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🕑 Added 2025-06-12 16:24:08 +0000 UTCChapter 61: Oni Devourer
After a round of intense questioning, Riku only managed to squeeze out a pitiful amount of info. No surprise there—this oni was clueless, a real "ask three questions, get zero answers" type.
And Riku was certain this guy genuinely didn’t know anything. He’d confirmed it multiple times with his iron fists.
“Alright, last question. Think you can hold out until dawn?”
Riku stood up, yanking his katana from the ground, and tossed out his final question with a smirk.
“What… does that even mean?”
The oni looked utterly confused, completely failing to grasp what Riku was getting at.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Riku let out a dark chuckle. In one swift motion, he grabbed the oni’s two arms below its neck and ripped them clean off with brute force.
“Argh! What the hell are you doing?!”
The oni let out a pained howl. It was at its breaking point. It had been so cooperative, yet this guy was still this savage!
“You bastard! If you’ve got the guts, just kill me already!!!”
The oni was done. It had given up all hope, realizing this guy was a straight-up violence junkie who couldn’t be reasoned with.
The oni had made a grave mistake—trying to reason with a being who didn’t even see it as an equal.
The consequences of that mistake were never pretty. Riku knew this all too well, having made similar errors himself in the past.
“Oh, I’m planning on it.”
Riku grinned, stomping down on the oni’s head. He pulled his katana from its skull, and before the oni could react, he brought the blade down with a vicious slash.
Every regeneration ability has its limits. If his own had a cap, there was no reason this oni’s wouldn’t. So, he didn’t necessarily need the sun to finish this thing off.
Killing it with sunlight wouldn’t grant him any experience points, so Riku decided to take matters into his own hands and give it a shot himself.
But after a couple of swings, Riku switched to his fists. The katana was new, sure, but a samurai sword’s design wasn’t exactly built for durability. Hacking away like this would wear it out too fast.
Considering he might be stuck dealing with this oni all night, Riku decided to conserve his blade. Better not break it—his trusty, never-wearing-out fists were perfect for this kind of work anyway.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Riku pounded away at the oni’s head, quickly reducing it to a mushy pulp. Gory, messy bits splattered all over his hand.
The oni finally fell silent, but it wasn’t dead. The puddle of mush on the ground kept wriggling, trying to pull itself back together.
“Hm?”
Riku was about to keep hammering, but a faint surge of kekkijutsu (血鬼術, blood demon art) feedback pulsed through his body. His eyes flicked to Shadow Wolf.
Grr!
Shadow Wolf growled low, tearing into the oni’s body, ripping off chunks of flesh. The oni’s form was shredded to tatters under its relentless assault.
The scene was brutally bloody. Blood splattered all over Shadow Wolf’s body and maw, but slowly, that blood seeped into its form.
“What’s… this?”
Riku froze for a second, piecing it together. This kekkijutsu feedback—now he got it, including what happened last time.
It wasn’t about killing. It was the blood on Shadow Wolf being absorbed that triggered it.
He was certain he’d never given Shadow Wolf any command to feed, and it had never done so before. But the blood soaking into Shadow Wolf’s body? That was something he hadn’t even considered until now.
Thinking about it, it made sense. After Shadow Wolf killed, Riku never bothered cleaning the blood off, yet it always vanished quickly. Where did it go? It didn’t just disappear—it was all absorbed by Shadow Wolf.
“But this kekkijutsu feedback feels different from last time when Shadow Wolf killed. Is it because this guy’s an oni?”
Riku resumed his pummeling, smashing the reforming mush apart while savoring the faint kekkijutsu feedback.
Last time, the feedback had boosted his kekkijutsu, slightly enhancing Shadow Wolf and giving Riku a minor boost to his physical abilities. But this time, the feedback seemed to focus entirely on his own attributes, with no effect on his kekkijutsu.
“Is it because this oni doesn’t use kekkijutsu?”
