The Hashira's Siege
Edo Castle, the Shogunate.
Oboro, dressed in a kimono, sat gracefully in the hall filled with singing and dancing, with exquisite pastries and drinks laid out on the square table in front of her.
A group of songstresses sang and danced, accompanied by monotonous string music.
The makeup these women wore looked like they had applied a layer of white powder, which I really couldn't appreciate.
Besides him, there were many important figures from the Shogunate in the room at this time, some of whom were retainers and some of whom were military officers... but the one who attracted the most attention was the one sitting at the very front of the group.
Descendants of Tokugawa.
The current 'ruler'.
Seeing the debauched behavior of these high-ranking officials of the Shogunate, Oboro put down his wine cup. After the geishas who had performed left the stage, he slowly stood up and stepped forward. "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well, so I won't stay here and spoil your fun."
Everyone looked over, their expressions varied.
The head of the Tokugawa Family was not angry and let Oboro leave on his own.
Everyone here has heard that Oboro has been frail and sickly since childhood... I heard that he almost died at home not long ago and had a close call with death.
Also present was one of Oboro's direct elders, and it was thanks to this person that Oboro had such a powerful background.
The Oboro lineage was also one of the key figures in the Tokugawa clan's unification and the creation of the Edo period.
As he stepped out of the palace gate, listening to the incessant commotion behind him, Long's expression remained cold and detached.
He was very interested in the power system of Demon Slayer, but had absolutely no desire to get involved in political power.
In this world, power systems and political regimes are essentially unrelated, completely different from the Hunter x Hunter World.
However, Oboro knew everything that needed to be known.
In the Edo period, the country was closed off from the world, a class system was promoted, and the law was excessive... It's not hard to see what the social atmosphere was like.
It's no wonder that defections have been frequent in various places.
Every year, the Shogunate alone executed nearly two thousand prisoners.
Don't underestimate this number; these are just prisoners under the rule Shogunate the Edo Castle... Once they were imprisoned, they were all subjected to torture, and the methods were extremely cruel.
It is an environment rife with wrongful imprisonment.
Furthermore, the Shogunate's finances were empty and its deficit was severe... and the people under its command enjoyed the sense of superiority brought by their class every day, becoming immersed in it and unable to extricate themselves.
Therefore, by all accounts, the Shogunate is about to come to an end.
"What needs to be done... still needs to be done, after all, we have to live a long time..."
A few days later, Oboro left Edo Castle and returned to Entertainment District.
It was still a few sedan chair bearers carrying the sedan chair, traveling on foot.
There's still a long way to go before the plot unfolds... Oboro's idea is very simple: by refining this body and conserving his energy, he can increase his lifespan.
Just like Netero in Hunter x Hunter, he could live to be over a hundred, or even two hundred.
The way he tempers and nourishes his flesh and blood is beyond the comprehension of people in this world.
However, while he can break through some of the limitations of this world, there are still limits to him.
The space is different. In Hunter x Hunter, Oboro could easily live to be hundreds of years old, but here it might not be so... If she can't do that, she'll have to continue using 'Muzan's blood'.
"Um?"
Suddenly, Oboro raised an eyebrow and revealed a playful smile.
They were walking on an official road.
Suddenly, a black bird appeared in the sky.
It's Kasugai Crow.
"Being watched?"
Long's heart stirred.
In Ubuyashiki Kuno's eyes, he had become a demon... Even though it was daytime, his hiding in the palanquin was still very suspicious.
Ubuyashiki Kuno is a very intelligent person.
The only thing he could do for the Demon Slayer Corps was to have a brilliant mind. Since he couldn't help with physical strength, he could only try to find solutions with his intellect.
He brought the breathing technique to the Demon Slayer Corps... and based on what Shijing and Tanjuro saw, Kuno, with his mindset, couldn't possibly fail to judge his strength.
"Even so, why insist on harming yourself?"
It's not difficult for Ubuyashiki to find its place.
After all, this clan was quite familiar with the situation of the Shogunate.
"Is this the will of the Demon Slayer Corps?"
He said in a low voice.
This feeling is quite interesting...
Although he hadn't Demon Slayer Corps, only a Kasugai Crow, Oboro had already sensed a potential threat.
