Chapter 56: Just a Fatal Wound
"Hiss, it hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts..."
Watching the two demons completely disappear into the shadows, Ryuji finally hissed in pain and began to wail.
"Stop shouting, I'll give you some emergency treatment first. I've already notified the Shinobi to come over; they'll give you the most professional medical care..."
Uzui Tengen said while quickly checking his injuries; however, as the treatment progressed...
The movements of his hands became increasingly heavy, and his heart grew more alarmed.
There was almost no part of Ryuji's body that was intact.
The lightest wound, if placed on any other Pillar, would probably make them unable to stand—at least he couldn't... More serious was Ryuji's right hand, which was a gruesome sight.
The muscles were almost completely torn apart, barely held together by a bit of skin and flesh... "You guy..."
Uzui Tengen said in a deep voice, "If you hadn't been using your Breathing Technique to forcibly stop the bleeding, we could have just found a place to bury you right now."
He tightly wrapped the bandages he carried around Ryuji, barely fixing several broken bones, and then sighed: "When we get back, apply for retirement from the Master. Your injuries this time... are simply too severe."
Ryuji kept inhaling from the pain, but his mouth wouldn't soften: "I don't think that's necessary. It's just a fatal wound..."
He paused and looked at Uzui Tengen: "Is there anything to eat? I'm hungry."
Retirement?
He hadn't even thought about it.
As long as he ate some nutritious food to recover his stamina, he could recover relying on his One piece Physique.
Even if the recovery wasn't complete, once he managed to exchange for that azure dragon fruit, everything would be resolved.
"Just a fatal wound?"
Uzui Tengen's mouth twitched slightly, he shook his head, and fumbled out a few ball-shaped dry rations from his robe, stuffing them into Ryuji's mouth:
"Just make do with these. Portable dry rations used by ninjas; the taste isn't great, but they satisfy hunger."
These were dry rations commonly used by ninjas, convenient to carry, but the taste... could be described as torture.
Ryuji wasn't picky, crunching and chewing them like beans. His face turned bitter, and tears actually came down. He hadn't cried even when injured, but he cried because he ate this. He looked at Uzui Tengen with tearful eyes:
"Do ninjas eat this every day? Do they really not rebel?"
He felt as if he had eaten damp lime wall plaster that had fallen from a roof, mixed with meat sauce, and then deep-fried until charred.
Oily, greasy, and powdery.
It tasted deathly awful!
"It's alright. Actually, you don't have to chew; you can just swallow them whole."
Uzui Tengen looked at Ryuji as if he were a hero; to actually dare to chew this kind of soldier ration, he really had guts.
"I..."
Ryuji had a few coarse words to say, but before he could speak, he felt a warm current coming from his stomach, and a sense of fullness surged up.
With energy, he could recover his body.
Soon, a team of Kakushi Members wearing black robes carried a stretcher up the mountain.
"Lord Uzui, the surrounding villagers were all killed by the demons... there are no survivors."
A Demon Slayer Corps member lowered his eyes and reported softly.
Ryuji: "..."
Uzui Tengen just coughed lightly: "Mm, I will tell the Master. Now we must escort Ryuji to the headquarters."
"Yes!"
The swordsman replied, then asked hesitantly: "Did Lord Ryuji encounter an Upper Rank demon to receive such severe injuries?"
Because Lord Ryuji is the Pillar of the Fist, a Lower Rank demon wouldn't be able to trouble him. To receive such injuries, he must have encountered an Upper Rank.
Uzui Tengen looked at the swordsmen and Shinobi who had pricked up their ears, shook his head slightly, and smiled: "Yes, he encountered Upper Rank Three. If it weren't for Upper Rank Two coming to the rescue, he could have killed Upper Rank Three!"
"Even in that situation, he bravely fought two alone and eventually repelled both demons."
As those words fell, the surroundings went silent!
One against two?
And against Upper Rank Two and Upper Rank Three, those top-tier Upper Rank demons?!
And he almost killed Upper Rank Three?
Truly too powerful!
That swordsman looked at Ryuji lying on the stretcher with eyes full of admiration.
"Everyone pay attention, the Pillar of the Fist's battle is over, now it's our battle! We must safely deliver him back to headquarters!"
The leader of the Shinobi, coming back to his senses, sternly scanned the exceptionally excited Kakushi Members who were whispering to each other.
"Yes! We must absolutely deliver Lord Ryuji back to headquarters!"
For a moment, it was like a mountain roar and a sea wave.
Numerous Kakushi Members raised their arms and shouted!
Lying on the steady stretcher, Ryuji ignored the fanatical Kakushi Members around him.
At this moment, he was checking the System rewards.
