Demon Slayer : Breath of The Forest

Amidst the mountains and forests, countless trees lay shattered and splintered, the crackling of burning branches and withered leaves filling the air.

The earth itself was torn apart by endless fissures and deep craters.

Clearly, a great battle had taken place here.

Within a vast crater, a figure knelt half-naked, his body rising and falling slightly.

With his head lowered and black disheveled hair obscuring his face, Shinichi expression remained hidden, save for the sound of his labored breathing.

Steaming cracks covered Shinichi upper body, revealing glimpses of crimson flesh beneath, the torn tissue slowly knitting itself back together—though at an agonizingly slow pace.

At the edge of the crater, a somewhat disheveled Demon stepped forward, his golden eyes fixed on Shinichi.

The Demon blood-red armor was riddled with cracks and a massive gaping hole had been smashed into his chest.

Clenching his fist, the Demon struck his own chest with a resounding blow, shattering the armor into fragments that dissolved into pools of blood upon hitting the ground.

"With strength like this, I acknowledge you, Moriki Shinichi. Keep striving—perhaps you can achieve what even Shunichi could never reach" the Demon said slowly, gazing at the now-incapacitated Shinichi before turning away.

But before leaving, he tossed a small glass vial beside Shinichi, speaking without looking back.

"Something Shunichi entrusted to me before his death. Now, it's time to return it to its rightful owner."

With that, the Demon vanished in a flash.

Whoosh!

Perched on a tree branch, the Demon opened his golden eyes, sensing a faint presence in the air.

His brow furrowed slightly. "Shouku..."

Back in the crater, a gentle breeze stirred as Shinichi swayed weakly before finally collapsing with a heavy thud!

The crimson hue in Shinichi eyes gradually faded, his fangs and claws reverting to normal.

But his vision blurred, darkness swallowing him whole.

***

Meanwhile, on the other side of Kippei Village...

The Oni Demon circled low in the sky, shrieking piercingly.

"The elderly are burdens! For the happiness of future generations, the old should willingly end their lives! Why? Why must you stop me? I'm only doing good!"

Shinobu Kocho, however, remained unmoved by the Demon's twisted logic. Her eyes locked onto its erratic movements, her Nichirin Blade poised to strike again—her previous all-out attack had been dodged.

"There is no such thing as a burden in this world. Family bonds are the most precious thing of all! Any act that robs innocent lives from others is despicable!" Though her tone was sweet, her words carried an undeniable gravity.

"RAAAGH!! SILENCE!!" the Oni Demon screeched furiously, its ghostly figure lunging at Shinobu, its elongated claws gleaming menacingly.

Facing the assault, Shinobu expression hardened.

She crouched slightly, coiling like a spring, gathering strength—

BAM!

The moment the Demon surged forward, Shinobu petite frame sprang upward, her poison-coated Nichirin Blade flashing like lightning as it thrust straight for the Demon's face.

But the next second, Shinobu heart trembled.

The hideous and grotesque Demon had actually twisted its neck unnaturally, dodging her thrust in a deformed manner and passing right by her.

'Damn it! Such a cunning Demon! I've lost another chance to strike!' Shinobu thought bitterly in her mind.

But suddenly! An unexpected change occurred!

"Awooo!!!!" A piercing wolf howl abruptly rang out.

The terrifying sonic attack was even stronger than the Demon shriek, violently shaking the fleeing Demon out of midair!

"Perfect opportunity!"

Her violet eyes lit up.

Shinobu naturally wouldn't let such a golden opportunity slip away. Still mid-air, her body spun around as she dove downward toward the Demon from above.

"Insect Breathing: Butterfly Dance - Caprice!"

For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if a swarm of colorful butterflies were truly dancing in the air.

Before the Demon could react, wounds suddenly appeared all over its body, spraying blood and its ferocious face froze stiff.

Soon, the purple wisteria poison rapidly spread through the Demon's body.

The creature let out agonized wails as its sickly green eyes glared unwillingly at the night sky.

Memories surfaced before death—yes, this Demon was the mother of that gambler.

It was her excessive doting that had allowed her child to slide step by step into the abyss.

When her son first developed his gambling addiction, her first thought wasn't to stop him but to spend all their savings indulging his whims.

Later, to satisfy her son greed, she had willingly traded her life for compensation money.

However, in her final moments of life, she was turned into a Demon by a passing higher-ranked Demon.

Even as the Demon, her mind remained filled with those ignorant thoughts, believing elderly people were burdens to their families.

Thus, she wantonly hunted and killed older people, then, in a twisted act, left stolen money from various merchant for their families.

"Why...? I was doing the right thing..." Struggling to utter these final words, the Demon completely turned to ashes.

Shinobu landed nimbly on the rooftop, watching as the Demon turned to dust before her.

She couldn't help but close her large eyes.

Influenced by her sister, though she still harbored hatred toward Demons, she retained some kindness.

Knowing the tragic backstory of a Demon, she would close her eyes and wish for their peace—but none who deserved hell would escape it.

"Awoo!!" A sleek black wolf dashed to Shinobu side with lightning speed, anxiously howling at her.

"Maru-ni? You really helped me out there." Shinobu couldn't resist patting the large head of the transformed Maru-ni.

Though she wasn't particularly fond of the chubby Maru-ni, she had to admit that his transformed wolf form was undeniably impressive.

The majestic wolf exuded raw power at first glance.

However, Maru-ni had no time to respond to Shinobu praise. He kept howling urgently at her, then tugged at her white haori, pulling her in a certain direction.

Soon, Shinobu noticed Maru-ni strange behavior.

"Maru-ni, what's wrong? That direction... Wait, that's where—Blockhead Shinichi!"

Shinobu Kocho eyes widened as she looked in the direction Maru-ni had been pulling her, immediately realizing something was wrong—Shinichi might be in trouble.

Seeing that Shinobu had finally reacted, Maru-ni stopped pulling her.

Instead, he suddenly bit her arm and forcefully flung her onto his back.

Of course, Maru-ni was careful not to actually injure Shinobu arm—at most, his saliva dampened her sleeve.

Before Shinobu could even process what was happening, Maru-ni dashed toward Shinichi location like a black lightning bolt.

"Stupid Shinichi, please don't be hurt!"

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