Chapter 42: A Punch to Kill

"Ah!"

Another scream rang out; the female Demon Slayer with black hair and purple eyes, wearing a butterfly-patterned haori, furrowed her brows with an expression of unbearable pain. She knew another companion had been killed by a Ghost.

She had to kill all the man-eating Ghosts as quickly as possible, but...

"You're a Pillar-level swordsman, aren't you? I never expected that a Pillar-level swordsman would still dare to come out in the night these days."

A gloomy male voice sounded. Kochou Kanae looked at this human who held a clear Nichirin Sword against a young girl's neck.

Yes, this person leading a group of man-eating Ghosts to attack them, the members of the Demon Slayer Corps, was a human...

Kochou Kanae showed an expression of unbearable pain, but it was clear that the companions behind her could no longer withstand the attacks of the dozens of man-eating Ghosts.

Seeming to see the woman's determination, the swordsman with gray hair hanging down from both sides of his temples pressed his blade down two inches and threatened further, "If you make a move, this young girl will become another victim under my Nichirin Sword. You understand the current situation, don't you..."

"The Ubuyashiki Clan has long been targeted by those above for harboring you lot of swordsmen. If a Demon Slayer were to slaughter ordinary people at a time like this, I think even if they were hiding in the mountains, the Ubuyashiki Clan would be wiped out very quickly!"

Kochou Kanae's face turned slightly pale. She had not expected that her simple act of coming out to save people would turn the situation into what it was now.

At this very moment, on one side were her companions surrounded by man-eating Ghosts, and on the other was a traitor holding a Nichirin Sword to threaten her. What on earth should she do...

"Help, Master Flower Hashira!"

A desperate cry came from behind again. Kochou Kanae's eyes changed; she still could not bear to see her companions die by her side. She suddenly drew her sword, the orange clover-shaped tsuba shining in the moonlight.

The next moment, Flower Breathing had already bloomed.

The gray-haired swordsman only saw Kochou Kanae move with incomparable agility, instantly drifting backward. With one sword strike, the sword light scattered like falling petals, and several man-eating Ghosts were instantly decapitated.

His heart panicked. No, if these Ghosts all died here, his return would be absolutely miserable.

He gently grazed the neck of the young girl he was holding with his sword, and fresh blood instantly flowed out.

"Stop! Do you want to get everyone killed?"

Since Kochou Kanae had made her move, she already had the resolve. As her figure fluttered, her voice came through as usual.

"Tonight's events are all my own doing, Kochou Kanae, and have nothing to do with the Master. Once I have sent everyone away, I will naturally commit seppuku to atone for my sins!"

The woman's voice was resolute, and her sword light was even more ruthless.

In an instant, dozens of man-eating Ghosts were slashed and scattered in flight.

Due to years of practicing Breathing Styles, the physical ability of a Pillar-level swordsman is quite powerful, and their swordsmanship is specifically targeted at man-eating Ghosts. Ordinary man-eating Ghosts are simply no match for a Pillar-level swordsman in a single exchange.

Only those powerful man-eating Ghosts known as the Twelve Kizuki are monsters capable of fighting against and even hunting down Pillar-level swordsmen.

Pingye Katsumi's heart was already cold. He kept thinking about what he should do to save his life in front of that superior. Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he grabbed the foolish girl who didn't even know how to cry and charged directly at the female swordsman wearing the haori.

Sensing the movement, Kochou Kanae glanced behind her from the corner of her eye. She saw the girl being thrown directly by the opponent. Kochou Kanae withdrew her sword stance and caught her gently with one hand.

Although Kochou Kanae's strength was not considered great among the Pillars, it was much higher than her sister Shinobu's. In the state of Total Concentration, her strength was much greater than that of an ordinary man.

Her movements were fluid; Flower Breathing was originally a branch of Water Breathing, and she was very skilled in exerting and borrowing force.

Kanae caught the girl, and the man's sword arrived late to strike.

She flicked her blade lightly and blocked the opponent's sword.

