Soon, Tanjiro followed the scent and found the place where the scent was strongest.
He jumped down from the high courtyard wall, pulled out the Nichirin Sword from his waist, and carefully observed the surrounding environment.
"That should be it..."
The smell comes from here. There are two smells, one is the stench from the ghost, and the other is the fragrance from the girl.
The mixture of these two smells means that a ghost should have attacked an innocent girl.
Tanjiro frowned, looking for any clues.
But no matter how carefully he looked, he couldn't see any traces left by ghosts.
"I didn't find any traces around, but..."
Tanjiro turned his gaze to the ground.
If the ghost had left with its prey, the smell should have become lighter and weaker, but the two smells did not weaken or disappear, but were concentrated somewhere on the ground.
Tanjiro slowly raised the Nichirin sword with the tip of the sword pointing downward.
He wasn't sure whether his guess was correct, but it was always worth a try.
The teacher once taught him about ghosts. It is said that stronger ghosts are capable of vampirism, and the teacher once saw the kind of vampirism that can sneak into the ground!
Tanjiro raised his knife and stabbed it towards the place where the stench emanated.
"ah!!!"
A scream came from the ground.
Then the dark shadow began to spread, and in the shadow, an unconscious girl wearing a printed kimono gradually emerged from the ground.
Seeing this, Tanjiro quickly reached out his hand to pick up the sleeping girl.
With his strength, he should be able to lift the girl easily, but the resistance coming from below told him that something was holding the girl and not letting go.
Tanjiro gritted his teeth and stabbed again with the Nichirin sword in his other hand.
"ah!"
Another scream came.
Tanjiro felt a sudden lightness on the girl in his hands, and quickly picked her up and jumped back.
"Damn boy!"
It was exactly as Tanjiro expected.
A ferocious-looking evil spirit poked its head out from the shadows on the ground, as if swimming.
There are three sharp horns on his head. His hair is disheveled like a water ghost. Half of his body is sunk into the ground. There are also wounds on his shoulders that are healing. It looks like he was hit by Tanjiro's Nichirin Sword just now.
Leftover from the stabbing.
"It is indeed a ghost that can do vampirism!"
Tanjiro protected the rescued girl with one hand, and held a knife in the other hand and stared at the evil spirit with only a normal body exposed.
"Answer me! Where are the other girls you kidnapped?"
"Creak, creak, creak, creak..."
A sharp grinding sound came from the evil ghost's mouth. He stared at the arrogant human boy in front of him with an angry face, without saying a word.
Brat, brat! It's so abominable and arrogant. Why do I have to be questioned by this brat? I finally found a fresh prey, and I was stabbed just as I was about to enjoy it. Who should I ask to reason?
The evil ghost's heart is filled with resentment. Damn it! Damn it! If you don't eat it quickly... it won't be fresh anymore!
Thinking of this, half of the evil ghost's body floating on the ground gradually sank into the ground, not to escape, but to look for opportunities.
"..."
Tanjiro stared at the ground warily. The ghost had completely submerged into the ground and was out of sight, but the stench still did not go away.
"Huh...huh..."
The sound of violent breathing came from behind.
Kazumi, who was chasing Tanjiro all the way, also saw the astonishing scene just now. He had never thought that there really were extraordinary creatures like "ghosts" in this world.
My whole body felt a little stiff and I didn't know where to go.
"If I had known better, I wouldn't have followed this young man here..."
"Mr. Kazumi!"
Tanjiro took advantage of the ghost before he could attack, and quickly turned around and handed the girl in his arms to Kazumi's hands.
"Please hold this young lady and stand behind me. I will definitely protect you!"
The atmosphere suddenly became silent, and even the panting Kazuya was too nervous to speak out.
He stiffly took the girl in Tanjiro's arms and stood there completely daring not to move.
Because the young man holding a long knife in front of him began to feel something with concentration after handing the girl over to him, and he did not dare to disturb her at all.
"Where will the attack come from?"
This ghost's ghost blood technique should be able to launch attacks from the ground or walls at will.
Tanjiro twitched his nose slightly, searching for the foul smell filling the air.
At this moment, his concentration was extremely concentrated, because the enemy hiding in the dark might launch an attack at any time, and he had to remain alert throughout the entire process to deal with it.
Suddenly, a strong stench came from below.
"coming!"
Tanjiro's eyes narrowed, he raised the Nichirin sword in his hand and prepared to deal with it.
"The breath of water, the shape of Wu..."
But when he was just halfway through using his sword skills, he realized something was wrong.
Three dark shadows spread on the ground, and three ferocious faces came out of the ground and rushed towards him with claws and teeth.
"There are actually three of them!?"
The expression on Tanjiro's face changed slightly, but he did not give up.
His excellent physical fitness and the reflexes honed through high-intensity resistance to pressure allow him to fully cope with three evil ghosts within easy reach at the same time.
The trajectory of his sword swing was forcibly changed.
tread--
He raised his foot and stepped hard towards the empty space between the three ghosts, and then poured power from his legs all the way towards the raised Nichirin Sword.
