"Miss Kaori!"
Tanjiro let out a sharp cry. The speed of the flying knife was so extreme that he hadn't even been able to react in time.
"Ah!!"
With a scream of agony, Kaori collapsed onto the ground in pain, her face twisted with terror as she stared at the space before her.
"Humph, I didn't expect this bitch to actually remember my name!"
A low, rasping voice drifted through the air. At some point, a man with a haggard face, pale skin, and a skeletal frame had suddenly appeared behind Tanjiro. His crimson eyes were fixed intently on Kaori, glaring at her without pause. Clearly, he was a demon.
"Hehehe..."
The man suddenly broke into a fit of mad laughter. Looking at Kaori, he said deliriously, "You're the last one left, you know? Just an hour ago, I killed every single doctor and nurse in the municipal hospital!"
"By now, I'm sure that place is a river of blood. Hehehe..."
"Suzune, did you see that? Hahaha!"
"I finally... I've finally avenged you!"
"Only this last one remains. Just this last one... I'll send her to hell to meet you right now..."
"No, no, no... You were such a kind girl. You were so gentle, how could you ever go to hell? You will surely go to heaven. Only these beasts in human skin deserve to go to hell!"
As he spoke, the man drew a katana from his waist and began walking slowly toward Kaori.
However, Tanjiro stepped in his path, blocking him. "You are Kinoshita Tatsuya, aren't you?"
"Indeed."
Kinoshita Tatsuya frowned, looking at Tanjiro with utter disdain. "Brat, get lost. This has nothing to do with you. If you leave right now, I'll act as if I never saw you!"
"I can't do that. It's the duty of Ren and myself to protect humanity from the jaws of demons like you..."
"Protect humanity? Hehehe, don't make me laugh!" Kinoshita Tatsuya retorted. "The one you are protecting is nothing more than a beast in human skin. If anything, she's the real demon!"
"The real demon is you..."
Tanjiro's gaze was resolute. "I can smell the nauseating scent of blood on you. You've eaten many people, haven't you? At least a hundred?"
"So what? To avenge Suzune, I must kill them! To make Suzune reappear in this world, I must eat more people to strengthen my Blood Demon Art."
At this point, Kinoshita Tatsuya broke into a crazed smile.
"I want to create a world where Suzune exists!"
"I want to bring my beloved girl back to my side!"
"Since this world erased the person I love most, then I will make this world bleed. This is my love for Suzune..."
"You're wrong! That isn't love—it's exploitation!" Tanjiro shouted, cutting Kinoshita Tatsuya off before he could finish.
"This isn't love at all. You're just deceiving yourself. You're using the name of love to satisfy your own gluttonous desires."
"The best proof is that those people were all murdered by demon puppets made to look like Miss Suzune."
"You should know very well that Miss Suzune was a kind and gentle girl. Why would you use her image to hurt others?"
"When people see those puppets of Miss Suzune, they will only say that Miss Suzune became a demon, that she was the one who killed those people, while you hide yourself away in the shadows."
"So stop lying to yourself! You are just using Miss Suzune. You are using the excuse of 'avenging Miss Suzune' just to find a justification for your own slaughter!"
"You are defiling Miss Suzune's kindness!"
"..."
'What is this brat talking about?'
Kinoshita Tatsuya's eyes widened. He looked at Tanjiro in disbelief, muttering to himself in his heart.
'I loved Suzune so much. It was her appearance that gave me the hope to keep living.'
'But Suzune died. To bring her back, I ate people and increased the power of my Blood Demon Art, all so the Suzune in my heart could appear in this world again.'
'I've already succeeded! I successfully brought Suzune back to life...'
'Is the Miss Suzune in your heart really this nauseating monster?'
The words Ren had spoken to him earlier began to echo incessantly in his mind.
"Shut up!"
Kinoshita Tatsuya screamed. "I won't let you question my feelings for Suzune! I only wanted her to live happily!"
"I haven't insulted her! Suzune will always be a kind girl in my heart!"
The moment his words fell, Kinoshita Tatsuya swung his blade. After turning into a demon, his strength and speed had increased significantly. This single strike carried enough power to cut through metal and jade.
Seeing the ferocity of the attack, Tanjiro quickly swung his own blade to meet it.
"Hinokami Kagura: Soaring Flame!"
The sharp clang of cold steel echoed as their blades collided violently. Tanjiro felt the sheer force of his opponent's strength and was forced back several steps.
However, in terms of swordsmanship, Tanjiro held the upper hand. He spun his body abruptly, utilizing the rotational momentum to strike at Kinoshita Tatsuya.
"Hinokami Kagura: Setting Sun Transformation!"
Slash!
"Ugh... ah..."
Kinoshita Tatsuya clearly hadn't expected Tanjiro to have such a follow-up move. One of his arms was instantly severed. He scrambled backward, trying to keep his distance from Tanjiro.
Yet, there was no panic on his face. Swordsmanship was never his forte; he only carried the katana to enjoy the pleasure of personally slaying his enemies. His Blood Demon Art was his real trump card.
"Since I've lost an arm, I'll use it as an offering."
"Blood Demon Art: Manifestation of the Heart's Demon!"
As Kinoshita Tatsuya concentrated his power, the blood spraying from his severed arm suddenly transformed into demon puppets that began closing in on Tanjiro.
"Brat, I gave you a chance, but you were too useless to take it!"
"In that case, you and that bitch can be swallowed by my puppets—"
Thwack!
Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp arc of sword qi severed his throat. The one who had struck was Ren. After finishing off the other heart-demon puppets, he had immediately rushed over.
"I finally caught up. You guys ran pretty far!"
"Ren!"
Tanjiro was overjoyed to see Ren arrive. He had been feeling quite intimidated facing those twenty or so demon puppets on his own.
"Are you hurt, Tanjiro?"
"No... I'm fine!"
Looking at Ren and Tanjiro, and then back at his own body, Kinoshita Tatsuya realized in an instant that his head had been severed.
'Did I lose?'
'Forgive me, Suzune. I clearly just wanted to help you get revenge. I clearly just wanted you to be happy.'
'You were as bright as the sun and as gentle as the moon. You were the obsession that gave me the will to live. Why did it have to end like this for you?'
'Heh, Lord Enmu, you were right. This world really is a hell!'
'Miss Suzune, perhaps we will never see each other again...'
In his final moments, blood stained Kinoshita Tatsuya's vision. Through the hazy crimson mist, he saw several familiar figures.
"That's not true, Mr. Tatsuya. We've been watching you this whole time."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]