Even if it's like throwing an egg against a rock, they will not back down.
We will give our all to bring this evil to its knees; this is an unwavering stance and determination.
In the Hunter x Hunter World, the will he felt was mostly personal will... Hunter x Hunter is truly a world that closely follows individual power. Even with groups like Hunter x Hunter and Nen user, they cannot unite as one. Everyone is very 'selfish'.
If the Hunter x Hunter could be as united as the Demon Slayer Corps, Netero wouldn't have ended up like that.
In the Hunter x Hunter, there are too many strong individuals with outstanding personal will... but there really isn't this kind of 'collective' inheritance and bond. The Phantom Troupe doesn't count; that's not a legacy.
Moreover, within the Spiders organization, each member has their own thoughts and ideas.
It can only be said that it was Chrollo's outstanding personal charisma and leadership, including his willpower, that attracted the wills of other individuals together.
Essentially, it is still a group of 'individualized' wills moving toward the same goal.
Yet, it was precisely in a small, low-level world like Demon Slayer that a very rare inherited will was born.
The main difference is in the background and setting.
Throughout the entire day, Long did not emerge from the sedan chair, only occasionally resting to the side after the sedan chair bearers alighted.
Two maids handed some water and food into the sedan chair.
It was evening, just before they were about to reach a place to stay.
The Demon Slayer Corps... has moved out.
Initially, there were dark shadows flashing by on both sides of the road, and sounds could be heard.
Chiyoko and Rina, who were walking alongside the palanquin, couldn't help but glance at it sideways.
But after looking around, nothing was found.
There were no guards in their group, because Oboro didn't need any... Although he wasn't worried about his master's safety, encountering bandits or robbers would not be a good thing.
However, when they turned around, they saw an incredibly graceful figure tumbling down from the night sky – a woman with a long braid.
Her flowing robe, illuminated by the moonlight, shimmered with iridescent colors, dazzling and beautiful.
It's like a woven garment inlaid with a lot of crystals.
The woman, like a large bird, lightly touched the top of the sedan chair with her toes. The seemingly gentle movement seemed to possess terrifying power, causing several of the sedan chair's shoulder poles to break instantly and crash to the ground with a bang.
The sedan chair carriers fell to the ground in a disheveled state.
Then, almost at the same time, two people approached from the left and right.
They knocked out the sedan bearers and maids and kidnapped them in an instant.
It only took a few seconds. On the empty road, only the sedan chair that Oboro was riding in and the woman standing on top of the sedan chair remained.
A beam of light, Sayuri.
"Hey, magistrate... you're really calm, have you already resigned yourself to your fate?"
Sayuri tapped the wooden board lightly with her toes, coldly mocking.
Without saying a word, a stream of light suddenly appeared in his hand.
The slender blade pierced directly through the wooden plank and embedded itself in the sedan chair.
The tactile feedback from the handle didn't feel like hitting a real object.
"Nobody here?"
Sayuri immediately realized that the target was not inside the sedan chair, and her eyelids twitched.
How is that possible?
Before she made her move, she had already locked onto the energy flow inside the sedan.
The sedan curtain swayed slightly, and the sound of robes being blown by the wind came from not far away. Sayuri turned her head and her pupils contracted.
Then she saw the man with a black haori draped over his shoulders standing a few meters away, looking at her with a smile.
Wow, so fast!
Sayuri felt a little numb on her scalp.
"Impressive... Is this the power of inherited will? I really underestimated you..." Long smiled.
Even if only a tiny amount of Muzan's cells remained in his body, this pillar could still detect it.
The fact that someone dared to attack him meant they were certain he wasn't purely human... This kind of perception, or rather, this specific intuition, is something that's truly difficult to achieve through cultivation.
Even Lianlong himself, if he doesn't concentrate, sometimes overlooks the faint, almost imperceptible, strange aura emanating from his body.
Long had no intention of explaining his current state.
He didn't need to explain to these people, nor did he want to waste his breath.
There were three people standing on the road in front of him, and three more people behind him.
This includes Shiwei and Tanjuro.
There are seven columns in total.
"Judging by this, all the Pillars have arrived, seven in total..."
Long laughed.
This means they've mobilized all of the Demon Slayer Corps' top-tier combat power; they're determined to execute me.