CHAPTER 98: CHAPTER 98: THE TRUE CONSPIRACY!

The two figures, one leading and the other following, swiftly reached the edge of the forest.

There, amidst the dense undergrowth, a hunched figure was searching for something on the ground.

The snow had mostly melted, and the grass rustled loudly as the figure moved.

As if sensing their approach, the figure abruptly turned around!

A gaunt, blood-soaked head with crimson eyes that flashed with malevolent intent. The most striking feature was the pair of sharp horns protruding from its forehead.

Unfazed by their arrival, the creature instead revealed a gleeful expression.

It opened its mouth and emitted a guttural "Ura ura" sound.

Kanae’s Nichirin Blade was already drawn. In the next instant, a flurry of flower petals filled the air, and she was upon the Demon.

The Demon’s eyes blazed with fury as it lunged viciously at Kanae.

But in the instant their paths crossed, its entire body was cleaved in two at the waist.

Seemingly stunned by the unexpected turn of events, the Demon suddenly struggled to reunite its upper and lower halves.

But as the severed edges collided, only blood flowed, and no reconnection occurred.

Sosuke frowned, watching the creature. Something felt off about this whole situation.

’It’s pathetically weak!’

As he pondered this, the Demon abruptly abandoned its lower half. Its upper body began shrinking rapidly, shrinking to the size of a child’s fist in an instant. Supporting itself on its two arms, it tried to hide.

But in the next moment, its tiny head was ’picked off’ by Kanae’s Nichirin Blade.

The moment the head detached from its neck, it swiftly reverted to its original size. By the time it hit the ground, it was already dissolving into smoke.

Sheathing his blade, Sosuke glanced at Kanae and couldn’t resist giving her a thumbs-up. "You’re beautiful, and your swordsmanship is even more breathtaking."

Kanae rolled her eyes. What kind of time is this for such flattery?

But her brow furrowed the next moment. "So, the reason we couldn’t find him during the day was because he was shrunk down?"

Sosuke shook his head. "I don’t know why, but I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off. I just can’t put my finger on it."

"I feel the same way," Kanae replied after a moment’s thought. "In any case, let’s stay vigilant for the next few days. I have a feeling this isn’t over yet."

Sosuke nodded, and the two of them walked home together.

No sooner had they left than a pair of eyes suddenly opened on a nearby tree—this time, not just one, but two.

In those crimson eyes, one pupil was completely empty, while the other bore the characters "Lower One"!

"The next few days, huh?" A mouth suddenly appeared on the tree, uttering those words.

Immediately afterward, a figure emerged from the tree like a phantom.

The demons on the ground were nearly gone, leaving only a single crimson eye rolling around aimlessly.

"Ara," the man said with a slight smile. "Does it hurt a lot? I’m sorry. They seemed to suspect something during the day, so I figured they’d definitely come back tonight to check again. It wouldn’t have been hard to make them find nothing, but if they got suspicious and left, I’d end up with nothing. So, I had to rely on your special Blood Demon Art to help dispel their doubts."

Cradling the eyeball in his palm, he murmured, "You’ve done an excellent job fulfilling your mission. You bought me plenty of time to gather them and completely eliminate that person... What do you think? If I presented his severed head to that master, would I have a chance to become an Upper Rank? After all, the Upper Rank position has been vacant for quite some time now."

As he spoke, the eyeball gradually turned to ash.

Looking down, he smiled again. "It’s alright. Rest peacefully."

Standing up, he approached the tree and pressed his hand against its trunk, murmuring, "Although that master’s orders were to immediately kill the strange blacksmith upon finding him, the woman by his side is proving difficult to deal with. At this point, we’ll need assistance and a proper strategy to succeed..."

Before he could finish, his figure gradually merged into the tree trunk. A pair of crimson eyes materialized on the bark, then vanished, only to reappear at the forest’s edge before disappearing again.

The forest fell silent, as if nothing had occurred.

A while later, footsteps approached.

Sosuke and Kanae, who had supposedly left earlier, emerged from behind a tree.

They had secretly returned at some point.

"When I used to read books, I always found it amusing how the protagonists would return to the same place two or three times to check things out. I never thought trying it in real life would actually be this interesting," Sosuke said, turning to Kanae. "If I’m not mistaken, that was a Lower Moon Demon, right?"

"One of the Twelve Kizuki," Kanae replied, her expression grave. Despite having slain Upper Rank Two, she wasn’t taking the Lower Moon Demons lightly.

Judging by the demon’s earlier words and behavior, this one would likely be a formidable opponent.

However, that wasn’t the reason they hadn’t revealed themselves earlier. The real reason lay in the demon’s words.

This demon intended to gather other demons, with Sosuke as their target.

If they had remained ignorant of this plan, their side would have been forced into a reactive position. But now that they had overheard the demon’s scheme, the power dynamic had shifted.

"Let’s get out of here first," Sosuke said, pulling Kanae’s hand. They fled the forest at top speed.

On their way back to Jigoro’s residence, Sosuke said, "Send a message via Kasugai Crow immediately. We don’t know exactly what kind of demons he’ll summon, but time is clearly running out. The fact that he could so easily bring a demon to conceal his presence suggests he possesses a unique method of transportation, likely related to his Blood Demon Art for concealing himself. Therefore, we need to gather as many Demon Slayer Corps members as possible in the shortest time possible—at least Pillars."

Kanae nodded in agreement. "Even though the initiative has shifted, if we run out of time, we’ll still be forced into a reactive position."

As she finished speaking, she turned to Sosuke. "You’re not yet a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, so I think you should leave. Their main target is you, and staying here is too dangerous."

Sosuke looked at her and gently tapped her forehead. "You know their main target is me. When they return and find their primary target gone, do you really think Lower Moon One would reveal himself, given his personality? Therefore, my staying here is a necessary condition."