Conqueress of Demons - Demon Slayer x fem! Xiao Reader

Chapter 29 - Who are you?

Lively chatter surrounded Y/N as she made her way through the busy streets of the entertainment district. Another day went by without the boys discovering any information and it was starting to make the Adeptus anxious. There was an underlying sense of malice lingering in the air of the district, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She was wearing her usual garments, having removed the makeup and fancy clothes she was wearing earlier. Her teeth dug into her lower lip as she chewed on it, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth as one of her sharp teeth caught the flesh. Everything that had happened in the spirit realm was gnawing at her conscious. She clenched her fists as she entered an abandoned side alley, ignoring the drunkards stumbling past her. Question after question plagued her mind. Was Yoriichi safe? Why did she see Aether? Was there a reason the spirit realm collapsed? With a steady pace, Y/N began to follow the trail of demonic energy she located. It felt different from the ones she sensed before. Lesser demons didn't leave any aura. Lower moon demons left weak ones. And upper moons? They left a trail she could follow. Plus, it was only morning. The streets were not as busy as they would be later, in the evening. Shaking her head, the woman decided to focus on the task ahead instead of dwelling on her worries. Yoriichi was already dead. He was likely fine. And the appearance of Aether was probably just the spirit realm answering to her wish, her desire to see him again. Just like it had projected Yoriichi's wish to have lived a better life with his brother. Rounding the corner, her eyes narrowed as a sharp wave of energy resonated in her chest. An upper moon. But the energy felt odd. Weaker than the one she felt from Akaza or Kokushibo. And there was something else. It wasn't just one, it was two trails of energy, weirdly woven into each other. Y/N's hand wandered to the spear on her back. The sun was still out, though it would be setting in about two hours. That meant the demon had to be hiding inside one of the buildings nearby. Or at least, they should've passed this area not too long ago. She had to figure out why these two trails were interwoven. Two upper moons? That would be bad. From the experience she had with them, one was already a bother. Two were horrible. She could only hope that their rank would be lower than 3. If she were toe in into Akaza or Kokushibo again, especially in such a crowded place, the consequences would be disastrous. Soon, Y/N found herself in front of a house, brows furrowed as she regarded the sign over the door. This seemed to be the resident doctor. And the energy she was feeling was coming right out of this house. The doorbell chimed as the green-haired woman entered the house, looking around. It was a simple room, filled by some furniture and a futon in the middle. On it knelt a woman, who looked up as she heard the door open.

„I'm sorry Miss. The doctor is rather occupied at the moment, so we cannot-„

Y/N walked up to her, kneeling down.

„I'm not sick. But I have a very important question for the doctor. I can compensate him well, too. It won't take long, I promise."

She offered a friendly smile, making the nurse avert her eyes, hiding her blushing cheeks.

„I-if you say so.. he's in the back. He's currently investigating the corpse found last week for the detectives.."

Y/N raised a brow.

„What do you mean?"

The nurse got up, walking towards a nearby table while patting the dust off her uniform.

„About 3 days ago, they found a body in a nearby alley. The state of the corpse is horrendous. It's like her flesh was torn from her body. She's missing limbs too."

The nurse shuddered as she explained the situation to Y/N. Missing limbs, torn flesh. Likely a victim of the demon she was hunting.