Cherreads

Chapter 73 - Shinazugawa Sanemi

"Ahhh! My dear younger brother, my dear father, please, just let me take a bite!"

The head rolled on the ground, a pair of oddly shaped ears flapping wildly on either side, but they couldn't lift the head into the air like wings.

It wasn't until a large hand grabbed the head and a blade was thrust into its mouth, silencing the annoying wails.

"My name is Shinazugawa Sanemi, and I'm from the Demon Slayer Corps."

Shinazugawa Sanemi eyed Qingshui with interest. Qingshui held a sword in one hand and had a foot on the table, pinning down the headless body. Sanemi then looked at the short-barreled shotgun in Uesugi Shin's hand.

"The Demon Slayer Corps?"

Uesugi Shin looked at his eldest son's head with a grim expression.

"It seems… those rumors are true."

"Oh? So you know about Demons," Shinazugawa Sanemi said.

"The Uesugi Clan is privy to such information, but it wasn't until today that I truly believed those rumors."

Uesugi Shin weakly lowered the shotgun in his hand.

Shinazugawa Sanemi glanced at the shotgun again, then turned his gaze to Qingshui.

Qingshui was also looking at Shinazugawa Sanemi.

This person's appearance confirmed his suspicions.

This… was the world of Demon Slayer!

"Is this Demon your brother? Did you cut off his head?"

"What if he is?" Qingshui retorted.

Shinazugawa Sanemi grinned and drew his long sword.

Uesugi Shirakawa's mouth, mangled by the sword, began to heal at a much slower rate than before.

"Your sword won't do; you need a Nichirin Blade to truly sever his head."

Shinazugawa Sanemi playfully walked over to Qingshui's side and reattached the head to Uesugi Shirakawa's torso.

Uesugi Shirakawa mumbled something incoherently, constantly opening his mouth to bite at Qingshui.

Qingshui mimicked Shinazugawa Sanemi, pushing the tip of his sword into Uesugi Shirakawa's mouth and reaching out to grasp the long sword Shinazugawa Sanemi offered.

"Wait…" Uesugi Shin suddenly called out to them.

"Is there… any way for Shirakawa to… recover?"

"In a thousand years, there has never been a single instance of a Demon turning back into a human," Shinazugawa Sanemi stated indifferently.

Qingshui took a deep breath, gripping the hilt of the Nichirin Blade.

Aside from the Kamado Siblings, who had eaten the Blue Spider Lily before turning into Demons, no one had ever turned back into a human from a Demon.

Eating the Blue Spider Lily after becoming a Demon would only make them a Demon immune to sunlight.

"What, aren't you going to do it yet? If you can't bring yourself to do it, I can do it for you," Shinazugawa Sanemi said, scrutinizing Qingshui.

He had been the same way back then, forced to fight his Demon mother to protect his younger siblings, only to be misunderstood by his brother, who thought he had killed their mother, when dawn broke.

And now?

What would this young man do?

To defeat a Demon without using a Breathing Style—currently, only he and the Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyomei, had managed that within the Demon Slayer Corps, and they were among the strongest Hashira.

Even with the aid of the shotgun, it undoubtedly indicated that this person also had the potential to become a Hashira.

"Qingshui." Uesugi Shin looked at Qingshui.

At this moment, he had regained the composure expected of an excellent politician.

"Don't let your elder brother feel any pain."

After speaking, Uesugi Shin turned and walked out of the house.

The police from the police station had already surrounded the area, and he, as the town mayor, needed to go explain the situation.

The cold glint of the blade flashed, and the spattered blood turned into gray smoke in mid-air, dissipating.

Uesugi Shirakawa's body also began to disintegrate, vanishing amidst his wails.

After Uesugi Itta was taken to the clinic for treatment.

At the Uesugi residence.

Still on the tatami mats, still at that same table.

Qingshui, Shinazugawa Sanemi, and Uesugi Shin knelt on three sides of the table.

"Mr. Shinazugawa, thank you for your help. I believe my son and I should have a proper talk with you."

Uesugi Shin straightened his back and bowed to Shinazugawa Sanemi, then placed tea in front of him. His movements were meticulous, faintly showing the former grandeur of the Uesugi Clan as a noble family.

"Ah, perfect. I also have something I want to discuss with you."

Shinazugawa Sanemi's movements were a bit casual. Draped in a white haori, his muscular physique was visible as he drank his tea with uninhibited gestures.

"Shirakawa... why did he become like that? What exactly happened?"

Uesugi Shin asked with a sincere expression.

"Only a very small number of Demons can turn people into Demons. Aside from Demon King Muzan, who is the source of all Demons, there are only six Upper Rank Demons. I was tracking one of them when I came here. I just didn't expect it to be an Upper Rank Demon at the time."

Shinazugawa Sanemi placed his teacup down on the table with a solemn voice.

It shouldn't be Muzan. He checked Fukui Village thoroughly.

Although organs with high muscle tissue content, like the heart, were gnawed away, there were still traces on the bodies left by sharp weapons like swords.

There were records of similar Upper Rank Demons in the surviving ancient texts left by the Demon Slayer Corps' predecessors.

This must have been an Upper Rank Demon passing by and feeling hungry, so it directly chose a household.

There hasn't been a change in the Upper Rank Demons for over a hundred years.

Based on the experience of the past century, even a Hashira isn't strong enough to defeat an Upper Rank Demon alone.

Although he was confident that his strength might not be inferior to those "damned Upper Ranks," Shinazugawa Sanemi still reported the news to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters via his Kasugai Crow.

A hundred years ago, it took the combined power of multiple Hashira and a huge sacrifice to defeat a single Upper Rank Demon.

And if it were Muzan, even assembling the entire Demon Slayer Corps might not be enough to win.

Uesugi Shin had been observing Shinazugawa Sanemi's expression.

The other party made no attempt to hide his emotions, and with Uesugi Shin's experience, he could roughly guess some of Shinazugawa Sanemi's inner thoughts.

"So, it's a high-ranking Demon? Very troublesome?"

"It's not just troublesome; the Demon Slayer Corps would likely need to deploy a large number of high-ranking combatants to have any hope of killing an Upper Rank Demon."

"I understand. My eldest son went missing in Fukui Village the other day. Him turning into a Demon must have happened after that. I presume that so-called Upper Rank Demon is still near our Konan Town. I will have all the police in Konan Town cooperate with Mr. Shinazugawa's investigation and mobilize the Uesugi Clan's forces to assist throughout the Koga Region."

"Thank you. If you have any news, just tell the people at Fujiaya, the compound here with the most wisteria trees."

As Shinazugawa Sanemi said this, his gaze shifted to Qingshui.

"Interested in joining the Demon Slayer Corps?"

"I need to think about it."

Qingshui raised his teacup, shielding his face.

He didn't want to give up the Uesugi family's influence in the political world.

If he could succeed on that path, the Fortune he would gain would surely be substantial.

But the Demon Slayer Corps was also a system, with a complete progression from Kinoe Rank Member to Hashira, and precious Breathing Styles.

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