Demon Slayer: Rise of the Third Brother-Chapter 133: Demon Extermination

“Who cares whose brother you are?! I’m asking who
you
are!”
Hiru looked a little confused by the situation. He glanced up at the demon’s terror-stricken face, then ignored the question entirely and turned to Yoriichi.
“Is this the demon Sabito was talking about?”
“Yes,” Yoriichi replied, sheathing his blade. “His Blood Demon Art makes for decent training.”
“…Brother, you want me to handle it?”
“Yes. You should start training properly as well.”
“Eh… then can I use—”
“No. Take out your weapon.”
The brothers’ indifferent attitude—so calm, as if everything were already under control—filled the demon with both rage and relief. While they were speaking, he quietly shifted his body. Once the trees completely concealed his figure, he burst into the forest with all his strength.
【I have to live. I have to live! No matter what, I have to survive! Being looked down on, being scorned—it doesn’t matter, as long as I live! After this, I’ll move away immediately, leave this place! I—】
“You can’t leave. I’ll get scolded.”
The childlike demon spun around in shock. Reflected in his pupils was a rapidly enlarging crimson blade. The overwhelming sense of danger warped his voice.
“Blood Demon Art! Confusion!”
Hiru’s downward swing twisted sharply at the wrist. The blade failed to sever the demon’s neck, leaving only a long, narrow wound two fingers deep across its back. Hiru frowned and rushed forward again, but his body refused to cooperate. The strike that should have landed instead skimmed past the demon’s side, carving a slash into the ground.
“Ugh… this is really hard…”
Hiru tried to steady himself, but his body kept acting against his intentions.
“This Blood Demon Art is way too cheating, isn’t it?”
Only then did Yoriichi part the bushes and walk over.
“Relax. Use small movements to identify the directional pattern. Although it changes slightly each time, the rules it follows are limited.”
“Even if you say that, Brother, it’s not something you can grasp that quickly,” Hiru muttered, bracing one hand against a nearby tree and apologizing to it under his breath. “So even my control over strength is affected? This Blood Demon Art is seriously cheating.”
“Don’t rush,” Yoriichi said calmly. “This Blood Demon Art only interferes with corresponding thought processes. It doesn’t truly affect the body. And when you think about not moving, your body and actions will align.”
“So it only affects thinking?”
Hiru paused, trying to look at Yoriichi—only for his body to turn toward the demon on the ground instead.
“Ah… yeah, that really feels awkward.”
“Yes, it’s difficult at first, but once you—”
Yoriichi was about to continue when he noticed that Hiru’s movements had already returned to normal. He froze for a moment.
“You’ve adapted already?”
“No,” Hiru shook his head, rolling his shoulders. “I just changed how I think.”
Yoriichi looked puzzled, then slowly realized that Hiru had switched to using a part of his mind unaffected by the Blood Demon Art to control his body. He let out a sigh.
“…You really shouldn’t cut corners during training.”
“I just want to end this quickly.”
Hiru walked up to the demon, who lay motionless after being wounded by the Bright Red Nichirin Blade.
“When you’re reincarnated, don’t become a demon again.”
“W-wait!”
The childlike demon struggled to sit up, his gaze fixed on the weapon in Hiru’s hand, where the words “Destroy Evil Demons” were clearly engraved. He had no idea how he had managed to provoke two Hashira at once.
“I just wanted to live. Is that wrong?”
Hiru stopped.
“…No, it’s not. Who would want to die if they could live? Be confident—your thinking isn’t wrong.”
“Then why do you insist on killing me?! I’m helping society by cleaning up useless trash! Those people were already old and completely worthless!
“And I only eat when I’m hungry. Sometimes I even help humans clear wild beasts from the mountains. I should count as a good demon!”
“…But you still live by eating people, don’t you?”
Hiru looked down at the demon curled on the ground.
“When humans go hunting in the wild, it’s the same logic. Once you choose to hunt, you have to be prepared to be hunted in return. There’s no reason it should be fine for you to kill them, but not for them to kill you, right?
“Just like how you can say, ‘I only ate one or two useless people; it doesn’t affect the group at all.’
“I can also say, ‘I only killed one or two useless demons; it doesn’t matter to demons at all.’
“Isn’t that the same logic? Why does the world suddenly feel unfair when it’s applied to you?”
【So… that’s one way to answer it?】
Yoriichi felt his own perspective expand once again.
But compared to Yoriichi’s quiet realization, the childlike demon felt sheer disbelief.
“You’re putting me on the same level as that worthless trash?!”
“…Well, just like they’re trash in your eyes, in mine, you’re all weak enough to not be worth caring about.”
“Wh—!”
“Come to think of it, I surprisingly share that view with Muzan,” Hiru said with a smile as he crouched down, looking at the demon cheerfully. “Though, like him, it’s a bit unpleasant. But demons are always faithful to their twisted beliefs, so it can’t be helped.”
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?! How could a mere human compare to that great Lord?!”
“Oh?”
Hiru raised his brows.
“Looks like Muzan didn’t tell you about me. I thought he told all demons—so it was only the Twelve Kizuki? Tsk. Coward.”
He lifted his short spear again.
“All right, we’ve talked enough. If you want to complain, you can wait for me in hell. When my time comes, I’ll head down too.”
“Like hell you will!”
Sharp horns burst from the demon’s head as he lunged forward.
“If you’re going to be this absolute, then die with me!”
As the crimson blade severed his neck, the demon stretched out one last time, gripping Hiru’s arm tightly. His sharp claws dug deep into Hiru’s wrist.
“Blood Demon Art! Mutual Destruction!”
Hiru felt something latch onto his body, and his brow creased. He flung the demon away while silently activating his own Blood Demon Art.
To his surprise, he couldn’t find any trace of an external Blood Demon Art. After a brief hesitation, choosing caution, Hiru cast his Blood Demon Art on the demon that was already turning to ash.
Yoriichi walked over.
“What was that final Blood Demon Art?”
“Probably a delayed-type Blood Demon Art,” Hiru replied, flexing his fingers. The wounds left by the claws had already healed. “It might activate later, or it might vanish when the demon dies. The cost is high, and it’s one of the most troublesome types.”
Yoriichi examined Hiru carefully through his Transparent World.
“I don’t see anything abnormal.”
“I checked myself with my own Blood Demon Art and couldn’t find anything either. There’s no way you could tell just by looking,” Hiru said with a sigh.
“It’s a shame. I was a step too late—I only managed to destroy his memories, not extract them. Even the pigments were lost along with it.
“In the end, Bright Red Nichirin Blades deal too much damage to demons that haven’t conquered sunlight.”
“Then let’s go to a Wisteria House to rest and observe for a while,” Yoriichi suggested. “That’ll make it easier to respond if something happens.”
Hiru nodded and rewrapped his short spear with cloth strips, though his irritation lingered.
“This feeling—knowing you’ve been tripped up, but not being able to find anything—that’s really unpleasant.”