"Ah!! Sakura!!"

Seeing the girl collapse to the ground, the boy beside her cried out in alarm.

Takeo stepped over and checked her condition, then said calmly, "She's fine. Just passed out from exhaustion... I think.."

"But… there's so much blood coming from her nose…"

The boy grew even more distressed as he looked at Sakura, whose face was streaked with blood.

Takeo was silent for a moment before replying, "…It's okay."

Aside from exhaustion, the girl showed no other concerning symptoms. Her vital signs were stable. Once the Kakushi arrive and treat her, she should be back to normal after a day or two of rest.

In contrast, the boy's injuries were clearly more serious.

Takeo walked over to him and said, "Regulate your breathing. The Kakushi will be here soon. You're all going to be fine."

After that, he went to check on the other wounded members. Once he confirmed that they were in stable condition, he finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Normally, when Demon Slayer Corps members battle ordinary demons, they can't count on timely reinforcements.

Only when something goes wrong or when they manage to have their Kasugai Crows send a message will backup be dispatched.

Even then, there's often a high chance they'll be killed before help arrives.

Fortunately, this squad of Demon Slayers was stationed in Tokyo, and with two Hashira currently assigned to the city, they had a real chance of surviving. As long as they could hold out long enough for backup to arrive, they'd make it through.

Following Takeo's instructions, the boy began regulating his breathing.

Once his wounds had stabilized somewhat, he turned to Takeo and asked, "You… you're Lord Kamado, right?"

"Mm."Takeo gave a quiet nod.

The boy continued, "I heard Sakura mention you. She said you saved her once… she admires you a lot."

"I saved her…?" Takeo looked at him with a puzzled expression, then turned his gaze to the unconscious girl on the ground.

She had brown hair and closed eyes. If he remembered correctly, her eyes were the same color as her hair.

She wasn't particularly beautiful, but there was a certain charm to her—a cute sort of presence. Unfortunately, her current facial features, lost in a dreamy daze like she could die happy, with that perverted expression.. somewhat spoiled the effect.

Takeo compared her face to the one in his memory, going over the details one by one, until a faint recollection surfaced.

"Oh, it's her… she's…"

Takeo finally remembered. She was the girl he had saved during the battle against the Twelve Kizuki.

It was just that… he couldn't quite recall her name.

"Sakura Feng—her name is Sakura Feng. She's now a Class B swordsman," the boy explained. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he quickly added, "Oh, by the way, my name is Yamada Kawai."

"I remember now. And Yamada, just focus on resting for now."

Takeo nodded, indicating that he had noted down both names. His gaze then shifted to the remains of the demon, now reduced to nothing but ashes.

At this point, when facing demons below the level of the Twelve Kizuki, he could slay them instantly—without even needing to draw a full breath.

The demon hadn't even seen the moment of its death.

With this level of strength, he was more than qualified to be a Hashira… and yet, Takeo still felt a trace of unwillingness.

If only he had possessed this strength earlier… No, there was no point in thinking about the past.

Takeo shook his head, gripping the hilt of his Nichirin sword with both hands. He stared silently at the last traces of ash fading into the air and waited.

The moon hung high above, casting its cold silver light through the warehouse window, spilling across the floor in quiet beams.

Takeo glanced around. Everything seemed normal. Nothing suspicious.

And that, somehow, left him disappointed.

Muzan Kibutsuji was extremely cautious. Even now, Takeo had yet to find a single trace of him.

But then again, if Muzan Kibutsuji were that easy to find, the Demon Slayer Corps wouldn't have had to fight him for a thousand years.

"The hidden troops will still take a bit of time to arrive. You two…"

After waiting a while and confirming that no other demons appeared, Takeo was just about to say something to Yamada—when suddenly, his entire body froze.

His beast instinct, honed to its peak, screamed at him in alarm.

Danger. Danger. Danger—!

Someone… or something… was approaching.

His crimson pupils narrowed sharply as he instinctively drew both of his Nichirin swords from his waist. Takeo turned around, his senses on high alert.

From outside the warehouse, a figure began walking toward him out of the darkness—a man with an ancient samurai sword at his hip.

One step. Two steps.

The man moved slowly, but with each step, the air around him seemed to tremble.

A suffocating pressure settled over Takeo and the others like a heavy shroud.

Yamada, who had barely recovered, was instantly paralyzed by the weight of it and couldn't move a muscle.

Who is that?

Takeo's eyes sharpened, staring hard at the advancing silhouette.

At last, the man stepped into the moonlight.

And under that pale, cold light, Takeo saw him clearly.

He wore a kimono patterned in deep purple and black spots. A long crimson ponytail flowed down to his waist, and at his side hung a timeworn samurai blade—its sheath faded, its edges dulled with age.

At a glance, he could've been mistaken for a seasoned wandering swordsman.

But...

But then you saw his face—And the chill of dread would crawl up your spine.

There were three pairs of eyes on that face.

Six eyes, perfectly symmetrical—three on each side. In the central pair, engraved in the golden-red pupils, were the characters: Upper Rank One.

He was a demon.

The moment they saw his face, everyone present understood what he was.And not just any demon—

The strongest of the Twelve Kizuki.

"Upper Rank… One…"

Takeo muttered the words under his breath, identifying the figure. His hands, gripping the hilts of his swords, trembled. No matter how hard he tried to steady them, his body refused to obey.

The instinctive fear flooding through him, compounded by the primal warning of his beast-like senses, caused his limbs to shake uncontrollably.

Haahh... haah...

This was different. Completely different.

Upper Ranks were truly on another level.

No wonder Kyojuro had emphasized the danger they posed. Now that Takeo was actually standing in front of one, he understood.

They weren't like the Lower Ranks.

He could slaughter a Lower Moon in seconds—but facing Upper Rank One, all he felt was overwhelming dread.

"Ya …Yamada."

Takeo kept his eyes fixed on the demon bathed in moonlight and spoke in a low, steady voice:

"Take everyone and leave. Now."

"Master Kamado…" Yamada's body trembled violently, his eyes brimming with tears. His legs gave out beneath him, and he couldn't get up. "I… I can't move…"

Under the crushing pressure of the Upper-Rank demon, Yamada—an ordinary Demon Slayer—couldn't even stand.

The same was true for Sakura, who had only just regained consciousness.

The overwhelming gap in strength made it impossible for them to even flee.

Gritting his teeth, Takeo didn't push them further.

Instead, he stepped forward, placing himself firmly between them and the approaching demon. His gaze never left the figure walking through the moonlit night.

Finally, the Upper-Rank demon stopped ten meters away.

Bathed in silver light, all six of his eyes focused on Takeo with terrifying clarity.

In that moment, Takeo felt completely exposed—every weakness laid bare, as if the demon could see straight through him.

"It's you."

After a brief silence, the demon finally spoke.

_________

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