"Please, let me go."
The middle-aged demon's head pleaded, and its spider-like headless body retracted the sharp claws on its fingers and toes.
Although it was a demon, when it maintained its sanity, it could also be said to be a mutated human.
Kurozawa raised an eyebrow, looked at its bloodshot eyes, and asked, "Let you go? You should know that humans and demons are irreconcilable. So, why should I let you go?"
He could ignore the eerie grotesqueness of it tearing at its own flesh and blood, and he could face the bloody demon head directly not because of naturally strong psychological fortitude, but because he had undergone swordsman training in this regard.
When Sakonji Urokodaki killed demons, he would occasionally take Kurozawa to watch. The flying flesh and blood, the spurting blood, always nauseated and sickened Kurozawa the first time, but after many times, he slowly got used to it.
This was a cruel world, he needed to adapt, and Kurozawa, who yearned for strength within, also actively sought this change, possessing extremely strong adaptability.
He wasn't just messing with the middle-aged demon for fun.
Kurozawa understood the truth that villains die from talking too much.
But Kurozawa still did it.
Because Kurozawa's research on the Power of Despair showed that as long as a creature died, it would generate the Power of Despair at that instant.
But since it contained the word despair, the more desperate the enemy felt before death, the more Power of Despair would be obtained. It should be like this, he thought.
Kurozawa wasn't sure, so he had to try.
Of course, Kurozawa still didn't know what the Power of Despair was actually used for, as his research was only based on harming small ants.
Kurozawa, the Ant Slayer, didn't mind letting the middle-aged demon live a little longer, giving him hope, and then letting him experience despair.
The Power of Despair obtained that way would be significantly more, and it would also speed up Kurozawa's research on it.
Hmm, I'm so wicked. Kurozawa looked at the middle-aged demon who was still oblivious and trying to shake his will with words, feeling a sense of melancholy.
"Can it be because I haven't killed anyone?" The demon head, seeing that Kurozawa didn't immediately deal with him, said urgently.
"Then how do you explain the bag behind you?" Kurozawa said calmly.
In the darkness, the blood-stained long leather bag was in the shape of a human.
Hearing the killing intent in Kurozawa's calm voice, the middle-aged demon quickly said, "I didn't kill that person, he was a suicide. I found the body at Autumn Leaf Cliff."
"You should know Autumn Leaf Cliff, right? Many people commit suicide there. After I became a demon, I didn't want to eat people, so I survived by scavenging the bodies of those who jumped off the cliff."
He spoke with sincerity, his face earnest.
Kurozawa knew about Autumn Leaf Cliff; it wasn't far, only about ten miles away. Because the area near the cliff was scenic with beautiful mountains and water, many people who were unhappy with their lives chose it as their grave.
He heard that occasionally people from big cities would even form groups to commit suicide there.
So, Kurozawa nodded and said, "I believe you."
His expression didn't change, making it impossible to tell if he truly believed or not.
After saying he believed him, Kurozawa didn't speak further, just staring into the demon head's eyes, seemingly waiting for the rest of the story.
This silent waiting felt like a guillotine placed on his neck, ready to fall at any moment, causing a faint sense of despair to arise in the middle-aged demon's heart. However, because Kurozawa hadn't truly attacked, there was still a glimmer of hope within the despair.
"Really, everything I said is true."
"My name is Nita Taku, and my home is in the nearby Koizumi Town. Besides me, I also have a 5-year-old daughter at home. Because of my daughter's existence, I was able to resist the urge for blood and have been surviving by scavenging corpses."
"If you don't believe me, you can go to Koizumi Town and ask around."
"Please, if I die, my daughter will have no one to take care of her and will live a very difficult life."
"I'm not asking for myself, it's all for my daughter that I'm begging you like this."
"She's still so small, so cute, I don't want to leave her alone..."
The final voice was close to a whisper.
In the demon head's eyes, there was a strong desire for life and a longing when he thought of his family.
Kurozawa frowned and said, "Shut up!"
He didn't believe the demon's words, the so-called Nita Taku.
The first lesson Sakonji Urokodaki taught him was never to trust any demon.
Demons were extremely cunning creatures, and no matter what, demons would eventually be unable to resist the temptation of flesh and blood and would kill people with their own hands.
The Demon Slayer Corps had records of people who, after turning into demons, maintained their original intentions and managed to satisfy their craving for flesh and blood by eating corpses or animal flesh.
Some kind-hearted swordsmen confirmed that they hadn't killed anyone and let them go.
However, it wasn't long before murders occurred in their hiding places.
The craving for the flesh and blood of living beings filled every cell of a demon. They could endure it for a short time, but as time passed, that craving would become stronger and stronger, gradually turning into twisted madness.
In other words, even if Nita Taku was telling the truth, Kurozawa couldn't let him go. However, he would send his daughter to the Demon Slayer Corps or directly hand her over to Sakonji Urokodaki to train, eventually becoming a demon-slaying swordsman.
In this regard, the Demon Slayer Corps had a complete set of procedures.
"Everything I said is true. You are the Demon Slayer Corps, do you kill even kind demons without distinguishing right from wrong?!"
Nita Taku looked at Kurozawa with a sincere expression.
Kurozawa rubbed his chin and paused for a moment, as if in deep thought.
A few seconds later, he sighed, "Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen are people too. Their hearts are made of flesh. It's truly difficult to strike down a demon from the good alignment."
"Besides, I believe what you said."
His face brightened, and Nita Taku was about to open his mouth.
But before the words of gratitude could come out, he heard a clear, heavy breathing sound.
Immediately after, everything went black in front of him.
Water Breathing: Strong Hand Skull Splitter!
Inside his mind, Kurozawa roared, giving his move a loud name.
Outside, the muscles in his right arm and right hand suddenly bulged and swelled.
A tremendous force descended upon the demon head in his hand.
*Crack!* Like crushing a watermelon, the demon head exploded into splashing fragments, with blood, flesh, and bone shards flying everywhere.
But none of it landed on Kurozawa.
The moment he made his move, he twisted his body, dodging the mass of red and white, and drew his sword like flowing water, rushing towards the headless demon body three meters away.
Three meters was just a single leap for his physique.
Two thick, white breaths like pythons appeared from Kurozawa's nose and mouth. At the same time, wave-like blue arcs of light began to surge from the Nichirin Blade in his hand.
On the other side, the moment Nita Taku's head was crushed, black and red ashes swirled around the headless demon body. Flesh rapidly weaved and wriggled upwards from the neck, and a head grew back in the blink of an eye.
Just then, Nita Taku had just recovered from the intense pain of being decapitated when he saw a flash of deep blue sword light in his eyes.
Water Breathing, First Form: Surface Slash! Straight, like the deep blue of a clear lake on a calm day, it filled Nita Taku's vision.
The next moment, the head that had just regrown fell to the ground with a clang.
"Wh-why... you believed... and..."
His voice was broken and incomplete.
After being decapitated by the Nichirin Blade, a weapon specifically for demons, Nita Taku's presence was like a candle in the wind, rapidly fading. It would completely disappear within three seconds.
Kurozawa grinned, showing his teeth. "Just kidding."
His tone was calm and uncaring.
"You! I curse..."
The words full of despair were left unfinished as both the head and body simultaneously turned into a sky full of ash, gradually disappearing into the air.
Kurozawa, watching this scene, felt surprised.
This wasn't scientific.
After the ashes completely dissipated, Kurozawa picked up his Nichirin Blade, blew on the blade to remove a bit of dust.
"I, Kurozawa, am as magnificent as ever."
Although he hadn't practiced sword forms for a year, the Surface Slash he used was still so cool!
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