Shinobu Kocho

The windlass was truly terrified.

He was the Lower Moon Two, and theoretically shouldn't be afraid of a demon slayer who wasn't even a Pillar, but he was still afraid.

Memories flooded his mind; those images of being looked down upon, mocked for being weak and cowardly became the imprint of his thoughts. Even after becoming a ghost, he could not completely change this underlying mindset.

This kid is inhuman. I don't want to get entangled with him; I'll die!

That knife is terrifying. If I keep fighting, even if I manage to kill him, I'll be half-dead from the bite!

"Damn it! Damn the Wind Swordsman! Damn the mad dog!"

He kept cursing, but his steps had already begun to falter.

At this moment, Rokuro just wanted to get as far away as possible from this crazy brat, this monster that could really devour him!

"You just wait! Next time...next time I'll tear you to pieces!"

The rumbler roared fiercely but was actually weak inside, its body honestly splitting into several dense black shadows, which darted into the darkest corner of the shrine like startled mice, instantly merging into the shadows.

A moment later, his presence completely disappeared.

He abandoned all his plans in Sendai and fled in panic like a stray dog.

"Don't you dare escape!!"

"Let's avenge Mr. Arashi's death!"

The bird's forehead veins throbbed as it tried to catch up with the windlass, but its body wouldn't obey.

He was constantly fighting at the cost of his own life, completely unaware of how serious his injuries were.

He was able to keep fighting by taking away Rokuro's life force, but now that Rokuro has fled far away, his strength has receded like the tide and he has become weak.

As time passed, the intense pain, exhaustion, and dizziness from blood loss, along with blurred vision, overwhelmed his senses like a landslide or tsunami.

The hamster in his hand emitted a low, unwilling groan, the light on its blade dimmed, and it reverted to its old, worn-out form.

puff.

Unable to hold on any longer, the bird collapsed to one knee, and blood quickly pooled beneath him.

He looked up, panting heavily, to make sure the pulley had really left.

"It's still not enough...it's still too weak...at this rate, let alone getting revenge on that person, we can't even deal with these small fry!" Asuka thought unwillingly.

Trading injury for injury will ultimately result in the enemy suffering a thousand losses while you suffer eight hundred.

If it weren't for the ravenous nature of the raven that terrified Rokuro to the extreme, coupled with his inherently cowardly nature, he himself would surely be the one lying here today, devoured.

Feiniao tried to calm her breathing, using the bandages she carried to stop the bleeding, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Whoosh-!

A figure as light and swift as a butterfly landed silently beside him, so fast that it left only a purple afterimage.

The newcomer had deep purple eyes, wore curly hair, and habitually wore a gentle smile.

Over their Demon Slayer Corps uniforms, they wore haori embroidered with butterfly wing patterns that shimmered and danced in the moonlight.

"Moshi Moshi, are you alright?"

Her voice was gentle and sweet, as natural as if she were talking about the weather, her gaze fixed on the mess on the field:

"Wind Breathing... and the powerful demonic energy and the stench of Muzan's blood... what an intense battle scene... Did you encounter Demon Moon?"

Upon hearing the voice, Asuka instinctively became wary, but when he saw the Demon Slayer Corps uniform, his guard relaxed.

He endured the pain in his body and looked at the woman in front of him.

"Relax a little, okay? If you keep tensing up like this, the wound will open wider and bleed more." The woman took a gourd from her waist and gently handed it to Fei Niao. "Use some medicine; it'll make you feel a little better."

"...Who are you?"

"Me?"

She brushed a stray hair from her temple and gazed tenderly into the bird's eyes:

"I am Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. Are you relieved now?"

The insect pillar... Asuka's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

He already knew the significance of the Pillars in the Demon Slayer Corps; they represented authority and a guarantee of strength.

With a pillar guarding this place, I should be able to rest now...

Asuka gulped down the painkiller Shinobu offered, and did feel a bit better: "...What are you doing here?"

Despite Asuka's lack of politeness and somewhat cold attitude, Shinobu's smile remained unchanged; only her eyebrows twitched slightly as she responded with a smile:

"Like you, I received a demon-slaying mission in Sendai. But it seems I'm a step too late, leaving you to bear the most dangerous part alone."

