Zongman: The End of the Universe

Chapter 62 9. Choice (4.3k)

About a thousand years ago, the first demon was born in the world - Muzan Kibutsuji.

Immortal, powerful, immortal, and except for the inability to be exposed to sunlight... he has almost no weaknesses.

But the Ghost King, who was born in illness and despair, naturally hates all flaws.

He began to frantically search for a way to heal himself. In order to satisfy his own desires, he created one brutal and bloodthirsty follower after another, inflicting pain and despair on everything within his sight.

The Demon Slayer Corps also came into being.

In order to protect the defenseless people, the purpose is to defeat the ancestor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji. For thousands of years, countless predecessors of the Demon Slayer Corps have fought one after another. Even though the Demon Slayer Corps has been on the verge of destruction many times, it has finally survived to this day.

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The next day, early morning.

Yamanashi Prefecture.

After traveling all night, Liu Yuansheng and his two companions entered the county under the leadership of Iguro Obanai. Soon, they followed the road and arrived at the door of a large mansion.

Because she was too tired, Shizuka Marikawa fell asleep on Liu Yuansheng's back.

Seeing that she was sleeping so soundly, Liu Yuansheng didn't want to wake her up.

"This is it."

Iguro Obanai raised his index finger, pointed at the main gate in front of him with a wisteria pattern, and spoke lightly.

Busujima Saeko raised her eyes and looked carefully at the mansion in front of her, her expression slightly surprised.

It is hard to imagine that such a luxurious-looking mansion is the residence of a member of a non-governmental organization.

"Every mansion painted with wisteria patterns was built by someone the Demon Slayer Corps once helped."

Having said this, Iguro Obanai came to the front door and knocked.

Not long after, there was a slight creaking sound from the door hinge.

The door was slowly opened.

A middle-aged woman in a dark purple kimono walked out from behind the door. The woman had a kind face. When she saw Iguro Obanai, she was stunned for a moment, and then the smile on her face suddenly became more intense:

"Snake Pillar Master, and the three masters behind you, please come in. I am very grateful for your help to Yamanashi Prefecture."

"The duty lies."

Iguro Obanai said this lightly, then led Liu Yuansheng and the other two to follow the woman into the mansion.

The scenery inside the courtyard is pleasant.

The rugged rockery is dotted with moss, and clusters of bright shrub flowers grow among the green lawn.

Not far away, a tall wisteria tree over a hundred years old sways its willow-like purple vines, emitting a fresh fragrance in the wind.

The woman walked in front of everyone, crossed the front yard, and soon stopped in front of an empty room in the house. She respectfully opened the shoji door, bowed and retreated:
"The rooms have been made. Please rest, you gentlemen. You have been tired from running around all night. If you need anything, just let me know."

Iguro Obanai didn't say anything, but walked into the room. Liu Yuansheng carried Marikawa Shizuka on his back and nodded slightly to the woman:

"Sorry to bother you."

The middle-aged woman smiled slightly, bowed to Liu Yuansheng, then turned and left.

The three of them walked into the room, and Iguro Obanai's calm voice came to them:

"Today, a member of the Hidden Corps will come to give you information about the Demon Slayer Corps. You should rest here and try not to go out."

Iguro Obanai looked calmly at Liu Yuansheng who was carrying Marikawa Shizuka on his back. As he spoke, Kabamaru, who was wrapped around his neck, raised his head and looked at Liu Yuansheng, making a hissing sound.

"In the days ahead, you will most likely be separated. Before you do, say goodbye properly. Be careful not to die so easily."

"Separate? What do you mean?"

Busujima Saeko frowned.

Iguro Obanai just glanced at Busujima Saeko:

"The Hidden Corps soldier will explain it to you."

After saying that, Iguro Obanai turned around and left the room without waiting for anyone to respond.

Watching Iguro Obanai leave, Busujima Saeko frowned. She always felt that Iguro Obanai was about to get rid of her.

After getting the approval of several people to join the Demon Slayer Corps, there was a feeling that "once you join, you have no say over it", which really made people feel unhappy.

Busujima Saeko once suspected that this was a pyramid scheme organization, but then she thought that the system of the Demon Slayer Corps was so loose that it was almost non-existent, and there was really no need to do so.

So, is it really because of personality?
What a weirdo.

"Zezi, let's rest first."

Liu Yuansheng squatted down and carried the sleepy Marikawa Shizuka into the bed, then stood up and looked at Saeko.

"it is good."

……

……

"Xi'an, have you found out the identities of the three people?"

Outside, Iguro Obana looked indifferently at the crow that was resting on her wrist and asked in a calm tone.

