Demon Slayer: Strength Gained with Every Swing of the Sword

Nanako arrived at the pharmacy, and as soon as the staff saw her, they expertly pulled out the medicinal herbs she needed.

After all, Nanako was a regular customer at this pharmacy.

Once she finished purchasing the herbs, the sky had already turned dark.

Nanako hurried along the street barefoot, clutching the herbs in her arms as though she were protecting a precious treasure.

"With these herbs, Mother should recover…"

Nanako's heart filled with hope as she imagined her mother regaining her health.

However, she didn't know that the herbs she carried were useless. The people at the pharmacy had lied to her out of pity, wanting to spare her from losing hope in her mother's survival.

At this time, there was no specific treatment for venereal diseases. Even if there were, the cost was far beyond what Nanako could afford.

The more she ran, the faster she became, feeling something was off tonight. An uneasy premonition gnawed at her heart.

Her steps quickened as the night grew darker, and she failed to notice the rotting piece of wood that had appeared in her path.

Just as her foot landed, she nearly stumbled.

"No!"

In that instant, it seemed as though a burst of strength surged through her body. She flipped over, protecting the herbs in her arms with her own body.

Thud!

Nanako hit the ground, scraping her knees and elbows, blood oozing out.

"Thank goodness, the herbs are unharmed…" she sighed, relieved.

She slowly got up, but the pain in her ankle made her limp as she walked.

Her elbows and knees were bleeding, but she didn't care. She knew that once she crossed that field, her mother would be waiting for her.

"Will Mother be upset that I'm coming home so late?"

Her mind flashed to her mother's gaunt face and frail body. Even in her weakness, her mother had always warned her to take care of herself. The thought made Nanako's heart ache.

It felt like forever before the crumbling house she had been longing to reach finally came into view.

But tonight, something was different. The house seemed eerily quiet, an unsettling silence filling the air.

Nanako's sense of foreboding grew stronger, making her disregard the pain in her ankle as she rushed toward the house.

"Mother, please, don't be hurt. What will I do if something happens to you?"

Nanako's heart raced with anxiety.

As she neared the house, the smell of blood hit her like a wave.

Accompanying it was a foul, putrid stench.

"What's going on?!"

Nanako realized that the door to the house had been shattered, a powerful force having broken it. Wooden splinters lay scattered everywhere.

Nanako cautiously stepped across the broken threshold.

"I'm back, Mother."

But, as usual, there was no soft, gentle reply. The house was eerily silent.

It was so quiet, it was terrifying.

A cold shiver ran up her spine.

"Mother!" Nanako cried out, rushing toward the room where her mother usually lay.

Bang!

She shoved open the door with all her might.

In an instant, the stench of blood and the foul smell grew even stronger, hitting her like a physical blow.

"No!" Nanako screamed, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Her mother was being devoured by a hideous, grotesque monster.

Thud!

Nanako grabbed a nearby piece of wood and hurled it at the monster.

But her small body lacked strength, and the blow hardly affected the creature.

"Oh?"

The monster slowly turned around, eyes gleaming with malevolent amusement as it saw the furious Nanako.

"I didn't expect a girl to show up. Looks like I'm in luck tonight..." The monster grinned greedily, its mouth dripping with her mother's blood.

Anger and fear surged through Nanako's heart.

Her body trembled, and tears fell one by one.

"What are you?! What have you done to my mother?!" she sobbed, clutching a piece of wood shakily.

"Ah, so this woman was your mother!" The monster chuckled darkly. "She must have been sick, right? Otherwise, her flesh wouldn't have tasted so bad."

The monster mocked, then grabbed one of her mother's severed arms and began gnawing on it right in front of Nanako.

Ptooey!

"So disgusting!" the monster spat, clearly repulsed.

"You… you dare… you dare treat my mother this way? I will never forgive you! Never!"

Nanako's fury overwhelmed her, and she swung the wood at the monster with reckless abandon.

But the monster was unmoved, its smile ever widening as it watched her futile attempts.

"What an interesting rage," it laughed maniacally. "Rage, despair, ha ha ha!"

The monster taunted her, completely unconcerned by her attacks.

"Come, hit me right here!"

The monster bent its head low, mocking her further.

At that moment, Nanako couldn't hear anything. All she could feel was a fiery rage coursing through her, robbing her of rational thought.

"Ahhh! Die! Die!" she screamed, as she beat the monster's body mercilessly.

How long it lasted, she couldn't tell. Nanako's blows grew slower, the wood in her hands now smooth and stained with blood—the monster's blood.

Her arms felt like lead, and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion gripped her body.

She panted heavily, her breath ragged.

The monster, noticing her faltering, grinned and said, "Look what's happening now."

The damage she had inflicted on the monster's head quickly healed, the wound closing up as if it had never been there.

Nanako looked on in despair, unable to comprehend how such a creature existed in the world, and unable to understand why she had to be so unfortunate.

Memories of her life flashed through her mind—never happiness, only endless suffering. She had been called the child of demons, insulted as an illegitimate child, spit upon, beaten, and driven away. Only her mother had always protected her in front of everyone.

But life had always been cruel. Her mother had fallen ill, and in that moment, Nanako's hopes had collapsed. No one could protect her in this dangerous moment.

She remembered that one day when she had told her mother, "Mother, I will protect you from now on."

Her mother had said nothing, only hugged her tightly. Nanako could feel her mother crying, and she understood why.

Nanako's eyes lost their focus, losing the light they once had, tears flowing relentlessly. She slumped to the ground, murmuring to herself weakly.

"Mother, I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you…"

The monster watched her collapse, laughing maniacally.

"Perfect, perfect! This is just how I like it! I love seeing the despair of lowly humans like you! Hahahaha!"

"Now, let's see what happens when you become my next meal!"

The monster stretched out its dried, clawed hands to seize Nanako.

Just then, a voice echoed in the silence.

"Is that so? Come, tell me what despair feels like!"

... 

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