Chapter 14
"Let go of me! Hurry up and let go!"
The girl being clung to had a delicate, pretty face.
She was cute and charming, probably the kind of village beauty admired by people her age.
But now that Zenitsu Agatsuma was hugging her for dear life, she had completely lost any trace of ladylike composure.
All she could do was shout for help, hoping some passing hero would come over and humanely dispose of this shameless creep.
Unfortunately, the moment her voice rang out, Zenitsu’s became even louder, completely drowning out her cries for help.
"I’m begging you! Right now... right now I only have you! I really only have you!"
As he spoke, tears and snot gushed out of him like a river breaking its banks, seemingly endless.
Kiriya could only stare in amazement.
’What kind of body does this guy have? Where is all that water coming from?’
That thought only flashed through Kiriya’s mind for a moment. He also felt that this farce needed to end quickly.
So he walked around to the girl’s side, grabbed Zenitsu by the collar, and "tore" him off her.
It was not that Zenitsu did not try to resist. In fact, he resisted quite fiercely.
Unfortunately, Kiriya pressed a vital point near his spine, and Zenitsu’s whole body went numb and weak, leaving him unable to struggle anymore.
"It’s all right now."
Kiriya smiled.
"I’ll deal with this guy. You can head home first."
The girl had been on the verge of despair, only for the noise beside her ear to suddenly clear.
When she opened her eyes, she saw that the crazed pervert had already been subdued, and an almost unfairly handsome boy was smiling gently at her.
"Oh... o-okay."
The girl finally reacted and answered with a stammer.
Her pretty face turned bright red, but she did not leave immediately. Instead, she stood there and kept sneaking glances at Kiriya.
"Hey, are you kidding me?! I was going to marry that girl! Marry her, do you understand?"
Zenitsu, who was being held by Kiriya, immediately lost it.
He struggled desperately like a fish caught in someone’s hand, shaking his head so hard that even the tips of his hair refused to stay still.
"Mm?"
Kiriya gave a cold snort, and his gaze turned icy.
"I’ll give you three seconds. Behave. Otherwise... hmph."
Under Kiriya’s death stare and threat of violence, Zenitsu stiffened, then began trembling violently.
"Hey, hey, hey, don’t look at me like that! I’m human too, you know! Please show me at least a little respect!"
Zenitsu launched a complaint.
From Kiriya’s eyes, he felt three parts coldness, three parts contempt, three parts mockery, and one part casual indifference.
In short, it did not look like Kiriya was looking at a human being at all.
It was more like he was looking at a monkey in heat.
The insult was overwhelming, and the mental damage was off the charts.
"What kind of look am I supposed to give a perverted lecher who tries to force a girl into marriage in broad daylight?"
Kiriya sneered.
"How rude! We were clearly in love with each other. Don’t you dare try to tear apart a loving couple—"
Before Zenitsu could finish, a delicate hand struck his face with the force of thunder.
It was the girl he had harassed.
And after that came a storm-like combo.
Just from the sound alone, one could tell the girl was hitting him with all her strength.
Smack, smack, smack!
In only a few seconds, Zenitsu’s fair face had swollen red like a pig’s head.
"Who likes you?! Who wants to marry you?! I only saw you crouching on the ground for so long and thought you might be feeling unwell, so I kindly asked what was wrong! Then you grabbed me like some disgusting stalker! If this young man hadn’t helped me, who knows how long you would have kept clinging to me!"
The girl’s iron-palm assault lasted a full two minutes before finally stopping.
She let out a long breath, and only then did her mood ease slightly.
At that moment, she remembered Kiriya was still beside her and hurriedly tidied her clothes and hair.
"I’m sorry. I only acted like that because I was too angry. I’m usually very gentle. Everyone in the village praises me for being ladylike."
Her voice turned soft and sweet, her face shy and flushed, like peach blossoms blooming in spring.
Zenitsu stared so hard he nearly froze on the spot!
’What is this? Why is she so gentle when talking to him, but so violent with me?’
Zenitsu collapsed emotionally and rolled back and forth on the ground.
"Quiet."
Kiriya was getting annoyed by the noise and spoke coldly.
"If you keep yelling, I’ll cut you down."
Zenitsu actually stopped.
He even covered his mouth, though helpless whimpers still leaked through the gaps between his fingers.
Seeing how easily Kiriya had intimidated the bad guy, the girl’s bright eyes filled with little stars.
"So cool!"
Hearing that, Zenitsu’s muffled crying became even more heartbroken.
...
"Um... what happened here?"
At that moment, another voice appeared.
The group turned toward the sound and saw a boy carrying a wooden box on his back, looking at the scene with surprise.
He had deep red hair and eyes, a clean and gentle face, and a gaze that was both kind and firm.