Riku mulled it over, but it was hard to say for sure. He didn’t have enough data—more experiments were needed.
If Shadow Wolf could absorb blood, could it devour an entire oni? The thought popped into Riku’s head unbidden.
Sure, he didn’t see oni as human, but eating one himself? That’d make his stomach churn—not physically, but mentally. It was a psychological line he wasn’t keen on crossing.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, he’d rather gnaw on his own fingers than chomp on an oni. Gross, yeah, but less so than the alternative.
But if Shadow Wolf did the eating? That, Riku could stomach. Wolves eat meat—it’s just their nature. Just not human meat.
Killing bad guys? Fine. Getting blood on his hands? Unavoidable. He couldn’t exactly bench Shadow Wolf in a fight. But eating humans? That was a hard no. Riku’s moral line was firm, and he wasn’t about to cross it.
He paused his onslaught and gave Shadow Wolf a command, though he wasn’t entirely confident it’d work.
Receiving the order, Shadow Wolf didn’t hesitate. It opened its massive jaws and chomped down on the oni’s body in one swift bite.
A surge of kekkijutsu feedback flooded into Riku’s body. It worked—Shadow Wolf could absorb the oni’s power by devouring it!
Shadow Wolf didn’t stop, taking a few more bites. The kekkijutsu feedback kept flowing into Riku.
[Constitution +1]
The Limit System pinged with a notification, and Riku’s eyes widened.
He could feel his physical strength growing, directly reflected in the Limit System’s six-dimensional attributes.
But the kekkijutsu feedback came and went quickly. After Shadow Wolf devoured most of the oni’s body, the feedback stopped.
Riku signaled Shadow Wolf to stop. No point in continuing if the feedback had dried up.
“That’s like getting a free attribute point.”
Riku was stunned. He hadn’t expected the effect to be this pronounced. The results were beyond his wildest expectations.
As expected, if an oni wants to grow stronger fast, eating is the way to go.
“But what exactly does this devouring do to the oni being eaten?”
Riku’s gaze drifted to the wriggling mush on the ground. It was still moving, but noticeably slower now.
“Maybe I can ask this oni how it feels.”
Riku held off on more pummeling. He decided to wait for the oni to regenerate and then interrogate it about its experience.
[Ding! Experience +80]
But before long, the system pinged again.
Riku blinked, looking back at the mush. In the moonlight, the puddle and the oni’s half-body crumbled into ash, vanishing completely.
Fun fact: The idea of devouring oni was inspired by the concept of “Oni Devourer” lol.
Chapter 62: As Expected of the Protagonist
“No way you’re giving up this quickly? Looks like the devouring really had an impact.”
Riku narrowed his eyes. Normally, there was no reason this oni would kick the bucket so fast—it was brimming with energy just moments ago.
This situation had to be tied to Shadow Wolf’s devouring. After being consumed by Shadow Wolf, the oni’s regeneration speed had noticeably slowed.
“After Shadow Wolf devours an oni’s body, does its regeneration ability weaken significantly? Maybe even vanish completely?”
Riku came to this conclusion easily enough, at least based on what he was seeing.
“80 experience points? That’s not bad at all.”
Riku stood up, glancing at the experience bar.
[Experience: 100/300]
Counting the random rats and small critters he’d taken out along the way, he’d already gathered a third of the experience needed to reach Level 4.
“This oni is definitely on the weaker side among its kind, but it still gave 80 experience points.”
Riku started daydreaming. If he took down a stronger one, wouldn’t that mean over a hundred points? Shadow Wolf had gained a point in Constitution just from devouring this oni. If it devoured an even stronger one…
Tch, he couldn’t even imagine it. Too wild to think about.
“Let’s go.”
Riku recalled Shadow Wolf, and the giant wolf melted into a pool of shadow, merging back into the ground beneath his feet.
Following the path he came from, Riku returned to the forest trail, arriving at the spot where he’d encountered the oni earlier.
