Chapter Twelve

As night deepened and the streets grew dim, Sanemi and the Serpent Pillar Obanai Iguro shot off like arrows, instantly taking the lead.

They were incredibly fast, their figures almost trailing as two blurry afterimages in the moonlight.

As he ran, Sanemi glanced sideways at Iguro, a defiant smile playing on his lips. Iguro's heterochromatic eyes narrowed slightly, a cold smile appearing on his face beneath the bandages—no words were needed; his fighting spirit burned fiercely.

"I'm very fast!!" Sanemi's voice came through the wind.

"Hmph, I'm faster." Iguro snorted and suddenly quickened his pace.

"Tsk! I can go even faster!"

"What a coincidence, me too."

The two chased each other, their figures flashing through the streets and alleys, completely unaware of their companion being left behind.

Chika sighed, lightly leaped to the side of the panting Genya, and said helplessly, "They're so childish!"

She spoke very softly, but the silence around her was enough to draw three pairs of eyes to her.

Then, Sanemi and Iguro exchanged a shocked glance, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Little Banai: Look at her!?

Sanemi: I saw it!

Sanemi: Can you believe it?

Little Banai: You're asking me?

While Sanemi and Obanai were simply shocked, Genya's heart was filled with turbulent waves.

He couldn't believe that Qianxia, ​​who looked even younger than him, was so strong.

Who are his brother and Mr. Ihei?

Pillar!

The most elite members of the Demon Slayer Corps.

In terms of speed, he's one of the fastest in the team!

Yet, despite being such a being, Chika kept up step by step, showing no sign of falling behind. What's even more terrifying is that she still had the strength to speak!?

Suddenly, he felt immense pressure and even doubted whether he was truly suited for the Demon Slayer Corps.

Elsa sensed that something was off, but she had no idea what the problem was.

After all, since she came into this world, she has been in contact with either Pillars or elite team members, all of whom are top-notch combatants who have undergone rigorous selection.

She had no idea how amazing her performance was, and even took it for granted that this level of speed and stamina was the basic capability of people in this world.

The night remained deep, and four figures sped through the moonlight, each carrying a completely different mood, disappearing into the boundless darkness.

When the group stopped, Xuanmi's breath condensed into white mist in the cold night, and his legs felt as heavy as lead. He clenched his teeth tightly, not letting his trembling legs reveal his limits.

But when he looked up...

Qianxia was sitting leisurely on the bluestone, a blade of grass dangling from her mouth as she swung her legs. When she met his gaze, she even had the energy to give him a bright smile and offered him a blade of grass, "Want some?"

His relaxed demeanor made Xuanmi feel like a fire was burning in his chest, and he felt terrible.

"Brother! Where is the mission location?" Xuanmi felt uncomfortable under her gaze, so he raised his voice and turned to Shimi, afraid that his disheveled state would be discovered.

However, Chika still noticed. She looked at Genya, whose steps were unsteady and whose breathing was obviously disordered, and raised an eyebrow: Oh ho! She seemed to know what was wrong.

When Sanemi heard Genmi's voice, he turned around. His slightly heaving chest showed that even for him, running like this was not effortless.

He pointed straight ahead, "Right ahead, there's a village that's been attacked by evil spirits."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Qianxia.

"Hmm?" She met his gaze, tilted her head to look back at him, her cheeks flushed from the intense exercise, fine beads of sweat on her forehead, and she was panting heavily, "Ha-ha-ha-".

There was nothing unusual about it.

Sanemi and Obanai exchanged a glance, then silently looked away.

Sanemi: Was that just an illusion?

Obanai: You're asking me? How would I know?

Only Xuanmi stared at her with a look of utter disbelief: "Wait! Why are you out of breath? Is there a delay in panting during exercise?"

Chika used her hand as a fan and glared fiercely at Genmi, a threat and a warning.

Moonlight filtered through the shadows of the trees, casting dappled patterns on the ground. In the silence, each lost in their own thoughts, only the rustling of the trees swaying in the wind, Chika's heavy, feigned panting, and Genya's genuine leg shaking could be heard.

Let's go!

Having rested enough, Sanemi pointed to the distance shrouded in thick fog and whispered, "We need to deal with the demons before dawn."

Chika craned her neck and looked ahead.

In the distance, in the mountain valley, thick fog writhed like a living thing, enveloping the faintly visible village.

A cold wind swept by, bringing with it a faint whistling sound, indistinguishable from the wind itself or something else.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end instantly. "Ahhh, how scary, it's all dark."

Obanai stood with his sword in his hand, his snake-like heterochromatic eyes fixed on Chika, as if trying to see through her disguise.

Chika felt uneasy under his gaze and instinctively hid behind Sanemi.

Heaven knows she's terrified of snakes, and yet this snake pillar has snakes hanging from its body, and its eyes are heterochromatic. It's beautiful, but also creepy.

Sanemi reached out and patted Chinatsu's head. "Stay close to me, and I won't ask any questions..."

The hand that was on his head just a second ago stopped.

Sanemi's eyes suddenly changed, and his breathing became rapid.

A stench like rotting flesh had filled the air, and thick fog was spreading toward them at a visible speed.

"Wow~ This fog seems a bit off!" Chika reached out and pulled Sanemi to stand in front of her.

The person was hiding, but their eyes kept peeking out from under his armpits, staring intently at the foggy area.

A hawk flew overhead, circling the village from a bird's-eye view, before returning and cawing.

"Sanemi Shinazugawa, Obanai Iguro, Chinatsu, Genya Shinazugawa, look for signs of demons to the southeast! Southeast! But be careful of the fog, it's Blood Demon Art! It's poisonous!"

Blood Demon Art?

Chika silently memorized the word, feeling as if she had learned something new.

"Shall we go in?" Obanai Iguro asked Sanemi, his eyes full of seriousness.

Normally, he would have rushed in without asking any questions. But now, with two more people around, both of whom didn't even know the breathing techniques, he had to be more cautious.

Sanemi drew his sword and swung it lightly, his eyes filled with a chilling coldness.

However, before he could speak, Qianxia, ​​who was hiding behind him, suddenly interjected, "Since you're already here, why don't you go?"

She clutched Sanemi's clothes tightly, her face full of excitement, her eyes sparkling with eager anticipation.

Let's fight! Let's fight!

She wanted to see them "whoosh whoosh" killing the evil spirits!

I want to witness the amazing breathing technique.

Sanemi: "......"

Xiaobanai: "..."

No! Why does her courage fluctuate so much?

Is that correct?

......