When he looked at them, there was concern in his eyes, along with a little wariness.
It was the protagonist of Demon Slayer, Tanjiro Kamado.
"It’s nothing. We ran into a pervert."
Kiriya pointed at the girl and explained Zenitsu’s little incident from beginning to end.
After hearing Kiriya’s explanation, Tanjiro’s expression relaxed.
He scratched his head awkwardly and said, "I’m really sorry. I saw him kneeling on the ground earlier and thought you were bullying him. Since we’re both members of the Demon Slayer Corps, I wanted to help him. I didn’t expect the situation to be like this."
By the end, even the way he looked at Zenitsu had turned somewhat disgusted.
"Hey! We’re both in the Demon Slayer Corps, so it’s one thing if you don’t help me, but why are you kicking me when I’m down?!"
Zenitsu shouted.
"I’m going to die soon! I might die on a mission at any moment! So before I die, I have to stop being single and get married! Isn’t that reasonable? It’s very reasonable, right?"
(°—°) × 3
Everyone was stunned by his logic.
After Tanjiro came back to his senses, he apologized to the girl.
"I’m truly sorry. Someone so shameless has appeared among our group. Please rest assured, we’ll discipline him properly."
"Ah? Actually... it’s not that serious..."
The girl secretly glanced at Kiriya and was about to say more when a piercing cry came from above.
"Tanjiro... Zenitsu... run! Run quickly! Target sighted ahead! Target sighted!"
"What? A talking crow?"
The girl looked up and was completely shocked.
But when she lowered her head again, wanting to ask what was going on, the three boys in front of her had already disappeared.
...
Several kilometers away, in the mountain forest, Tanjiro was running with all his strength.
Judging from the message delivered by the Kasugai Crow, someone had already been taken away by a demon. If they did not hurry, those people would likely face a terrible fate.
Ever since that tragedy, Tanjiro could no longer bear to watch such suffering happen in front of him.
But...
"Hah... hah..."
Even though his feelings were urgent, his body refused to obey him. His pace kept getting slower and slower.
’Damn it. My injuries are acting up again.’
Tanjiro clutched his waist and abdomen.
His ribs and leg bones were sending out sharp bursts of pain.
These were old wounds left from his previous battle against a demon, and they had not fully healed yet.
"Kid, in your current condition, even if you reach the place, you might not save anyone. You’ll just get yourself killed instead."
Just as Tanjiro was about to grit his teeth and force himself forward, a gentle voice sounded beside him.
He turned his head and saw Kiriya following behind while supporting Zenitsu with one hand, his expression completely relaxed.
"So... so cool."
Tanjiro could not help sighing in admiration.
He knew very well how fast he could run at full speed, yet this person was carrying a whole living person and still keeping up so easily.
That strength was simply incredible.
"May I ask if you’re a senpai from the Demon Slayer Corps?" Tanjiro asked respectfully.
"My name is Tanjiro. I still don’t know how I should address you."
"My name is Kiriya. I’m not a member of the Demon Slayer Corps."
Kiriya walked up to Tanjiro and casually tossed Zenitsu aside as he answered.
"Then you can’t continue forward. There are man-eating demons ahead. Slaying those monsters is the duty of the Demon Slayer Corps... ngh..."
As Tanjiro spoke, he pulled at his injury and frowned.
"I don’t like wasting words, so stay quiet."
Kiriya said this, then placed his hand over Tanjiro’s ribs.
"What are you trying to—"
Tanjiro had only begun asking in confusion when the next scene left him stunned.
A cluster of emerald-green light emerged from Kiriya’s hand.
A warm current flowed from Kiriya’s palm into Tanjiro’s body, spreading toward his injured areas.
Soon, Tanjiro felt a numb, tingling itch in his ribs.
In only a few breaths, the pain in his ribs completely disappeared.
Not only his ribs, even his leg bones had healed as if nothing had ever happened.
"This... this is..."
Tanjiro moved his body, feeling the surging power and vitality within him.
He was so shocked he could barely speak.
"T-thank you very much for your help. I truly want to repay your kindness right now, but please allow me to go ahead first! There’s a demon hurting people up ahead, and I have to stop it."
He had already smelled the demon’s stench from far away.
A monster like that had to be cut down.
"Perfect. I’m pretty interested in these demons too. Let’s go together."
As Kiriya spoke, he followed Tanjiro, leaving Zenitsu alone where he was.
"Eh? Ehhhhhh?"
Zenitsu finally reacted, so frightened his eyes nearly flew out of their sockets.
They had left him alone in such a dangerous place? If he ran into a demon, who was supposed to save him?
"Wait for me!"
Shouting that, he hurried after them as fast as he could.
...
Before long, the group arrived in front of a two-story wooden mansion.
There, they encountered two children, a boy and a girl.