The arm and leg Shadow Wolf had torn off earlier had vanished along with the oni’s dissipation.
Riku kept moving forward. Not far ahead was a mountain shrine, dedicated to who-knows-what god. No need to guess—there definitely wouldn’t be anyone there.
This place was crawling with oni, after all. If there was some monk holed up in that shrine, they’d probably already be chanting sutras in the oni’s stomach.
Riku pressed on. It was still the first half of the night, the perfect time for traveling—way more comfortable than during the day.
He quickly crossed the mountain. His destination, Sagiri-yama, was now very close. His pace wasn’t slow by any means.
But after crossing one mountain, another loomed ahead. Riku couldn’t help but sigh. All day, it felt like he was just climbing one ridge after another.
This area was packed with mountains, big and small. Even heading out from Kamado Tanjirou’s house in the other direction, it was all mountains. This was straight-up mountain country.
“Just one more to go.”
Riku didn’t hesitate and started climbing. It was around four or five in the morning now—dawn was approaching.
Halfway up the mountain, he spotted another shrine. These mountain shrines were everywhere, seemingly on every decently tall peak.
“It’s lit up? No oni haunting this mountain? Someone’s actually living in the shrine?”
Riku sniffed the air hard. He might not be great at picking up other scents, but when it came to the “fragrance” of people, he was a pro.
As he walked and sniffed, nearing the shrine, he caught a faint scent—one that felt oddly familiar.
“No way it’s that coincidental, right?”
Riku’s expression turned weird. The scent was strange, a mix of human and oni, just up ahead.
This meant there were both a human and an oni nearby, coexisting peacefully, since there was no thick smell of blood in the air.
The only case Riku knew of humans and oni living in harmony was Kamado Tanjirou and his sister, Kamado Nezuko. And that seemed like a rare exception.
“Nezuko, there’s a shrine up ahead. Let’s rest there for a bit before we keep going.”
Riku chased after the sound, recognizing that familiar, gentle yasashii voice. Sure enough, it was the Kamado siblings.
The two had already climbed the steps toward the shrine, looking like they were in a hurry.
Since it was nighttime, Nezuko didn’t need to stay in the basket and was walking on her own.
Even though young Tanjirou was used to hauling heaps of charcoal through the mountains, with impressive stamina and strength, he still got tired eventually.
“Strange. How has Tanjirou not picked up my scent?”
Riku frowned, following the siblings up to the shrine.
He’d already caught Tanjirou’s scent, so there was no way that kid, with his freakishly sharp nose, wouldn’t have noticed him.
But once he reached the shrine, Riku understood why. The place reeked of blood, so strong it practically hit him in the face.
The Kamado siblings were rushing up the mountain because Tanjirou must’ve smelled the blood. With that kid’s personality, he’d definitely check it out.
Riku had overthought it. This shrine wasn’t free of oni—it was straight-up occupied by one.
“Tanjirou, fall back!”
Seeing Tanjirou push open the shrine’s door, Riku shouted and summoned Shadow Wolf.
The shadow under his feet surged forward, transforming midair into a four-legged, sprinting Shadow Wolf.
Though Riku couldn’t see Shadow Wolf’s full stats, its Agility was probably at least 20—way faster than him, at least “
But before Shadow Wolf could reach them, an oni burst out of the shrine, lunging straight at Tanjirou.
Splurch!
Tanjirou reacted lightning-fast. Using the oni’s momentum, he stepped back and swung his axe with force.
Tanjirou stumbled to the ground, but his axe blade sliced across the oni’s neck. The oni barely avoided total humiliation, rolling backward to dodge.
Blood poured from the oni’s neck. It had nearly gotten its head lopped off by a thirteen-year-old boy with one swing.
Riku’s eyes widened in shock. As expected of the protagonist, Tanjirou’s combat talent is off the charts!
He could tell Tanjirou’s Strength and Agility were no match for the oni’s, but the kid’s battle instincts were leagues above it.