"Breath of Water, Eight Forms, Takitsubo!"
The violent slash from top to bottom created a turbulent wave like a waterfall falling from a high place.
"ah!"
Screams were heard, and all the arms close to Tanjiro were cut off by fierce slashes. Although the evil ghost could not be killed, the impact of the smash will forcefully suppress the three ghosts.
The broken arm fell to the ground and sank as if it had fallen into the water, and the three ghosts quickly escaped into the ground again.
Tanjiro frowned and continued to search for the ghost's scent.
The three ghosts that just appeared have the same aura. Ghosts are not creatures that live in groups. It is impossible for the three ghosts to have the same smell by chance. Then this ghost's ability should not only be able to escape into the ground, but also split!
"This is troublesome..."
Tanjiro had a headache. He didn't expect to receive such a difficult target on his first mission. It would have been fine if he was alone, but now there were Mr. Kazumi and the unconscious girl behind him.
It is not easy to protect two people while dealing with the sneak attacks of three ghosts.
"But if you can't even deal with this situation, how can you talk about finding Muzan and finding a way to turn Nezuko back into a human?"
Tanjiro's eyes became determined, there was no timidity or hesitation in his heart, and his hand holding the knife became stronger.
"later!"
As soon as he smelled the scent, Tanjiro immediately turned around and swung his sword.
"puff--"
The blade struck the ghost on the shoulder, tearing apart most of the ghost's body.
Such injuries are fatal to humans, but the ghost's only weakness is its neck.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the ghost immediately retracted to the ground and moved away. The body that sank into the ground moved freely on the ground like a fish, and soon escaped from Tanjiro's attack range.
"hateful……"
Tanjiro gritted his teeth and felt a little regretful.
Cut off.
He could only smell the approximate location and there were two people behind him who wanted to protect him, so he was a little off when he drew the sword. Otherwise, this sword would be enough to kill a clone of this ghost.
"What a boy!"
The demon's head poked out and cursed Tanjiro.
He didn't understand at all how this kid noticed his movements. Did he have eyes behind his back?
"Don't hinder me! If you continue to consume it like this, this woman will become stale! This woman is about to turn 16. If she doesn't eat it quickly, the taste will become worse!"
"Fresh?"
Tanjiro's face turned a little gloomy.
Is this a word used to describe people?
"Don't get excited, my other self."
Just when Tanjiro wanted to get angry, another ghost's clone slowly poked its head out from the ground.
"I think it's nice to have nights like this once in a while~"
This one is obviously much calmer than the other two, and the expression on its face is not as ferocious as the previous two, and it even has a faint smile.
"I've eaten with many girls in this town. I think it's good to change the taste once in a while~"
"But I haven't eaten enough!" the other one retorted angrily, "I want more!"
"Creak, creak, creak, creak..."
The sound of grinding teeth came from behind Tanjiro.
At the beginning, the most ferocious-looking ghost appeared behind the three of them.
Before he knew it, the three bodies of this ghost had surrounded him and the other two people.
"Weird...monster!"
Kazumi looked at the three evil spirits surrounding them with some fear.
This is really a man-eating ghost! And from what these ghosts said, they must have eaten many girls!
"What happened to you...?"
Kazumi's voice was trembling a little, and he almost had the answer in his heart, but he still asked with the last glimmer of hope.
"Lizi? Who are you referring to?"
The smiling ghost asked teasingly.
As he spoke, he opened his coat and showed the accessories displayed under the coat to Kazumi in front of him.
They were ladies' headdresses, and he hung them in his clothes like medals for collection.
"Look carefully. If there's the headdress you mentioned here, it means she has been eaten by me."
"..."
No need to look carefully at all.
Tears burst from Kazumi's eyes, and he saw at a glance the hair ornaments his beloved once wore.
The already extremely conspicuous red bow looked like it was stained with blood in his eyes, making him feel desperate.
Noticing the desperate expression on Mr. Kazumi's face, Tanjiro's expression became even darker.
Because it reminded him of the time when he lost his family.
They just use humans as food, and even collect the relics of dead people as trophies...
Unforgivable!
Veins suddenly appeared on Tanjiro's forehead.
Anger, besides anger is still anger.
But he was not carried away by anger, but focused all his attention on these three ghosts, carefully observing their every move.
These three ghosts have exactly the same aura and look almost the same, except for the number of protruding horns on their foreheads.
The calmest one only had one horn, the one that was shouting about eating people had two horns, and the one that just grinded its teeth and said nothing from beginning to end had three horns.
Judging from such changes in personality, the one-horned ghost is probably the true body. The more it is divided, the more unstable its emotions become and difficult to control. The limit of this ghost's divisions should only be these three.
"Hey, I also want to ask you two questions."
Tanjiro suddenly asked.
"oh?"
The one-horned ghost still had a smile on his face, "Tell me about it? I'm in a good mood today."
Hearing the ghost's response, Tanjiro determined that this ghost should be the 'original body' that guided the actions of the other two clones, just as he had guessed.
But he didn't act rashly immediately because he didn't know whether to kill three ghosts at the same time or just the main body.
