuri knelt quietly on the left side of the hall.
There weren't many attendees. Demons were running rampant across Japan, and the Demon Slayer Corps was already critically short on manpower. They were stretched far too thin to spare the time.
The few who could make it rushed over, laying a single flower by the casket. Looking at Kanae's lifeless form and remembering the lively, cheerful, and elegant girl she used to be, the swordsmen couldn't help but sigh heavily.
The tragedy only hardened their absolute resolve to eradicate all demons.
Someone had actually suggested performing a full autopsy on Kanae's body, hoping to extract any lingering combat data or intelligence regarding Upper Rank Three and the mysterious "Yasuo."
Kagaya Ubuyashiki had sternly rejected the proposal. Call him antiquated or hopelessly stubborn, but the Demon Slayer Corps had survived for a millennium precisely because of the unwavering convictions and bonds of its swordsmen, not through taking opportunistic shortcuts.
Yes, an autopsy might have yielded vital intelligence. But desecrating a comrade's corpse would only freeze the hearts of the living. Once the morale and unity of the Corps shattered, piecing it back together would be impossible.
Besides, the Corps' ultimate target was Muzan Kibutsuji, not merely a single Upper Rank. Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs was a line Kagaya refused to cross.
After the funeral, Kanae's body was transported to a crematorium that maintained a secretive partnership with the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Please, take care of her..." Shinobu bowed deeply, struggling to get the words out.
"I will," the elderly crematorium master replied. His face was entirely devoid of emotion. He handled nearly all of the Corps' fallen swordsmen; having witnessed so much life and death, he had long since grown numb to the tragedy.
The old master pushed the gurney down the hall toward the incineration chamber.
Watching her sister's body roll away, Shinobu could no longer suppress the agonizing grief tearing at her heart. The strong, stoic facade she had maintained in front of the others instantly crumbled. She buried her face in her hands, weeping bitterly.
Standing right behind her, Kanao remained completely expressionless. In reality, the young girl was in a state of absolute, helpless panic. The sorrow in her heart was just as profound as Shinobu's, but she simply had no idea how to express it.
The old master wheeled the gurney into the incineration chamber. Having worked in this exact spot for decades, he knew every single corner like the back of his hand. He would notice any abnormality the very second it happened.
And the moment he stepped through the doors, he sensed it.
Someone else was in the room!
"Who's there—"
The old master whipped around, but the moment he locked eyes with a pair of glowing, blood-red pupils, his words died in his throat. His body went rigid, and his gaze quickly clouded over into a vacant glaze.
Sharingan: Genjutsu!
Tetsuya stepped out of the shadows. Pulling back the white sheet on the gurney, he confirmed it was indeed Kanae Kocho's body.
With a casual toss, he dumped the corpse of the town resident Akaza had murdered earlier right at the old master's feet.
"This is Kanae Kocho's body!"