Chapter 24 "Lord Black Mou?"
After delivering the message to Tanjiro, a small spark of hope rekindled in Aori's heart, as long as this demon wasn't too hungry :)
Perhaps realizing that no matter how much it teased her, the prey wasn't as fun as it had been at the beginning, the ribbon ghost scoffed and lost interest in scaring A-Zhi.
She didn't tie the girl up completely again, but only wrapped her waist and mouth to prevent her from moving or calling for help, and then closed her eyes and waited as if resting.
Azhi felt insulted again, but she had to admit that even if the ghost lowered its guard, she couldn't escape.
A-Zhi: [Damn it!]
To reiterate, isn't the self-esteem of a loser still self-esteem?
This situation did not last long. At some point, the ribbon ghost seemed to encounter some special circumstances, and its aura became chaotic.
Moreover, of the countless ribbons that had been monitoring her in the room, only two remained after they floated out of the window one after another.
Her attention was diverted, and it was hard for Aori not to think of Tanjiro; they must have already come up with a solution.
Taking advantage of the fact that the ghost was too busy to pay attention to her, Ah Zhi, who had been like a little chick with its neck being choked, dared to turn her back to the wall because she didn't want to see the ghost that was making her angry.
000 felt she could take advantage of this break to handle some things: [I need to go back to the system center in a bit.]
Azhi's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and she quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
000: [I submitted a report to the system center before, and the inspection results are now available. I need to go there to check the results.]
Because the submitted report was not an ordinary one, but involved a wide range of issues, it required in-person visits to have the authority to view it. However, the system could read massive amounts of information in the blink of an eye, and the only time spent was the round trip.
"Will it take a long time?" Azhi, like a withered plant in a corner, bit her lip with a distressed expression, trying to persuade her to stay. "Can't we go another time?"
Leaving her here alone is terrible.
[The report is important.] 000 understood A-Zhi's feelings, but still explained carefully, skillfully reassuring the girl, [Don't worry, it won't be long.]
Azhi curled her fingers, her voice lingering, "Okay, come back soon. I'll try my best to hold on until you return."
The more you talk about it, the more pitiful it seems.
000 immediately assured: "We have a comprehensive 'Host Protection Law,' and I will be forcibly repatriated if you encounter danger."
000 once again emphasizes that they are legitimate systems.
The result of not having 000 to chat with her was that Azhi was about to fall asleep.
She was someone who didn't exercise much, and everything that happened today had greatly depleted her energy and strength, making Azhi's thoughts slow and heavy.
When some of the ribbons left, they cut the light bulbs to prevent anyone from knocking on the door again, so the indoor environment was actually quite dark. In addition, it started raining outside at some point.
Various factors combined to create a drowsy environment. Although she knew it wasn't a good time to rest, Azhi still inadvertently relaxed her tense emotions.
The girl knelt on the ground, her head nodding slightly. The upper half of her face, which wasn't covered by the ribbon, was filled with exhaustion, and thick eyelashes covered her eyes.
"—Click!"
A sharp, clean tearing sound suddenly rang out, breaking the silence in the room.
Before anyone could see what was happening, the ribbon demon, which had been swaggering in front of the girl, broke into several pieces, and the fragments, like pieces of trash, drifted down from the air.
Compared to hearing this heavenly sound that represents hope, Azhi's physical sensations were actually more direct.
Whether it's the ribbons around the waist or the mouth, the force they exert is enough to make a human feel short of breath, even though the ribbon ghost thinks the force is very small.
Azhi took a deep breath, placed her hands on the floor, turned her head to look at him, and said in a weak voice with expectation, "You've come."
It was only because she turned her head that Azhi realized that the person who had rescued her was a complete stranger, and frighteningly so.
The newcomer's tall figure was bathed in the cool moonlight, obscuring his face; only his cold, hard outline was vaguely discernible. A long sword hung at his waist, and his upright posture evoked images of towering mountains.
But the jagged, eerie rocks were so terrifying that people dared not approach them.
The person who saved her stood there with such a strong presence. For no reason, the joy of being saved dissipated like the tide, replaced by unease about the unknown.
— Were they other people who came to help?
—It must be another pillar!
Ah Zhi could only think this way, but subconsciously she was screaming for danger. She was filled with fear of the tall figure in front of her, backlit by the moonlight.
Despite it being their first meeting, Azhi was gripped by panic. An unprecedented intuition told her—she had to run away!
"...Thank you for saving me..."
Azhi couldn't control her trembling voice at all. Her slender white fingertips pressed tightly against her chest, as if that could bring her a sense of security, but her body was very honest and unconsciously shrank back.
Finally, she couldn't ignore the fear in her heart, and with a trembling voice, she could barely utter a complete sentence: "...Who are you?"
Such a question is too rude to someone who saved her, but... Azhi wasn't sure if the person in front of her was even human.
Like Azhi, the ribbon ghost, who had been cut up, also felt a strong sense of oppression and trembled as if she had seen her natural enemy.
In fact, not only Ribbon Demon faced the threat from Upper Moon One, but even Daki, who was not present but was one with Ribbon Demon, deeply felt it.
She finally understood that Muzan would never give such an illogical order. The one she was waiting for was Upper Moon One, Kokushibo, who rarely appeared in front of the demons but whose powerful presence could not be ignored.
The gatherings between Upper Moon demons are measured in centuries, and in addition... for unknown reasons, there seems to be some discord between Lord Muzan and Lord Kokushibo.
Daki had only heard this much; she didn't understand why Kokushibo would provoke Muzan, the one who gave him blood, and why Muzan hadn't punished him.
But there is no doubt that Kokushibo is the strongest demon after Muzan.
When he conceals his presence and doesn't show himself, no one can detect his whereabouts. But once he does appear, no one can ignore him anymore.
But at this moment, whether it was the ribbon demon's imagination or not, she felt that Kokushibo was acting very strangely; he seemed to have lost his usual composure.
A ferocious beast lurked within the surging aura emanating from him, as if it would break free of its restraints and tear its prey out at any moment.
It was this unstable aura that made people feel as if the surrounding temperature had dropped by more than ten degrees.
Unlike Aori, who was still completely unaware of her tragic future, Ribbon Demon had no desire to stay in this suffocating room any longer. She timidly asked, "Lord Kokushibo?"
With a strange sense of sympathy, the ribbon ghost saw the girl collapse to the ground as soon as she finished speaking.
The majestic Upper Moon walked over silently, and as it passed by the window, the face that made Azhi's heart stop gradually came into clear view.
Dark lines spread from his forehead and jawline. He had a high nose bridge and slightly pursed lips. The lower half of his face was flawless, but the upper half, which was expressionless, had six cold and strange eyes.
Upper Moon One, Kokushibo, didn't turn around. He stared down at the girl slumped on the ground, and after a moment, issued an order that brooked no refusal, "Leave!"
The command was given in a deep, casual voice, with little intonation, yet it possessed enough power to make the surrounding air vibrate slightly.
In a daze, Azhi seemed to hear her own scream.
A note from the author:
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000: I only left briefly...
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As expected, it wasn't finished _(:з」∠)_
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