Now, three demonic shadows rampaged through Ishibashi Town. With the exception of women—under Akaza's orders—they slaughtered anyone they saw, not bothering to eat, only to kill.
What had once been a peaceful and tranquil town now turned into a hellish battlefield. People woke screaming from their sleep and fled in all directions. Somewhere, an oil lamp had been knocked over, setting a house ablaze. The fire spread quickly, painting the night sky blood red.
From the mountain, Shinobu Kocho saw the rising flames. Alarmed, she rushed down at full speed.
Just before she entered the town, she spotted a demon perched in a tree, calmly watching the burning chaos.
"How many people... have already died?"
Thinking of the warm-hearted villagers who welcomed her, fury surged within her. She leapt into the air, slashing her Nichirin Blade at Akaza's neck.
But to her surprise, the demon reacted. Twisting his body at an impossible angle, he dodged her strike.
Boom!
Akaza countered with a backhanded punch, which Shinobu blocked with crossed arms—but the force still sent her crashing down from the treetop.
"What…?"
Akaza didn't follow up, simply standing high above, watching her.
Shinobu looked up and her heart sank.
This demon's face bore dark blue tattoos around his golden eyes, but it was those eyes that made her blood run cold.
In his right eye were the characters "Upper Moon," and in the left, the number "Three."
"Upper Rank Three of the Twelve Kizuki... the Martial Demon…"
Shinobu's heart grew heavier. She'd expected a regular demon, not one of the Upper Moons.
With this demon here, not only could she not save the townspeople—she herself might die here.
"I'm too weak… I'm sorry…"
She looked at the burning town. Though her heart was weighed with guilt and sorrow, she still smiled gently. She didn't want her sister to see her despair.
She was facing an Upper Moon…
Akaza leapt down from the tree.
"Demon Slayer Corps?"
Shinobu took a deep breath, gripping her Nichirin Blade tightly, every nerve on edge.
Her sister had been killed by Upper Rank Two, Doma.
She knew just how powerful the Upper Moons were.
"Shinobu Kocho, Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps."
No matter how great the difference in strength, she couldn't allow Akaza to descend the mountain and harm more people.
She held her sword at an angle and didn't charge straight in. Instead, she danced like a butterfly through the trees, agile and graceful, seeking an opening.
Akaza didn't move.
"A new Insect Hashira? The Demon Slayer Corps really cycles through you quickly. I don't even remember your names anymore…"
The Pillars had all sorts of names—he guessed they were named after their Breathing Styles.
Insect Pillar… Insect Breathing?
That was a new one. He hoped she'd be interesting.
Akaza didn't kill women, and he wouldn't kill Shinobu either. But sparring a bit was fine—other demons were handling the mission from Muzan.
Still, facing a Hashira meant he couldn't be careless. He shifted his fighting aura from the town and focused it entirely on Shinobu.
Shinobu grew tense. Akaza stood still, but in her eyes, he loomed like an immovable mountain. She couldn't see any openings.
But Akaza could wait—she couldn't. She had to strike first.
"Let's hope the wisteria poison works on him…"
She sheathed her blade and quickly drew it, emitting a strange buzzing sound.
Hidden within the sheath was a potent strain of wisteria poison now coated evenly across her sword.
"Insect Breathing: Butterfly Dance — Caprice!"
Shinobu's Breathing Style was called Insect Breathing, a derivative of Flower Breathing, which itself branched from Water Breathing.
Insect Breathing didn't use "Forms," but rather "Dances."
Lacking the strength to decapitate demons, Shinobu had studied medicine and toxicology intensely. She developed a wisteria-based poison capable of killing demons.
She abandoned conventional swordsmanship and instead created Insect Breathing—a fusion of high-speed thrusting and poison—to compensate for her lack of physical strength.
Her thrusts were faster and sharper than even Water Breathing's strongest piercing attack, "Ripple Thrust."
Though Butterfly Dance wasn't a piercing move, it consisted of five rapid slashes meant to break the demon's skin and deliver poison into their bloodstream.
In Akaza's vision, Shinobu seemed to transform into a swarm of fluttering purple butterflies, all flying toward him.
Hidden within the elegant dance were five precise strikes, each from a different direction, aimed at slicing his body.
If she could pierce his skin, she might have a chance...
Just as she approached, Akaza twisted. He didn't change position—but with one leg grounded, the other swung upward with the force of a crashing mountain.
"Destructive Death: Leg Type — Explosive Flurry!"
A flurry of powerful kicks blasted toward her, shattering the air like exploding light, thunderous shockwaves ringing out.
The illusionary butterflies were instantly scattered, revealing Shinobu beneath, mid-slash.
Her blade clashed with his leg. Akaza not only blocked all five strikes, but landed an extra kick that struck her in the abdomen.
Shinobu spat blood as she was sent flying.
But her blade had left several shallow cuts on his leg.
"I broke his skin…"
Akaza's entire power lay in his fists and feet. Every movement carried devastating force. Still, he had held back—otherwise that one kick might've ended her.
The Upper Moons were terrifying, especially the top three. Even ordinary Hashira were no match unless they fought together.
As she was flung back, Shinobu flipped midair and used her blade to kick up a cloud of dust, obscuring Akaza's vision.
"Insect Breathing: Dance of the Bee Sting — True Flutter!"
As the dust cleared, Akaza lowered his leg—but he had lost sight of Shinobu.
"Destructive Death: Compass Needle!"
"Technique Deployment!"
Akaza stomped the ground, causing it to tremble. A twelve-pointed snowflake pattern bloomed beneath his feet, centered around him.
In his spiritual perception, he sensed a strong combat aura above him—falling fast.
"She's above me."
Akaza's technique gave him unparalleled accuracy in attack and defense. Shinobu's movement was clear as day.
Shinobu, diving from above, used her most powerful thrusting technique, "Bee Sting Dance," channeling all her momentum downward like a wasp driving its stinger toward her target.
She aimed to pierce his skull and inject the poison directly into his brain.
But Akaza moved. Without even looking up, he spun and lashed out with a lightning-fast kick.
"Destructive Death: Leg Type — Crown Splitter!"
He raised a leg upward, dodging Shinobu's attack while delivering a precise kick to her head.
He controlled the force—he only intended to knock her out.
He didn't kill women. Not even female Hashira.
But just as he was about to connect, he felt a jolt in his heart—something surged up his leg, spreading violently through his bloodstream, racing toward his heart.
Shinobu deflected the kick, using the rebound to leap away and land lightly on the ground.
But she remained anxious. She didn't know how effective the wisteria poison would be against an Upper Moon.
"Upper Rank Three, huh…"
"You've been poisoned by my wisteria. How do you feel? The more you move, the faster it spreads. The quicker you die."
Just as she landed, she charged again without hesitation. Her words were only meant to shake Akaza's focus.
He was one of the most fearsome demons—she couldn't afford even a moment's distraction.
(End of Chapter)