Rokuro was truly afraid.
He was Lower Rank Two. In theory, he shouldn't fear a Demon Slayer who wasn't even a Hashira, but he was afraid nonetheless.
Past memories flooded his mind. Images of being looked down upon, mocked for weakness and cowardice, had become the ingrained brand of his thoughts. Even after becoming a demon, he couldn't completely change this underlying nature.
'This kid isn't human. I can't entangle with him. I'll die!'
'That sword is too terrifying. If I keep fighting, even if I could kill him, I'd lose half my life!'
"Damn it! Damn Wind Swordsman! Damn mad dog!"
He cursed continuously, but his feet were already retreating.
At this moment, Rokuro only wanted to flee far from this insane brat, this monster that could truly eat him!
"Just you wait! Next time... next time I'll tear you limb from limb!"
Rokuro roared with bluster, but his body honestly dissolved into several thick shadows and, like a startled rat, shot with a whoosh into the shrine's darkest corner, instantly merging into the shadows.
A moment later, his aura completely vanished.
He had directly abandoned all his schemes in Sendai City and fled in panic like a stray dog!
"Don't run!!"
"Pay back the blood debt... of Arasaki-sensei!"
The veins on Taka's forehead throbbed. He wanted to pursue Rokuro, but his body was starting to disobey him.
He had been fighting by trading wounds, completely unaware of how severe his own injuries were.
Only by seizing Rokuro's life force had he been able to barely keep fighting. Now that Rokuro had fled far, that power receded like a tide, and he grew weak.
As time passed, intense pain, fatigue, the dizziness of blood loss, coupled with blurred vision, flooded his senses like an avalanche.
The Tonan in his hand let out an unwilling whimper. The light on its blade dimmed, transforming back into the form of that battered Asauchi.
Thud.
Unable to hold on, Taka fell to one knee. Blood quickly pooled beneath him.
He looked up, gasping heavily, confirming whether Rokuro had truly left.
'Still not enough... still too weak... Like this, forget avenging that man, I can't even deal with small fries like this!' Taka thought bitterly.
Trading wounds was ultimately hurting the enemy a thousand while losing eight hundred of oneself.
If not for Tonan's nature terrifying Rokuro to the extreme, and for him being essentially a cowardly demon, the one who would have fallen here today, to be devoured, would certainly have been him.
Taka strove to calm his breathing, using handy bandages to stop his own bleeding. His body trembled uncontrollably.
Whoosh—!
A light, swift figure, like a butterfly, silently landed beside him. Her speed was so fast it left only a purple afterimage.
The newcomer had deep purple pupils, her hair styled in a night-time roll, and a gentle smile habitually lingering at the corners of her mouth.
Over her Demon Slayer Corps' uniform, she wore a haori embroidered with butterfly wing patterns, shimmering and dancing in the moonlight.
"Hello there, are you alright?"
Her voice was gentle and sweet, as natural as discussing the weather. Her gaze surveyed the carnage within the grounds:
"Wind Breathing... and a strong demonic aura and the stench of Muzan's blood. What a fierce battle scene... Did you encounter one of the Kizuki?"
The moment he heard the voice, Taka instinctively tensed in defense. But when he saw the Demon Slayer Corps' uniform, his vigilance relaxed slightly.
Enduring the pain from his body, he sized up the woman before him.
"Relax a little. If you stay so tense, your wounds will tear open further, and you'll bleed more." The woman took down a gourd from her waist and gently handed it to Taka. "Use some medicinal solution. It will make you feel a bit better."
"...Who are you?"
"Me?"
She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and gazed gently into Taka's eyes:
"I am the Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps… Kocho Shinobu. Do you feel reassured now?"
'Insect Hashira...' Taka's tense nerves relaxed slightly.
He already knew the weight of a Hashira within the Demon Slayer Corps. It represented authority and a guarantee of strength.
'With a Hashira stationed here, I should be able to rest now...'
Taka drank deeply the painkiller Shinobu offered, and indeed felt his body improve a little. "....Why are you here?"
