"Ming Ang Ge, can you help Rengoku-sensei?"
Kyojuro Rengoku had shown Mitsuri great kindness, and Mitsuri felt she couldn't repay it.
Now, Kyojuro Rengoku was covered in blood, his clothes tattered and full of marks left by gunpowder burns and explosions.
In contrast, Pylos, though he had run out of bullets for his large firearms, rifles, and Gatling gun, still had plenty of pistols and revolvers he could use, and he had no injuries on his body.
He looked to be in much better condition than Kyojuro Rengoku.
Mitsuri greatly doubted whether Kyojuro Rengoku, in his current state, could successfully slay the Lower Rank Two, Pylos.
Lan Mingang, who knew the outcome of the battle, wasn't particularly flustered.
"I'm afraid Kyoujurou doesn't need my help."
"Mitsuri, never underestimate anyone."
"Kyoujurou still has a powerful move he hasn't used yet."
"But since you asked, I'll go ask him."
Since he was going to ask, he first had to make the human and the demon stop fighting.
Lan Mingang's eyes narrowed, his pupils contracting slightly.
Haoshoku Haki was activated.
The aura belonging solely to a king surged towards Kyojuro Rengoku and Pylos, who were in battle.
The invisible pressure caused both of them to suddenly freeze; Pylos was directly forced to his knees, his limbs weak, falling to the ground unable to move, his eyes filled with terror, nearly fainting.
Kyojuro Rengoku wasn't much better.
Kyojuro Rengoku, reacting in time, gripped his nichirin blade, which was plunged into the ground, struggling to support his weak body, preventing himself from falling to the ground like Pylos.
"Who!?"
"Are there truly such strong individuals in this world?"
"This kind of aura, even if Gyomei Himejima came, it would be useless…"
"Could it be Muzan Kibutsuji!"
Kyojuro Rengoku struggled to slowly raise his head, wanting to find the powerful individual releasing the pressure.
"Ming Ang Ge, what's wrong with Rengoku-sensei?"
Since Mitsuri was not the target of the Haoshoku Haki, Mitsuri at this moment still didn't know what had happened.
"Uh… he might just be a little tired…"
Seeing Kyojuro Rengoku looking like a hundred-year-old man leaning on a cane, Lan Mingang quickly dispersed the Haoshoku Haki.
Kyojuro Rengoku, who had been struggling to hold on, suddenly felt a wave of relief, as if a giant mountain pressing on him had suddenly vanished, and the fear of the superior being also disappeared.
Kyojuro Rengoku forcefully pulled out the nichirin blade that was stuck in the ground, and after a few stumbles, finally straightened his body.
He looked around.
Kyojuro Rengoku saw Mitsuri Kanroji, and the young man of similar age whom Mitsuri Kanroji had been embracing at the time.
"Mitsuri is actually unharmed?"
Kyojuro Rengoku found it a bit hard to believe.
Those were rifle bullets; although he could dodge them, it didn't mean he could catch bullets with his bare hands.
And at such close range, even he would have a tough time, let alone moving someone out of the way…
If it were the Sound Hashira, perhaps he could…
A young man of similar age to himself, yet possessing Hashira-level strength?
Looking at Lan Mingang's confident smile, Kyojuro Rengoku felt it wasn't impossible.
"Kyoujurou! Don't be nervous!"
"My name is Lan Mingang."
"I just want to ask if you need help?" Lan Mingang asked Kyojuro Rengoku, who was looking at him.
"Help?" Kyojuro Rengoku was a bit confused, but when he saw Mitsuri waving at him from beside Lan Mingang.
Connecting the two of them being intimate in such a critical situation, thoughts stirred in his mind.
Did Mitsuri ask this person to help him?
"Thank you for your kindness, Lan Xiong, but this heinous demon must be slain by my own hand!"
After refusing Lan Mingang, Kyojuro Rengoku turned with his blade towards Pylos, who was still struggling on the ground trying to get up.
After multiple failed attempts to rise, Pylos picked up his revolver and shot the last few bullets into his own head.