Riku felt a bit ashamed. With the same physical stats, he’d probably have been taken out by that oni in a single clash.
Boom!
The oni barely regained its footing before Shadow Wolf, the size of a tiger, pounced on it.
The impact sent dust flying as Shadow Wolf slammed the oni to the ground.
Crunch!
In the cloud of dust, Shadow Wolf bit down, twisting its head and cleanly snapping off the oni’s head.
“Mr. Riku?!”
Tanjirou turned, finally noticing Riku’s voice.
He’d been so focused on the overwhelming smell of blood, worried someone was hurt, that he and his sister had rushed over.
“Talk later. Let’s deal with this guy first.”
Riku spoke quickly, stepping forward to join Shadow Wolf in the attack.
He could tell at a glance—this oni was stronger than the last one he’d faced, but only slightly.
How should he put it? These oni didn’t even have muscles as defined as his. No way they’d reached some “return to simplicity” level, right?
Chapter 63: How Dare You?!
As it turned out, despite this oni’s body not looking particularly robust, it did have strength far beyond an ordinary human’s—but that was about it.
It wasn’t one of those unassuming types hiding world-shattering power. It was just… unassuming.
Under Shadow Wolf’s suppression, the oni couldn’t even stand, helplessly left to be torn apart and devoured by Shadow Wolf.
Limbs were ripped off and scattered everywhere, the scene gruesomely bloody. Shadow Wolf’s body was once again drenched in blood.
“Blood Demon Art! What are you doing?! Let me go! It hurts!”
The oni’s head rolled to the side. Shadow Wolf hadn’t bitten it, as Riku still needed to question it.
“What do you know about Blood Demon Arts?”
Riku stabbed his blade into the oni’s head, starting his interrogation.
“Stop it!!!”
The oni’s face twisted in agony. Being torn apart and devoured by Shadow Wolf, it was clearly experiencing the same pain it had inflicted on the humans it consumed.
It could feel its power draining away. It didn’t understand why the guy in front of it dared to do this—it wasn’t allowed!
“How dare you?! How dare you?! Give me back my power! Give me back my blood!”
The oni roared, its eyes filled with terror. That power was something it absolutely couldn’t afford to lose.
“How dare I?”
Riku frowned. So, essentially, Shadow Wolf’s devouring was absorbing the blood of the Demon King, Kibutsuji Muzan, from this oni’s body? It wasn’t about growing stronger from eating the oni’s flesh but from absorbing the Demon King’s blood?
Made sense. Oni flesh didn’t exactly appeal to him—it was tasteless, like eating himself. Only human flesh made his mouth water.
Feeling the constant feedback of blood energy, Riku figured he’d cracked the code behind why Shadow Wolf devouring oni flesh made him stronger.
And this kind of thing… it seemed oni could do it too, but it was strictly forbidden by the Demon King.
Kamado Tanjirou climbed to his feet, staring at the scene before him, eyes wide and mouth agape.
This was an oni?! Even with its head separated from its body, it could still talk!
Tanjirou clearly didn’t know as much about oni as Riku did. For a moment, he was too shocked to speak.
“Nezuko?!”
But shock aside, Tanjirou hadn’t forgotten his sister.
He glanced at her. Kamado Nezuko stood at the shrine’s entrance, drooling profusely.
The shrine was filled with human corpses, still fresh—likely the oni’s latest haul from the roadside.
Even Riku, standing nearby, felt his saliva glands kicking into overdrive, like a feast of delicacies was laid out before him.
“Nezuko! You absolutely can’t eat!”
Tanjirou rushed over to pull Nezuko back, his tone deadly serious. This was something she absolutely couldn’t do.
Nezuko reluctantly let herself be dragged away, her expression pained. Riku could totally relate to that feeling.
“I really shouldn’t have expected anything from weaklings like you.”
Swallowing hard, Riku tossed the oni’s head to the ground. The blood energy feedback had stopped, and Shadow Wolf ceased devouring the oni’s body.