[Ding, detected that the host has repelled a Supernova Pirate, obtaining military merit points +500]
Ryuji's brow quirked. Repelling Akaza actually gave five hundred points? Excellent, there are still 5800 military merit points left before obtaining the azure dragon fruit.
And, as he had thought before.
Upper Ranks give more military merit points than ordinary demons. This was just for repelling; if it were a kill... Wait, he found a key point.
"Then why didn't I get military merit points for escaping from Doma last time?"
[Surviving against a Supernova Pirate with no killing intent by relying on a sneak attack... not deducting your military merit points was already for the sake of you saving your colleagues.]
Ryuji: "..."
Fine.
At that time, Doma indeed didn't have much killing intent; at most, he saw a toy and wanted to see him turn into a demon.
But this time, it was a real, head-on fight with Akaza, and he almost traded his life for it.
Giving military merit points is normal.
"Fine, I won't argue with you on this..."
Ryuji nodded, then narrowed his eyes:
"Come on, explain. When did my Conqueror's Haki first appear? Don't play dead."
Ever since Akaza kept saying there was a domineering fighting spirit in his body, he had suspected if it was Conqueror's Haki.
But during the battle, there was no time to think about so much.
Now he could properly interrogate the System; it definitely hid something!
After a moment of silence, the System responded:
[The earliest time you possessed the seed of Conqueror's Haki was when the host was on the verge of death for the first time and was rescued by Marine Captain Himejima Gyomei.]
Ryuji narrowed his eyes. That early?
Wouldn't that be when he first met Doma and broke through the demonization?
"Then why didn't it show up when I checked the panel later?"
[The level of the seed was too low to be displayed on the panel, just like the host's swordsmanship talent.]
Ryuji: "..."
You're even being sarcastic with Yin and Yang now, aren't you!
"Open the System panel."
[Host: Ryuji]
[Age: 14]
[Position: Captain]
[Abilities: Breathing Technique (Fist), Armament Haki (mastered), Navy Six Styles: Paper Arts (Prototype), Observation Haki (mastered), Conqueror's Haki]
[cultivation points: 0]
[military merit points: 9200]
[Items: marine recruit training manual (written by Zephyr), nichirin blade (Gauntlets)]
[Evaluation: A Marine who has mastered two types of Haki and possesses Conqueror's Haki. You have already gained Zephyr's attention and been promoted to Captain under his command.]
"A Captain under Zephyr? I'd rather have more military merit points..."
Ryuji's mouth twitched. Could he even go to the One Piece world?
This is no joke... Ryuji shook his head, clearing these thoughts from his mind, and looked carefully at the Conqueror's Haki on the panel, frowning slightly:
"Why doesn't Conqueror's Haki have a level? Does it mean it can't be leveled up with cultivation points?"
[Yes, the host is very smart. Conqueror's Haki cannot be improved by cheating.]
[It can only rely on the host's strength to improve. Once your strength is sufficient, you can conduct infusion experiments.]
Ryuji nodded and stopped talking, lying on the stretcher looking at the sky, quietly recovering his strength.
The Shinobi responsible for observing Ryuji looked at the slowly scabbing wounds; he rubbed his eyes, looking at Ryuji in disbelief.
Is this really a human?
He couldn't have turned into a demon, could he!
Thinking of this, he was suddenly startled and looked at Uzui Tengen in panic: "Lord Uzui, Lord Ryuji, he..."
Before the words could leave his mouth, he felt the weight of Uzui Tengen's arm on his shoulder:
"This is the power of his Breathing Technique. By the way, did any of you bring rice balls or other food?"
Several women among the Kakushi Members took out some rice balls, snacks, and such from their pockets.
They began to feed Ryuji with stars in their eyes... "Oh my, Akaza Your Excellency..."
Bang.
Doma grabbed the fist Akaza swung at him, his eyes narrowed, and a smile hung on his face: "How was that child?"
"Hmph!"
Akaza snorted coldly and pulled his fist from Doma's hand: "Is he the one Lord Muzan is looking for? Didn't you say his nichirin blade was an Odachi?"
He looked at Doma, who was sitting sideways, and said coldly:
"The intelligence is inaccurate."
Doma spread his hands: "Who knows? I remember breaking his blade last time..."
He waved the pair of fans in his hand and asked Akaza: "Did you ask what that child's name is?"
Although it was a question, his tone was quite certain.
"Ryuji..."
Akaza was silent for a moment before giving the name.
"Ryuji... such a good name..."
Doma's glass-colored pupils flickered with an excited light.
"Do you want us to help you find him and bring him out?"
A young man in a suit pushed the door open and entered, followed by two black-clad ninjas dragging bags that were still struggling.
Boom.
"Akaza Your Excellency, please don't be too excited. This is food for you."
The young man in the suit looked at the wall Akaza had punched through and said with a smile: "Repairing walls is also a very laborious task..."
