Chapter 124 Standoff
Tokito Ichiro gripped his sword tightly with both hands, his eyes fixed on Tomioka Giyuu opposite him. He had originally gone to find Kamado Tanjiro, but he didn't expect Iwakatsu to be here.
"Muichiro Tokito?"
Giyu Tomioka looked at the boy with the high ponytail in front of him, his expression momentarily puzzled. The other person should be on another mission, so why was he here, and protecting a demon?
“Mr. Tomioka, this is not Muichiro.”
Shinobu Kocho twirled her sword, the blade pointing directly at Iwakatsu. Her eyes narrowed slightly; she noticed that the boy who looked exactly like Muichiro was human.
Without saying a word, Yoshiyuki Tomioka picked up his sword and slashed at Ichiro. He needed to subdue this human who had suddenly appeared first.
Members of the Demon Slayer Corps never harm humans, even if the other party is protecting a demon.
"You expressionless face, I'm not someone you can bully. You'd better show me what you're made of."
Yuichiro Tokito also fought back, not to be outdone. As a successor personally trained by Iwakatsu, his abilities were on par with the Pillars in the Demon Slayer Corps.
Kokushi was very distressed. He really didn't want to expose his relationship with Tokito Ichiro to the Demon Slayer Corps, because he was a demon, and Upper Moon One at that.
But he didn't expect the other party to shout it out so casually. It's not like he can't beat them. It's really... worrying for nothing.
"Mr. Ghost, I will send you on your peaceful journey."
Shinobu Kocho nimbly leaped into the air, flipping over to attack Iwakatsu's right arm. Although Iwakatsu was tall, unfortunately, he was not as I had predicted. He swiftly dodged the attack, turning and swinging his sword downwards with the back of his blade.
"Snap—".
Even though Shinobu Kocho reacted quickly, the back of the blade struck her arm, causing her to feel the pain of the impact and a numbing sensation spreading.
She frowned. Such obvious leniency made her confused about the other party's actions. She was certain that Yan Sheng was an Upper Moon demon, and a Lower Moon demon didn't have this kind of strength.
Unlike Iwakatsu's half-hearted approach, Tokito Ichiro didn't care about his opponent's life or death. With the thought that he was just alive and not seriously injured, he swung his sword without the slightest hesitation.
Why are you blocking the way?
Giyu Tomioka had seen all the breathing techniques of the Demon Slayer Corps and was certain that the one being used by the boy in front of him did not belong to any of them.
Now, he was concerned about everything, from the other person's appearance and breathing technique to even the old Nichirin Blade in his hand.
"Why are you meddling so much? Do you live by the sea?"
Tokito Ichiro held his sword in front of him and said casually, his gaze sharp as he looked at the person in front of him.
Yan Sheng's hands moved, trying to block the merciless sword swings of the girl in front of him, thinking about how to knock off her blade and silence her without hurting her.
Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, a piercing collision suddenly came from behind Yan Sheng.
"Clang—Squeak—".
Ichiro Tokito's sword was still too old, and it was scratched by Giyu Tomioka's attack, causing Ichiro to pause in his movements. Then the opponent's blade went straight for his waist.
Iwakatsu's pupils contracted, and he stepped forward, grabbing Tokito Ichiro with his left arm. Kyokujin blocked Tomioka Giyuu's attack, but at the same time, Kocho Shinobu's blade pierced through his shoulder.
The sensation of the venom entering his body made Yan Sheng very uncomfortable. Even though the dosage was nothing to him, the pain and the feeling of being corroded were still quite noticeable.
"elder brother!"
Tokito Ichiro got angry. He broke free from Iwakatsu's arm and kicked Kocho Shinobu.
Ichiro was extremely fast. He used his highly flexible body movements and his Nichirin Blade to kick Shinobu Kocho's right shoulder in just a few rounds, exchanging blows and making her already numb and painful arm even more unstable.
Taking advantage of the opening, Tokito Ichiro raised his Nichirin Blade and slashed at Kocho Shinobu, but Iwakatsu, who had just repelled Tomioka Giyuu, quickly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.
Iwakatsu is stunned. Hasn't he gone mad? Muichiro is still in the Demon Slayer Corps, yet he goes straight for the kill.
"Brother, let me go! I'm going to kill them."
Ichiro Tokito, who was urgently recalled, was very dissatisfied, but Iwakatsu paid no attention to his struggles. This kid was too arrogant.
Giyu Tomioka hadn't expected Iwakatsu to make such a move, and his intended attack faltered. Shinobu Kocho stood on the other side, her left hand tightly gripping her slightly trembling right.
As the four stood facing each other in a stiff and awkward triangle, the sound of flapping wings came from above, and a raven circled down from the sky and landed on the ground.
"Order! Order! Arrest Tanjiro and Nezuko and bring them back to headquarters immediately!"
After saying that, it flew off in another direction, and another jay flew over and hovered in front of Yan Sheng.
"My lord requests your presence at headquarters—gaaaaa, together with Ichiro."
Yan Sheng frowned. He couldn't understand what the current leader of the Demon Slayer Corps was thinking, inviting him to headquarters. Was he crazy?
Yan Sheng didn't know if the other party had foreseen anything, but given his current identity and situation, he wasn't safe even if Boss Xie couldn't find out about him.
Kasugai's words dissuaded Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka from continuing their attack, but they still watched Iwakatsu warily. They didn't quite agree with Kagaya Ubuyashiki's approach either, but chose to trust him anyway.
"I... refuse."
Iwakatsu raised his fiery red eyes, released Tokito Ichiro, and casually withdrew the Hollow Crying God. He didn't need to, nor was it necessary; such a declaration of stance was inappropriate for him, after all, he was Upper Moon One.
"Tell your lord not to be too confident, and not to let any ghosts who have connections with the Ghost King appear at the base."
Iwakatsu said in a cold voice that the other party's approach was somewhat risky. After speaking, he raised his hand and patted Tokito Ichiro's head, his attitude softening.
"Aren't you looking for... family? You... and them... go together."
Tokito Ichiro helplessly brushed his messed-up hair aside. He actually wanted to go with Kokushiro, but he had to find Muichiro, who clearly didn't want to join the Demon Slayer Corps.
"But……"
"Don't... let yourself be bullied."
Iwakatsu knew that given Ubuyashiki Kagaya's personality and his relationship with Tokito Muichiro, it was unlikely that Yuichiro would get into any serious trouble, but injury was also a possibility.
Yan Sheng didn't want his own child to get beaten, so he still wanted to give him some instructions.
"I see."
Tokito Ichiro replied listlessly and put his sword away. Tomioka Giyuu and Kocho Shinobu also put away their Nichirin Blades. If it was Ubuyashiki Kagaya's order, they would obey.
As Tokito Ichiro was blindfolded by the arriving members of the Hidden Army, Iwakatsu gave them a dark look, which put immense pressure on the Hidden Army members.
"Mr. Ghost, you'd better not scare our companions."
Shinobu Kocho had a smile on her face, but Iwakatsu could tell that the smile didn't reach her eyes. Even though she seemed fine, her body was still tense.
I can understand; after all, it's necessary to be wary when facing a ghost stronger than oneself.
Yan Sheng didn't care. He watched them all leave before entering Infinite City. He needed to report to Boss Xie before he came looking for him.
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