Chapter 131: The Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui!
"Scared?"
Suma comforted him. "It's all right, old man. I'll protect you. Do you need my help?"
"Eh? You can?"
The old man in the Buddhist robes grinned, tears welling in his eyes.
"I'm hungry. Help me fill my stomach!"
The instant his words fell, two small horns sprouted from his forehead, while his eyes turned a terrifying crimson.
A demon!
Suma's pupils contracted violently.
How could there be a demon here?!
She wanted to scream, but Hantengu immediately covered her mouth with his hand.
Hantengu bared his teeth, his voice trembling.
"Don't! Don't say anything, or I'll get scared!"
Suma's entire body went rigid.
Fear seized her in an instant.
She had never felt death so close.
The hazy moonlight cast a faint glow over the alley. Through the weak light spilling in from the street, Suma finally saw the number engraved in her opponent's eyes.
Upper Rank Four!
This was a demon even stronger than the one she had encountered before!
Suma's tears immediately spilled from her eyes.
What kind of terrible fate had she encountered?!
Last time, she had nearly been killed one-on-one by Upper Rank Six.
This time, she had been captured alive by Upper Rank Four.
Could it be that she was some kind of bait for the Upper Rank demons?!
It seemed every Upper Rank demon wanted to find her!
She, Hinatsuru, and Makio had originally been stationed outside because they couldn't defeat Upper Rank Six.
But what good had that done?
While standing guard, she had somehow attracted Upper Rank Four!
Her luck was simply incredible!
A wave of sorrow suddenly washed over Suma.
She felt as though her entire life had lost its color.
I should have switched positions with Makio sooner...
And so, Suma and Hantengu both burst into tears...
"Suma!"
Suddenly, a clicking sound rang out.
Makio and Hinatsuru appeared simultaneously from opposite sides of the street, each holding a projectile launcher, their faces filled with anxiety.
"Don't be afraid! You'll be saved!"
The next moment, a volley of kunai shot toward Hantengu.
Suma screamed internally.
What are you doing?! I'm still here! Makio, even if you want to bully me, at least save me first!
Suma despairingly closed her eyes.
She could already imagine her flesh being blown apart and splattered everywhere.
But just then, a familiar voice sounded beside her.
Giving up this quickly? That's not like you, Suma.
Suma abruptly opened her eyes.
Two blades flashed before her, shooting straight toward Hantengu!
That tall figure.
That muscular man with clearly defined muscles.
The Sound Hashira—
Tengen Uzui!
Her husband had arrived just in time to save her!
Clang!
The twin blades came flying in with a double strike!
With a single attack, Tengen severed Hantengu's arm and rescued Suma.
At the same time, he hurled a black bomb into the air and slashed it at incredible speed, creating the effect of a double-impact explosion.
In an instant, thick smoke billowed through the alley.
Taking advantage of the cover while Hinatsuru and Makio provided ranged fire, Tengen carried Suma back to Hinatsuru's side.
Suma immediately burst into tears, puffing out her cheeks.
"Lord Tengen, why did you take so long to come?!"
Tengen lovingly patted Suma's head.
"Are you all right? I saw Hinatsuru's letter two days ago saying something strange had happened here, so I came over. Fortunately, I wasn't too late."
"No wonder."
Hinatsuru nodded.
Then she suddenly remembered something.
"Lord Tengen, did you know that we found the Dragon Hashira?"
"Dragon Hashira?"
Tengen was startled.
"You found Ren?"
Hinatsuru secretly thought to herself:
Just as I thought. Lord Tengen came because he saw my earlier letter. He never received the letters after that.
That meant the Demon Slayer Corps had most likely never sent reinforcements.
According to the Dragon Hashira, if there really were three Upper Rank demons here, then they would need at least four or five Hashira to provide support!
Hinatsuru's expression darkened.
Seeing the worry on her face, Tengen roughly guessed what she was thinking.
"Don't worry. I'm here now, aren't I? Everything will be fine."
Tengen spoke with absolute confidence.
"Makio, tell me. Who are our current enemies? It can't be that old demon from before, right?"
Makio shook her head.
"No. That old demon is also an enemy, but Lord Ren is still fighting another demon upstairs!"
Suma, tears still in her eyes, hurriedly added,
"Lord Tengen, I saw the number in that old demon's eyes just now. It was Four!"
Tengen waved his hand dismissively.
"Lower Rank Four? No problem. That's child's play!"
Suma hurriedly corrected him.
"Upper Rank!"
Makio added,
"And according to Lord Dragon Hashira, there may be three Upper Rank demons here. One of them may even be among the strongest of the Upper Ranks!"
Tengen: "Looks like I arrived a little too early..."
At that moment, Hinatsuru spoke.
"Lord Tengen, the smoke has cleared. Upper Rank Four has disappeared!"
Everyone looked toward the area where the smoke had just drifted away.
Sure enough, Hantengu was nowhere to be seen.
Only then did Makio suddenly realize what had happened.
"No! Upper Rank Four went to support Upper Rank Six! Lord Ren is in danger!"
Tengen immediately drew his twin blades.
"You three stay back. Leave this to me!"
But his three wives all shook their heads.
"No! Lord Tengen, you don't understand. They're incredibly strong. You need us!"
Tengen's expression turned stern.
"Didn't I tell you to stay back? The Dragon Hashira and I can deal with two Upper Rank demons. You don't have what it takes to participate in this battle anymore!"
The moment his words fell—
A tremendous explosion suddenly erupted from the upper floors of the Kyogoku House!
Inside the building, Daki, Gyutaro, and Hantengu, who had only just managed to climb halfway up, were blasted out!
Ren followed closely behind them.
One human and three demons moved through the air in what almost seemed like slow motion.
All three demons hung suspended in midair, their faces filled with terror.
Behind them stood a single young man, his figure towering above the others.
His clothes fluttered in the wind, like a white lotus untouched by the dust of the mortal world.
Upper Rank Six, Gyutaro, was beneath him.
Ren raised his Nichirin Sword high, every movement radiating killing intent!
By comparison, the three Upper Rank demons looked utterly pathetic.
One had no head.
One was crying in fear.
And the last was consumed by helpless rage.
Daki: "Waaah~! Brother, he cut my head off again!"
Gyutaro: "Demon Slayer, you're finished! I'm going to cut off your head and turn it into a chamber pot for my sister!"
Hantengu: "Aah! Don't kill me! I surrender!"
The scene was so explosive that even Tengen Uzui was stunned.
Ren is that terrifying?
He actually made Upper Rank demons cry?!
Are these really the powerful Upper Rank demons Makio was talking about?
They look so weak!
As a shinobi, Tengen was naturally extremely sensitive to the timing of entering a battlefield.
Seeing this scene, he immediately drew both of his blades.
"Perfect opportunity!"
Tengen scattered several small explosive black bombs before charging toward the airborne battlefield.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
His twin blades danced through the air.
In an instant, the battlefield erupted with the crackling sound of exploding firecrackers.
Flames soared into the night sky.
Taking advantage of the Upper Rank demons' brief distraction, Tengen's figure flashed forward.
His twin blades swept through the air—
And in an instant, he severed the necks of two Upper Rank demons!