Pingye Katsumi knew that the superficial Breathing Style he had learned could not truly defeat a Pillar-level swordsman, but he had his own reliance.

Facing Kochou Kanae's agile sword stance, he did not dodge or evade, gritting his teeth and charging straight forward while holding his tachi with both hands.

The posture was as if he were crashing into the sword. As his facial muscles twitched, he said viciously,

"Today, you Demon Slayers killed me, a magistrate. Let's see if your one life can appease the Minister's fury!"

Hearing the opponent's words, Kochou Kanae shifted her blade and actually took the initiative to avoid Pingye Katsumi.

Seeing that his strategy was indeed correct, Pingye Katsumi became even more aggressive in his fighting.

Those man-eating Ghosts that had already fled, seeing that this useless human swordsman could actually hold back that powerful woman, also turned back and pounced like vicious wolves.

Kochou Kanae instantly fell into a disadvantage. Her sword stance began to lose its fluidity, and every strike was interrupted because Pingye Katsumi would "sacrifice himself" to block it.

Pingye Katsumi was secretly delighted. This woman was indeed the type who would disregard herself for the sake of the so-called big picture and the safety of others.

It seemed that in the Demon Slayer Corps, there were an exceptionally large number of such fools.

He didn't expect that he could really find a way out of a desperate situation. As long as he captured this beautiful Pillar-level swordsman today, he figured that even if a dozen or so man-eating Ghosts died, he wouldn't be blamed by that lord.

After all, that lord in Kyoto had probably already reached a cooperation with Kibutsuji Muzan by now, so even the Twelve Kizuki shouldn't be acting too recklessly at this time.

Thinking of this with delight, he had completely forgotten his fear. He attacked Kochou Kanae regardless of his own life and took the initiative to become a human shield for the man-eating Ghosts, acting as if she couldn't kill the Ghosts without hacking him to death.

Kochou Kanae kept retreating. Suddenly, Pingye Katsumi turned and thrust his sword toward the foolish girl. Only then did Kochou Kanae realize that the battlefield had unknowingly shifted to this side.

She subconsciously swung her sword to block, but Pingye Katsumi lunged forward. Kochou Kanae barely retracted her sword, but Pingye Katsumi's Nichirin Sword turned and had already pierced Kochou Kanae's calf.

He was overjoyed; with a leg injury, the opponent couldn't run!

Bang! At this moment, a huge sound suddenly came from the hillside behind.

Bang! Another sound rang out. Pingye Katsumi, who had thought it was a commotion caused by the Ghosts, turned around, only to suddenly see a muscular man wearing a pink robe sprinting down from the hillside.

On such a downhill slope, the opponent was actually sprinting with long strides, as terrifying as a rolling boulder.

A man-eating Ghost smelled the scent of a human and turned to pounce on him. The next second.

Splat! The pink-robed muscular man threw a punch, actually blasting the scrawny man-eating Ghost into a sky full of flesh and blood.

Pingye Katsumi felt a tremor in his heart. The newcomer was already charging violently, and he immediately shouted.

"I am Magistrate Pingye under the Left Minister..."

Bang! Bai Cangshu landed a solid punch on the opponent's chest. In an instant, the sound of shattering breastbones and disintegrating flesh rang out simultaneously.

Amidst the flying flesh and blood, Kochou Kanae's pupils dilated, somewhat dazed. Blood instantly stained her delicate face crimson.

Bai Cangshu's left fist was still covered in the remains of flesh and blood, whether from a Ghost or a human.

Pingye Katsumi only felt a massive force strike him, and then he flew out as if riding the clouds. He felt no pain, but looking down at his completely caved-in chest, he tried to speak, but first sprayed out purple-black flesh and blood.

"You... this guy... who are you..."

Bai Cangshu still maintained his punching posture. His right hand had suffered damage from wielding the Magic Spear, and at this moment, his left hand was also covered in blood and filth.

His face wore a terrifying smile that Kochou Kanae could not understand at all, and his body stood upright in a posture so rigid that it appeared somewhat twisted.

"There is no need to tell you Ghosts my noble name, Jojo."

(End of chapter)