Tomioka Giyuu the Water Pillar and Rengoku Kyoujorou the Flame Pillar sit across each other...seemingly spending time together over a cup of tea. It's ironic how the two Pillars with contradicting personalities are together, Giyuu who's always calm and stoic, and Kyoujorou who's always bright and energetic.

"Giyuu, you've heard of the rumors going around the corps, right?" Kyoujorou raised a finger

"What rumors?"

"There's a sword wielding demon killing other demons running around. No one had seen the demon's face since they always get knocked out!"

"Never heard of it..."

"Aren't you interested to see if these rumors are true?"

Kyoujorou slammed the table and almost broke it and spilled the tea but Giyuu lifted his seconds before it gets slammed.

"I'm not interested in small rumors like that. Besides, even if it's true one of us will have to kill it because it's a demon"

Giyuu is clearly uninterested unlike Kyoujorou who seemed to be curious enough to search for the demon himself.

"You don't care much, do you? Oh, I know! Let's go find the demon together!"

"No"

"Yes!"

"I said no"

"But I said yes!"

Giyuu faintly groaned while slamming his face with the palm of his hands, unable to handle the Flame Pillar's energetic and enthusiastic nature. Then again, Kyoujorou is probably the most friendly and easy to get along with Pillar unlike the violent and hostile Sanemi.

"You really want to find this demon..."

"Of course! If it's a sword wielding demon then I want to know if it's strong. I mean not all demons can hold a sword"

Kyoujorou raised his fist, his spirit firing up to the maximum, not affecting the poker-faced Giyuu. The flame Pillar yelled out his excitement while Giyuu covered his ears, wishing he would call down even for just five minutes. He's not used being around energetic types like Kyoujorou

"Besides, there's also another rumor that's connected to that demon"

"What rumor is it this time?"

"Well it's not exactly a rumor but a demon slayer was presumed dead but was seen again one week later, eating some demon slayers. He was quickly killed though"

"Demon slayers...becoming demons"

Again, Giyuu displayed little emotion and little to no interest but it didn't bother the extremely excited Kyoujorou.

"While I'm excited to find out more about this, it's alarming that demon slayers are becoming demon themselves. Just imagine if we fight a breath using demon. Talk about dangerous!"

"Demons can't use breaths unless they know how to use one as a human. That is if they still remember"

Giyuu doesn't seem worried as he believes that most demons don't retain their memories as a human so they wouldn't be able to use breath styles.

"Hopefully they don't. If we fight a demon who remembers how to use a breath, we might be the one who will lose our heads!" Kyoujorou beat his fists

"I can't believe you can say we might get killed with a smile on your face"

"I can't stop smiling and I don't know why!"

(Hopefully I don't get paired with this guy...or anyone in that matter)

Giyuu thought to himself while finishing his tea before it gets cold and while the flame Pillar continued to talk on how he wished to find and face the demon before anyone else, excited to know its capability.

Meanwhile

At least one hour, Tanjiro and Kanao investigated a part below the mountain where there are visible clean cuts in the trees and dried blood splattered in some areas.

"There's no doubt. These are cuts from a sword not from demon claws"

Kanao gently touches and traces the long and deep cut and using her sharp eyesight, she confirmed the cut was from a sword and not by claw scratch.

"There's also a dangerous scent in the air. It's not human... it's a demon" Tanjiro inhaled the air around him

"Then these bloodstains..."

"Demon blood. Looks like demons fought each other here. Probably a fight over prey or territory"

Tanjiro doesn't see any other reasons for demons to fight other than over who gets to eat the humans and who gets to claim a territory. It's not unusual for demons to fight against each other but Tanjiro is worried to about a demon managed to kill other demons.

"Demons can't truly kill each other. A sword was used here so a demon used a nichirin blade?" Kanao deduced

"The demon probably stole it from a demon slayer's corpse but to think a demon can even wield a nichirin blade like actual demon slayers..."

Tanjiro swallowed his breath, nervous to encounter a demon who can effectively wield a nichirin blade since he never encountered one.

"Sword using demons..."

He doesn't want to imagine how an armed demon would fight. Demons possessed inhumane speed and strength, and worse they don't easily run out of stamina so they could fight for hours without getting tired, for the strong ones at least.

