Because Tamayo and Yushiro were Demons, traveling during the day was inconvenient. On top of that, Japan's roads and transportation in this era were far from developed, so Luke's group did not make especially good time.
It was not until the second night fell that they finally neared their destination.
With the journey being dull, Luke chatted with Tamayo from time to time, familiarizing himself with the various details of this world.
During the trip, he handed Tamayo the eight samples of Demon blood he had obtained in the battle at Yoshiwara. She was delighted, but also somewhat puzzled.
"Are you a scholar as well, Mr. Luke?"
Tamayo looked at Luke with the anticipation one might show a fellow researcher, though there was also a trace of doubt in her eyes. It was a little impolite, but she could not help feeling that Luke was a rather crude man.
"Not really. I'm just curious about the physical makeup of Demons."
After handing the samples to Tamayo, Luke had already received a system notification. The progress of his hidden mission had increased, though he did not know what kind of reward would appear when it was finally settled.
According to the mission description, the more blood samples he gave Tamayo, the greater his final reward should theoretically be.
"To be honest, you've been a tremendous help, Mr. Luke. There are far too few Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen these days with your spirit of inquiry. Demon blood samples are truly useful for my research."
Tamayo carefully put away the samples. "In the past, many powerful Hashira have slain Lower Rank members of the Twelve Kizuki, but none of them ever considered researching the anatomy of Demons or the origins of their abilities."
"Have you met other Hashira before, Miss Tamayo?"
Luke asked curiously.
Tamayo's beautiful eyes turned to the full moon in the night sky, her face filled with reminiscence. "I have met a few. Most of the time, though, they came to kill me. I only survived until today through sheer luck."
"That happened!? Those Hashira are awful!"
Yushiro was indignant at once. He was Tamayo's most devoted fan.
Tamayo shook her head. "It is only natural for Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen to kill Demons. It is normal for Hashira to attack when they encounter us. We cannot blame them for that."
As she spoke, she lightly flicked Yushiro's forehead. "And Yushiro, you must not interrupt when others are speaking."
"Yes!"
Yushiro immediately behaved himself. If they had not been in the car, he would probably have snapped to attention.
"There are two Hashira who left the deepest impression on me..."
Tamayo returned to the previous subject, piquing Luke's curiosity.
"The first time I encountered a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps was several centuries ago. He was a man with dark-red long hair and earrings bearing a sun motif. He was truly powerful—the strongest Hashira I had ever seen."
Tamayo continued, visibly moved. Even after several centuries, recalling it still shocked her. "It was the first time I saw someone defeat Muzan head-on. His overwhelming strength even made Muzan fearful. In the end, Muzan escaped only by blowing himself apart."
"What a shame."
Luke's voice was wistful, though it was unclear exactly what he regretted.
"Yes. Muzan Kibutsuji made the right decision then. Had he hesitated for even a moment, perhaps that powerful Hashira would have killed him. From what I later learned, his name was Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the founder of the original Breathing Style."
Tamayo sighed with regret over Yoriichi Tsugikuni's failure. He clearly possessed power beyond Muzan's, but Muzan was simply too good at running for his life.
"A swordsman who used the original Breathing Style? Then every one of us in the Demon Slayer Corps has benefited from his legacy."
Luke smiled. "What about the second one?"
He already knew that Tamayo had met Yoriichi Tsugikuni. He was merely curious about the second Hashira who had left such a deep impression on her. More than that, he wanted to know how Tamayo had survived.
Although Tamayo possessed remarkable medical expertise, her combat ability was truly mediocre. Escaping from a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps was difficult enough. If she had encountered other Hashira before meeting Luke and Yoriichi Tsugikuni, her surviving until now was practically a miracle.
Tamayo glanced at Luke and smiled. "Naturally, it is you, Mr. Luke. You are a strange man, so of course you have left a deep impression on me."
"Strange?"
Luke drove while looking at the mountain looming ahead in the night, reflecting on his actions.
"You appear fierce and violent, Mr. Luke, but you are actually a man with principles, one capable of making your own judgments... a gentle person."
Tamayo smiled. In her eyes, Luke was the most unusual Demon Slayer Corps swordsman she had ever met.
He possessed incredible strength, yet he did not simply cut down every Demon he encountered without a second thought. He seemed like a crude warrior, yet he had a thoughtful side. He did not seem particularly scholarly, yet he was eager to investigate the unknown and knew to collect Demon blood samples.