[Constitution +1]
The Limit System popped up a notification. Another point in Constitution acquired.
Riku was a bit puzzled. Why was it always Constitution?
Was it because these two oni were too weak in other stats? Was their strong regeneration the only standout trait?
“How dare you…”
The oni didn’t immediately turn to ash. Some remnants of its regenerative power lingered, still trying to repair its body. But without its source, that power quickly fizzled out.
[Ding! Experience +100]
The experience points settled. This oni was indeed a bit stronger than the last one.
“Mr. Riku! Is that oni dead?”
Tanjirou, holding Nezuko’s hand, approached Riku, his face a mix of conflicting emotions and burning questions.
“Yeah, completely dead.”
Riku nodded, looking at Tanjirou.
But just as he spoke, his expression changed drastically. Shadow Wolf lunged toward him.
Shing!
A blade glinting with blue light slashed across Shadow Wolf’s side, leaving a shallow cut on its flank.
Riku rolled across the ground, quickly getting to his feet and staring at the figure that had suddenly appeared.
Shadow Wolf growled low beside him, its flank wound already healing rapidly.
The figure wore a white headscarf and a red tengu mask. Just standing there, they exuded an intense sense of unease.
“Demon Slayer.”
Riku immediately realized who this was. The blade in their hand was likely a Nichirin Blade, specifically designed to kill oni.
“Not bad reflexes, Devourer.”
The Demon Slayer spoke, their voice that of an old man, though their movements were anything but elderly.
Riku broke out in a cold sweat. He’d only dodged thanks to Shadow Wolf. He’d sensed the danger, but his body couldn’t keep up.
No helping it—Riku’s fighting style relied mostly on instinct, with no real technique. In his hands, a blade was just a chopping tool.
That’s why he was so impressed by Tanjirou’s combat talent. He wasn’t being humble—he genuinely felt inferior.
No way around it. He’d only been in this world for a few days, with no real chance to learn proper combat skills. He’d been getting by on his inability to die and brute force.
In his spare time, he could only fumble around on his own. Did anyone really expect a guy from a peaceful era to master some ultimate technique in just a few days?
Riku made up his mind. Once he returned to the Cyberpunk world, he’d save up some cash.
Whether it was Brain Dance training or real combat in a boxing ring, he’d need to spend money to train properly—and practice shooting, too.
Looking at the old man, Riku had a gut feeling. That strike hadn’t been full force, or Shadow Wolf wouldn’t have gotten away with just a shallow cut.
“Please, stop! Don’t fight! Mr. Riku isn’t a bad person!”
Before Riku could speak, Tanjirou stepped forward, arms spread to block the space between Riku and the old man, frantically explaining.
“…”
Riku stayed silent. This guy, Tanjirou…
“I am Urokodaki Sakonji.”
The old man sheathed his blade, refraining from further action. He introduced himself, his gaze shifting to Tanjirou.
“You’re the one Tomioka Giyuu sent, correct?”
His nose was sharp, too. He could tell that, aside from himself, Tanjirou was the only normal human present.
Tanjirou froze at the old man’s words, clearly not expecting to meet the person he was looking for like this.
“Yes, I’m Kamado Tanjirou. This is my sister, Nezuko. And this is Mr. Riku—he’s helped me a lot. He’s really not a bad person.”
Tanjirou introduced himself politely, continuing to vouch for Riku. He could smell that Riku still hadn’t eaten anyone.
Chapter 64: He’s Afraid
“You’re really strange. You’re not an Oni Devourer?”
Urokodaki Sakonji eyed Riku, his gaze sharp with scrutiny and confusion.
He could tell from the scent—this oni hadn’t eaten humans. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have held back at that critical moment.
“What’s an Oni Devourer?”
Riku voiced the question that had been nagging at him. Another new term he’d never heard before.
He felt like a curious kid in a shonen anime, constantly asking questions to humans and oni alike.
