Chapter 27: This is too obvious...
"namu amida butsu... thank you, benefactor."
Himejima Gyomei carried two wooden boxes and bowed slightly to a woman who had bought a wooden comb.
The woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said softly, "You're too kind, Master. Please head home quickly; the nights are not peaceful lately."
"Thank you for the warning, benefactor."
Himejima Gyomei rubbed the banknotes, nodded, and left.
Along the way, he had been asking about the serial killer. Many houses were draped in white cloth... some people had even moved out of the city to the countryside to escape the disaster.
Moreover, quite a few members of the Demon Slayer Corps had perished.
"To appear in both the north and south at the same time? Is it a Clone or just high speed... I hope Ryuji has found something on his end."
Himejima Gyomei looked down in thought. Suddenly, his footsteps faltered. Two streams of tears flowed from his white pupils, and he began chanting Buddhist sutras incessantly.
"How pitiful."
With a jolt of his left hand, the cord wrapping Little Purple instantly disintegrated. A section of it wrapped around the two wooden boxes, barely allowing them to be used as a flail.
"The fourteenth member of the Demon Slayer Corps... unfortunately, they're all trash. If I could bring back a Hashira, Lord Hikae would be very pleased."
Watching Himejima Gyomei reveal his long blade in the alley, the demon perched on the wall licked its sharp claws and spoke softly.
"Ever since Lady Akinasa died, Lord Hikae has been very furious, hunting down Demon Slayer Corps members everywhere and telling us to eat more..."
As it spoke, its right claw reached behind its back and pulled out a jagged bone axe, throwing it directly at Himejima Gyomei!
"I won't lose to a fool like Kojiro! I'm definitely claiming Lord Hikae's reward!"
As the axe approached, Nishimura Ju jumped down from the wall and charged at Himejima Gyomei!
"Become my strength!"
No sooner had the words left its mouth than it heard a buzzing sound.
Himejima Gyomei began spinning the wooden box in his right hand like a helicopter, tears still streaming from his eyes. "Truly tragic. Let me perform the last rites for you..."
"Ha? What arrogance! I—"
Bang!
Before Nishimura Ju could finish, he felt a massive force strike him, smashing him directly into the adjacent wall!
The bone axe was also sliced in two by Little Purple in Himejima Gyomei's left hand.
"namu amida butsu, it's still not as handy as using my own blade..."
Himejima Gyomei spoke, and almost the instant Nishimura Ju raised his head, he appeared beside him. He swung Little Purple with his left hand, decapitating the demon in one strike.
Watching Nishimura Ju slowly turn into ash, Himejima Gyomei held one hand vertically before his chest, fingering the Buddhist beads on his wrist while softly reciting a sutra.
After the rites were complete, he wrapped Little Purple back up. Looking at the slightly damaged wooden boxes, his gaze turned sharp. Kojiro? Xiao Ling?
It seemed there was more than one demon in this place.
Also, Hikae was very furious after Akinasa's death... this person should be the superior of these demons. Could it be an Upper Rank?
I must have the Master send reinforcements.
Thinking this, Himejima Gyomei called for his crows and whispered his thoughts to it.
"I wonder if Ryuji will encounter any demons on his end..."
Thinking this, he shouldered Little Purple and hurried back to the inn. He needed to get his nichirin blade back as soon as possible to better slay the demons!
Meanwhile, Ryuji, who was being thought of, was walking quickly down the street behind the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man led the way with a dim oil lamp, his steps hurried as he muttered, "Kojiro is just sick, he's just sick..."
Soon, they arrived at a dilapidated wooden house.
Pushing the door open, a heavy scent of blood and decay wafted toward them. "Doctor, quick, my son is inside."
This is too obvious... Ryuji complained inwardly.
The middle-aged man stepped aside to let them in. The room was very dark, lit only by a tiny oil lamp.
By the faint light, a slumped figure could be seen on the bed, wrapped in a thick quilt with its back to the door.
"I'll go light the lamp."
The middle-aged man said, turning to walk out.