"Even if the demon used a nichirin blade, it's not Master since she can't swing a sword this powerfully"

"You're right. Shinobu-san can only stab demons" Tanjiro rubbed his chin

"It's going be nightfall soon. Demons will start coming out"

Tanjiro nodded, raising his guard with every second night closes in. The moment the sun disappears, the moment demons will come out of hiding and start hunting humans again.

"It's odd how while there are other demon slayers killed here, it's said the survivors were saved and spared by someone" Kanao found it strange

"Who could it be?"

"No one remembers who it was. All they remember is they felt a stinging feeling when they tried to run away from the powerful demon. It's like they forgot what just happened to them"

Tanjiro crossed her arms, furrowing his eyebrows as he tried to come up with a logical solution to what caused the surviving team of demon slayers to immediately forgot what happened before they retreated.

"Tanjiro, do you think there's a chance that my Master could actually be alive?"

"I really don't know, Kanao. Shinobu-san died but demons are capable of a lot of things"

"It made me think of the possibility because we didn't see her body. All I found was her sword in a bloody ground. Master was already dying but she chased after the demon..."

"Kanao..."

"If she didn't tried to protect me, then she wouldn't have been mortally wounded"

Every time Kanao would think about what she believed lead to Shinobu's death, her heart twists in pain but Tanjiro, smelling guilt in Kanao, taps her shoulder and shared with a sympathetic expression.

"Shinobu-san wanted to protect you because you are her tsuguku and like a little sister to her. I think it's because Shinobu-san doesn't want to lose you the same way she lost her older sister"

"Tanjiro..."

Kanao removed the urge to cry just by hearing Tanjiro's gentle and kind voice. Being with him always gives her a warm sense of comfort, like she could feel he could always lean on him with content...but she can't open up about this feeling to Tanjiro.

"Tanjiro-"

"I smell a demon coming this way...but all I can smell is fear?"

The two stopped in their tracks and readied to unsheathe their katanas but rather than a demon lunging at them for an attack, they are both taken by surprise when a demon screaming in fear is running in a panic.

"Stay way, stay away! Aaaaah!"

The demon is then forced to stop when it saw two young demon slayers but before it could say anything, Kanao had swiftly dealt with the normal demon. Decapitating him before he could process what's happening.

"That demon was running away from something? What could have scared a demon?"

Tanjiro approached where the demon had fell and disintegrated, worried what could have scared a demon for it to run in a panic like that.

"The scent where the demon came from is the same one where we found those slashes. Should we check it out?" Tanjiro asked

"Let's who it is. It could be the demon who caused those clean slashes" Kanao tightened her grip on her sword

"Alright. Let's try to know who was after the demon"

Tanjiro leads the way by heading towards the trail of the dangerous scent he sensed earlier. As they grew closer to the close of the scent, Kanao is forced to push Tanjiro away and swing her sword and slice the boulder thrown at them.

"Demon...slayers. Meat!"

Drooling with hunger for human flesh, the muscular demon ripped off a piece of the the earth and hurled it at them. The two young demon slayers dodged, being while while the demon is slow.

"Need meat! Need human flesh...to get stronger!"

In unison, the two in opposite directions, sliced off the demon's arm and disabled him from throwing large objects at them.

"Kanao!"

Tanjiro aimed for the right leg and upon cutting it, the demon is forced to kneel down and focus on regenerating his lost arms and right leg but of course they wouldn't wait for that. Kanao cut through the demon's and send the severed head flying.

"This isn't the demon who caused the cuts and made the other demon run"

Tanjiro clicked his tongue as the one they had just killed was a different one. This one isn't certainly capable of wielding as sword as shown when it could only use it's enhanced arm strength to lift and throw heavy objects at high speed.

"Something else is mixing in with the scent here. It's like the demon knew we were tracking it by scent" Tanjiro speculated

"It must have run away knowing we were after it. Anyway, we should-"

This time, Tanjiro pushed Kanao away when a scent of another demon and bloodlust is heading towards them. He blocked the incoming slash with his sword, the growling demon sliding a few meters when his attacks failed to slice his supposed victims.

"Grr...demon slayers...so annoying..."

The demon wielded a sword but while it can talk, it lacks enough intelligence to speak in full sentence. He salivated, seeing not just demon slayers but two young and fresh meal for the taking if he can take them down.

"Human flesh! Need...to eat...humans!"