“Oni Devourers are humans with powerful biting strength and special digestive organs,” Urokodaki Sakonji explained patiently, addressing Riku’s question with care.
An Oni Devourer can consume an oni’s flesh and blood. Their unique digestive system immediately converts that power into their own, temporarily transforming their body into that of an oni. The stronger the oni they eat, the greater their regeneration and strength become. With further onika (鬼化, demon transformation), they can even use the kekkijutsu of the oni they’ve consumed—though only the ones they’ve eaten.
“…”
Riku fell silent. That’s one hell of a talent.
If you ate enough oni, wouldn’t you end up with a whole arsenal of different kekkijutsu?
Sure, it’s temporary, and you’d need to keep eating oni flesh to trigger onika, but once transformed, your combat power would skyrocket.
Compared to a fragile human body, an oni’s physique is clearly superior—tougher, more durable, and that regeneration ability is a game-changer.
Riku himself could grow stronger by having Shadow Wolf devour oni, but his Shadow Wolf hadn’t yet consumed an oni with kekkijutsu. Whether it would enhance his own kekkijutsu or grant him the oni’s abilities was still unconfirmed.
“Riku-san, care to explain?” Urokodaki Sakonji asked, his eyes fixed on Riku. “Tomioka Giyu’s letter didn’t mention you.”
Giyu’s letter had already filled him in on the Kamado siblings—Tanjiro and Nezuko. A sister who became an oni but could control herself, refusing to eat humans and obeying her brother. A brother brave enough to challenge Tomioka Giyu to protect her.
It sounded unbelievable, like something out of a wild tale. It had never happened before.
Urokodaki wasn’t fully convinced. Though he didn’t want to doubt his disciple, he needed to confirm the truth himself.
But compared to those two kids, the identity of this man—who looked every bit like a vicious oni—was what he needed to figure out first.
At first, Urokodaki thought Riku was an oni. Then, after realizing he hadn’t eaten humans, he assumed Riku was an Oni Devourer who’d undergone onika. But now, after a closer sniff, he dismissed that idea. This guy was a genuine, full-fledged oni.
“While my talent isn’t nearly as impressive as Kamado Nezuko’s, I don’t need to eat humans either. I can sustain myself by feeding on oni,” Riku said.
If this old man could believe Nezuko didn’t need to eat humans, there was no reason he wouldn’t believe Riku.
“…”
Urokodaki Sakonji didn’t respond, his tengu mask hiding his expression from Riku.
“It’s true! Riku-san even…” Kamado Tanjiro started, eager to clear up the misunderstanding, but he stopped mid-sentence.
He’d wanted to say that Riku, to avoid eating humans, had even resorted to feeding on himself. It left a deep impression on Tanjiro. But realizing Riku might not want that shared—and since Riku hadn’t mentioned it himself—Tanjiro quickly shut his mouth.
“Dawn’s coming,” Urokodaki Sakonji said, gazing at the horizon where the sun was about to rise, signaling the retreat of all things sinister back into the shadows.
“Huh?”
Tanjiro blinked, quickly turning to his sister.
Oni can’t withstand sunlight. Riku-san had told him that exposure to it would reduce an oni to ashes.
Sure enough, Nezuko was already wincing, retreating into the mountain shrine. The scent of human flesh inside was tough for her, but her fear of sunlight was overwhelming.
Tanjiro hesitated. He wanted to check on Nezuko but was worried Riku-san and this Urokodaki-san might clash again.
“You’re not hiding?” Urokodaki Sakonji asked Riku. Even without seeing his face, Riku could hear the thick confusion in his voice.
“Why would I need to hide?” Riku replied with a grin. Old man, get ready to have your mind blown.
“Riku-san?!” Tanjiro’s face was full of shock. Why wasn’t Riku-san taking cover?
The sun rose as usual, its first rays piercing the night’s curtain and bathing the earth in light.
