Chapter 57 Aoki vs. the Pillar
---
Aoki followed Butterfly Kanae to an inconspicuous small town.
He looked around curiously.
Rows of buildings lined both sides of the road neatly. There were very few pedestrians, and the sounds of barking dogs and crowing roosters could be heard.
"I thought the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters would be somewhere deep in the mountains and old forests, but I didn't expect you to live so elegantly in a town."
Butterfly Kanae said, "Sometimes, towns are safer than mountains and forests, and our lord has more than one residence."
Aoki nodded and said nothing.
It is normal for a cunning rabbit to have three burrows.
The Ubuyashiki clan, the Demon Slayer Corps, and Muzan Kibutsuji have been entangled for hundreds of years, so they naturally understand this.
The two came to a courtyard on the edge of the town.
The courtyard occupied a vast area, and the gate was closed.
Butterfly Kanae knocked on the door, opened it, and walked in without waiting for a response.
Aoki followed closely behind.
As soon as he stepped through the door, eyes fell on him.
Some were wary, curious, or hostile.
Aoki's expression remained calm, and with a glance, he took in the scene in the yard.
There were quite a few people in the yard.
Directly in front of him was a house with curved eaves. At the door sat a black-haired young man with a hideous scar on his face. Next to him sat a beautiful white-haired woman.
Not far from them, two children were playing.
On their right side, four young men with powerful auras stood.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya, who had hideous scars on his face, stood up with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Aomura."
"I have long admired your name, the head of the Ubuyashiki clan!"
After Aoki said this, he looked at the four people staring at him intently. "Are there only four Hashira here? Oh, no, there should be five including Miss Kanae."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya's gentle smile made people feel at peace. "Actually, I thought it would be nice if Kanae brought you here, but these children insisted on coming."
"Understandable."
Aoki looked at the four people.
They were all familiar faces.
The first young man had an open chest, a body covered with scars, and fierce eyes—the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa.
The second person had a stern face and wore a two-colored haori—the Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka.
The third one was tall, strong, white-haired, and handsome—the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui.
The fourth one was taller, dressed as a monk, blind in both eyes—the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima.
He could feel that the four were looking at him with strong hostility and fear.
Both sides stared at each other without speaking, and the atmosphere gradually became tense.
After a moment, Aoki said in surprise, "Aren't you going to do anything?"
He thought these people wouldn't be able to resist testing him or trying to strike him.
Especially the irritable Sanemi Shinazugawa.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya said sincerely, "Mr. Aomura, we sincerely want to cooperate with you. These children are only worried about my safety and have no harmful intentions towards you."
A smile appeared on Aoki's face. "It doesn't matter, I think everyone is very interested in me. Let's spar! In fact, I am also very curious about breathing techniques!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa couldn't wait and said, "My lord, since he said so, we shouldn't refuse, right?"
His eyes were wide open, as if glaring all the time, exuding a stern and violent aura.
Tengen Uzui took the long knife from his back, staring at Aoki with burning eyes. "If we want to cooperate, I also think it is best to find out each other's strengths first!"
Gyomei Himejima clasped his hands together and shed two lines of tears. "I agree too. Amitabha."
Giyu Tomioka didn't speak, but he put his palm on the handle of his sword, clearly expressing his attitude.
The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became tense.
Aoki said, "Looking at the sincerity and courage of the head of the Ubuyashiki family who came with his family, I will not harm you! Of course, you don't have to worry about holding back. You can go all out!"
All four of them looked displeased.
This was pure contempt.
However, angry as they were, they wouldn't refuse this proposal.
For them, being able to kill demons was the most important thing.
If they could gain an advantage in fighting demons by putting down some dignity, it was worth it!
Ubuyashiki Kagaya pondered for a moment, then looked at Butterfly Kanae. "What's your opinion, Kanae?"
Butterfly Kanae looked at Aoki. "Since Mr. Aomura agrees, then I have no objection."
"Okay! Since you all feel this way, I won't stop you."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya didn't waste any more words. He took his wife and children and retreated.
Sanemi, Kanae, and the others dispersed in tacit agreement, surrounding Aoki in the middle.
Aoki looked around. "Are you ready? Who will take action first?"
Sanemi's eyes were bloodshot, with murderous intent on his face. "We already have the numerical advantage, so let you go first…"
Before he finished speaking, his expression changed drastically.
Aoki, who was still in the middle of the encirclement, suddenly appeared in front of Sanemi, his fists ready.
"Then I won't be polite!"
"So fast! No, it's not just fast—you can't see the movement trajectory at all. Is this the ability Kanae mentioned?"
Sanemi roared in his heart, "Draw the sword! Draw the sword! Hurry up and draw the sword!"
Although his mind didn't react, his tempered body did. The light green blade suddenly unsheathed.
"Breath of Wind, Sixth Form: Black Wind Mountain Mist!"
The black and green sword light suddenly appeared.
However, Aoki's fist cleverly deflected, missed the blade, and hit Sanemi's chest hard.
Poof!
Sanemi took a step back and spat out a large mouthful of blood, but his movements did not stop.
"Breath of Wind, Third Form: Clean Storm Wind Tree!"
In the transparent world, Aoki clearly captured the changes in his muscles, accurately judged his movements, stepped forward, and like a prophet, his fists and elbows fell like lightning.
The first punch hit Sanemi's shoulder, breaking his sword move. Then a heavy knee hit his stomach, causing Sanemi's body to bow like a prawn.
With the final elbow strike, Sanemi spat out another large mouthful of blood, his face down, and his whole body slammed to the ground.
A sharp sound of breaking through the air came from behind, followed by hurried footsteps.
Aoki's figure suddenly disappeared.
Wow!
The broadaxe wrapped around the iron chain slashed through the air but only hit emptiness.
Tengen Uzui and Giyu Tomioka missed the opportunity.
Aoki appeared next to Gyomei Himejima.
"What a powerful physique. He is indeed the strongest in the Demon Slayer Squad today!"
Gyomei stepped on the iron chain, and the meteor hammer at the other end slammed toward Aoki's head.
"Breath of Stone, Second Form: Upper Smash!"
"I seem to know your weakness!"
Aoki's eyes moved, and his figure disappeared again. This time, he did not stay away from Gyomei but appeared diagonally above him, in an absolutely unexpected position.
His palm became like a knife, cutting down silently.
"Aoki Style: Funeral Slice!"
=====
T/N: There is a patreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early access of 25+ chapters.
Patreon link:- patreon.com/ANelite
And also Give me power stones