"Is it just the three of you? It seems a little bit not enough..."
"Oh? Boy, you seem very arrogant!"
When the one-horned ghost heard Tanjiro's question, the smile on his face became a little dangerous.
"The last demon slayer swordsman like you has no bones left."
As he spoke, he opened the other side of his clothes.
"Dang Dang Dang..."
The crisp sound of metal collision sounded along with the shaking of clothes.
Tanjiro's pupils shrank sharply, because those were the blades of the Nichirin Swords.
This ghost... not only ate many people, but even many swordsmen from the Demon Slayer Corps died in his hands!
But it’s not that I can’t understand it when I think about it.
This ghost's special ability is very difficult to deal with. Not only can it escape from the ground, but it can also clone itself. If it is not strong enough, it will be eaten alive by them.
But...it seems like there are only three of them.
Asking questions was just delaying time. Tanjiro's nose twitched to find if there were any other scents hidden nearby. Fortunately, there were no other scents besides these three.
"second question……"
Tanjiro adjusted his breathing, tightened the hand holding the knife slightly, and prepared to strike.
"What?"
The ghost was a little confused.
"Do you know...where is Kibutsuji Muzan?"
"!?"
Upon hearing this name, the bodies of the three ghosts were stunned for a moment as if they were electrocuted.
At this moment, Tanjiro moved.
Tanjiro's nerves have been tense since just now, and he has been waiting for this moment.
In his sight, three 'flaw lines' extended from the tip of the knife to three different directions, ending at the necks of the three ghosts.
Yes, he calculated all of this.
Ever since he made a mistake in the 'Final Selection' and was seriously injured and returned home, he has been taught a lesson by his teacher.
Don't hesitate when slaying ghosts, and don't try to get clues about "Onimussuji Muzan" from these ghosts' mouths, because ordinary ghosts are not qualified to call this name, let alone know Muzan's whereabouts.
And the most important thing is——
When most ghosts hear this name, their first reaction is fear!
These are the teacher’s valuable experiences gained from hunting ghosts for many years. With these experiences, he can avoid many detours!
"Teacher, thank you so much!"
Tanjiro's figure disappeared instantly.
Breath of water, three shapes, flowing and dancing!
The winding afterimage flows like a rapid river, drawing a complete reincarnation around the three ghosts.
Three afterimages flashed past with the light of swords. Because the speed was so fast, the three ghosts didn't even realize what happened.
"How can it be……"
Blood spurted out from the necks of the three ghosts at the same time, as if half a beat too slow. The expressions on their faces finally became unified, and they all turned into looks of horror.
Then, the three bodies turned into ashes and floated into the night with their horrified expressions on their faces.
The girls' hair accessories and the swordsmen's swords were about to fall, but Tanjiro gently caught them.
He took a big breath. The move just now was probably his current extreme speed slash.
Fortunately, there were no deviations from the plan.
This ghost was too arrogant and made a fatal mistake. Three bodies appeared in front of Tanjiro at the same time. Perhaps this would be an advantage against ordinary swordsmen.
But Tanjiro, who has gone through hellish training, has already surpassed ordinary swordsmen in both strength and speed. The only thing he lacks may be the fighting experience against ghosts.
At this moment, Tanjiro may still have some difficulty in fighting against the ghost of the upper string, but this kind of ghost that is not even the lower string can only be killed instantly if he is so careless in front of him.
"Mr. Kazumi...are you okay?"
Tanjiro asked as he knelt down gently in front of Kazumi, who was kneeling on the ground in despair.
At this moment, Kazumi still had tears on his face and his eyes were dull.
Hearing Tanjiro's voice, he raised his head and looked at the boy in front of him with somewhat hollow eyes, "Do you think a man who has lost his fiancée will be fine?"
"..."
Tanjiro was silent for a while, "Mr. Kazumi, no matter how much we lose or how hard we suffer, we can only continue to live..."
"How can a child like you understand my pain!?"
Kazumi pulled Tanjiro's collar, he was a little excited, his face was full of despair and anger.
But when he saw the gentle smile on Tanjiro's face, he was slightly stunned.
There was an extremely sad smile on this young man's face at the moment. He looked very gentle, but it made people feel heartbroken inexplicably.
"Mr. Kazumi."
Tanjiro gently held Kazumi's hand and stuffed the girls' hair accessories into his palm.
"Take it, I have to go. I hope you...can find Miss Satoko's belongings in it."
"Leave these to me for safekeeping..."
Tanjiro looked at the remaining swords in his hand, put them away and hid them in his arms, then bowed deeply to Kazumi in front of him and turned around to leave.
"ah……"
Kazumi held the hair accessory in his hand tightly and looked at the departing figure apologetically.
He felt it when Tanjiro held his hand just now. Those thick little hands were covered with calluses formed due to training. Just looking at them made people feel heartbroken. This shouldn't belong to a teenager.
hand.
"sorry!"
Kazumi stood up and bowed loudly to apologize to the departing figure. Seeing the young man turn around and wave to him with a gentle smile on his face, he seemed to have been saved.