"Gah! Lord Snake Pillar! According to the investigation of the hidden troop soldiers, the identities of the three people are! They are the eldest daughter of the famous sword-fighting family, the Dushima family, and her husband, Liu Yuansheng!"

"The other blonde woman is called Shizuka Marikawa! She is a famous doctor in the Hayakawa area! She is related to Yanagi Gensei! She is similar to the Sound Pillar!"

The crow spoke with a strange accent, and every sentence was unusually high-pitched. After it finished speaking, the crow named "Xi'an" pecked its wings and stopped talking.

Ihei Xiaobanei nodded slightly. He was not interested in the speculation of the eagle:

"Give the lord another copy of the relevant information."

"Gah!"

The crow raised its head and screamed, then flapped its wings and flew out of the Wisteria Pattern House.

Iguro Obanai watched Xi'an disappear from his sight before turning and leaving. Kabamaru raised his head to look at the crow that disappeared in the sky, then turned to look at Iguro Obanai.

"hiss~"

"He doesn't look like a bad guy."

"Hi~"

"intuition."

……

evening.

A man wearing a black uniform and a mask with three black stripes on his face came to the door of the mansion.

The man took a deep breath before knocking on the mansion's front door.

His name is Goto.

An ordinary hidden soldier.

But just last night, he was entrusted with an important task.

Because of the notice from Lord Snake Pillar, it is necessary to send someone to give general information about the Demon Slayer Corps to the three soldiers who live in the Wisteria House in Yamanashi Prefecture and were introduced to the team by Lord Snake Pillar.

This is a very serious matter.

Being able to be recommended into the team by a pillar often means that their strength has been basically recognized by the pillar. It is not as simple as simply reporting to a trainer and letting them go on their own.

The last person to receive such treatment was Rock Pillar Gyoumei, who was said to have such high physical fitness that he did not need much training to directly learn Rock Breathing. Although he was personally recommended by the lord, such guys throughout history have always been pillars and step-sons, not to mention that he was recommended by Snake Pillar, who has the most eccentric personality among the Nine Pillars.

"Liu, origin."

Goto chewed over the words he saw in the intelligence from his colleague, his face solemn, because when he finished reading the intelligence, he realized something very serious.

Lord Yinzhu has three wives, and this guy actually has two!
It’s really… enviable!!!

Squeak.

The main door suddenly opened.

Goto came back to his senses with a start, looked at the middle-aged woman behind the door, and nodded quickly:

"Ma'am, I'm Goto, who is here to provide intelligence to the three candidates."

"You must have had a hard time on the journey. The three adults are enjoying dinner in the house. Please come in."

"Hi."

Goto bowed respectfully and followed the woman into the house.

Soon he led Goto to the door of the dining room.

The woman knocked on the door frame politely. Liu Yuansheng and the other two who were having dinner in the house paused and looked outside the shoji door.

"Please come in."

About three seconds later, the shoji door was slowly pushed open.

I saw a middle-aged woman kneeling at the door, and behind her stood a figure wearing uniform, a turban and a black-striped face scarf.

Seeing the three people looking at him, Goto couldn't help but swallow nervously under the veil, and then he mustered up the courage to walk into the house.

The middle-aged woman didn't say anything. When she saw Goto enter the room, she respectfully closed the shoji door.

Then, there was the sound of footsteps fading away outside the door.

"I am Goto, a soldier of the Hidden Corps who came here to provide you with intelligence under the order of the Snake Pillar.

Please give me more advice. "

As he entered the house, Goto bowed respectfully and began to introduce himself.

While the two were greeting each other, Busujima Saeko stood up and took a cushion from the side, carefully placed it behind Goto, and then retreated back to Liu Yuansheng's side.

Shizuka Marikawa sat there and looked at Goto's clothes curiously, because before Goto arrived, Yanagi Gensho had planned to let her join the Demon Slayer Corps' Hidden Department to do logistical work.

“My name is Liu Yuansheng.

These are my two wives, Busujima Saeko and Marikawa Shizuka.

"Sergeant Goto, you must have come all the way here. Please take a seat."

Liu Yuansheng briefly introduced the three of his people, then smiled and gestured to Goto to sit down and talk.

"Sorry for disturbing you." Goto breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Liu Yuanshou was following his attitude, he nodded and sat down without refusing.

"Goto-kun, we don't know the name of the Snake Pillar Master yet. Could you please introduce him to me? Of course, it's not a problem if it's inconvenient."

"No, strictly speaking, the Demon Slayer Corps doesn't have any secrets except for the locations of important bases. You can ask any questions you want. It doesn't matter."

Goto quickly waved his hand and started introducing them immediately.

"Snake Pillar-sama is one of the nine pillars of our Demon Slayer Corps and is very powerful. For some reason, Snake Pillar-sama doesn't like us to call him by his last name, so few people in the team know his name.

