Swordsmith Village Raid
A few days later, the morning air at Tomioka's residence was filled with the tranquility and warmth of newlyweds. The morning light filtered through the paper door, casting a shadow on Giyu and Shiro, who slept in each other's embrace. Shiro's silver hair spread across Giyu's arms, his chin resting gently against hers, their breaths mingling as they slept soundly.
"Emergency message! Emergency message!"
The hoarse and rapid cry of the crow was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, suddenly breaking the tranquility. It pecked at the paper door with its beak without any hesitation, making a "tap, tap" sound.
"The Swordsmith Village is under attack by an Upper Moon demon! Water Pillar Tomioka Giyu and his wife, Haku Kanji, go to their aid immediately! Go to their aid immediately!"
Almost simultaneously, Yiyong and Bai snapped their eyes open. A brief moment of confusion gave way to a sharp alertness. They both stood up quickly, without a moment's hesitation.
Giyu had already neatly donned his Demon Slayer uniform and was draping his dark blue haori over his shoulders. His expression had returned to its usual stern, water-like sternness, but when he looked at Shiro, his eyes held an undeniable determination.
"Is it okay?" he asked in a deep voice, referring to her possible physical discomfort.
Bai nodded immediately, her eyes equally firm: "No problem, husband." This new title blurted out at a critical moment, making her cheeks slightly hot, but at this moment she no longer cared about shyness.
The two of them quickly gathered their equipment. When Shiro picked up the Sun Blade, forged from scarlet iron and now a deep black, Giyuu's hand rested on the back of her hand.
"Follow me closely," he whispered, his tone filled with a strong protective will. "This time it's an upper-rank deity. The situation is unknown, so we must not be careless."
"I understand." Bai shook his hand backhandedly, "Let's go together."
Without further words, the two figures flashed and rushed out of Tomioka's house like an arrow from a bow, heading towards the direction indicated by the crow - the deep mountains shrouded in clouds and mist.
The wind whistled in his ears, Giyu's deep blue haori fluttering in the breeze. Shiro followed closely behind, his silver hair like flowing moonlight. Their hearts were equally heavy. The Swordsmith Village was the vital logistical lifeline of the Demon Slayer Corps; if it were destroyed, the consequences would be disastrous. And with two Upper Moon Demons deployed simultaneously, the threat was far greater than ever before.
Besides her wariness about the battle, Shiro felt a subtle unease. Her unique physique, coupled with the blood of Muzan flowing through her veins, would trigger unexpected events when approaching a fellow Upper Rank demon? And Muzan...was he watching all this through the eyes of some other being?
Yiyong seemed to sense her subtle emotional fluctuations. While moving at high speed, he turned back to look at her. His eyes seemed to say, "No matter what happens, I'm here."
This silent promise calmed Bai's heart. She took a deep breath, cast aside all distractions, and her gaze sharpened. No matter how powerful the enemy was, they would face it together.
A new battle is about to begin in the misty Swordsmith Village. Unbeknownst to them, Bai's intervention will steer this battle in a completely different direction from its original destiny.
The two figures darted through the trees, their speed so swift that only a faint afterimage remained in the air. Yiyong was extremely familiar with the route, clearly not his first time visiting that hidden village. The closer they got to their destination, the thicker the unnatural scent in the air grew—a disturbing blend of ghostly aura, the smell of blood, and gunpowder.
"Speed up!" Giyuu growled, accelerating even further, his dark haori turning into a streak of light. Shiro immediately mobilized her strength, keeping pace. Her transcendental demonic physique proved advantageous, allowing her to maintain steady breathing even at high speeds and long distances.
After crossing the last ridge, the scene before them made their hearts sink.
The valley, once shrouded in thick fog and isolated from the outside world, was now filled with billowing black smoke. The outlines of village buildings could be vaguely seen, but many had collapsed. The air was filled with the faint sounds of weapons clashing, explosions, and... shrill screams.
"The fight has already begun!" The ink-white pupils constricted. She could clearly sense several powerful energy fluctuations coming from below - two of them were cold and violent, belonging to the upper-rank demons; the others were tough and hot, belonging to the pillars and team members who were fighting hard.
"Split up!" Giyuu made a quick decision, his eyes quickly scanning the battlefield. "I'll go support Love Pillar and Tanjiro, and you go to Kasumi Pillar! He's facing an Upper Rank alone, which will put him under even greater pressure!"
He pointed to an area where violent thunder and shifting radiance could be heard. Trust needed no further words at this moment, and Bai nodded immediately, "Be careful!"
Just as Bai was about to leave, Yiyong suddenly grabbed her wrist, a bit too hard. He looked at her deeply, and his thousands of words finally turned into a single, unquestionable command:
"Protect yourself. Absolutely, don't die."
Bai saw the worry that could not be concealed in his eyes, and felt warm in his heart. He shook his hand firmly and said, "You too!"
The next moment, the two figures separated, like two sharp arrows, shooting in two directions of the battlefield.
Bai rushed toward the area where rosy clouds and thunder intertwined. The closer she got, the more she felt the suffocating pressure. She saw gigantic, strange, goldfish-like creatures swimming in the air, spewing dangerous projectiles. She saw countless exquisite pots materialize from thin air, releasing all sorts of strange aquatic creatures to attack.
In the center of this chaos, Tokito Muichiro's figure flickered like a ghost, his Nichirin sword radiating a brilliant rainbow of colors, but his movements were noticeably sluggish, his breathing erratic. His opponent—a grotesque demon with a bare upper body, pale skin, and numerous baby-like arms—emerged from the pot, emitting a shrill laugh.
Upper Five: Jade Pot!
Bai didn't hesitate the moment he stepped onto the battlefield. His silver hair moved without a breeze, and his Sun Blade was already unsheathed. That wasn't the azure blue of Water Breathing, but rather the cold and brilliant moonlight!
"Breath of the Moon·Form Five·Moon Soul Disaster Vortex!"
A huge vortex-shaped slash, accompanied by countless crescent-shaped blades, suddenly descended like a natural disaster, precisely attacking Yu Hu's scaly body, instantly crushing the school of poisonous water fish he had just summoned from the pot!
The sudden attack startled both Yuhu and Wuichiro.
Yuhu turned his strange eyes on the body of the pot. The moment he saw Bai, he was puzzled at first, and then he let out an even more excited and shrill laugh: "Oh my? Who is this? A traitor who carries the aura of Lord Muzan, but uses the swordsmanship of a demon hunter? What a perfect material for art!"
Muichiro, who was exhausted physically, saw that the person coming was Bai, and a hint of relief, "support has arrived", flashed in his eyes, which were always a little confused.
Bai stood beside Wuyilang with a knife in his hand, back to back with his eyes fixed on Yuhu coldly.
"Xiazhu, are you okay?"
"...Yeah." Muichiro responded briefly, catching his breath. "His pot is very troublesome."
Bai looked at the jade pot's unpleasant shape and the pots floating around it, and the faint restlessness caused by Muzan's blood resurfaced in her heart. But she forced it down, her eyes becoming extremely sharp.
"Then, chop his pot and him into pieces!"
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