"Rare blood—such precious rare blood—!"
The thing twisted its neck and thrust a long, misshapen arm into the doorway, catching the door before Sui could slam it shut by instinct.
Realizing there was no way she could close it, Sui backed away step by step, and the demon took the opportunity to squeeze into the room. Only then did she see its full form clearly.
It was enormous—so large that even entering the room required it to hunch its massive body.
It stared at Sui, its twisted eyes flooded with blood-red hunger. Muscles swelled inch by inch beneath its skin, while strange, serpentine veins pulsed and writhed across its body. Sui understood that look well.
It was the look of someone staring at an exquisite feast.
And the kind intent on devouring every last scrap.
"A thousand men's worth of rare blood... If I eat you, maybe I'll be able to kill that damned swordsman."
"Yes! Eat you, then kill that damned swordsman!"
The demon's nostrils flared as it greedily sucked in the air inside the room—or rather, the air tinged with Sui's scent.
That intoxicating fragrance filled its nose in an instant. It was a taste beyond anything it had imagined, even after devouring a hundred people. The scent alone nearly drove it mad. It had made the right choice. No wonder this girl was such a rare prize—her rare blood was so potent that he could sense it even before smelling any actual blood.
"Hm?"
The demon froze for a moment, then suddenly smashed the table apart, snatching up the wisteria sachet Sui had set there and flinging it away.
With the interference of the wisteria gone, an even richer, sweeter scent flooded into its nose. It grinned mockingly, its malicious eyes fixed on the pitiful girl now trapped in the room with nowhere left to run.
Beautiful.
So beautiful.
That pale skin, smooth and delicate as porcelain—it would probably shatter with the slightest squeeze. And beneath that broken skin, delicious crimson blood would burst forth. The thought alone made the demon's blood race. And those eyes... it had never seen what they would look like clouded with tears.
Cry.
Then he would swallow that weeping beauty whole.
No, that would be too wasteful.
Better to tear off her arms first and savor them slowly.
Cry.
Why aren't you crying?
For a brief instant, the demon's thoughts stalled as it looked at the suddenly expressionless girl.
But only for a brief instant.
Because a blade flashed from its sheath like moonlight spilling across a lake.
Then the demon's vision began to spin, to sink, to lower until all it could see was the hem of the girl's clothing.
What... happened?
Its head hit the floor and rolled in a clatter to the girl's feet.
In that moment, the demon's twisted eyes were met by eyes even stranger—those beautiful, terrifying Mystic Eyes, where icy-blue blossoms seemed to bloom in the depths of her pupils. One glance was enough to awaken raw terror of death in the very core of its being.
Sui sheathed her sword.
At the same time, the demon's enormous body began to crumble into ash.
"You're crying?"
She saw tears slipping from the one remaining eye in the half of its head that had not yet disintegrated.
They were clear.
Completely unclouded.
Sui crouched down, her sword braced against the floor. Her icy-blue Mystic Eyes had already returned to normal.
"What are you crying for? I'm the one who should be crying, okay? Look over there—my dinner was gone before I even got to take a single bite, all because you smacked it away."
The demon could no longer hear her.
The demon became ash.
"The warrior monk of Mira Temple. Three years ago, he turned into a demon and slaughtered every living person in the temple."
An old, hoarse voice sounded from behind Sui.
She turned around.
Beside the wooden door the demon had shoved open stood a short old man. He leaned on a cane with his right hand, and his gray-white beard flared out sharply like a burst of thorns.
"Since I had already retired into seclusion, I only heard about it through rumors in town," the old man said, his expression dimming. "The Corps wanted me to enjoy my old age in peace, to spend my time teaching students, so no Kasugai Crow ever came to report the appearance of a demon. Tonight I went to the temple intending to slay him, only to find he had already run into town..."
The old man lifted his head.
In an instant, the dullness in his eyes sharpened into something fierce, like a treasured blade long buried in dust finally drawn from its sheath—so sharp it was almost impossible to meet head-on.
"And then I found you."
His gaze dropped to the sword in Sui's hand.
"The blade is old and fine, but it is not forged from Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand. Yet without using a Nichirin Blade, you cut off a demon's head and made it die for good. So you must be the child Shinjuro mentioned."
The old man had recognized her.
"Lord Jigoro Kuwajima."
Sui bowed. She, of course, had already recognized the former Thunder Hashira.
Jigoro studied the girl for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on his face.
"So that bunch still hasn't forgotten this bag of old bones after all. Sending me such a splendid gift."
"Come."
The old man turned away. "To my place. My cooking is ten thousand times better than the cook at this inn."
Sui blinked, then laughed softly.
So the former Thunder Hashira had indeed heard her talking to the demon just now.
She followed the old man downstairs, where the innkeeper was standing beside the counter, his face full of worry.
"Lord Jigoro... that thing... that thing's been dealt with?"
"It has," the old man replied.
Only then did the tight strain finally leave the innkeeper's face.
"But it wasn't me who dealt with it," Jigoro added, patting the innkeeper's stiff shoulder. "It was your guest."
He walked out of the inn. Following close behind, Sui thanked the innkeeper for the hospitality and stepped outside after him.
Under the cold moonlight, the glance she cast back over her shoulder was like that of some bewitching spirit haunting the forest.
The innkeeper watched the two figures disappear into the edge of the town.
Then, with a weak sound, he collapsed to the ground.
Only after a long while did he finally let out a deep, lingering sigh.
The deep mountain lay silent, wrapped in thick mist.
High above, the moon watched a black figure racing swiftly through the old forest. Yet after every thunderous burst of speed, the figure would pause atop some treetop and wait in silence.
Sui was panting as she followed behind.
What the old man had said on the road was not merely accurate—it struck straight at the heart of the matter.
Right now, the secret to her being able to defeat demons was her eyes. If those strange Mystic Eyes were taken away, then in terms of sheer physical ability, she was actually weaker than most people her age by a fair margin.
And yet, despite that, the old man showed not the slightest mercy.
He kept leaving her far behind, then waiting by a tree until enough time had passed, only to spring forward and leave her in the dust all over again the moment he sensed her catching up.
Back in the distant days before she came to this world, the thing she had feared most was not failing exams.
It was the yearly physical fitness test.
Every time she saw that bright red running track, some deep-rooted terror inside her rose up and drowned her whole being.
Terrifying.
Utterly terrifying.
Winter had only just passed, and the mountain was carpeted with fallen branches and withered yellow leaves. Every step Sui took produced a crisp, absurdly loud crackle.
There might even be animal droppings buried beneath those leaves.
After who knew how long, Sui finally saw a faint glimmer of firelight in the distance—and Jigoro standing at the edge of the forest waiting for her.
The old man stroked his beard and looked her over again.
He had not yet spoken, but Sui could already imagine what must be running through his mind:
Ah, ah, ah... can a little weakling like this really be taught my Breathing Style?
"Not bad. Shinjuro's eye for talent really is sharp. You are indeed the sort suited to learn under me," Jigoro said slowly.
Then he tapped Sui's dazed head with his cane.
"Don't just stand there in a trance. Come eat. Let's see how you like my cooking."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 135)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 110)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter67)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter85)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 60
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 65
From Junkman to Wasteland 50
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 35
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 40
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 37
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 27
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 26
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 26
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