Faced with Taka, who neither used honorifics nor had a cold attitude, Shinobu's smile didn't change, though the corner of her eye twitched slightly. She still responded with a smile:
"The same as you. I received a demon slaying mission regarding the Sendai region. But it seems I was a step too late, leaving you to bear the most dangerous part alone."
Shinobu paced within the devastated shrine grounds, observing the traces of battle. "So, what rank was the Kizuki?"
"Lower Rank Two... I don't know its name."
Taka sat on the ground, breathing heavily, and briefly shared with Shinobu the results of his investigation—
Including the shadow sickness, the workers' protests, and the Lower Moon's hunt for Chuichi.
"Lower Rank Two?" Shinobu was somewhat surprised, but even more concerned about the other details Taka described. "They actually cooperated with a demon, these people..."
Her gaze shifted towards the foot of the shrine mountain, where the Sendai night was clearly unusual and restless.
"As for the protests you mentioned, they've already started, you know. Quite a commotion."
On her way here, Shinobu had already noticed that in the streets and alleys, many residents and workers had gathered, besieging and attacking some shops and storefronts.
But at the time, her attention had been entirely on hunting the demon, so she hadn't investigated further and had pursued it here.
She didn't expect there was actually a demon's scheming behind this...
Shinobu took a small bamboo flute from her bosom, put it to her lips, and blew a specific frequency of notes.
In less than half a minute, several figures in black uniforms with masks silently appeared within the shrine courtyard like phantoms.
The post-processing unit… Kakushi. They were responsible for handling traces left after battles between the Demon Slayer Corps and demons.
Most of the members composing this unit were people without swordsmanship talent, but who still held the desire to fight demons and save the living.
"Hashira-sama!" The leading member bowed respectfully.
"This corps member is injured. Administer emergency treatment immediately, then transport him to the nearest recovery point as quickly as possible!" She issued orders rapidly, capable and decisive.
"Yes!"
The members who received the order immediately moved. They produced a stretcher and first-aid kit, skillfully cleaning Taka's wounds, setting broken bones, and injecting stronger medication.
Taka carefully cooperated with their movements, while looking at Shinobu's profile, especially pale and cold in the moonlight:
"....My mission is not yet complete."
"It's alright. Leave the rest to me."
"Rest well, strong young man."
Shinobu looked down at him. The curve of her lips seemed to deepen for an instant, yet it could have just been an illusion.
There was no trace of laughter in her purple pupils, only a distance and iciness that felt familiar to Taka.
'This woman might not be as gentle as she appeared on the surface,' He thought.
Shinobu watched as the Kakushi members carried Taka away, swiftly disappearing into the night. The gentle mask on her face slowly peeled away, leaving only cold calm and a burning anger deep in her eyes.
One hour later, Sendai Dyeing and Weaving Company office.
At this moment, Sasaki and the several other partners were gathered together, discussing how to handle the suddenly erupting protests.
Chuichi had been attacked, coupled with the nationwide Rice Riots in recent days, had finally ignited the long-accumulated anger in Sendai City. The entire city was plunged into massive chaos.
Angry workers and citizens clashed fiercely with military police. The situation was out of control. The waves of protest nearly overturned this emerging industrial town.
Even more terrifying, they had completely lost contact with Rokuro!
"Useless! All useless!"
Sasaki grabbed the crystal ashtray on the table and smashed it viciously to the ground, shards flying everywhere.
"He eats mine, takes mine! Can't even deal with a single Harada Chuichi! Now it's come to this! That damn Divine Official!"
"What do we do now? Would it be better to just flee Sendai? Lie low until the dust settles?" The rice merchant, Nakajima was also very afraid, after all, he was a main target of this protest.
Just as the several of them were arguing incessantly—
Creak—
The heavy door to the office pushed open.
Sasaki flinched, his fat body nearly bouncing off the sofa:
"Who?! Get out! Who let you in—" When he saw clearly the person standing at the door, his curses stopped abruptly.
An extremely beautiful young woman, draped in a purple haori embroidered with butterfly patterns, was smiling as she slowly walked into the room.
"Good evening, everyone. I am Kocho Shinobu—"