54: Have You Ever Seen a Loved One Die?

"Let's move."

Yoshizuru Asato repeated, then turned and began walking in the direction the Kasugai Crow had indicated.

This time, his expression was deadly serious.

Takeo had seen that look before—when they fought the water demon, Asato had worn that same grim expression.

Takeo and Sakoma Iori followed closely behind. As they walked, Takeo frowned and spoke to Asato:

"So many Demon Slayers have gone missing… conservatively, we're likely dealing with a demon on par with the Twelve Kizuki. Shouldn't we call for a Hashira?"

Demons of the Twelve Kizuki were considered equivalent in strength to the Hashira themselves.

And thinking about someone like Kyojuro Rengoku, Takeo knew full well—he stood no chance alone against one of them.

If there really was a Twelve Kizuki hiding on Dust Mountain, and the three of them charged in recklessly…

They'd just be feeding themselves to the slaughter!

"If it is a Twelve Kizuki, then a Hashira is probably already on the way," Asato said firmly. "But until they arrive—our job is to make sure it doesn't escape. Or even better… we kill it first!"

The Hashira weren't omnipresent. They each had territories to cover and couldn't respond instantly to every call.

That's where the rank-and-file Demon Slayers came in.

It was their time to fight.

If it was just a demon slightly stronger than average, then they'd do their best to slay it—save the Hashira the trouble.

But if it really was one of the Twelve Kizuki, their mission was clear: Hold it back at all costs.

Even if it meant sacrificing their own lives.

And yet, Yoshizuru Asato didn't hesitate in the slightest. Neither did Sakoma Iori.

In fact, she cheerfully pulled out another rice cracker and handed it to Takeo with a grin.

"Want one? It's a little soggy… err, actually it's very soggy… but it still tastes fine, probably."

Takeo silently accepted the rice cracker and followed the two of them.

Truthfully, from his perspective, this was the kind of situation where they should stall—wait for a Hashira to arrive and act together. That would be the safer, more reliable option.

Charging in now was reckless. If it was one of the Twelve Kizuki, Takeo could at least protect himself. But what about Asato and Iori?

They weren't as strong as he was. They didn't have his regeneration or durability. Didn't they realize they were heading straight into a situation where they could die?

Takeo wanted to ask. But before he could, Asato glanced back, as if sensing what was on his mind, and asked quietly:

"Takeo… you've never watched someone important to you die right in front of you, have you?"

"..."

"Even though you said your family was killed by demons, you've already forgotten all that. So… you've never really seen someone important to you die right in front of your eyes, have you?"

Takeo couldn't answer Asato's question.

Because he was right.

In his previous life, Takeo was an orphan—he had no one important to lose, let alone witness their death firsthand.

And in this life, the moment he regained his past life's memories was when he crawled out of a grave.

As for the already-deceased Kamado family… while he did feel some sorrow, it wasn't enough to make him weep bitterly over them.

To him, this world still felt like just an "anime world." A setting.

So, just as Asato said—he had never truly experienced the pain of watching someone he cared about die.

In a certain sense… he was still "naïve."

"But.. I have," Yoshizuru Asato said calmly. "My father died ..right in front of me.. he was.. eaten alive by a demon. And from that moment on, I made up my mind. No matter what kind of demon I face, I will never run. This time is no different."

Most people who joined the Demon Slayer Corps… Carried painful, tragic pasts.

If their loved ones hadn't been killed by demons, they probably wouldn't have joined the Demon Slayer Corps either.

Yoshizuru Asato was just one of many ordinary members of the Corps—his conviction was one shared by most of them.

After hearing this, Takeo once again fell silent. He turned to look at Sakoma Iori, who was smiling as usual, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Iori blinked at him, then suddenly stepped forward and slung an arm around his shoulders, grinning cheerfully as she said:

"What's wrong? You think I'm the same as our senpai? Don't worry, don't worry—I'm super happy every day now. I'm not like him, all gloomy and serious. Ugh, talk about a downer—it's not even a good look."

"Hey, Sakoma! I can't just let that slide!"

"Ehehe~"

Sakoma Iori laughed with zero remorse, but Yoshizuru Asato didn't seem to mind. He only acted angry on the surface—he wasn't actually upset by her teasing words.

Takeo watched the exchange between the two and said nothing more.

For someone who had never truly experienced loss, it was hard to understand the weight and meaning of it.

Maybe… only when the day came that Takeo experienced that kind of pain for himself would he finally understand what Yoshizuru Asato meant.

Because of last night's heavy rain, the roads had become extremely muddy, making travel somewhat difficult.

On top of that, since they had been exposed to the rain last night, their outerwear might have been waterproof, but the inner layers were not.

The rain had already seeped in through their collars, and if they didn't find a way to deal with it, it would be very uncomfortable.

So before reaching Dust Mountain, the three of them found a concealed spot to tidy up a bit and took a short rest before continuing on their way.

Dust Mountain wasn't far from their original location.

Even with the short delay, they still arrived before sunset and had time to rest and prepare themselves.

"This is the place," Yoshizuru Asato said, glancing at the flock of crows flying above the mountain. He turned to the other two and added, "The sun hasn't set yet. Demons won't come out during this time. Let's rest for a bit first—once the sun goes down, we'll head in."

"Do you smell anything?" Sakoma Iori asked during their break, looking toward Takeo.

Takeo shook his head. "The heavy rain washed away all the scents. I can't smell a thing."

The downpour from the previous night really couldn't have come at a worse time.

Though it hadn't lasted long, it was enough to completely erase any tracks or scents that should've been present on Dust Mountain.

At this point, even if they brought a dog along, it probably wouldn't be able to catch the scent of the missing Demon Slayer Corps members—let alone Takeo.

But it didn't matter if they couldn't smell anything.

The three of them were going to enter the mountain to hunt demons anyway.

As long as the demon hadn't fled, they were bound to encounter it.

The only question was what had happened to the other missing Demon Slayers.

As that thought crossed Takeo's mind, he looked up at the sky where the Kasugai crows had gathered.

Many of those crows had belonged to the missing Demon Slayers.

The fact that they hadn't returned to their masters suggested those masters were likely dead.

"By the way, why is this place called Dust Mountain?" Sakoma Iori suddenly asked while they waited for the sun to set.

Being the older and more experienced one, Yoshizuru Asato explained, "I heard it's because this mountain is usually covered in swirling dust all year round. That's why it's called Dust Mountain. It's only because of the recent rain that all the dust has settled—you can't tell what it usually looks like."

"I see," Iori said with a look of realization. Then she added, "In that case, the rain actually did us a favor. If the mountain had really been covered in dust, our movements might have been—uh…"

Iori had originally wanted to say that since everyone used Breathing Techniques, if there were too much dust in the air, it could interfere with their breathing—so in a way, the heavy rain from last night had actually helped them.

But as she thought of that, a sudden realization struck her.

The Demon Slayer Corps members who had gone missing last night—did they disappear before the heavy rain, or after it?

Could it be that, just like she was thinking now, their combat strength had been affected due to the airborne dust?

The thought left Iori feeling conflicted.

Her unease didn't last long. After some time had passed, Yoshizuru Asato stood up.

He looked toward the setting sun, which had already dipped below the horizon, and took a deep breath.

"It's time for us to move out."

The sun had set.

The time to hunt demons had arrived!

_________

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