" Lord Tengen, I'm sorry, I let you down this time!"
The Hinatsuru crouched beside Tengen Uzui, its head bowed in disappointment.
Perhaps it's because they're intended to be used as reserve grain.
Daki didn't really hurt them; she just knocked them unconscious.
Seeing this, Tengen Uzui gently raised a hand and patted the Hinatsuru's head.
"No! We owe you all this time! Otherwise, we might have been wiped out!"
Whether it was the previous infiltration and investigation, or the subsequent battle!
If it weren't for you, we would have been killed by Upper Rank Six long ago!
"But while you were fighting so desperately, we couldn't offer any help at all!"
Makio also looked dejected. In this mission, they could say that all they did was bandage the wounded and hold Daki at the last minute; otherwise, they were practically useless.
Suma to the side, blinked, unsure of what to say.
She only took Tanjiro with her to the clinic this time, and didn't do anything else.
Tengen Uzui laughed and said, "You've done a great job! Head-on combat is something men should do!"
After saying that, Tengen Uzui looked at Teiichi.
"You agree, right, Kato!"
Teiichi leaned against a pebble, closing his eyes to rest.
Hearing what Tengen Uzui said, he opened his eyes, looked at them, and nodded.
"I suppose so! But with Uzui's injuries being so severe, I suggest you try to talk to him as little as possible and let him rest more!"
Upon hearing this, Tengen Uzui laughed and scolded, "You're such a spoilsport! Surviving a major battle like this is the perfect time to build rapport!"
"No! Lord Tengen! Lord Kato is right. You are so badly injured right now, you really should talk less and rest more!" Makio, raising a hand and gently pressing it on Tengen Uzui's chest.
"Not at all. If I hadn't been poisoned, these injuries would be nothing to me! I don't even think I need to go to the Butterfly Mansion!" said Tengen Uzui.
Hinatsuru said, "Let's wait for the Hidden Team members to come and check before we decide! Lord Tengen should refrain from speaking now and get some rest!"
"But..."
Tengen Uzui wanted to say something more, but seeing that his wives were all looking at him intently, he had no choice but to stop talking and sit there quietly to rest.
The street fell silent for a moment.
The injured are resting quietly there.
Those who can speak are afraid to speak for fear of affecting the injured.
Only Teiichi would Gyutaro and add a kick to the mix.
Time passed second by second.
Teiichi was leaning against the gravel, suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards a corner of the street.
Makio the first to notice the situation and followed Teiichi's gaze in that direction, but saw nothing.
Turning back, I noticed that Lord Kato was still looking in that direction, so I asked him in confusion:
" Lord Kato, what's wrong?"
The others also looked over upon hearing this.
Teiichi snapped out of his daze, stood up from the rubble, and said:
"We need to move to another place!"
Tengen Uzui asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Teiichi explained, "The police have arrived! They must have heard no movement from here, so they came to check on the situation!"
"Then we definitely need to move to a different place!" Tengen Uzui nodded.
The Demon Slayer Corps has no overt connection with the official authorities.
If it were just minor mischief, that would be one thing, but even if you got caught, the Ubuyashiki Family could still get you out.
But this battle affected a much larger area.
Whether the Ubuyashiki Family would feel bad about having to pay compensation later, Tengen Uzui didn't know, but he certainly would.
Teiichi walked up to Tanjiro's side.
" Mr. Kato!" Tanjiro greeted him.
Teiichi slightly and asked, " Tanjiro, where's that blood-drawing device Tamayo gave you?"
Upon hearing this, Tanjiro reached into his robes, his expression quickly changing.
"What's wrong?" Teiichi asked.
Tanjiro pulled something out of his pocket; it was a wooden box broken in two.
The box originally contained a delicate little knife, but now it was broken in two.
" Mr. Kato, I'm sorry! I didn't save this properly!"
"It's alright! Having that just makes it easier to send it back! If we don't have it, we can use something else to store it!"
Teiichi comforted them, then turned to look at the Hinatsuru.
Does anyone have a container to store liquids?
I have some!
Suma raised his hand in a gesture, then took out three small pots from behind him.
"When I took Tanjiro to the clinic, I was worried that someone might get thirsty, so I prepared some water while Tanjiro was receiving treatment!"
"Is there still water inside?" Teiichi asked.
Suma shook his head. "While you were fighting Upper Rank Six, I already shared some with the others!"
Teiichi, took the water bottle, and went to Daki and Gyutaro, taking a little blood from each of them.
The group then quickly divided up the tasks.
Teiichi helped Tengen Uzui up, Hinatsuru, Makio, and Suma carried Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke on their backs respectively.
As for Gyutaro, he was naturally left to Daki.
Sensing the Wind Field, Teiichi led the group to the outskirts of the city.
After the injured were properly cared for, the scene returned to its previous quiet state.
Only Teiichi would occasionally kick Gyutaro in the back.
At a certain moment.
"Hoo~~Loo~~~Hoo~~Loo~~~"
Heavy snoring echoed through the woods.
Teiichi opened his eyes and looked at Inosuke.
A large snot bubble was seen inflating and contracting on the Boar's Head.
His gaze swept across the woods.
Only Teiichi, Tengen Uzui, Daki were still awake.
Teiichi and Tengen Uzui exchanged a glance, then chuckled softly, without making a sound to disturb the others.
Let them sleep if they want; after all, they've been fighting for most of the night and are exhausted.
Time passed slowly, punctuated by Inosuke's snoring.
The sky gradually turned a pale white.
The surrounding environment gradually brightened.
As death drew near, Daki's body, which had been quietly crouching on the ground, began to tremble uncontrollably.
This situation—knowing she would die but having no way to prevent it—caused Daki immense distress.
Even Daki was considering whether to deliberately provoke Teiichi Teiichi kill them.
But her fear of death also prevented her from taking any action.
They remained squatting in the same spot, locked in a stalemate.
At one moment, Teiichi Yi, who had been quietly leaning against the tree trunk, suddenly opened his eyes.
He turned his head and quickly looked in the direction where Daki and Gyutaro were.
This is...?
There, Daki and Gyutaro's bodies were rapidly swelling.
Daki looked up at Teiichi with a terrified expression.
There seemed to be a hint of pleading in his eyes.
That's right, the ghost is calling on the Demon Slayer for help!
Teiichi also wanted to save them.
but...
He went over the moves in his mind, but had absolutely no idea which move could save them.
There was no time to think further. The two were not far from where the others were resting. If they didn't act soon, an explosion would be the end of them.
Teiichi's figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.
Bang! Bang!
With two loud bangs, Daki and Gyutaro were suddenly sent flying into the air.
boom--!