A plea for help

"But... but how can we fight Doma without Nichirin Blade!" Mitsuri tried to dissuade her.

Tengen Uzui said, "Alright, then let's not fight with Doma anymore. Let's all run down together and have Doma come down with us!"

Mitsuri objected, "Eh? This... this won't do, will it? If we do that, a lot of people in the Swordsmith Village will definitely die!"

"Since you know it won't work, then why don't you hurry up and go down!" Tengen Uzui said with a laugh.

"Eh? But... but..." Mitsuri hesitated.

She knew this might be the best approach, but given the current situation...

Isn't keeping someone here the same as sending that person to their death?

Seeing that Mitsuri was still struggling with this, Tengen Uzui couldn't help but say angrily:

"Alright! Stupid woman, every second you hesitate here is a waste of time."

"The people down there are waiting for you to rescue them! And you need to hurry down and bring up the Nichirin Blade. Only then will we have a chance to get through this night safely!!"

"Besides, this kind of rear-guard work is something that men should do!"

Upon hearing this, Mitsuri knew she couldn't dwell on it any longer. She grabbed Kotetsu and quickly started running down the mountain path, shouting as she did so:

"Mr. Uzui, you must hang in there! I'm coming right up!"

Upon hearing Kanroji's words, Tengen Uzui couldn't help but laugh:

"Ah! I know that without you saying it! I have three wives waiting for me at home!"

After saying that, Tengen Uzui suddenly thought of something and turned to say something to Mitsuri, but they had already run far away.

Seeing this, Tengen Uzui could only open his mouth helplessly.

"Oh no, that stupid woman, what if she comes up with a knife? I wield dual swords!"

After saying that, Tengen Uzui looked seriously at the guesthouse, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Never mind, now it's my time to shine as the god of festivals!!"

On the winding mountain road.

Mitsuri ran wildly down the Yamashita.

Kotetsu, clinging to Mitsuri's back, recalled the scene from just now and said somewhat dejectedly:

"Big Sister Kanroji, I'm so sorry! It's all my fault for bringing this ghost here! If it weren't for me, things wouldn't be like this now! Uncle Yamashita wouldn't have been killed by that ghost!!"

Mitsuri continued running forward, turned her head and smiled:

"It's alright, Kotetsu, don't be sad. It has nothing to do with you. Doma and the others came looking for us. You just lured them here! In that respect, you even deserve credit!"

"Honors?" Kotetsu raised his head slightly, looking at Mitsuri with some confusion.

Mitsuri nodded and explained, "You see, if it weren't for you bringing Doma here, Doma might have gone straight to the village. And since we were on the mountain, a lot of people would have died, wouldn't they?"

Kotetsu was somewhat skeptical and retorted, "But... but it's because I took him over there that you didn't have time to retrieve the Nichirin Blade, and that's why things have turned out this way!"

"But you've saved a lot of people, haven't you?" Mitsuri said with a smile.

"But... Uncle Yamashita died because of me, Lord Uzui is currently up there fighting that demon. Without the Nichirin Blade, he's probably..." Kotetsu said fearfully.

Kotetsu's words left Mitsuri momentarily silent. She didn't know if Mr. Uzui could hold on until then, but...

"Don't worry! Tengen Uzui will definitely be able to hold out until we catch up!" Mitsuri said to Kotetsu with a smile.

Kotetsu didn't speak, and lowered his head slightly.

Just then, a Kasugai Crow flew over; it was Mitsuri's personal Kasugai Crow —Rei.

Because the Swordsmith Village was relatively safe, the Kasugai Crow didn't stay with them the whole time; it only flew over to check after hearing the commotion.

The Kasugai Crow flew to the side of the mountain path, flapping its wings and flying forward at the speed Mitsuri was running, and asked:

"Lady Mitsuri! Lady Mitsuri! What happened?"

The familiar voice made Mitsuri stop in her tracks, and she turned to look at the Kasugai Crow.

"Great! Li! For some reason, Doma has wandered into the Swordsmith Village. Quickly fly out and report to them, and ask for help!"

Upon hearing this, the Kasugai Crow realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly replied:

"Okay, I'll go right away!"

Having said that, it flapped its wings and flew away from the Swordsmith Village.

Seeing this, Mitsuri quickly breathed a sigh of relief, but then she remembered something and hurriedly called out before the Kasugai Crow flew far away:

"Hey! Wait! Wait!"

The Kasugai Crow flapped their wings and flew back.

"What's wrong, Lady Kanroji?"

Mitsuri shouted, "Go downstairs first and notify the villagers to evacuate. While you're at it, ask the team to bring over two knives!"

"Okay! Okay!"

The Kasugai Crow responded and flew away again.

Mitsuri breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Rei gradually disappear into the night.

This way, I don't need to go to the village to notify them, and team members will bring the knife over soon, which will save a lot of time.

So... should I just go up there like that?

Mitsuri began to think.

If one of them goes up, the two of them will have an easier time facing Doma.

But... even if they went up there now, the two of them wouldn't be able to do any harm to Doma.

However, her teammates are slower on foot, so if they were to carry her up, it would definitely take them considerably longer than if she went down herself.

That might actually result in both of them being seriously injured.

Thinking of this, Mitsuri ran down the Yamashita again.

This way, she can get the Nichirin Blade faster, and then she can go back up the mountain to support Mr. Uzui as soon as possible.

However, this would put a lot of pressure on Mr. Uzui alone!

Thinking of this, Mitsuri quickened her pace again.

Kotetsu, perched on Mitsuri's back, suddenly spoke:

"Big Sister Kanroji, why didn't we let Kasugai Crow grab the Nichirin Blade and bring it up just now?"

"Huh? Huh! Huh!!!"

Mitsuri exclaimed in surprise a few times, then thought for a moment, quickly realized what she meant, and refuted:

"No way! The Kasugai Crow are too light! They only weigh a pound or two each, while Nichirin Blade weighs at least two or three pounds. They can't lift them!"

Kotetsu nodded, paused for a moment, and then asked again:

"Big Sister Kanroji, is this ghost very strong? You all seem quite nervous!"

"Yes, he is the Upper Rank!" Mitsuri nodded, not denying it.

Is the Upper Rank stronger than the pillar?

"Hmm, that's probably it!"