Bloodshot veins crept into Akaza's eyes, and he prepared to kill this annoying fellow with one punch.
"Akaza Your Excellency, I agreed to cooperate with this person..."
Doma's voice came.
"Indeed, we are partners, so I also brought gifts."
As his voice fell, the two black-clad ninjas behind him opened the struggling bags; one contained a young girl, and the other a strong Martial Artist.
"How is it? Does it suit the tastes of you two?"
The young man in the suit said softly, his eyes full of cunning.
"Hmm, I'm curious, how did you hear our conversation? Mr. Ono, I remember this place is quite hidden, right? And our conversation wasn't very loud..."
Doma asked softly, a hint of curiosity in his glass-colored eyes.
A smile appeared on Ono's face: "A secret. This is a secret of our Bigo Shinobi."
"Is that so?"
Doma looked up to meet Ono's gaze and smiled slightly: "If you can do it, then that's for the best."
Watching Ono leave, Akaza asked: "Don't you look down on humans the most? Why would you cooperate with them?"
Doma was slightly stunned, his glass-colored eyes shining as he tilted his head slightly toward Akaza:
"Oh my, I'm so happy. Akaza Your Excellency actually knows my preferences..."
"As expected, the sincere me will always warm others."
Hearing this, veins popped on Akaza's forehead; this was another reason he hated Doma.
"I really think these humans are very pathetic..."
As he spoke, he gently helped the terrified girl up and used his fans to cut the ropes binding her hands.
Then he gently pulled away the cloth tied over the girl's mouth and comforted her: "Are you okay?"
The terrified girl nodded unconsciously. She was very scared; she had been eating at home when several people in black clothes suddenly burst in.
They killed her father and mother in front of her and then kidnapped her to this place.
Then she heard these people saying things she didn't understand—about gifts, ninjas, and humans.
Doma reached out a fair hand and gently wiped away the girl's tears with his finger, saying softly:
"It's okay, you're safe here... Is there anything you want to tell me? If you say it, you can enter the Eternal Paradise."
The girl was somewhat dazed, and then she felt her face being held by this very handsome person in front of her; his eyes were very beautiful.
Why did she feel a bit tired and very cold?
Thud.
A headless corpse fell onto the ice crystals that had suddenly grown; the blood was instantly frozen, and the corpse was also encased in ice.
Doma placed the girl's head on a nearby ice pillar: "What a great expression. Perhaps Gyokko will have new inspiration, who knows."
Crack.
Doma turned his head to look at Akaza, who was trying his best to suppress his anger, and said softly:
"As for why we cooperate with these pathetic humans, didn't Lord Muzan do the same? It's still difficult for us to move during the day..."
He tore off the girl's arm, stuffed it into his mouth, and said softly while chewing:
"Now that there's a special group of humans who want to help, why not cooperate?"
Swallowing the food in his mouth, a cunning smile appeared on Doma's face:
"Humans as a group love internal strife the most. This is knowledge I've gained over many years in the cult. It's truly pathetic."
"Life is clearly so short, yet they still always engage in internal strife..."
Akaza stopped talking. Although he hated Doma, when it came to understanding human groups, he might really be inferior to Doma.
"But I don't think these weaklings can achieve anything!"
As Akaza spoke, he just waved his hand and cut the ropes on the strong Martial Artist.
"Come."
Looking at the wary strong Martial Artist, Akaza just said in a low voice: "If you can hit me, I'll let you go."
The Martial Artist glanced at Doma, who was still eating, his eyelids twitched, and after a loud roar, he turned and ran.
He knew he was no match for Akaza, and he also knew that only by attacking could he possibly survive.
But fear crushed him.
He only thought about following biological instinct, which was to escape!
Akaza just watched the Martial Artist, without a word or movement; there was only the fire of anger burning in his eyes.
Coward!
He suddenly remembered Ryuji's final roar and smile, and his own wretched appearance as he fled... his right fist clenched unconsciously!
Just as the Martial Artist was about to run out, a tattooed right fist pierced through his chest.
Thud.
The Martial Artist fell to the ground, struggling to crawl out, his blood dragging out a bright red path.
Doma saw all of this but only smiled.
He didn't speak; as Akaza's best friend, he wouldn't expose Akaza's scar to his face.
That would make him hated.
"When the sun goes down, do you want to go for a stroll?"
Doma wiped his mouth; at some point, that girl had already disappeared.
Akaza didn't reply, just shook his head.
"Well, how cold. Even though I invited you so enthusiastically, I'll go for a stroll myself."
He shook his fans, tapped his chin, and his eyes lit up:
"Right, it's been a long time since I've visited Ume and the others. I'll go have some fun at the Entertainment District."
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