To the Flames of the Sun

Chapter Sixteen

This is my second OC, named Kurayami!

Midori's POV

This wasn't the first time I was dealing with a demon that utilized blood demon art. In fact, on my very first mission for which I had gone to Kyoto, I had actually succeeded in slaying a demon using blood demon art.

But it still sucked to think that the Master was testing me at such a level that he had assigned me to go after a magical demon on my very first mission. And all because of my Breathing style. The only reason I didn't rant about it to Haruto was because it was common knowledge that all the Kasugai crows were more loyal to the Master than they were to the demon slayers they were assigned to, so he would definitely tattle on me if I voiced any complaints to him.

After that, the Master would probably send me after an Upper Moon and because I was still a newbie while the strength of a single Upper Moon was known to rival the strength of three Hashira together, I would wind up dead.

Oh, why Upper Moon? Because the demon I was dealing with right now was a Lower Moon. He did have the number three engraved into his eyes. I hadn't been an official demon slayer for three days, and I was already in the grasp of a Lower Moon.

"This wasn't supposed to happen! This wasn't supposed to happen!"

Haruto screamed as he flew above me while I raced through the forest, and I winced in irritation. That distinct shrieking was literally giving my location away to my opponent, and the words also worried me.

Another unplanned demon popping up in my vicinity like it had happened at the Final Selection? So that implied that the Master had never intended to post me in an area where a Lower Moon would show up, he just didn't know. But that was the impossible part. Every demon slayer, including even the Hashira, were sent only to the areas where the Kasugai crows had confirmed that only demons according to the skill and experience level of a particular demon slayer were found. Going by that logic, a Hashira or at least a Kinoe, the rank right below Hashira, would have been sent to the countryside of Kyoto.

Lower Moon Three had unexpectedly materialized out of nowhere then...like someone had revealed my specific location to him.

"Haruto!"

I yelled, no longer bothering to maintain discretion. I could already sense him gaining on me.

"Get to the Master's estate! Now!"

"But-"

"Go! He needs to know about this immediately! None of this is supposed to be happening right now! Hurry!"

I didn't want to put more stress on his mind because of how tense he had already become after Shinobu nee-san reported to him the description of that strange demon at the Final Selection that Kanao nee-san and I had told her about. But considering how I was currently in no position to think much about what an oddity this situation was, at least the Master could figure something out. For that to happen though, at least Haruto needed to get out of here alive.

"I mean it, Haruto! Move your wings!"

"Alright, alright! Just don't die, you!"

Then he flapped off and I quickly leaped into a bush, breathing heavily. Don't die. Yeah right. Easier said than done.

"Come out here, little demon slayer!"

Lower Moon Three yelled at a distance that was too close for my liking. And why the fuck did he think I was just going to show myself to him because he ask-

"A healthy young girl like you will make such a good meal! Or maybe I'll even present your corpse to Upper Moon Two! He loves devouring women!"

Oh, gross. Both him and Upper Moon Two. Of course, if there were a way for him to present my living body to that dude, I could have finally known what at least one Upper Moon looked like since nobody else in the Demon Slayer Corps had for the last three hundred years ever since Dad had killed the Demon King of that time.