Shinobu Kocho paced back and forth within the ravaged shrine, examining the traces of the battle: "So, what level of Demon Moon was it?"

"The second lower moon... I don't know its name."

Asuka sat on the ground, panting heavily, and briefly shared the results of her investigation with Shinobu Kocho—

This includes the Shadow Disease, the workers' protests, and the Lower Moon Demon's hunt for Harada Tadashi.

"The Lower Moon Two?" Shinobu Kocho was somewhat surprised, but she was more concerned about the other details Asuka had described. "They're actually cooperating with demons... these people..."

Her gaze drifted down to the foot of the shrine, to the unusually bustling Sendai night.

"As for the protests you mentioned, they've already started, and there's quite a commotion."

On her way here, Shinobu Kocho had already noticed that many residents and workers were gathered on the streets and alleys, and were besieging and attacking some shops and stores. However, at the time, her attention was focused on Toukiden and she did not pay much attention to it. She followed them all the way here.

There's something sinister going on here...

Shinobu took out a small bamboo flute from her bosom, placed it to her lips, and played a rhythmic note at a specific frequency.

In less than half a minute, several figures dressed in black uniforms and wearing masks appeared in the shrine courtyard like ghosts.

The aftermath unit, known as the Hidden Unit, is responsible for handling the traces left behind by the Demon Slayer Corps and demons after their battles.

Most of the team members are people who lack sword skills but still have the desire to fight against evil spirits and save the living.

"Lord Pillar!" The leading team member bowed respectfully.

"This team member is injured. Provide immediate emergency treatment and then escort him to the nearest sanatorium as quickly as possible!" She issued the order quickly, efficiently and decisively.

"yes!"

Upon receiving the order, the team members immediately took action, took out a stretcher and a first aid kit, and skillfully cleaned the bird's wound, immobilized the broken bone, and injected more potent medication.

Asuka carefully coordinated with their actions, while glancing at Shinobu's profile, which appeared exceptionally fair and aloof in the moonlight:

"...My mission is not yet complete."

"It's okay, leave the rest to me."

"Take a good rest, strong young man."

Shinobu looked down at him, the curve of her lips seemed to deepen for a moment, but it was as if it were just an illusion.

There was no smile in his purple pupils, only a familiar sense of alienation and coldness that made the bird feel.

This woman might not be as gentle as she appears on the surface, he thought to himself.

Shinobu watched as the Hidden Ones carried Asuka away into the night. The gentle mask on her face slowly faded, leaving only a cold calm and a burning anger deep in her eyes.

An hour later, in the office of the Sendai Dyeing and Weaving Company.

At this moment, Sasaki and several other partners were gathered together, discussing how to deal with the sudden outbreak of protests.

The attack on Harada Tadaka, coupled with the rice riots that have been spreading throughout the country in recent days, finally ignited the long-simmering anger in Sendai City, plunging the entire city into chaos.

Angry workers and citizens clashed violently with the military and police, and the situation spiraled out of control, with the wave of protests threatening to overturn this nascent industrial town.

Even more terrifying is that we've completely lost contact with Lord Rokuro!

"Useless! All of you are useless!"

Sasaki grabbed the crystal ashtray from the table and smashed it on the ground, sending shards flying.

"Eat my food! Take my things! You couldn't even handle Harada Tadaka! And now look what you've done! That damn priest!"

"What should we do now? Would it be better to just escape Sendai and wait until things calm down?" Rice shop owner Nakajima was also very scared, after all, he was one of the main targets of this protest.

While several people were arguing.

creak-

The heavy office door was pushed open.

Sasaki was so startled that his obese body almost bounced off the sofa.

"Who?! Get out! Who let you in..." His cursing stopped abruptly when he saw who was standing at the door.

An extremely beautiful young woman, wearing a purple haori embroidered with butterfly patterns, walked slowly into the house with a smile on her face.

"Good evening, everyone. I'm Shinobu Kocho—"