28. It's My Win

"Mitsuri… It's the same for me," Kotaro said, his gaze solemn as he spoke. "I wouldn't be able to live if something happened to you either."

Just the thought of losing her made Kotaro tremble. Mitsuri was all he had now, and if he lost her...

"That's why I can't let you fight the demon! Mitsuri, go back!"

No matter how strong she was, she couldn't defeat the demon. That powerful punch she landed was a fluke, only possible because the demon's attention was entirely on him. Mitsuri was strong, but she wasn't skilled. She wasn't the seasoned fighter from the story who had trained and become a demon slayer. She was a married woman, learning how to fulfill her duties as a wife.

She was born strong, but she wasn't born to fight. She wasn't like the Mist Hashira, who was a combat prodigy even without formal training, the one who could kill a demon with his bare hands. To do that, one needed skill, not just physical strength.

That's why Kotaro insisted she leave. Her punches couldn't kill the demon. The poison was already taking effect, and if he could hold on a little longer, the demon would die. There was no need to involve Mitsuri and put her at risk.

But…

"No! I won't leave! H-How can I leave Kotaro-sama like this?"

"Why are you being stubborn at a time like this?! Just take Aunt Aiko and go!"

He couldn't understand why she was being so stubborn right now. Kotaro forgot that while the current Mitsuri might not be the same as the one from the stories, they were both still Mitsuri.

Mitsuri Kanroji, the woman who steps up when those she loves are in danger. She didn't got the moniker "Love Hashira" for nothing.

"No! I-I will stay here and f-fight the demon!"

"You…! No, listen to me, Mitsuri!"

But Mitsuri ignored his words and stood up to fight back. First, Aunt Aiko had sacrificed herself to save her, and now Kotaro-sama was injured.

Both of them were very dear to her, the first to accept her as she was. How could she run away when both were in danger?

"I will save Kotaro-sama and Aunt Aiko!"

She clenched her fists and looked at the demon with determination in her pale eyes. It's Mitsuri's time!

…

That punch broke his jaw and jolted his brain. From her shout, the demon recognized her. She was the woman for whom that other woman had fought against him.

Her return wasn't what surprised him, but her strength. A woman having that much strength? He felt that her strength was probably even greater than his.

A human with more physical strength than a demon? Was she a demon slayer?

Demon slayers are trained to maintain a specific breathing technique during a fight. It gives them strength to fight demons. He wasn't ignorant of it.

Breath…

He tried to listen and realized she didn't have it—the stable breathing a demon slayer maintains! Which means…

"Hehehe~ I really hit the jackpot!"

Now joy was spreading inside him. The poison had now spread up to his legs, creating visible purple patches. Yet he stood up and held his broken jaw for a second.

"My healing speed…"

His healing speed had decreased. His broken jaw, which should have healed in a second, was taking longer. His breathing was also getting rough, and the demon could feel his strength sapping out of his body.

This weakness… He had never felt it, not once since becoming a demon. But that didn't matter. A smile spread across his face.

Because he had found it—a very delicious meal. If she was that strong, then if he ate her, he might be able to suppress this poison and recover!

Earlier, he was determined to kill and then perish, but now that there was a chance to live, why wouldn't he take it?

He couldn't see, but his nose and ears were at work. He could smell that woman and hear her. With the other two down, she stood in front of him, trembling as she faced him.

To this point, he was more puzzled. Didn't that woman fight to save this one? Then why did she come back?

Well, what does that have to do with him?

"I just need to eat."

He licked his teeth, ready to take a bite. He submitted to his instincts, bowing slightly and spreading his arms and fingers as if they were his claws. Now, he looked more demonic than ever. Seeing this, Mitsuri squeaked a bit in fear, but still stood to fight him.

"I-I will not back down!"

Whoosh~!

In front of her eyes, the demon disappeared, making her tense. Where is it coming from? She looked left and right but saw no one.

Then she heard the sound of wind and looked down, seeing the demon looking at her with a gleeful smile. He pointed his claws and sliced upward, wanting to tear her apart without any suspense.

Mitsuri's eyes widened as she didn't even have time to react. She closed her eyes in fear as the demon moved his hand, feeling the sensation of slicing through flesh.

