How could he spare a thought for Shinobu Kocho calling after him?
At that moment, Tetsu no Sosuke felt as though a sheet of paper called anxiety had been pasted over his heart.
"But... there's still time. Whatever happened, there's still time!"
As he sprinted, he struggled to clear his head. "She's one of the Nine Pillars. In the manga, she fought Doma until dawn and died in Shinobu Kocho's arms. So I have to find her before midnight, no matter what. Give her this sword, and then... get as far away as possible!"
"Damn it! Why do I have to run away?!"
Tetsu no Sosuke gritted his teeth. He knew why: he was a Swordsmith!
Even killing an ordinary demon had taken everything he had, and in the end, he had needed Sunlight to finish it off.
Against Doma, Upper Moon Two, he would be utterly useless.
If he failed to stay away, he would only become a burden to Kanae in battle.
He might even make things worse.
But... he still couldn't accept it!
He had long since accepted that he was a Swordsmith. He knew his battlefield was the cramped space of the Sword Forging Shed. But... he still couldn't accept it!
If he had a choice, he would rather be the one fighting instead of the woman who never left his thoughts.
But now was not the time for that.
Whether or not things were as he feared, finding her was all that mattered now.
Run. Run faster!
Why was he still so slow?
Trees flashed past him. Though he still felt sluggish, he was already moving at tremendous speed!
Shinobu Kocho was going out of her mind!
What on earth had gotten into him?
He had spouted all that incomprehensible nonsense, looked so frighteningly grim, then charged off like a madman.
It was nighttime!
Who knew what horrors lurked in the dark?
She had to catch him and drag him back!
That was what Shinobu Kocho had thought at first. But he only ran faster and faster, and to her disbelief, the distance between them kept growing!
"He's just a Swordsmith! What on earth did he take?"
Shinobu Kocho stared after him, baffled. It seemed impossible.
At this pace, he wouldn't need an hour. In half an hour, he would leave her completely behind.
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