But please rest assured, Mr. Liu, I still know this."

Goto coughed somewhat complacently, then said:

"The real name of the Snake Pillar is a name that we in the Hidden Department agree sounds very cute - Iguro, Obanai."

"Iguro, Banei-chan?"

Shizuka Marikawa blinked. She found it difficult to connect this name with the gloomy man from last night.

"Correct."

Goto nodded affirmatively, and then said in a deep voice:
"Although the name of Snake Pillar is cute, as the top combat force of our Demon Slayer Corps, the requirements for one's own strength are very high.

It is said that the strength of each pillar is as strong as a monster. Ordinary people will have the illusion of difficulty breathing if they are even noticed! "

As soon as the words fell, Marikawa Shizuka raised her hand weakly:
"Well...but we didn't feel this way last night, did we? Right, Saeko?"

Busujima Saeko didn't say anything, but frowned slightly, and lowered her head to recall. Although Marikawa Shizuka said so, last night, the Snake Pillar named Iguro Obanai didn't seem to focus on herself and Shizuka from beginning to end.

Instead...

Liu Yuansheng had a calm expression, with his head lowered, stroking the teacup in his hand. He knew that Goto was not exaggerating.

The moment Iguro Obana appeared last night, the two of them noticed each other almost at the same time.

The pressure that Iguro Obane gave him has left a deep impression on Liu Yuansheng.

The moment they met, Ihei Xiaobanei's eyes were fixed on every joint of his body, more than a dozen vital parts. The sudden danger warning made Liu Yuansheng's scalp numb and his muscles tensed subconsciously.

Luckily, there was no intention to kill, and Iguro Obana spoke up in time to break the stalemate.

So the following scene happened.

However, although Iguro Obana was powerful, it was not powerful enough to make him feel like he had difficulty breathing.

Goto had expected Marikawa Shizuka to refute, but he did not rush to defend himself. Instead, he looked at Liu Yuansheng with a sharp gaze, because among the people present, only Liu Yuansheng had the most say.

However, Liu Yuansheng did not say anything. He put down the teacup in his hand and looked up at Goto:

“Is there any way to improve this?”

Goto raised the corner of his mouth, as if he had finally waited for Liu Yuansheng to ask this question, and raised his chin proudly and said with a smile:

"This brings us to the foundation of our Demon Slayer Corps' battle against demons - the breathing method."

“You know, even the lowest level of evil spirits have physical qualities far superior to those of ordinary people. Ordinary people can’t even escape, let alone fight against them.

Therefore, in order to slay evil spirits, the predecessors of the Demon Slayer Corps eventually developed a technique to strengthen the cardiopulmonary function and effectively enhance the body's functions, that is, breathing method.

This is the most important condition for becoming a pillar, and it is also a skill that every member of the Demon Slayer Corps must learn. "

There are five major schools of breathing techniques: Water, Thunder, Fire, Rock, and Wind.

At the same time, each of these schools has its own characteristics.”

"Water": It excels at sustained combat and continuous attacks. It is more suitable for calm swordsmen. Compared with other breathing methods, water breathing is easier to practice and is more suitable for sustained combat and defensive counterattacks.

"Thunder": It excels at its thunder-like attack ability and speed, and focuses on destroying the enemy with one strike. However, it is more difficult to practice among the five basic breathing methods, because this breathing method requires very high physical fitness, and each attack consumes a lot of physical strength.

"Flame": It is known for its wide coverage of moves and powerful explosive power. Compared to Thunder Breathing which tends to stimulate physical fitness, Fire Breathing places more emphasis on swordsmanship.

"Rock": As one of the five basic breathing methods, Rock Breathing is the most difficult one to practice. It is said that only hardworking and determined people can learn Rock Breathing. It is also the only breathing method without any branches. It emphasizes absolute strength, using strength to suppress and defeat the enemy.

"Wind": The characteristics of wind are that it comes and goes without a trace, and its speed is extremely fast. However, unlike the explosive power of Thunder Breath, wind is more elusive and focuses on confusing the enemy and then killing them with one strike, so it requires a high level of explosive power."

Although Goto's explanation was brief, he had already explained the characteristics of the breathing techniques of each school. It was obvious that he was very attentive, and even Liu Yuansheng benefited a lot from it.

As Goto finished his explanation, his face straightened:
"Mr. Liu, I came here not only to educate you about the relevant information of the Demon Slayer Corps, but also to help you choose a better breathing method."

"If possible, I hope Liu Jun can give me a reply before tonight. I will stay here for one day, but I will leave tomorrow night at the latest."

"So, during this period of time, it would be best for Liu Jun to make a choice as soon as possible."

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I found some information and sorted it out.

(End of this chapter)