Chapter 18: namu amida butsu
The next morning.
The sky was gloomy, lead-gray clouds hung low, and even the wind carried a damp chill.
Without the sun, the atmosphere of the journey felt somewhat oppressive.
"My goodness, Ryuji-sama, are you carrying a whole boulder on your back?"
A Kakushi Member responsible for carrying Ryuji couldn't help but wail.
In the basket, Ryuji sat steadily with his eyes blindfolded, but the Kakushi Member beneath him was drenched in sweat, his steps somewhat unsteady.
They had already rotated through several groups of people.
It was simply too heavy!
This weight didn't seem like a fourteen-year-old boy at all... "Ah, sorry, sorry, I'm still growing."
Ryuji rubbed his nose and said somewhat helplessly, "My clothes have become much shorter..."
This was the truth; after gaining the One piece Physique, he ate more and more, which fit the appetite of the One Piece world perfectly.
Surely his height wouldn't develop in that direction too... "Hey, stop complaining!"
Tamura, who was slightly shorter in the group, turned back with a smile to cheer them up: "This is a user of Stone Breathing; being heavy means he's the real deal! Think about it, with this weight, it's full of security!"
That said, having just set Ryuji down, he was also constantly wiping away sweat.
Matsushita, the leader of the team, looked up at the gloomy sky, his brow furrowing slightly.
"This kind of weather always feels like a bad omen."
"Captain, don't worry."
Tamura said cheerfully, "With Ryuji-sama here, no matter the omen, we're not afraid of any demons that come!"
"That's true."
The group traveled along small mountain paths; to avoid detection, they chose a more remote route.
Soon, the silhouette of a small village appeared ahead.
The village was terrifyingly quiet, with no cooking smoke, no roosters crowing or dogs barking, and not even a single human voice to be heard.
"Speed up!"
They had originally wanted to rest in the village, but the current eerie atmosphere made Matsushita very worried, so he directly ordered them to accelerate.
The others said nothing, only quickening their pace.
Just as they were about to cross the open space in the center of the village, a sudden change occurred!
A black shadow suddenly lunged out from a dilapidated house, fast as an arrow from a bow!
It was a demon!
A demon crazed with hunger!
Its body was gaunt, its limbs long and thin, and its cloudy eyes held only a frantic craving for flesh and blood.
Its target was precisely Tamura, who was walking on the flank of the team!
"Watch out!"
Matsushita roared, wanting to help but it was already too late.
The demon's speed was too fast!
Tamura only felt a fishy wind hitting his face, and from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of that distorted and greedy face.
His mind went blank for a moment.
It's over.
That was his only thought.
As a member of the Shinobi, he had undergone rigorous training, but he was not a combatant after all.
Facing a demon's lethal pounce, let alone him, even an ordinary swordsman would absolutely not be able to react at such close range!
Certain death!
However, in the instant before fear was about to consume his sanity, an even stronger will took over his body!
I can't die for nothing!
"Don't worry about me! Use me as bait! Kill it!!"
Tamura let out the most resolute roar of his life.
Instead of retreating, he suddenly took a step forward.
Opening his arms, he was actually going to use his own flesh and blood to tightly hold onto this evil demon, creating an opportunity for his companions to slay it!
He was ready to meet the end of his path.
But the imagined intense pain didn't appear; Tamura opened his eyes and saw a scene he would never forget in his life.
A figure stood in front of him.
It was Ryuji!
He was still blindfolded, his right hand pulled back to the limit, facing the rapidly attacking demon with unwavering resolve!
"Stone Breathing, Third Form: Unarmed Capture!"
Bang!!
Accompanied by a dull explosion, the demon's ugly head, like a watermelon smashed by a heavy hammer, instantly burst apart.
Black blood splattered across an entire wall behind it, without even a single wail being uttered!
The headless corpse stiffened for a moment, then slumped down powerlessly, rapidly turning into ashes in the shadows where sunlight could not reach.
One punch.
Instant kill.
The entire world seemed to have been put on mute.
All the Kakushi Members stood frozen in place, mouths agape, eyes bulging, staring intently at Ryuji, who still maintained his punching posture.
What just happened?
With a fist... he smashed the demon's head?
Tamura slumped on the ground, gasping for air; the relief of surviving a disaster and the surreal scene before him made his brain completely shut down.
Ryuji slowly withdrew his fist and tilted his head: "Thanks for your shout, it allowed me to pinpoint the location."
His voice was calm, breaking the deathly silence.
"Thank you very much!! Ryuji-sama!"
Matsushita was the first to react; he swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly. He had thought Tamura was going to die, and that he would have to experience that hellish scene again!
Seeing a partner sacrifice themselves before his eyes but being powerless, only able to watch!
"Also, sorry, I broke the basket. By the way, the Shinobi who was carrying me, are you okay?"
Ryuji, wearing the blindfold, said softly.
Only then did everyone react, helping up the Kakushi Member who was lying on the ground.
[Detected host killed a Wandering Pirate, reward: military merit points +10]
Ten points?
This demon clearly isn't strong, how can there be so many rewards?
"System, what's going on?"
[military merit points depend not on the pirate's strength, but on the crimes committed by the pirate. Of course, generally, pirates with serious crimes are also very strong.]
I see, it's like a bounty System.
"Ryuji-sama, take a rest and eat something."
Tamura handed a rice ball to Ryuji, saying with gratitude: "Thank you for saving me..."
Ryuji raised his hand to stop him: "I am a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps, killing demons is my duty. Go rest, the road is still long."
Everyone rested for a bit and also scouted the village; the situation was dire, there wasn't a single person alive, everyone was dead.
Ryuji chewed on the rice ball, somewhat silent.
The length of the manga was still too short; that was only a corner of the Demon Slayer World... this world is huge, and there are many demons.
Their journey after restarting was much smoother, and they soon arrived at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters!
"We've arrived, Ryuji-sama."
Tamura, the Kakushi Member responsible for carrying him, stopped, wiped the sweat from his forehead, placed Ryuji on the ground, and said softly:
"Please let me guide you inside."
Ryuji's feet touched the ground, and he nodded: "Alright, thank you."
He raised his hand and untied the dark cloth strip that had been covering his eyes.
The moment light flooded in, he squinted slightly to adapt and see the scene before him clearly.
The buildings that came into view were simple and serene in style, full of a strong Japanese atmosphere.
They were strictly enveloped by lush green trees and a year-round mist, with excellent concealment, looking different from the brief impression shown in the manga.
It wasn't a single house, but more like a vast cluster of traditional residences.
Just as they walked through the main gate, they saw a giant man about two meters tall.
His eyes were pure white and blind, a long scar ran across his forehead, a string of red Buddhist beads hung around his neck, and he wore a brown Haori covered with "namu amida butsu."
"namu amida butsu."
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