Demon Slayer: Guardian of the Forest

"Blood Demon Art: Blood Burst!"

Boom!! Shinichi's body instantly erupted with a searing heat. The skin exposed to the air flushed a bright red in an instant, and the surrounding air rippled with the heat radiating from him.

Veins bulged on the surface of Shinichi's skin, coursing not with blood but with what seemed to be molten lava. The toxins from Karasuma's attack evaporated instantly under this intense heat. Boom!!! Shinichi stomped his right foot down, shattering the earth beneath him.

Swoosh! To Karasuma, Shinichi's movement was a blur—a red streak disappearing in the blink of an eye. The Tongue Venom Dance lashed out at nothing but air. "So fast! How could it be!? How does this brat also know a Blood Demon Art?!" Bam!! A searing fist suddenly slammed into Karasuma's face, half of which exploded like a watermelon, bones and flesh scattering everywhere.

One punch after another, in mere seconds, Shinichi delivered hundreds of crimson blows to Karasuma's body.

"Ah!! No! Stop! Please! Don't hit me anymore!" Karasuma was nothing more than a punching bag, his body battered beyond recognition, completely helpless against the onslaught.

Boom!!! Shinichi delivered a final, powerful punch, driving it straight through Karasuma's chest and pinning him to the ground.

Sizzling. The heat emanating from Shinichi gradually subsided, and the greenish glow in his eyes also faded. Looking at the pitiful Karasuma lying limp on the ground, Shinichi instinctively stared at his own hands. That power, and that figure in his mind—who were they?

"Blood Demon Art: Blood Burst. By squeezing out all the energy from the blood, it makes the blood boil, greatly enhancing speed and strength for a brief period. It also raises the surface temperature of the body. So, that's a Blood Demon Art? Feels like something out of a certain anime's death gate… except now that I'm a demon, I won't die from it," Shinichi muttered to himself.

...

"Master Shinichi, I've told you everything you wanted to know. You're generous and benevolent, please forgive my previous rudeness. I swear to serve you faithfully! With your talent, you will surely become one of the Twelve Kizuki, maybe even one of the Upper Ranks!" Karasuma groveled before Shinichi, fear and sycophancy dripping from his words. He was willing to abandon all pride to survive. If he couldn't fight, he'd grovel.

"Karasuma, how many people have you eaten?"

Thud! Karasuma's heart skipped a beat. "M-Master..."

"Answer me!"

"T-Twenty-three people."

"Twenty-three people… twenty-three lives."

Karasuma lifted his head, forcing a pitiful smile. "Master Shinichi, demons eating humans is the natural order—it's our instinct, our nature. Why do you resist it? If only you tasted human flesh, you'd see—it's such a wonderful thing, it's… Ah!!" Karasuma's words turned into screams as a scalding hot hand clamped down on his head.

"Enough! You can die now!"

Hearing the pure killing intent in Shinichi's voice, feeling that Shinichi had no intention of sparing him, Karasuma went mad, laughing hysterically, "Hahaha! You fool! Who do you think you are? You're a demon! Stop pretending to be noble! No matter what you think, you're still a demon! Someday you'll eat humans too! That's in our nature! Maybe you can resist for a day or two, but not forever!

Hahaha, you want to kill me? Do you think you're one of those Demon Slayer swordsmen? To them, you're just another demon—a human-eating demon they want to kill. And what will you do then, huh? Hahaha! Yeah, look at you now, giving me that angry look. What's wrong? Upset, aren't you? Yeah, I ate twenty-three people—the tastiest were two girls. Their flesh was so tender, and their blood… ah, it was like aged wine, simply delightful. I started with their hands and feet, letting them watch as they were eaten bit by bit. It was pure bliss!"

A vein bulged on Shinichi's forehead. Crunch! Karasuma's head was crushed halfway, his yellowish brain matter oozing down Shinichi's hand. Yet the half of Karasuma's mouth that remained continued babbling.

"It's useless! Besides the Demon Slayer's swords, only sunlight can kill us demons. No matter how angry you get, you can't kill me! Hahaha! Doesn't that make you furious?"

"Oh, really? I don't think so. Blood Demon Art: Vitality Drain!" Shinichi shouted, and with a squelch, a green, branch-like tendril burst from his palm, snaking out quickly and plunging into the remaining half of Karasuma's skull.

"Hahaha… Wh-what is this?! No! What is this?! Take it out! Take it out!! Stop! Master! Please spare me! Don't! Please! Ahh!!"

As the green tendril burrowed into Karasuma, his body started to tremble violently. His limbs withered, flesh shriveling away as if he were a decaying corpse.

Meanwhile, a hint of rosy color returned to Shinichi's pale face. He could feel it—a pure energy transferring from the tendril into his body. The intense hunger he'd felt slowly faded.

Closing his eyes, Shinichi saw a figure once again. It was a back view, wearing a green haori, a long sword hanging at the waist. From that figure, Shinichi seemed to see two extremes—one side an inferno, burning without end, the other side a forest, teeming with life.

The Blood Demon Arts, Blood Burst and Vitality Drain—they had appeared in Shinichi's mind after seeing that figure. Who was that person? Were they a demon as well?

Clatter! Karasuma's body crumbled, ultimately reduced to a pile of dry remains scattered by the wind. Shinichi opened his eyes. While draining Karasuma's vitality, he had glimpsed Karasuma's life before becoming a demon—an utterly cowardly scumbag, deceiving countless people with his vile words, even assisting human traffickers for money. Such scum deserved only to rot in hell.

Woof! Woof! Enji's excited barking pulled Shinichi back to reality. He gently patted Enji on the head. The fact that Enji had become a demon was unexpected. How had this happened?

Suddenly, Shinichi remembered the time in the cave when his hand had been burned by sunlight, and Enji had licked his wounds after Shinichi tore away the charred flesh. Could that have been the reason?

Regardless, at least Enji seemed healthy now. Shinichi had initially worried that, after demonizing, Enji might crave human flesh, but as Shinichi gathered the remains of the hunter family, Enji showed no interest in the flesh—instead, he was far more intrigued by the dorayaki half held in Shinichi's hand.

After burying the hunter couple's bodies and bowing to their makeshift grave marker, Shinichi whispered, "The demon has been sent to hell. Rest in peace."

In the ruined house, Shinichi found some old clothes that could still be worn, finally able to change out of his tattered rags. Perhaps due to the influence of his past life, Shinichi never really liked the clunky wooden sandals. Luckily, he found a sturdy pair of deerskin boots in the house, removing at least one worry.

With Enji by his side, Shinichi left the area before dawn.

...

In a dark cave, Shinichi rubbed his stomach, deep in thought. After absorbing Karasuma's vitality, he hadn't felt hunger for days, and it was only today that he began to feel a faint pang of hunger again.

This made Shinichi realize something—he might not need to worry about eating humans. Compared to the abhorrent idea of eating humans, draining the vitality of human-eating demons seemed a bit more acceptable. Moreover, it also seemed to enhance his own strength. After draining Karasuma dry, Shinichi felt a marked increase in his power and speed. He also had the vague sense that he could maintain his Blood Demon Art—Blood Burst—for longer now.

If that's the case! Shinichi's eyes grew resolute. He seemed to have found a goal—to hunt demons, absorb their vitality, grow stronger, and eventually find that man named Muzan and exact his revenge!

Before Karasuma died, Shinichi had also managed to glean quite a bit of information. Now, he understood more about the world he found himself in.