The twelve-snowflake array beneath Akaza's feet lit up again as he cast his aura sense toward Ishibashi Town.
The next second, confusion spread across his face.
"What…?"
"All four demons… their battle auras are gone…"
"While I focused my compass sense on Shinobu Kocho, someone killed them all…"
"Was it that unfamiliar aura I sensed earlier?"
"…Wait a minute. That unfamiliar aura… it feels a bit like that little demon's."
He thought back, carefully comparing the two. The little one's aura seemed like a modified version of the unfamiliar one—altered and reinforced, but based on the same core.
There were clear differences, but upon closer scrutiny, Akaza was certain.
That little demon's aura… and the aura that killed Ma Gui… were from the same person.
Flames of fury flickered in Akaza's golden pupils. His expression contorted into a feral snarl.
"No one has ever deceived me like this…"
"You're the first."
The ground exploded beneath him as Akaza vanished.
In the direction Kawanishi had fled, a cascade of booming explosions echoed through the forest. Akaza had launched into full pursuit.
"Don't think you'll escape my grasp so easily!"
…
Kawanishi raced through the moonlit forest, carrying Shinobu in his arms.
She silently observed his profile, not missing a single detail.
Between them, an overwhelming silence lingered, broken only by the wind whistling past.
Kawanishi was tense. He had no idea what Shinobu thought of him. Would she react like Yoshiyuki had? Would she hate him, even after being saved?
But she said nothing. She just stared at him, and that silence made Kawanishi even more uncertain.
Maybe… she's thinking about how to kill me.
At that moment, Shinobu finally broke the silence. "Kawanishi… you're the one, aren't you? The demon who buried a human corpse in the cave on Blue Haze Mountain."
Kawanishi looked down at her. She was smiling with the same gentle grace as always, her voice as soft and soothing as raindrops on banana leaves.
She didn't seem surprised at all that he was a demon.
"…Yeah," he said. "That was me."
Shinobu reached up and gently touched one of the bulging veins on his face.
"That explains a lot. No wonder you slipped away in the middle of the night—you were afraid of me, weren't you?"
"I'd been wondering about it. You maintained your human form so well, you had me fooled."
She didn't seem to hold any prejudice, even though she was a Demon Slayer and he was a demon.
Afraid of you? Like hell I'd say that out loud.
"I wasn't afraid!" Kawanishi blurted. "I just… went out for a drink. Got a little drunk, that's all."
Shinobu smiled slyly. "Oh, is that so…"
She didn't say anything more. Her gaze turned thoughtful.
After a few breaths of silence, she locked eyes with him. Her dual-colored irises held emotions too complex for Kawanishi to read.
"Kawanishi… let's be good friends."
"…Huh?"
But before he could process what she meant, a low, eerie laugh echoed behind them.
"You little bastard. You dared deceive me… in my master's name!"
"You think you can run?"
Kawanishi whipped around. "What!?"
Akaza came crashing through the trees, leaping from trunk to trunk. Each step he took shattered the wood beneath him, exploding the trees into splinters.
His body was simply too powerful. He channeled all that explosive force into his legs, and everything in his path erupted.
He figured it out this fast!?
Kawanishi hadn't realized Akaza's Blood Demon Art allowed him to sense fighting spirit.
If he had, he never would've gone with that plan. Still, after absorbing the four demons, Kawanishi's aura had changed. That, and the fact that Akaza was focused on Shinobu at the time, worked in his favor.
Most crucially, Akaza had been mentally shaken by Kawanishi's fabricated orders. He hadn't had time to fully examine the aura's origin.
No demon dared ignore Muzan's commands. Even fake ones would instinctively be treated as real.
But once Akaza sensed that it was Kawanishi who had killed Ma Gui and the others, he realized he'd been tricked—and now he was in full-blown rage mode.
To escape, Kawanishi flapped all four wings at full strength to accelerate.
But still… Akaza was gaining.
"Akaza… is this how terrifying the Upper Ranks really are?"
"He's fast. Even with four wings, I can't outpace him."
"What now? At this rate, he's going to catch me…"
As panic set in, Shinobu calmly suggested, "You have wings, don't you? Try flying. Akaza can't fly. If you get airborne, he won't be able to catch you."
Kawanishi gave a sheepish laugh. "Well… I'm not really good at flying yet. I've only figured out how to use them for speed…"
How embarrassing. Two full sets of wings and he still couldn't fly. He flushed red beneath his monstrous face.
Shinobu's eyes sparkled mischievously. Then she put on a mock-realization expression. "Ohh, I see. So you just wanted to hold me longer."
Kawanishi sputtered, "I did NOT—"
Her fingertips brushed against his forehead—ticklish, light.
Her face looked even more radiant in the moonlight.
She spoke softly, "Put me down. Akaza will come after me first. You'll have a chance to escape."
There were so many things she wanted to ask him. But in their current situation, she might not get the chance.
Kawanishi… the demon named Kamado Kawanishi. I really wanted to be your friend. Too bad it's already too late.
Kawanishi's expression darkened. "What did you just say?"
"You want me to abandon you? Not a chance."
Shinobu asked, "Aren't you afraid of dying?"
"Of course I'm afraid," he said. "Who isn't? But just because I'm scared doesn't mean I'm going to run."
"Even if my body is shaking with fear… I won't give in."
If it were anyone else, maybe he would've let them go. But this was Shinobu—someone who'd touched his heart. He couldn't let go.
Akaza's voice was getting louder. Kawanishi turned and saw the twisted grin on his face.
He knew what would happen if he got caught.
Shinobu might be spared—Akaza wouldn't kill her without direct orders—but she'd be crippled.
But Kawanishi?
He was a male demon who had lied, mocked, and outwitted an Upper Rank.
He wouldn't be let off so easily.
"You little bastard. You're the first who's ever tried to steal my prey."
"Stop running. Give Shinobu Kocho back to me. I admire your guts, so I won't kill you. You can follow me afterward. How about it?"
Akaza didn't think Kawanishi was trying to rescue Shinobu.
He still believed Kawanishi was a native demon of the area. That Ishibashi was his hunting ground.
In his eyes, this demon had used some kind of strange technique—perhaps his Blood Demon Art—to eliminate the four intruding demons. Then he'd even dared to impersonate Muzan's orders to fool him.
Could a demon kill another demon?
Lower-ranked demons wouldn't know it, but someone like Akaza understood.
Yes—demons could be killed by other demons with the right methods.
After all, Muzan didn't need sunlight or Nichirin blades to slaughter demons.
And Akaza, if he chose to, could easily destroy a demon's regenerative core and kill them—it would just take a little more effort.
(End of Chapter)