Daki didn't seem to intend to attack directly. She appeared very confident in her strength, displaying an attitude of having the victory secured.
"You know I'm a Pillar?" Kanae was a little surprised. At the same time, Daki's words caused her heart to tighten abruptly. To be able to kill seven Pillars, that Demon could be said to be extremely dangerous.
And the Upper Moon carving visible in its eyes made Kanae grip the Nichirin Blade in her hand even tighter.
She hadn't expected that while intending to investigate suspected Upper Moon activity in Lotus Town, she would encounter a real Upper Moon on the way there. She could only say fate was unpredictable.
Daki's gaze lowered slightly, then she let out a delicate laugh: "Having dealt with you Demon Hunters for so long, you wouldn't think we know nothing about the Demon Slayer Corps, would you?"
"The uniforms of you Pillars have gold buttons on the cuffs and collars. Ordinary Demon Hunters have silver ones. You can tell at a glance."
"As for how many of those guys with silver buttons I've killed, I can't remember. But the Pillars with gold buttons, hmm, those seven truly left a deep impression on me." Daki's tone of voice clearly showed pride in the Demon Slayer Corps members she had killed.
Kanae looked down and saw the gold buttons on her cuffs.
She really had never noticed this point before. The Demon Slayer Corps uniforms were custom-made by professional tailors, and the style was uniform. She just hadn't expected they would even create these small details to symbolize the status of a Pillar.
The saying that your enemy always knows you best rings true.
"An Upper Moon of the Twelve Kizuki, you are the first one I've ever seen."
"I want to ask you a question. Why must you be enemies with humans? You were originally human yourselves. Haven't you ever thought about coexisting peacefully?"
The air around Kanae's nose and mouth solidified, showing no relaxation, but she also wasn't in a hurry.
In Kanae's Demon Hunting career, most of the Demons she encountered were hysterical, crazy, and chaotic. Most low-level Demons were like that too. Even Rui, the Lower Moon Twelve Kizuki that Kurozawa encountered, was trapped by his own obsession, appearing mentally disturbed.
Daki's behavior was very normal. At least she could converse normally right now. It seemed the higher the rank of the Demon, the better they could control their extreme desires.
Upper Moon Demons could be like ordinary humans. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to hide so easily among people, making it difficult for the Demon Slayer Corps to discover them.
Kanae wanted to talk to the Upper Moon, to understand why they, having once been human, could now mercilessly harm their former kind. She couldn't comprehend this behavior.
Beside her, Kurozawa had a helpless look. With his personality, he wouldn't talk so much. Talking was only for tactical purposes like provoking or stalling for time. Kanae, however, genuinely wanted to exchange ideas with Daki.
Additionally, Kurozawa recalled Daki from his past life's memories. She was still some distance away from being a true Upper Moon. The real Upper Moon Six was not her.
When he heard the name Warabihime, he hadn't recalled it, but as soon as Daki was mentioned, Kurozawa knew why he had encountered her. He remembered that it was Upper Moon Two, Doma the Ice Demon, who was the target he and Kanao were supposed to investigate. He had saved Daki and her brother, giving them shared blood, which made Daki and her brother into a twin-like Demon entity.
Therefore, it wasn't surprising that Daki would appear on the way to Lotus Town.
Afterward, Daki's brother became increasingly strong, and Daki was consequently strengthened significantly as well, but she was never truly considered an Upper Moon and wasn't a cause for concern.
She should be able to handle Daki on her own, without his help. Kurozawa was currently suppressing his Fighting Spirit, guarding against the possibility of the true Upper Moon Six, who might be hidden in the shadows watching over his sister, Daki.
Inside the room, Daki was slightly stunned after hearing Kanae's words, then suddenly burst into unrestrained laughter: "Are you joking? Pity? Having once been human?"
"This is truly the most interesting joke I've heard in my life."
Kanae frowned: "Is it that funny?"
Seeing her serious expression, Daki found it a little amusing. She pointed to herself: "I am a Demon, I feed on humans." Then she pointed to Kanae: "You are human, my food."
Subsequently, Daki rested her chin on her hand and asked with great curiosity: "Please tell me, do lions and rabbits coexist peacefully?"
"Don't talk about having once been human. Predator and prey, that's our current difference. Peaceful coexistence? Then what would I eat?"
Every word Daki spoke made Kanae very uncomfortable. She completely identified as a Demon, never considering that she was once the "prey" she spoke of. Moreover, it was uncertain who the prey truly was; there were certainly many Demons who had died at the hands of Demon Slayer Corps Swordsmen.
"If we are the prey, then what about the Demons who died at the hands of the prey?" Kanae's voice was calm, but Kurozawa could feel her Fighting Spirit burning fiercely.
Daki tilted her head again and said disdainfully: "Those defective products? They are just our entertainment. True Demons are not the ones you speak of. You probably have never witnessed the Strength of an Upper Moon."
Her gaze lingered on Kanae, showing a satisfied expression: "The Pillars I ate before, the taste of their flesh and blood is unforgettable to this day. And you look even more delicious than them."
Daki liked beautiful things, and she liked to devour beautiful women, believing it would make her more beautiful. Kanae's beauty greatly pleased Daki.
"Warabihime, why, why are you a Demon... I have always treated you well."
At the broken doorway, the proprietress finally recovered from her shock. Looking at Daki, she spoke in disbelief. Her own Oiran was actually the legendary Demon.
In an instant, the proprietress understood many things.
No wonder, no wonder several beautiful Courtesans had mysteriously disappeared from Kyogoku House recently. She had thought those girls were tired of being Courtesans and had run away, but at Kyogoku House, you could just say if you wanted to leave, there was no need to run away.
"This is no place for you to speak, old woman."
Tilting her head to look at the proprietress, Daki's eyes showed disgust. She hated aging, she hated people who looked old.
Since she was unpleasant to look at and she no longer needed to hide her identity, she might as well kill her casually... Daki's slender arm shifted to the side, and the sash that had been constantly moving suddenly stirred, extending and wrapping towards the proprietress.
Kurozawa, who was beside the proprietress, was also targeted.
Because he was guarding against the true Upper Moon Six hidden in the dark, Kurozawa suppressed the urge to burst out and attack. He chose to trust Kanae.
Because Kanae was actually a very strong Pillar. Kurozawa's memories were becoming clearer as his strength increased. He had remembered incorrectly before; he only recently recalled that Kanae was not devoured by Doma.
In the original story, she fought Doma for an entire moonlit night. Doma couldn't kill Kanae until the sun was about to rise, but she later died due to her accumulated injuries being too severe, and her Breathing Technique couldn't stop the serious wounds.
However, being able to endure such a long battle against Upper Moon Two, Kanae's strength was definitely top-tier among the Pillars, especially since she was so young. Her talent was truly exceptional.
Swish! Kanae's body moved with afterimages, suddenly blocking the path of Daki's attack. Her Nichirin Blade, tinged with a slight purple hue, turned with a flick of her wrist. Within the blur of the blade, Daki's sash was shattered piece by piece.
Looking at Kanae, blocking Daki's attack was very easy. Her breathing was steady, without a hint of fluctuation.
"Are you really an Upper Moon? If all Upper Moons are at your level, then the so-called true Demons are nothing to worry about." Kanae looked at Daki, blinking slightly in confusion.
Daki's aura was strong because her Fighting Spirit was connected to her brother, but that wasn't her own Fighting Spirit. As they actually started fighting, Kanae discovered Daki's abnormality; she was much weaker than she had thought.
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