The morning glow was like a master artist’s delicate brushstrokes, softly outlining the land. Sunlight dotted the forest like ink spots.
Shadow Wolf had already melted into Riku’s shadow at his feet. As the sunlight hit Riku’s body, nothing happened. He stood there, perfectly fine.
Urokodaki Sakonji couldn’t hold it together anymore. Even without seeing his face, Riku could sense his shock through subtle body movements.
“Why aren’t you afraid of sunlight?” Urokodaki’s voice trembled.
Tanjiro was puzzled. He could even smell fear emanating from the old man.
He was afraid? Of what? Riku-san? Because he wasn’t afraid of sunlight?
Tanjiro knew oni couldn’t handle sunlight, but he’d never seen what happens to one under its rays. He didn’t fully grasp what sunlight meant to an oni.
Unlike Tanjiro, Urokodaki knew exactly what this implied, and it terrified him.
If oni no longer feared sunlight, how would the Demon Slayer Corps (Kisatsutai, 鬼殺隊) kill them?
If oni could walk in the sun, was there any hope left for the world?
“No, I’m still afraid of sunlight,” Riku said, his expression turning serious. “I just found a way to shield myself from it, so I can barely manage to walk under it. But every step feels like walking on thin ice.”
He didn’t push Urokodaki further. The old man seemed emotionally unstable, and Riku didn’t want him to do something reckless, like trying to test if he could kill him. All Riku wanted was to prove he was special.
“What method?” Urokodaki asked, his emotions stabilizing slightly after hearing Riku’s words. He could tell Riku wasn’t lying.
As long as oni still feared sunlight, the worst-case scenario hadn’t arrived.
“I could tell you, but it’s a pretty important secret…” Riku said, giving a playful shrug.
He wasn’t about to reveal all his cards. If he could trade this for some benefits, that’d be ideal. This Urokodaki guy seemed reasonable—exactly the kind of professional Riku needed to have a proper conversation with.
“…”
Urokodaki fell silent, seemingly deep in thought. But Tanjiro couldn’t hold back.
“Riku-san, can Nezuko use this method?” he asked, a bit embarrassed but pushing through for his sister’s sake.
Chapter 65: Can I Do It Too?
“Sorry, Tanjiro, I’m afraid it’s not possible.”
Riku shook his head, keeping it real. His method? With the tech level of this era, there was no way it could be replicated.
“Oh…”
Kamado Tanjiro’s face fell, clearly disappointed. But he didn’t doubt Riku’s words—Riku-san was nothing if not sincere.
“What do you want?”
Urokodaki Sakonji finally spoke up, addressing Riku directly.
He’d caught Riku’s drift loud and clear. The guy’s words were practically screaming, I’ll talk, but it’s gonna cost you.
“I need your knowledge—everything you know about oni, and your experience in slaying them,” Riku said, his face dead serious.
Finally, a professional he could actually talk to! No way was he letting this chance slip by. As a seasoned oni hunter, and an old one at that, Urokodaki Sakonji had to be loaded with skills and secrets.
After all, being a Kisatsutai member was like being a witcher—low-skill hunters didn’t last long. They’d be oni chow in no time. But old-timers like this? Even setting aside their strength, their experience alone was a treasure trove.
“To hunt oni better?” Urokodaki asked, not particularly surprised. He’d seen Riku take down that oni earlier—this guy was no rookie when it came to killing demons.
“Exactly. To hunt oni better, and to keep myself from eating humans. I don’t want to turn into some mindless, man-eating oni,” Riku said earnestly.
No choice but to play the sincerity card—Tanjiro was right there, and that kid’s nose was like a lie detector. Showing off acting skills wouldn’t work here; honesty was his only move.
Born with the ability to sniff out good from evil, sense emotions, and detect lies? Man, that’s some cheat-level talent!
“Alright, I’ll agree to that,” Urokodaki said, his response quick and decisive.