Driven almost mad but hunger, the sword wielding demon aimed for the two demon slayers. It's swings are powerful and it's movements is quick and agile but it couldn't use a technique due to half of its sanity being impaired.

"Can't think straight! Need food!"

Right now, the demon is being driven for his desire to eat and aware that he needs to food to regain the sanity he lost while currently starving.

"Tanjiro, is this the demon?!"

Kanao struggles to block fast and powerful swings even if they are sloppy. The demon lack intelligence to use a technique but his strength isn't impaired. Before Kanao's sword could reach his neck, the demon quickly jumped back much to her surprise.

"No! This one uses a sword but he has a different sword. Besides, his scent is not that dangerous compared to who we're looking for"

Tanjiro shouted while he is disappointed that the demon they are facing is not the same one they're looking for. Even if they have the wrong demon, this one is much stronger than the muscular demon before.

(This demon is fast even if he is a bit insane! Perhaps he's a bit stronger than the one in Mt. Natagumo. In that case I have to use the Dance of the Fire God)

Tanjiro prepares a stance for his Dance of the Fire God but the demon seeing the change in stance, quickly targeted Tanjiro who noticed the sudden shift of attention.

"Damn-"

Tanjiro managed to parry the swing and slice the arm not holding the sword. Even with one body part severed, this didn't stop the demon to try for another attack.

(A thrust!)

He dodged his head to the right when he predicted the incoming thrust and countered with an upper slash, slicing his face including his eye.

"Argh!"

Unfortunately this only made the demon angrier and when Kanao goes to his rescue, the demon sent her flying with a powerful side kick, her body slamming on the tree.

"Human...Die already...!"

The demon with his recently regenerated arm ran towards Kanao. Tanjiro, not allowing the demon to lay a hand on Kanao, slashed his back. Just as the demon turned around, Tanjiro swung for the neck, but...

"Not...gonna die..."

Even by using both of his arms at full strength, the demon stopped the swing midway by using his sword.

"Humans!"

Furiously screaming, the demon pushed both Tanjiro's sword and Tanjiro himself, slashing Tanjiro's shoulder and with a powerful kick to the side, not only he broke two of Tanjiro's ribs, he also sent him flying.

(These demon just grew faster? He read my attack and reacted faster than before!)

Tanjiro jumped away when the demon charged with a powerful slash, chopping the tree behind him in half.

"...?!"

The demon, faster than before, grabbed Tanjiro's head and slammed him against the ground and sent him flying like tossing a ragdoll.

"Tanjiro-!"

Kanao, who managed to stand back up, rushes to Tanjiro's aid but when her eyes made contact with the demon eyes whose sclera had turned red, she momentarily froze on one place.

"Blood demon art-?!"

Kanao realized the demon had been using his Blood demon art but even if it only made her body freeze for about two seconds, this gave the demon enough time to get close enough for a heavy swing.

"...?!"

The demon, prepared to slice the young girl in half raised his sword, but he backed away when his blood demon art enhanced eyes, saw someone running at high speed. Unfortunately, his eyesight isn't enough for him to dodge the violent whirlwind that passed between him and Kanao. The dash of powerful wind immediately severed both of his arms.

"Annoying!"

The demon exclaimed as it used its foot to toss the fallen sword upwards and hold by biting it tightly. As if a violent gust, a single swing is all it took to severe his torso.

"Mas...ter...?"

Right before her sharp eyes, Kanao, without a doubt, saw Shinobu swing a sword in the air. Even before Shinobu turned to face her, she recognized the hair pin and butterfly haori. She is certain the one who had just saved her was her master.

"Oh? It is indeed Shinobu's tsuguko. I thought it was someone else for a moment. I guess my eyes don't work well when I let Shinobu in control most of the time"

With a pair of demon eyes and sharp fangs, the "demon" faced Kanao and recognized her in an indifferent and slightly unhappy tone.

"Good thing I came back rather than ditch this place"

"Master...?" Kanao felt like she's going to cry

"Hmm?"

The demon possessing Shinobu managed to get closer to Kanao since the going tsuguko thought the one who approached her was the former Insect Pillar.

"Kochou Shinobu is dead. The one before you...is a demon in a dead person's body" The unknown demon leaned closer

As she whispered those words to Kanao's ear, the latter quickly jumped back, alarmed at those words.