"Huh? The pain…"

Mitsuri opened her eyes to see a familiar figure—Kotaro—standing in front of her, with his arms, his broken right and uninjured left, blocking the demon's claws.

"Damn you, demon!"

The claws sliced into his hands, deep enough to expose bone. It was Kotaro's luck that even in such a condition, he pushed himself backward, widening the range and preventing the claws from fully tearing his hands apart.

Blood spurted out from his hands, splashing all around. Looking at the injury, Mitsuri shouted in shock!

"Kotaro-sama! T-This injury…"

"You idiot, just esca—"

Boom!

Before he could say anything, the demon flung Kotaro aside with his fist, removing the obstacle from his path.

"Even now he's persistent. Is he the demon or me? But now he won't be able to disturb me. I hit him quite hard, making it difficult for him to stand up again. Now, I should enjoy my meal."

Mitsuri looked at Kotaro, whose head was bleeding, and the flowing blood made his face red as he was smashed against the wall.

"Kotaro-sama!"

Mitsuri wanted to rush to him, but the demon reached out and grabbed her neck.

"Cough! You demon! Let me go!"

She tried to struggle and punched him with her hands, inflicting several injuries with her random heavy hits. The demon even coughed out blood, making him angrier.

Slap!

"Shut up, you woman!"

"No! Kotaro-sama!"

The pain she felt was nothing compared to what was happening around her. Now she was in the clutches of the demon, and Aunt Aiko was bleeding from a hole in her stomach while Kotaro-sama was bleeding from his head.

"Struggle as much as you want! But nothing is going to happen!"

Kotaro, whose consciousness was fading due to the hit on his head, looked at the scene in front of him with hazy vision.

'Damn! Mitsuri… If something happens to Mitsuri…'

His condition was very severe. But still, he tried to move. He tried, but his legs wouldn't. Kotaro could feel his consciousness fading slowly.

'Damn! I can't faint here! Mitsuri! I have to save Mitsuri!'

But his struggles were for naught. No matter how much he struggled, no matter how much he crawled, he wouldn't make it in time.

'Will I lose her?'

'Why am I so powerless?'

But that's when he heard it—a sound coming from inside him.

[Breathe. Breathe and create the sunrays inside you. You have the way of the hermit inside you.]

Before he could understand, something miraculous happened. A way of breathing came to him, and he breathed through it.

And then…

"Demon!"

"You again?"

Just as he was about to devour the woman, the man came again. Now the demon was doubting whether this human was truly the demon. No matter how much he struck, he wouldn't go down.

With his punch forward, Kotaro struck. The demon put his palm forward too, blocking it and sneering at this desperate act.

"Useless!"

He wanted to hear the words of despair from the human, but Kotaro just smiled.

"It's my win, demon. I never intended to punch you—I wanted to touch you."

Kotaro took a deep breath, and then electric-like sparks started to form on his hands and transmitted into the demon.

"The hymn of mankind is the hymn of courage! Take this, my Hamon!"

"What? You, huma—Aaah! T-This energy… NO!"

The Hamon surged inside the demon, and before he could struggle, he exploded and became nothing but fleeting ashes.

Mitsuri collapsed, but Kotaro caught her before she fell to the ground.

"K-Kotaro-sam—Ouch!"

Before she could speak, Kotaro gently tapped her head. Tears started to fall from his eyes and onto Mitsuri's face.

"You idiot, didn't I tell you to run away?"

"I-I am sorry."

"You better be!"

"But… I believed that Kotaro-sama would save me."

"Don't think I'll forgive you just because you're flattering me."

Kotaro Kenshin and Mitsuri Kanroji—oh, sorry, Mitsuri Kenshin—survived their first demon encounter.

===

A/N:

Whew~ Finally, "Hamon!" I even added "Useless" and "The hymn of mankind is the hymn of courage!"

And I reintroduced Mitsuri as Mitsuri Kenshin. Truth be told, I had forgotten about that. But while reading some comments, I saw someone pointing it out.

Thanks a lot!

By the way, I wanted to ask, what weapon would be suitable for Kotaro? I'm thinking of something long-range, like a chain weapon.

And one more question—should I have Mitsuri adopt the Hamon technique instead of the traditional demon slayer breathing style?

Anyway, I'll be reading your thoughts, so leave a comment! Thanks for reading the chapter. I'll see you tomorrow!

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