Moreover, without receiving any instructions from the Master, he had recognized her value and chosen to protect her. Tamayo was deeply curious about the inner world of the man beside her.
"Huh. I never knew I was such a gentle person."
Luke curled his lip. He was no soft-hearted protagonist.
He gradually slowed the car, finally bringing it to a stop at the foot of the mountain. Once they arrived, the fog abruptly grew much thicker. Even the bright moon overhead was obscured, and the stars had dimmed.
"Out of fuel?"
Seeing Luke stop the car, Yushiro asked in confusion.
"We are almost out of fuel, but that's not why I stopped."
Luke looked at the mountain shrouded in mist before them, then turned to Tamayo. "Miss Tamayo, do you know what place this is?"
He was not particularly familiar with the details of maps from this era. The Kasugai Crow had only indicated the general direction and had not told him their exact destination, in order to keep the Master's location from being exposed.
Although the news of his becoming the Thunder Hashira had been announced to every member of the Demon Slayer Corps, he had not yet been formally appointed at a Hashira meeting. For now, he was not permitted to know where the Master resided.
The Kasugai Crow had said it would tell him the direction to travel in stages, with a Kakushi eventually guiding him to the Master's location.
Well... to be honest, Luke thought this way of concealing the location had plenty of loopholes. It had kept Muzan's faction in the dark for over a thousand years in the original story, but things were different now. If Muzan's faction had even a few smart people, finding key locations such as the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters and Swordsmith Village would be laughably easy.
"If I remember correctly, this mountain... should be Mount Natagumo."
After pondering for a moment, Tamayo answered. She had lived for centuries and traveled throughout the country, so she knew something of even these remote mountain ranges.
"Sounds pretty lively up there."
Luke looked up and saw flickering firelight through the mountain fog.
"Caw! South-southeast! South-southeast!"
Just as Luke got out of the car, a Kasugai Crow cried out from the sky. It was not the one belonging to the Master, but the crow of another Demon Slayer Corps member. It shouted in a grating voice as it circled down and landed beside Luke.
"Lord Thunder Hashira, please hurry up the mountain and provide support! Demon Slayer Corps members have encountered multiple Twelve Kizuki within the mountain!"
The Kasugai Crow's voice was urgent. "The Sound Hashira is already locked in a hard battle!"
Luke frowned at those words. He knew Mount Natagumo had Lower Rank Five among the Twelve Kizuki, but an opponent of that level should have been instantly killed by the Sound Hashira. Luke had not even considered coming to Mount Natagumo to clear this minor dungeon, because Lower Rank Five was nothing more than scraps to him—far less tempting than Upper Rank Six.
But how could someone at Lower Rank Five's level possibly force the Sound Hashira into a hard battle?
Although the Sound Hashira had not appeared in the final battle in the original story and never awakened a Demon Slayer Mark, his base strength was still formidable. Otherwise, he could never have fought Gyutaro for so long. If he was in a hard battle now, it could only mean the enemies had made other preparations!
Explorers? Or were there other Upper Ranks here?
Luke's mind raced before he reached a decision. "Miss Tamayo, you and Yushiro wait for me at the foot of the mountain. If you encounter Demon Slayer Corps members coming down, hide yourselves first."
If even the Sound Hashira had been forced into a hard battle, the enemy must possess at least an Upper Rank-level lineup. Luke was not confident he could fight while protecting Tamayo and Yushiro, and he had no time to explain the situation to other Demon Slayer Corps members. The best option was for Tamayo and Yushiro to hide first.
After giving those instructions, Luke wasted no more words. With a single step, he became a violent gale, sweeping fallen leaves through the forest as he charged toward the depths of Mount Natagumo.
...
Turning back the clock slightly, a fierce battle was erupting deep in the forest, on a relatively flat stretch of mountainside.
A towering man nearly two meters tall stood among the trees. He wore a sleeveless Demon Slayer Corps uniform and a jeweled headband, pale-blue bead chains dangling from either side. A prominent ponytail extended down the back of his head. His attire was fashionable and flamboyant.
He gripped two blades joined by a chain. The rising firelight illuminated his handsome face as sweat beaded on his forehead and he breathed heavily.
He was one of the Demon Slayer Corps' Nine Hashira: the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui.
He stared gravely at his opponents and shouted, "Tanjiro, take that boar and run! Wake up that yellow-haired—forget it. Don't wake him."
