Demon Slayer: Guardian of the Forest

Escaping this wretched temple wasn't too difficult; Shinichi had been preparing for it for two years. Over that time, he'd managed to save up sixty yen, which he was confident would be enough to secure his escape from Matsudaira County within two hours.

Getting away from Taiping Saburo, the thug who controlled him, was also simple. Saburo was a hopeless drunk. All Shinichi needed to do was pretend to have an especially "profitable" day, which would get Saburo so excited he'd drink the night away at the tavern. One night was all Shinichi needed to catch the last carriage out of Matsudaira County.

Shinichi had been working towards this goal tirelessly, waiting for the right moment. That moment was finally here.

It was a quiet night. Saburo's face was dark, frustrated by several days of poor income. His mood was so foul that, just yesterday, he'd broken one of the children's legs in a fit of rage, leaving the entire temple tense and terrified, with none of the children daring to breathe loudly.

Shinichi had been waiting for a chance like this for a long time. Tomorrow! Yes, tomorrow was it. If he brought back ten yen tomorrow, Saburo would be overjoyed, and with the days he'd gone without drinking, he wouldn't be able to resist. Tomorrow would be his escape day! He would leave this hell, and he'd take Junbo with him—the innocent child shouldn't have to spend his life in a beggar's nest.

As Shinichi was calculating his plan, a thin child suddenly burst into the temple, his face lit with excitement as he shouted to Saburo, "Sir! Sir! Great news! There's a fancy gentleman walking down the road all alone, and he's wearing a suit!"

Hearing this, Saburo's rage immediately vanished, replaced with a look of glee. What was that? A man in a suit? In these times, in this era of Japan, wearing a suit was practically a symbol of wealth. Besides, only those types who considered themselves cultured by foreign standards wore suits. They were wealthier than traditional elites and, importantly, more generous.

Saburo could already see a pile of coins, even bills, waving at him. He knew how to exploit the wealthy's arrogance and generosity and felt confident he could squeeze plenty of money from this fancy gentleman using the orphaned kids.

"Junbo! Get over here! You're up!" Saburo shouted, and Junbo, who was sitting beside Shinichi, jumped up. "Coming!"

"Shinichi, did you hear? A wealthy man in a suit! I might be able to beg something we've never eaten before! Wait for me, Shinichi! I'll bring it back to share with you!" Junbo's small face beamed with joy, but Shinichi didn't share his excitement.

This couldn't be happening! Not now! Damn it, the plan had to be delayed again! Shinichi quietly slipped out of the temple, unseen by the excited Saburo, who was already rushing off with his "money-makers" to find the wealthy gentleman.

Shinichi carefully re-hid the yen he had saved, took a quick glance at Enji's little nest, and then headed back to the temple. Truthfully, he could have left alone right then; in fact, he had the confidence to escape if it were just him. But meeting Junbo had changed that.

Walking along the dirt path under the bright moonlight, Shinichi paused, sniffing the air.

There was a faint scent of blood. Blood? Here? How could that be?

Shinichi's steps quickened, and the smell grew stronger, sickeningly intense.

Squish! Without realizing it, Shinichi stepped into a small pit. His foot sank into a sticky liquid. Looking down, he saw under the moonlight that the dark red liquid reeked of blood. And then, floating up from the pit, was… a head.

The head of a child, half of it missing, lifeless eyes staring blankly into the night sky.

Thud! Shinichi fell back, his heart pounding as his eyes widened with terror. He recognized this child—one of the orphans. How was there only half a head? Was all this blood his?

Junbo! Suddenly, Shinichi scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward the temple, a sense of dread washing over him.

"Urgh...urgh!" Taiping Saburo's throat produced strange sounds. His eyes had turned blood-red, and a long, sharp bone-like whip extended from his stomach, piercing through and emerging from his mouth, spraying hot blood everywhere.

Following the trail of the bone whip, Shinichi's gaze landed on a tall, slender figure standing silently before the temple. He wore an immaculate white suit with a pristine black tie, his slightly curled black hair smooth and orderly. His pale face, illuminated by the moonlight, held an eerie, otherworldly beauty.

But the most striking feature was his crimson eyes, exuding an aura of unparalleled nobility—and cruelty.

"Pathetic humans…no, the lowest of humanity…how dare you offend me? Filthy, vile, the blood coursing through your veins disgusts me to the core," the man spoke coldly, his voice chilling.

"But even with your wretched existence, you creatures can freely live under the sun—it's a travesty, a disgrace to the lowliest of worms!" His voice rose with anger, and the whip-like weapon attached to his arm lashed out.

Slash!! In an instant, Saburo's burly body was torn to pieces in a spray of blood, yet not a single drop stained the man's suit.

The temple grounds had become a nightmarish scene, littered with dismembered bodies, shredded flesh, and pulverized organs, transforming the place into a vision of hell.

Thud-thud! Thud-thud! Shinichi's heartbeat echoed in his ears. He watched, frozen, as the man in the suit ripped Saburo to shreds. Before him lay a scene from a nightmare, and he felt an immense, crushing fear emanating from the man.

"Hm? Another one?" The red eyes turned towards him. In an instant, a force seized him, and Shinichi found himself face-to-face with the man. Snap! A sharp pain shot through him as the bone whip constricted around his waist, snapping his spine.

"How pitiful and weak. What is this expression? Fear mixed with hatred?" the man—Muzan—spoke in a cold, detached tone.

But Shinichi's mind was filled with pain and rage. Near the temple door lay Junbo's lifeless, mutilated body, his innocent face devoid of its usual brightness, replaced only by endless terror.

"Junbo...kuh…" Blood filled Shinichi's throat, and he made faint sounds of grief. Amused, Muzan leaned in, seemingly intrigued by Shinichi's mutterings, pulling him closer with the bone whip.

"A worm's last whimper? How entertaining." Muzan's lips curled into a smile, revealing his fangs. But in the next instant, the boy Muzan had deemed as insignificant suddenly lunged.

Slash! Muzan's eyes widened as a bead of blood trickled down his eerie face.