Chapter 31

While seated by the cozy fireplace, Ginryu found himself lost in a swirl of troubling thoughts.

He couldn't help but reprimand himself, thinking of a major blunder he had made.

Upon reflection, he realized that he hadn't considered the challenges of traveling with a pregnant woman.

Even if he managed to convince Uta to accompany him, her advanced pregnancy would limit their journey.

As his mind wandered into self-doubt, Ginryu couldn't help but wonder if he had wasted his entire life.

He sighed, realizing that his grand plans had seemed so perfect in his head, but now they appeared foolish.

Interrupting his thoughts, Uta finally responded to Ginryu, her voice filled with disbelief, "You really must be a crazy man, please leave by dawn."

Suddenly the sound of scratching echoed through the house, and Uta's fear grew.

"What is that? Who's there? Yoriichi, is that you?" she nervously questioned, her voice laced with anxiety.

Attempting to calm Uta, Ginryu shushed her gently.

The demon lurking outside the house was merely seeking amusement, enjoying the fear it instilled in its prey.

Uta whispered, her voice trembling, "It can't be the demon you spoke of."

The sudden eerie sounds had filled her mind with dread, and she couldn't dismiss them as wild animal noises as she normally would.

Normally, she wouldn't be afraid, but after listening to the tales Ginryu spoke about demons, her mind could currently only think of it.

A bit concerned for Uta's well-being, Ginryu made a decision.

He didn't want stress to trigger premature labor, especially since he lacked the knowledge and experience to help deliver a child.

Smash !!!

As he moved towards the door, intending to confront the demon, a sudden force tore the door off its hinges, causing Uta to fall to the ground, experiencing the beginnings of premature labor.

Swish !!

Reacting swiftly, Ginryu partially transformed his hand into claws and aimed for the demon's head.

However, the demons instincts flared up in time, alerting it of danger, so it managed to put its hands up in defence, and Ginryu's claws ended up slashing its hands, severing them.

"Aaaaaah !" The demon suddenly screamed, not in pain but terrified upon seeing Ginryu's features, so it immediately fled.

Ginryu had become somewhat of a legend among the demons, striking fear into their hearts.

Additionally his features were easy to spot so most of his demon hunting mostly involved a lot of chasing.

Ginryu was about to give chase when Uta suddenly grabbed his leg. "Help me, my child" Uta pleaded.

Looking down at her, Ginryu could see her holding her belly and in pain, blood and amniotic fluid leaking from beneath her.

Struggling with the dilemma before him, Ginryu realized he had no choice but to assist Uta with the birth. He couldn't very well let both mother and child die.

Carrying Uta to the bed, he positioned her in a birthing position and instructed her to take deep breaths, gather her energy, and resist pushing until the right time.

'Why am I even doing this ?' Ginryu questioned himself as he tried to recall what he had seen in an animal show long ago, relying on that limited knowledge.

As Uta followed Ginryu's instructions, he prepared the necessary supplies, disinfecting his hands, increasing the heat within the house, organizing clean cloth and warm water.

Eventually, the moment arrived, and the head of the first baby emerged.

Guiding the baby carefully, Ginryu supported its arrival while Uta summoned all her strength to gently push.

However, Uta was bleeding profusely, and Ginryu felt helpless, unable to stop the bleeding without much tools and knowledge on pregnancy.

When the first baby cried out, Ginryu placed it on a warm, soft cloth.

But the ordeal was not yet over; to his surprise another child was on its way.

Realizing that Uta's life hung by a thread, Ginryu pushed forward, assisting in the delivery of the second child.

In the midst of the struggle, Ginryu couldn't ignore the grim reality that Uta might not survive.

She had lost a significant amount of blood, and still, another child was being born.

It was a challenging battle, but Uta managed to give birth to twins—a boy and a girl.

He could discern their gender based on their genitalia and noticed the birthmarks reminiscent of Yoriichi, a sign of their heritage.

Weakly, Uta called out to see her newborns, and though Ginryu wished to comply immediately, he had to clean the amniotic fluid from the babies before considering cutting the umbilical cords even though they were already breathing and crying.

As Ginryu continued his efforts to ensure the safety of Uta and the twins, he couldn't help but feel the weight of the situation.

It wasn't the ideal circumstance he had envisioned, and the uncertainty of their future loomed over him.

Ginryu quickly finished cleaning the babies and carefully wrapped them in thick, warm cloths.

He could still sense the presence of the demon nearby, likely observing their every move.

A new concern emerged in his mind - it was highly possible that Muzan had instructed the demons to keep a close eye on them.

The demon must have witnessed Uta's pregnancy or heard the babies crying, and his reaction to the situation might have lead Muzan to believe that Uta was important to him or that the children within her were his own.

Although this was far from the truth, Ginryu could already imagine how Muzan would exploit this information.

"Troublesome," Ginryu muttered under his breath as he handed the babies over to the weak Uta.

Now, it was time for an important discussion and an offer to Uta.

"Do you realize that you are dying?" Ginryu asked Uta, his voice firm and monotone.

Uta replied with a saddened expression, "I'm aware." Even she could tell after seeing the amount of blood on the ground.

Ginryu continued, "If there was a way for you to survive, at the cost of your humanity, would you take it?"

His own motives for asking this question were unclear to him at this point.

If Uta were to die here, he could simply take the children and allow events to unfold as they did in the original series.

However, he felt compelled to offer her a chance at survival.

"What do you mean?" Uta asked, her voice weak as she continued to feed the children.

She was growing weaker by the second, her bleeding becoming more severe.

"Hmm, why are they approaching now?" Ginryu muttered, another complication arising.

Several demons were now approaching the house.

He couldn't understand how this had happened so quickly - demons were typically territorial and didn't gather in such numbers unless there was an ulterior motive.

'Have they been following me all this time? But how did I not notice?' Ginryu questioned himself, feeling a sense of unease.

Things were taking an unexpected turn. 'Perhaps one of them possesses the ability to travel through space or could it be a camouflage skill,' Ginryu speculated.

'Whatever, but which demon could it be?'

This situation wouldn't be a problem if he were alone, but Uta and the children were also at risk.

Yoriichi's time of return was uncertain, and even if he did come back, he didn't have the strength to confront the demons just yet.

"What's happening? Is that monster back?" Uta panicked upon noticing his expression, clutching onto her children tightly.

Ginryu tried to calm her down, "Stay calm, I'm trying to figure out..." His words trailed off as he noticed that the ground beneath them was turning into a mud-like substance, causing the house to sink.

Panic started to creep into his mind, as he realized that fleeing with the children might be the easiest way to handle the situation.

However, fighting the demons was also an option, but it would leave the children and Uta vulnerable if he left the house.

He counted at least six demons, and their scent indicated that they were old and potentially had powerful Blood Arts.

Numerous scenarios raced through his mind, each with its own potential outcome.

Uta suddenly interrupted his thoughts, pleading, "Can you take my children and run?"

Sighing, Ginryu replied, "If I do that, the demons will most likely devour you or turn you into one of them."

The situation was quite strange, it was if the world was trying everything to make sure Uta died on this very day.

This fact made Ginryu ponder if he should actually go against the flow of fate and what consequences might follow if he did.