Chapter Twenty-One: It Was You Who Were Too Slow

Meanwhile, ten minutes earlier at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.

"Master, may I ask why you have summoned us? Do you have instructions for us?" Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka sat behind Kagaya Ubuyashiki, both inquiring in turn.

"The reason I've called you here is because of the upcoming mission at Natagumo Mountain," Kagaya began. "Most of my swordsmen sent there have been eliminated. There is a high possibility that one of the Twelve Kizuki is present. Giyu, Shinobu, I need you to go."

"Understood," both Shinobu and Giyu responded, accepting the mission without hesitation.

"If only humans and demons could coexist peacefully," Shinobu remarked with a faint smile. "Don't you think so, Mr. Tomioka?"

"It’s impossible," Giyu replied, his expression as calm as ever. "As long as demons feed on humans, it cannot be realized."

Without further delay, the two set out together toward Natagumo Mountain.

※※※※※※

Under the night sky, Chu Fan became as swift as the wind, crossing mountains and valleys in an instant. Natagumo Mountain was not far; heading straight, it would take less than half an hour to arrive. Soon, Chu Fan stood beneath the ominous mountain, shrouded in mist.

He wasted no time and entered Spider Mountain directly, listening closely to the breaths coming from the cocoons, wrapped in spider silk and hanging from the trees. Whenever he heard signs of life, his blade flashed, slicing down the cocoons with his flaming sword.

With a few swift strokes, he cut open the cocoons, allowing a Demon Slayer Corps member to tumble out. Chu Fan did not linger; he knew these rescues were only temporary. True healing would have to wait until Shinobu arrived with the medical team. Without medicine, these people would not be waking up anytime soon.

Swiftly moving through the treetops, Chu Fan listened intently, searching for both enemies and the whereabouts of Tanjiro Kamado.

Soon, he spotted a ghostly pale demon woman, her hair as white as snow, fleeing in the darkness.

"Rui! Rui! Rui!" she cried, calling for her brother as she ran.

But the moment Chu Fan saw her, her fate was sealed. With a single stroke, he severed her head.

Although Chu Fan carried a UV flashlight, when he could easily decapitate a demon, he rarely bothered to use it.

"Rui..." The demon woman's head rolled to the ground. Gazing up at the tall, white figure before her, tears welled in her eyes. As she sensed her cocoons being shredded one after another at an incredible speed, dread seized her. She tried to flee, hoping Rui could save her, but she was too slow. In barely a dozen seconds, her head and body crumbled to dust and were scattered by the wind.

With her death, the cocoons lost their vitality and fell from the trees. Some Demon Slayer members, either not fully corroded or only recently ensnared, managed to emerge from the remains.

Chu Fan did not pay further attention to them. Leaping from tree to tree in the moonlight, he quickly spotted Tanjiro Kamado five hundred meters to the southeast, fighting a silver-haired demon youth.

Activating his Fusion technique, Chu Fan crossed the distance in seconds, descending from above and decapitating the demon with his flaming blade.

"What just happened?" Rui, the Lower Moon Five of the Twelve Kizuki, had been toying with his enraged opponent when, to his shock, he suddenly saw his own body fall before him.

Tanjiro Kamado, whose sword had already broken and failed to cut through Rui’s neck, stood frozen. The familiar white figure before him had decapitated Rui in a single blow.

He recognized this man—Illusory Feather—someone who, like them, had survived the Final Selection. Yet Illusory Feather was immediately promoted to the highest rank. Back then, Tanjiro hadn't understood what this meant—only that this man was incredibly strong.

Now, after battling demons, Tanjiro finally understood their terrifying power. Especially Rui, the Lower Moon Five, whose strength pressed him to the brink of death. Yet this formidable demon had been slain in an instant by this man.

The difference in their abilities was as vast as the sky itself.

Chu Fan wiped his red blade clean and sheathed it.

[You have slain Rui, Lower Moon Six of the Twelve Kizuki. Reward: One thousand Chosen Coins.]

He grabbed Rui’s body and, holding a glass vial, began collecting the demon’s dripping blood.

[You have obtained Muzan Kibutsuji’s blood. One milliliter... ten milliliters... twenty milliliters.]

His movements were practiced, almost as if he had done this many times. It was only later that Chu Fan realized: the Chosen always carried Muzan’s blood within them. The Chosen Paradise had not set a price for this blood, but Chu Fan knew from the perspective of the demon faction, the more Muzan’s blood he possessed, the higher his rating would be when the main mission ended and the world was settled.

By now, Chu Fan had gathered over a hundred milliliters of Muzan Kibutsuji’s blood.

"Nezuko," Tanjiro called, running to his sleeping sister, who was lying nearby.

"Nezuko..." Seeing that her wounds had healed, Tanjiro finally relaxed.

Having collected the blood, Chu Fan glanced at Tanjiro, now holding his sister in relief, and said nothing. Because of Chu Fan’s intervention, Tanjiro had not awakened the Dance of the Fire God, but Chu Fan was in no hurry. In time, he would personally help this Child of the World awaken the power hidden within him.

"Illusory Feather, did the Master assign you this mission as well? Your speed is as impressive as ever." At this moment, a figure swiftly arrived. Seeing the abandoned clothing and lingering scent of demon, the newcomer spoke up.

"You were simply too slow," Chu Fan replied calmly, turning to face the newcomer—none other than the Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka.

"Shinobu and I actually set out earlier than you," Giyu noted, pausing before continuing. Soon, he noticed a survivor and a demon present among them. He reached for his Nichirin Blade to slay the demon, but upon seeing her face, memories surfaced and he hesitated.

"You two..." Giyu began, but stopped abruptly as he sensed something. In a flash, he appeared before Tanjiro, his blade clashing with another in a ringing note.

"Eh?" A petite, vibrantly dressed figure flipped nimbly through the air and landed gracefully. Shinobu Kocho was about to question Giyu, but then she noticed the striking figure, resplendent even in the night.

"Mr. Illusory Feather, I can’t believe the Master sent you as well," she remarked, surprised.

"I simply received the mission and departed as usual," Chu Fan replied indifferently.