"Mas...ter...?" Confused, Kanao isn't sure whether to raise her sword against her former mentor

"Sorry, but I'm not Shinobu right now"

With a devious smile, the possessing demon touched the tip of the katana and pulled back her arm. A swift and instantly thrust near to Kanao's shoulder followed afterwards.

"...?!"

"Let me use your Blood demon art on this one, Shinobu. It's useful for a lot of things since mine is only good for killing people"

Using the poison-laced blade, "Shinobu" injecting a non-lethal neurotoxin which has the same effect of a tranquilizer but the effect kicks in quicker, immediately incapacitating Kanao. The tsuguko immediately collapsed but it didn't knock her out and paralyzed her body first.

"You...who are you...?"

Kanao, whose body had grown numb and desperately fighting to prevent herself going unconscious, asked the demon right before her.

"Me? I'm just a demon...using someone else's body"

"...?!"

"My name wouldn't matter because her poison can give you short term memory loss. You won't die from the poison, you just wouldn't remember I was here"

"What have you...done...to my Master...?"

Before Kanao could no longer slow the poison with her breathing, she asked one more thing to the demon.

"I could ask the same thing for myself. That son of a bitch tricking me like this..."

The demon almost sheathed her sword but swung it one last time when the other sword wielding demon regenerated and leaped at Shinobu. This time, the demon immediately decapitated him, reacting faster than he could.

"Sorry but as much I hate you for that one time, Shinobu wouldn't want you to die and I can't have you find out yet even though I have no problem showing myself"

The bodiless demon stated she hated Kanao and only saved her for Shinobu's sake. Oddly enough, she respected Shinobu's wish to stay "dead" in everyone's eyes. She has her own personal reasons but it's still currently unknown. The demon using Shinobu's body is someone who can be both an enemy and an ally at the same time.

"Just what-"

Tanjiro regained consciousness, rubbing the back of his head when the demon knocked him out when his head struck a large tree. If it was his steel-like forehead, he would have remained conscious.

"...?!"

Even if he quickly regained consciousness, Tanjiro is knocked out again when he is struck in the head from behind by the pommel of Shinobu's sword.

"Who knew poison can also be used against your sense of smell. Then again you just woke up"

The unknown demon sighed in relief as she knocked out both Tanjiro and Kanao.

"Hmm...I guess I couldn't leave them here"

She already planned to leave but thought about the two unconscious demon slayers. Normally, she would leave the two but since there are demons deep within the forest and it will take them a while to regain consciousness, the demon sheathed her sword.

"I'm the one in control but I'm listening to her whims. I'm also the stronger one..."

While muttering her complaints, the demon carried the two like luggages in each arm and left the area. The demon currently in control left the two somewhere outside the forest where they could regain consciousness without a problem.

"What was I doing before? Oh right, I'm trying to adjust this body to my fighting style"

Remembering her earlier activity before she went to save Kanao, the demon swung her arm, practicing how to fight like she used to with Shinobu's body.

"I have to practice being accustomed with this body or my skills will rust in time. I still have that son of a both of a doctor to chop in pieces. He's seriously going to pay for this messed up joke"

The demon, furious about being stuck in someone else's, thought of revenge more than anything against the culprit who is an unknown doctor.

"I can't kill him but I can certainly slice him in half!"

She's usually calm but whenever thinking about the culprit, she quickly loses her temper. As a means to vent out her frustration, she sliced the nearest tree.

"It may not be my choice at first to be in this body but I'm starting to get used to Shinobu. Ha...hahahaha! Being with this girl is starting to influence me. The girl who refused to abandon her humanity is actually getting to me"

The moment she realized that Shinobu, who retained her old self despite becoming a demon, is actually the one influencing the bodiless demon rather than the demon itself influencing Shinobu.

"I can't believe this but this isn't so bad. After two hundred years, I'm actually enjoying myself...with a human. I wonder what will become with the two of us. I'm sure shishou will be angry if he sees me like this"

Rather than be worried that Shinobu's humanity will change the demon's nature, she's just entertained just being with Shinobu. She is oddly enjoying herself being bound in the body of someone who should have died.

"Now I don't feel like going back. I think I'll have fun for a little while. Who knows? There might be some interesting changes..."

She laughed at the thought of entertaining herself by doing as she please and discarded the thought of "going back" to her mentor. Of course she wouldn't let Shinobu know that she had "softened up" and became intrigued towards what's happening to her.