Chapter 57 Aoki vs. Pillar
Aoki followed Kanae Kocho to an inconspicuous little town.
He curiously looked around.
Rows of buildings lined both sides of the road, with few pedestrians, only the occasional barking of dogs and crowing of roosters.
"I thought the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters would be deep in some remote mountain forest, but I didn't expect you to live so openly in a town,"
Kanae Kocho said. "Sometimes, towns are safer than forests, and besides, Master has more than one residence."
Aoki nodded without speaking. Having multiple burrows
was perfectly normal.
The Ubuyashiki clan and the Demon Slayer Corps had been entangled with Muzan Kibutsuji for centuries, so they naturally understood this principle.
The two arrived at a courtyard on the edge of the town.
The courtyard was spacious, and the gate was tightly closed.
Kanae Kocho knocked on the door, and without waiting for a response, pushed it open and went inside.
Aoki followed closely behind.
As soon as he stepped through the gate, a series of gazes fell upon him.
Some were wary, some curious, and some hostile.
Aoki's expression remained unchanged as he swept his gaze across the courtyard, taking in the entire scene.
There were quite a few people in the courtyard.
Directly in front stood a house with curved eaves, and sitting at the entrance was a black-haired young man with gruesome scars on the upper half of his face. Beside him sat a beautiful white-haired woman.
Not far from them, two children were playing.
To their right stood four young men exuding powerful auras.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya, with his gruesome scars, rose, smiling. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Aoki."
"I've long admired your name, Head of the Ubuyashiki family!"
Aoki said, then looked at the four men staring intently at him. "Only four Pillars have come? Oh, no, including Ms. Kanae, it should be five."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya's smile was gentle and warm. "Actually, I was thinking it would have been better if Kanae had brought you, but these children insisted on coming."
"I understand."
Aoki looked at the four men.
They were all acquaintances.
The first young man, with his chest exposed, covered in scars, and with a fierce look in his eyes, was the Wind Pillar, Sanemi Shinazugawa.
The second had a cold face and wore a two-tone haori; he was the Water Pillar
, Giyu Tomioka. The third was tall and strong, with white hair and a handsome face; he was the Sound Pillar, Tengen Uzui.
The fourth was even taller, dressed as a monk, and blind; he was the Stone Pillar, Gyomei Himejima.
He could sense that the four men were looking at him with intense hostility and fear.
They looked at each other, neither speaking, and the atmosphere gradually became strange.
After a moment, Aoki asked in surprise, "Aren't you going to make a move?"
He had thought that these people would be unable to resist testing him or trying to give him a hard time.
Especially with that hot-tempered Sanemi Shinazugawa among them.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki said sincerely, "Mr. Aomura, we sincerely want to cooperate with you. These children are only worried about my safety and have no intention of harming you."
Aoki smiled and said, "It's alright. I see everyone is very interested in me. Let's have a spar! Actually, I'm also very curious about breathing techniques!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa said impatiently, "My lord, since he said so, shouldn't we not refuse?"
His eyes were wide open, as if he had been glaring at someone, and he exuded a stern and irritable aura.
Tengen Uzui took the long sword from his back, stared intently at Aoki, and followed up, "If we are to cooperate, I also think it's best to figure out each other's strength first!"
Gyomei Himejima clasped his hands together, two lines of tears streaming down his face, "I agree as well, Amitabha."
Giyu Tomioka didn't speak, but his hand on the hilt of his sword clearly showed his attitude.
The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became tense.
Aoki said, "Considering the sincerity and courage of the Ubuyashiki family head in bringing his family here, I won't harm your lives!
Of course, you don't need to worry, you can go all out!"
All four of them had unfriendly expressions.
This was blatant contempt.
However, despite their anger, they wouldn't refuse the offer.
For them, killing the demon was the most important thing.
If they could gain an advantage in the fight against the demon by setting aside some dignity, they couldn't be happier!
Ubuyashiki Kagaya pondered for a moment, then looked at Kocho Kanae: "What's your opinion, Kanae?"
Kocho Kanae looked at Aoki: "Since Mr. Aomura agrees, then I have no objection."
"Alright then! Since you all have this intention, then I won't interfere."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya didn't waste any more words, and with his wife and children, he retreated.
Shinazugawa Sanemi, Kanae, and the others tacitly spread out, surrounding Aoki in the middle.
Aoki surveyed the room: "Ready? Who's going to make the first move?"
Shinazugawa Sanemi's eyes were bloodshot, his face filled with murderous intent: "We already have the numerical advantage, so you can go first..."
Before he could finish, his expression changed drastically.
Aoki, who had just been in the middle of the encirclement, suddenly appeared in front of Shinazugawa Sanemi, his fist poised to strike.
"Then I won't hold back!"
"So fast! No, not just fast, I couldn't even see his movement trajectory. Is this the ability Kanae was talking about?"
Shinazugawa Sanemi roared inwardly: "Draw your sword! Draw your sword! Draw your sword now!"
Although his mind didn't process it, thankfully, his well-trained body reacted automatically, the light green blade suddenly unsheathed.
"Wind Breathing, Sixth Form, Black Wind and Mist!"
A black and green sword light flashed.
However, Aoki's fist deftly deviated slightly, grazing the blade and slamming heavily into Shinazugawa Sanemi's chest.
*Thud!*
Sanemi Shinazugawa took a step back, spitting out a mouthful of blood, but his movements remained perfectly straight.
"Wind Breathing, Third Form, Clear Breeze!"
In the transparent world, Aoki clearly observed the changes in his muscles, accurately predicting his movements, and lunged forward, his fists and elbows striking with lightning speed, as if he had foreseen it.
The first punch struck Sanemi Shinazugawa's shoulder, breaking his sword technique, followed by a heavy knee to his stomach, instantly curling Sanemi Shinazugawa's body into a shrimp-like shape.
The final elbow strike sent Sanemi Shinazugawa spitting out another mouthful of blood, his face down, his entire body slamming heavily to the ground.
A sharp whooshing sound came from behind, followed by two hurried footsteps.
Aoki's figure vanished abruptly.
*Whoosh!
* A broad axe wrapped in chains slashed through the air, only to strike air.
Uzui Tengen and Tomioka Giyuu also missed their target.
Aoki appeared beside Himejima Gyomei.
"Such a powerful physique! No wonder you're the strongest Demon Slayer Corps member of this generation!"
Gyomei Himejima stepped on the chain, and the other end of his flail slammed down towards Aoki's head.
"Rock Breathing, Second Form, Heavenly Shatter!"
"I think I know your weakness!"
Aoki's eyes flickered, and his figure vanished again. This time, however, he didn't stray far from Gyomei Himejima, but instead appeared diagonally above him, in a completely unexpected position.
His hand, like a blade, slashed down silently.
"Aoki Style, Funeral Procession!"
Read 40+ advanced chapters at p4treon..
[email protected]/Horizons685
(End of Chapter)