Kocho Jiro put down his medical bag. Out of professional duty, he cautiously approached the bed, wanting to check the patient's condition first.
Ryuji stood by, ready to respond to any danger.
Just as Kocho Jiro was two steps away from the bed, the figure under the quilt suddenly lunged!
That was not a human at all!
Gray-blue skin, sharp claws, and a pair of bloodshot eyes stared intently at Kocho Jiro, foul-smelling saliva dripping from its mouth.
"Die!"
The demon Kojiro roared, its claws aiming straight for Kocho Jiro's heart.
Kocho Jiro's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
He was just a doctor; he had never seen such a monster.
Fear paralyzed him, his mind went blank, and he couldn't even form the thought of dodging.
It's over.
At that moment, a massive force came from the side.
"Stone Breathing, First Form: Stone Strike!"
Ryuji's figure appeared beside him out of nowhere, yanking him away.
Kocho Jiro was thrown into a corner and landed on his backside, watching everything in shock.
"Another one coming to die."
Kojiro's attack missed. He turned to look at Ryuji, his eyes full of contempt.
He could sense the aura of a swordsman on this youth, but a swordsman without a blade? What difference was there between him and a cat without teeth?
"Demon Slayer Corps? Perfect! Lord Hikae instructed us! If we encounter the Demon Slayer Corps, we must kill them! Blood Demon Art: Rock Hammer!"
Kojiro grinned hideously. The flesh on his right arm writhed, quickly becoming covered in a layer of thick, grayish-black scales like rock, which he swung toward Ryuji's head with a whistling sound.
Hikae? Kill the Demon Slayer Corps on sight?
Ryuji's eyes narrowed as he thought. Without dodging, he wrapped Armament Haki around his right fist, preparing to meet the attack head-on!
Stone Breathing, Third Form: Unarmed Capture!
A cruel smile still hung on Kojiro's face.
A useless person who didn't even have a blade dared to go head-to-head with his Blood Demon Art using a fist?
Truly seeking death.
The next second.
Crack!
A crisp sound of shattering rang out.
The smile on Kojiro's face froze.
He felt his rock gauntlet was like paper, easily pierced by the human's slender fist.
An irresistible, terrifying force surged through his arm and into his body.
How is this possible?
What kind of power is this?
Fear instantly occupied his entire mind.
He wanted to retreat, but it was already too late.
Ryuji's fist passed through his arm and slammed heavily into his head.
Bang!
Like a watermelon exploding.
Kojiro's head burst completely. His headless body swayed and fell heavily, beginning to turn into ash.
[Ding! Detected host has killed a vicious Pirate. Reward: military merit points +50]
The System's notification rang in Ryuji's mind.
"Aaaaah! My son! My Kojiro!"
The middle-aged man's heart-wrenching wails came from the doorway.
He rushed in, looking at the dissipating corpse on the ground, his eyes bloodshot and red. "Why did you kill him! Why!"
He pointed at Ryuji like a madman. "He was just sick! He just needed treatment! You quacks! It's all because you couldn't cure him!"
"I just wanted him to live! What did I do wrong!"
"Lord Hikae, who turned him into a demon, said that as long as he ate enough people, he could stay with me forever! But you killed him! Why didn't you let Kojiro eat you!"
The man roared, grabbing a rusty kitchen knife and charging at Ryuji like a madman.
Looking at this completely maddened man, an uncontrollable rage exploded within Ryuji.
Quacks?
Just wanted him to live?
He thought of the townspeople who had been brutally murdered and doctors like Kocho Jiro who practiced medicine to save the world, only to be slandered by such scum.
His extreme anger made his blood begin to boil.
Facing the charging man, Ryuji didn't even bother to dodge.
He raised his hand.
One punch.
Another dull thud.
The man's headless body slumped down. With a thud, there was no more sound.
[Ding! Detected host has killed a Pirate Accomplice. Reward: military merit points +350]
[Detected host has upheld the justice in his heart and judged evil without hesitation. Extra reward: Observation Haki (Prototype)!]
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