He hurriedly rolled over and got to his feet, shading his eyes with one hand as he looked...
The approaching figure moved with effortless grace and speed. Though her toes touched the mud again and again, not a speck of dirt clung to her.
Her bearing was extraordinary.
But...
"Why so short?" Tetsu no Sosuke wondered for only a moment. "Oh, my sister-in-law's here!"
Then it hit him, and he was speechless. He was waiting for the Sound Pillar. What good would his sister-in-law do?
They would just stare at each other, neither knowing what to say.
By the time that thought crossed his mind, Shinobu Kocho had reached him.
She looked him up and down, then burst out laughing. "You poor thing."
"..."
Tetsu no Sosuke's face darkened. "Did you come here to make fun of me?"
"I came to help you." Shinobu Kocho snorted and took a small bottle from her robes. "Getting the Sound Pillar to blow it up is such a stupid idea. He's good with explosives, but they might not reach deep enough. My methods are different..."
She uncorked the bottle and poured its contents into the swamp.
Tetsu no Sosuke's eyes lit up. "Poison!"
It would spread fast. The swamp was full of water and mud, and the poison would travel with the water and seep into the soil. Even a demon would have nowhere to hide.
Tetsu no Sosuke perked up at once. "That's my butt!"
"...Keep talking nonsense, and I'll shove this bottle down your throat!"
Shinobu Kocho was furious.
Tetsu no Sosuke laughed. "It's been ages. How are you still so fierce?"
Chapter 429: Resolution
Counting back, Tetsu no Sosuke realized it had been a long time since he had last seen Shinobu Kocho.
"Kanae told me you've been helping Tamayo