He had a similar ability to Tanjiro’s, picking up on Riku’s sincerity. This guy had been nothing but straight with him.
“Awesome, thank you!” Riku let out a relieved sigh, thanking Urokodaki. But deep down, he couldn’t shake a nagging doubt.
Was this old man being too easygoing? Sure, it sounded a bit ungrateful to think that after getting what he wanted, but would a veteran oni hunter who’d survived this long really trust an oni’s words so easily?
Unless… did Urokodaki have a cheat-level nose like Tanjiro’s? Was that kind of busted talent just that common?
“Let’s bury the victims first,” Urokodaki said, not explaining further. He got to work. The bodies in the mountain shrine couldn’t just be left there.
“I’ll help!” Tanjiro jumped in right away. He’d already checked on Nezuko, who was huddled in her basket, poor thing.
“I’ll pitch in too,” Riku said with a sigh, pinching his nose as he joined them.
Burying bodies felt like burying a feast of fragrant delicacies. Tough gig.
“Riku-san, you okay?” Tanjiro asked, concern in his voice. With his strong empathy, he could imagine how rough this must be for Riku.
“No big deal. If I can’t handle this, I might as well end it now and save myself from losing control,” Riku said with a grin.
What’s this compared to his willpower? Don’t underestimate him—he was the kind of workaholic who checked job emails while crossing the street!
Ugh, let’s not go there. Thinking about it just brings tears.
Tanjiro nodded, realizing he might’ve overthought it. Riku-san had been to his house after the tragedy, surrounded by the scent of blood with no one else around, and still held back. Tanjiro shouldn’t have doubted his resolve.
“Riku, that kind of determination is admirable,” Urokodaki said suddenly. He was kneeling before the fresh graves, hands clasped in prayer, likely performing a small ritual for the victims.
“Kamado Tanjiro, if your sister ever eats a human, what will you do?” Urokodaki stood, approaching the two and directing his question at Tanjiro.
Urokodaki wasn’t tall—barely taller than thirteen-year-old Tanjiro, probably under 1.7 meters, Riku estimated. But the old man carried an aura forged from years of slaying oni, a presence that demanded respect.
Tanjiro froze. He’d never even considered that question. His brain short-circuited, unable to respond.
Slap!
Urokodaki gave Tanjiro a light smack—not hard, but enough to leave the boy even more stunned.
“If your sister lacks Riku’s resolve, you must kill her first, then take your own life with seppuku. That’s the resolve you need if you’re going to travel with an oni sister!” Urokodaki’s voice was stern, his words deadly serious.
Tanjiro’s eyes widened, but he still couldn’t find his voice.
Urokodaki didn’t let up, hurling cold, hard truths at Tanjiro, shattering the boy’s worldview.
“…”
Riku watched, tongue practically clicking. Suddenly, he’d become the “model kid” in Urokodaki’s eyes.
From a modern perspective, though, Tanjiro was already doing amazing. The kid was only thirteen. His whole family was wiped out, his sister turned into an oni, and yet he buried his family and set out to save her. That’s no small feat.
If it were anyone else in Tanjiro’s shoes, they might’ve been eaten by Nezuko already. There’d be no story left to tell.
Still, Riku kept quiet, not interfering with Urokodaki’s lesson. The old oni hunter knew this world far better than Riku, an outsider. When you don’t know something, you don’t meddle—that’s a rule Riku lived by.
Plus, even in his eyes, Tanjiro could stand to toughen up a bit. Being this gentle and kind all the time? That’s a recipe for trouble in a world like this.
“Carry your sister and follow me. You want to become a Kisatsutai member, right? Pass my test first. Riku, you come too,” Urokodaki said after his stern lecture, addressing both Tanjiro and Riku.
“Huh?” Riku blinked. Wait, what? Me? I can become a Kisatsutai member too? Holy crap, I’d be like Blade, the vampire hunter!
Well, he wasn’t exactly a vampire. Or a proper oni, for that matter.
(Chapter End)
