A figure landed on a patch of open ground.
It was a young-looking girl. She had long black hair and striking purple eyes that shone beautifully. Her outfit resembled a uniform, topped with a colorful butterfly-patterned haori.
"How'd you spot me?" she asked, turning to Azuma Shoyo. She ignored the demon, who'd frozen in terror at her appearance.
"Your breathing, your heartbeat—they're too obvious," Azuma Shoyo replied calmly.
"Did you knock out Conan?" he added.
"Huh? Not that," Ran started, surprised. Her gaze flicked to the terrifying man nearby.
"Not him. If it were, Conan'd be eaten by now," Azuma Shoyo said, his calm words spiking Ran's fear.
Eaten?
This guy eats people?!
Ran scrambled behind Azuma Shoyo, trembling.
"You're no ordinary guy either," the girl said, sizing him up. After a moment, she introduced herself. "I'm Shinobu Kocho, Flower Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps. Your name, sir?"
"Azuma Shoyo, second-year, Class B, Teitan High," he replied, introducing himself.
He studied her too—this girl who'd died in the original story. Judging by Shinobu Kocho's look, she was about 17. If nothing changed, she'd die this year. But, he thought with a glance at the sleeping Conan, this year might never end.
Shinobu frowned at his introduction. "You won't share your real identity? That's hardly fair," she said.
Azuma Shoyo shook his head. "No, I told you my real identity."
She blinked, caught off guard. "So, you're really just a student?"
He nodded. "Yep."
Shinobu Kocho fell silent, processing.
A high school kid from off-island saw through my stealth? she thought, eyeing him skeptically. No way he's legit.
"Of course, even a high schooler can have special tricks," Azuma Shoyo added.
There it is, Shinobu thought, a knowing glint in her eyes. I knew it.
"Like what?" she asked, curious about his skills.
"Like this." He gave a slight smile and reached out, clenching his hand toward the demon.
A loud bang echoed. The demon didn't even scream—it exploded into a blood mist! Oddly, the mist hung in the air, frozen in its burst shape.
Shinobu's eyes widened in shock, her face a mask of disbelief. You can kill demons like that?
"Ahh!" Ran yelped. If Shinobu was stunned, Ran was horrified.
What's it like watching someone blow up in front of you? Ran's answer: she'd rather not know!
"Shoyo, you just…" Ran stammered, panicked.
"Don't worry. That's a demon, not a person," Azuma Shoyo reassured her.
"A demon?!" Ran blinked, stunned.
"Yeah, a solid one," he confirmed with a nod.
He turned to Shinobu Kocho. "This park's crawling with demons hunting food. Doesn't the Corps handle that?"
Shinobu sighed. "We do, of course. But lately, demons popping out to feed's gotten way more frequent. This spot's tame compared to some villages—they're empty now."
"That bold, huh?" Azuma Shoyo raised an eyebrow.
Though, thinking of the demon swarm on Kosai Island, he wasn't too shocked. How many slayers were there? How many Pillars? Expecting the Corps to handle tens of thousands of demons alone? That's asking too much.
At best, he figured, the Corps could keep some areas stable—on the surface, anyway.
Why didn't demons hit the mainland, sticking to this island instead? Easy—avoiding bigger threats. Here, it's just the Corps. On the mainland, any city might have monster-tier freaks who'd drag even Muzan Kibutsuji out of Infinity Castle!
"Still, we've sent people here to deal with the recent spike in demon attacks," Shinobu said.
Azuma Shoyo nodded. "Good. Since you're on it, I'll leave it to you."
Shinobu nodded back. They had ties with Kosai's official groups. There was even a dedicated anti-demon unit set up by the authorities here. Problem was, their numbers were thin, and mainland support was thinner. Rumor had it the higher-ups were letting demons thrive on the island on purpose.
That's what the Corps' leaders concluded after talks. Why? Maybe the brass envied demons' tough vitality and near-immortality. Who doesn't fear death? Especially the powerful—they cling to life harder than anyone.
"If that's the case, we'll head out. Island cops'll show up soon—handle them," Azuma Shoyo said.
--- Translator Note ---
Read 30+ Advanced Chapters on my Patre on!
This novel has 2 daily chapters being translated and released every day on Patre on!
Patre on.com/MyKitty