With neuronal reconstruction, Pylos finally regained control of his body.
"Er hahaha!"
"Die!"
"All of you, die!"
Pylos stood up, his two eyeballs staring in random directions, clearly having gone insane, falling into a frenzy.
Blood Demon Art… Visceral Cavity…
War Disaster Wolf!!!
Hundreds of shadow wolves from all directions rushed towards Pylos, merging into Pylos's body, coiling around his form.
In just a moment, he transformed into a true Werewolf!
He held a massive Japanese longsword.
"Awooo——"
With a wolf's howl, Pylos gripped the longsword with both hands, all the eyeballs on his body staring intently at Kyojuro Rengoku.
Realizing that Pylos had reached his strongest state and this attack would decide the victor.
Kyojuro Rengoku also gripped his nichirin blade with both hands, his eyes filled with unwavering resolve and defiance; each inhale and exhale was accompanied by scorching flames.
The human and the demon met each other's gaze and attacked simultaneously.
Clang!
The demon's blade and the nichirin blade collided, producing a crisp striking sound.
Kyojuro Rengoku gritted his teeth, his eyes wide with fury, his expression fierce.
A full-hearted, blood-soaked strike…
Making the ultimate choice…
Burn!
Burn!
In the name of Rengoku!
Flame Breathing · Esoteric Art · Ninth Form · Rengoku!!!!!!
Torrential flames erupted from Kyojuro Rengoku's nichirin blade, incinerating everything, severing all!
Whoosh—Boom!
The flames extinguished, and Pylos was left with only half of his body, fallen to the ground and no longer regenerating.
Twelve Kizuki · Lower Rank Two · Pylos · Annihilated!
Kyojuro Rengoku, having used his ultimate esoteric art, was also exhausted, breathing with difficulty, and swaying unsteadily.
Lan Mingang instantly appeared beside Kyojuro Rengoku, reaching out to support him.
Kyojuro Rengoku glanced and saw it was Lan Mingang, then struggled to force a smile and said:
"Thank you…"
"It seems I won…"
The Demon Slayer Corps members watching the battle, seeing Kyojuro Rengoku's victory, all rushed over, helping Kyojuro Rengoku lie down on the ground to receive initial bandaging.
Freeing himself, Lan Mingang took out a blood collection device and walked to Pylos's remaining half-body.
He inserted the needle and automatically collected the blood.
"Meow~"
A cat's meow sounded, and a small black and white cat with some green fur, wearing Yushiro's Blood Demon Art around its neck, and a small backpack on its back, appeared out of thin air.
"Oh, Chacha Maru."
Placing the blood-filled collection device into Chacha Maru's backpack, Lan Mingang then said to Chacha Maru:
"Chacha Maru, when you go back, remember to tell Tamayo not to worry about me; I'll be back soon."
Chacha Maru nodded intelligently.
"Meow~"
With another meow, Chacha Maru disappeared.
Three minutes after the battle ended, the Demon Slayer Corps' logistics unit, the 'Kakushi,' arrived and began formal treatment and bandaging for Kyojuro Rengoku and other injured demon slayers.
Looking at the people being treated by the Kakushi members, Mitsuri suddenly asked:
"Ming Ang Ge, am I not suited to be in the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"Mitsuri, you should ask your own heart about such things." Lan Mingang stroked Mitsuri's head with one hand.
With the other hand, he poked Mitsuri's soft, plump chest.
It was bouncy.
Mitsuri's ears instantly turned red, recalling her original intention for joining the Demon Slayer Corps.
She had joined the Demon Slayer Corps to find a husband who could protect her.
Now that she had found her husband, did she really need to stay here?
Seeing Mitsuri's inner turmoil, Lan Mingang spoke again:
"Little Mitsuri, everyone has their own path; just follow your heart."
"It's not that you can only do something if you're on a certain path, but rather, no matter which path you're on, you can do what you want."
"Everything is taken care of by your husband, so there's no need to worry."
After a moment of contemplation, Mitsuri said to Lan Mingang:
"Ming Ang Ge, I want to be with you!"
"I want to become stronger!"