Their older brother had been dragged inside by a monster, and they wanted to enter and save him.
Tanjiro smiled bitterly and could only comfort them gently, promising that he would definitely rescue their older brother.
Only then did the two children calm down.
Looking at the wooden mansion, Tanjiro’s expression turned grave.
The mansion occupied a large area. Its doors and windows were tightly shut, and there was no way to see what was happening inside.
But this was the demon’s lair, so it was surely filled with danger. Entering would mean stepping right into the demon’s trap.
The best method would naturally be to force the demon out, but unfortunately, the opponent had hostages.
The initiative was not on their side.
’There’s no choice. We’ll have to go in.’
Tanjiro’s eyes turned firm as he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Kiriya dragged Zenitsu in after him.
Zenitsu did not want to enter at all.
But since he was already here, how could Kiriya let him hide and take it easy? Naturally, he dragged him inside.
Zenitsu was terrified, anxious, and close to tears, but against Kiriya, whose strength was both overwhelming and frightening, he had no will to resist.
He could only enter the mansion with a bitter face, sticking close behind Kiriya and clutching his clothes along the way.
In a dangerous place like this, hugging the big shot’s thigh was absolutely the right choice.
Inside the mansion, the lighting was dim.
Only a few oil lamps gave off a yellowish glow, illuminating the dark, long corridors and the rows of doors.
"Are the people who were taken being held here?"
Tanjiro carefully opened doors and investigated them one by one, but several rooms in a row turned out empty.
When he reached the eighth door, Tanjiro’s expression sharpened.
He saw the figure of a boy sitting in the corner of the room, and his foot instinctively stepped forward.
Dong.
At that moment, the sound of a drum rang out.
Tanjiro felt the world spin around him, and the scene before his eyes changed completely.
The boy was gone.
Kiriya and Zenitsu behind him were gone too.
In their place was a demon.
It was tall, with pointed ears, blood-red eyes, red hair, and fangs.
Aside from a loincloth, it wore almost nothing.
Small drums were embedded in its left and right shoulders, abdomen, and both sides of its hips.
’This guy... His smell is the same as the smell throughout this entire room. In other words, he’s the owner of this house?’
Tanjiro widened his eyes.
His luck was not bad.
As long as he killed this demon, the people who had been captured would be safe.
’But this guy should have a Blood Demon Art...’
Tanjiro recalled the inexplicable spatial shift from earlier, and his expression grew solemn.
’I have to seize the right moment and kill him in one strike.’
With that thought, he no longer hesitated.
He bent his knees, gathered as much strength as possible, and shot forward.
...
"Hey, hey, hey, what’s going on? Why did that red-haired guy suddenly disappear?" Zenitsu shouted.
"This place is way too creepy!"
Because he had been grabbing Kiriya’s clothes, Zenitsu had not been separated from him.
But after witnessing such a bizarre scene with his own eyes, he was still frightened badly.
"Boss, you absolutely have to protect me!"
Zenitsu clung tightly to Kiriya’s thigh.
"I haven’t gotten married yet. I can’t die here!"
Kiriya’s eardrums hurt from Zenitsu’s loud voice.
He coldly said, "Keep yelling, and I’ll cut out your tongue."
This time, the threat failed.
Zenitsu continued rolling around and making noise.
Kiriya was just about to teach him a proper lesson when he caught sight of a figure from the corner of his eye.
The corner of his mouth lifted, and he leapt forward, landing face-to-face with a demon.
The demon had two eyes on its forehead and moved on all fours.
Its hanging tongue was as long as an arm, making it look both ferocious and disgusting.
"Aaah—!"
Without another word, Zenitsu fainted on the spot.
"...What’s wrong with this guy?"
The demon froze.
It could still recognize the Demon Slayer Corps uniform and the Nichirin Sword.
But if this boy was a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, why had he fainted from fear the instant he saw it?
Had the Demon Slayer Corps’ standards fallen this low?
Still...
"It doesn’t matter. This saves me some effort before enjoying my meal."
The licker-like demon’s drool dripped from its tongue. Then, when it looked at Kiriya, its eyes lit up.
"What a fragrant smell! I can’t wait to taste your brain."
"Is that so? Then you’ll have to get past him first."
Kiriya pointed to the ground in front of him.
The boy who had just fainted suddenly stood up again.
His expression and aura had completely changed.
The cowardice from before had vanished, replaced by a firm and unyielding presence.
"What is this supposed to be?"
The licker-like demon thought for exactly 0.0001 seconds before giving up on thinking altogether.
It shot its tongue directly toward Zenitsu’s heart.
’A mere small fry.’
It could kill him with a casual move.
And yet...
"Thunder Breathing..."
"First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."
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This demon slayer arc only have 10 Chapter before we go back to danmachi for the war game.