At that moment, aside from this main battlefield, the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen who had initially come to subjugate Mount Natagumo had been almost entirely wiped out. Only five newcomers who had recently joined the Corps remained.
Originally, Tengen had received word from his wives and intended to meet up with them. But on the way, he received a request for support from here, reporting that a Lower Rank member of the Twelve Kizuki had appeared. That was why he had changed course to lend aid.
By the time he arrived, the first group of Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen who entered Mount Natagumo had already been annihilated. Worse, a second group of reckless newcomers had also entered the mountain.
He had thought that once he arrived, he could swiftly behead that Lower Rank member of the Twelve Kizuki and save whoever was still alive. He had not expected the situation to be far more troublesome than he had imagined.
The information the Master had previously sent through a Kasugai Crow said Muzan had expanded the Twelve Kizuki. There were certainly far more than twelve members now. The truth was that, besides Rui, there were two other members of the Twelve Kizuki on this mountain.
This kind of clustered appearance was something the Demon Slayer Corps had never dared imagine or encountered before. It could only mean that Muzan had truly gained more subordinates—and they had even learned to move in groups.
Worst of all, within this mountain, Tengen had encountered an unforeseen powerful enemy: an Upper Rank of the Twelve Kizuki. Upper Rank Five!
"Mr. Uzui, watch out behind you!"
Tanjiro carried the soundly sleeping boar on his shoulder as he ran wildly, dodging the Demons' Blood Demon Arts while loudly warning Tengen Uzui.
In truth, Tengen Uzui did not need Tanjiro's reminder. He quickly leaped away, evading the threads cutting in from behind as well as Blood Demon Art attacks flying at him like bullets.
He tried to adjust himself in midair, but another attack swiftly arrived: a gigantic goldfish plummeting from above, its enormous mouth opening wide to devour him.
With nowhere to gain leverage, Tengen Uzui could only hurriedly block with his dual blades. He braced against the goldfish's hideous jaws, but the tremendous force still sent him flying into a tree, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
The Blood Demon Arts of the surrounding Demons fell like raindrops, pursuing Tengen Uzui just as he was injured and unable to catch his breath.
At that moment, lightning flashed. Zenitsu Agatsuma, a snot bubble hanging from his nose, rushed over and grabbed the Sound Hashira. The two of them narrowly evaded the barrage together.
Amid the chaotic battle, the Sound Hashira's bombs and several Blood Demon Arts had set the surrounding trees ablaze. Though it was the deepest hour of night, the area was bright as day.
Figures emerged from every direction. What astonished the Sound Hashira was that although these Demons bore no Twelve Kizuki numbers, none of them felt much weaker than Lower Rank Five.
But the most troublesome opponents were still the two figures above.
On a tree trunk above and to the left sat a porcelain pot. A bizarre white creature grew from its opening. Its head looked vastly different from a human's. Where eyes ought to have been were two mouths with green lips; eyes instead grew on its forehead and around its mouth, while five purple fish fins sprouted from the top of its head.
The upper eye had white sclera and golden irises inscribed with the words "Upper Rank," while the lower eye bore the character for "Five."
The upper body of this exceptionally distinctive creature was muscular, yet it had no arms. Two small hands grew from either side of its head, while five more small hands lined each side of its body. The tiny fingers twitched excitedly, as if playing an instrument.
"What a beautiful man. I'd so love to turn you into a work of art~"
Gyokko spoke in a eerie, effeminate tone, clasping the small hands on his body together. "Your head would surely make a wonderful pot, wouldn't it?"
The figure standing on a tree trunk above and to the right was unlike Gyokko: he was a handsome man. He wore a well-fitted suit, had a balanced build, and medium-length black hair that faded into deep pink at the ends, with slightly longer teal tips at the very bottom.
Three large yellow squares and three small yellow squares marked each of his cheeks. Wearing a blissful, lovestruck smile, he looked down at the Sound Hashira, Tanjiro, and the others, speaking in an androgynous voice. "If I can kill a Hashira, that person will acknowledge me too, won't they? Being able to serve that person is the greatest happiness of all~"
His pale-green eyes were inscribed with the words "Lower Rank" and "One."
At that moment, Little Camellia's heart sank to rock bottom. She was one of the Explorers still alive on the Demon Slayer Corps' side.
She and another Explorer had only come to Mount Natagumo to pick up an easy Lower Rank kill. How had they run into a lineup like this!?
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