A loathsome force spread from the Iron Skewers through his entire body. It kept him from gathering his strength and steadily wore him down.
And with his joints pinned in place, he could not make a single effective move!
Turning his body to mist was out of the question.
As long as the Iron Skewers remained embedded in him, they continued to injure his body. He could not turn to mist.
"...Why?"
Confusion flashed through his eyes.
He had never imagined it would end this way.
He had kept every Pillar in sight and considered every possibility. He had found the perfect opening, only to discover that what awaited him was not escape, but... a trap!?
"There's no why... We simply outmaneuvered you."
The crowd parted. Tetsu no Sosuke smiled faintly. "I'm glad we caught you!"
At the earlier meeting, Tetsu no Sosuke had divided his plan into stages.
There were three in all.
The first stage was to test the demon's strength and abilities.
That stage had gone perfectly.
Tetsu no Sosuke shared the information through the Kasugai Crow. The Wind Pillar received it after the Love Pillar and Serpent Pillar appeared.
The second stage was to join forces and overwhelm him.
But the crucial part was the third stage!
For this vital stage, the Swordsmen would lay a trap. The Iron Skewers were made from Sleeve Arrow tips, forged by Tetsu no Sosuke using the Poison Forging Method into iron imbued with Wisteria Poison.
They would serve as the "locks" that sealed the demon's movements!
During the planning, the Serpent Pillar had asked, "Why have the Swordsmen use the Iron Skewers instead of us?"
"Because he'll be watching us!" Tetsu no Sosuke had answered. "In a direct fight, he'll keep every one of us firmly in