I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The young man, whom the Rakshasa called "Nue," was tall and muscular, and wielded a giant bow that was significantly thicker and heavier than an ordinary Japanese bow.

To make it easier to draw the bow, he took off his right sleeve, revealing his strong right arm and a small part of his back.

On its back was a tattoo of a ferocious-looking creature.

With the appearance of a monkey, the body of a tanuki, the limbs of a tiger, and the tail of a snake, it is none other than the yokai (monster) of Japanese legend: Nue.

"Hit."

As Nue put down the giant bow, he spoke succinctly and sparingly:

"Onodera is doomed."

"Hahaha, truly worthy of being the strongest marksman of our Law-Extermination Party! Even when the target is more than three chos away, you can still pierce through a louse and shoot through a willow leaf!"

"Lord Rakshasa, you flatter me."

"I need to find an opportunity to properly thank Shuten-dōji later. I never expected him to lend me such an excellent subordinate."

"Lord Shuten-dōji is currently busy training his troops, and he will likely not have time to meet with you for a long time to come."

"Is that so...that's such a shame."

Luosha sighed, then turned his gaze back to the woods where Qingdeng and the others were.

His eyesight was far inferior to Nue's, so he relied entirely on Nue's verbal descriptions to understand the situation at the front.

"Speaking of which, it's really strange. Where did Onodera find such a capable bodyguard?"

At this point, Rakshasa lowered his eyelids thoughtfully.

"Such outstanding talent should not be wasted if we cannot utilize it!"

******

******

A new cadre from the Party has emerged to fight corruption.

Today's update time is a little earlier than usual! It wasn't easy! Leopard is currently working hard to adjust the update time back to the old 10 AM!

Although this goal is simple, Leopard will work hard!

Chapter 436 The Demon Slayer [4500]

"...Alright, alright, no need to report anymore. I've roughly understood the details of what happened."

Rakshasa gestured for the burly man to shut up.

"Hirabashi, so you mean—despite having an overwhelming numerical advantage, you failed to take the heads of Onodera and his companions on the spot, even though Onodera had already been wounded by Nue's arrow, and instead allowed them to escape smoothly, is that what you mean?"

Pinglin... the strong man lowered his already drooping head even further, sweat pouring down like a waterfall, soaking his inner shirt.

"Lord Rakshasa! I am so sorry! I have failed your expectations!"

"Yes, indeed."

Rakshasa nodded slightly, expressionless.

"Pinglin, your performance today has truly disappointed me."

As the saying goes, words are like knives.

The power of Rakshasa's words was indeed as sharp as a knife.

As soon as he finished speaking, the burly man shivered several times, his whole body swaying slightly, like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind, as if he might collapse to the ground at any moment.

"No, however! Lord Rakshasa! Although I was unable to capture Onodera and his accomplices on the spot, my men have been closely tracking their movements! According to the latest report, Onodera and the others have definitely not escaped too far! There is still hope of bringing them back!"

The Rakshasa remained silent.

After a long while, he slowly spoke in a cold, emotionless tone:

“...Alright then, Pinglin, I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself.”

"I'll give you three times the manpower; you must capture Onodera."

"I have only one request for Onodera: either he or she must be found dead."

"As for Onodera's companions..."

Rakshasa paused, thought for a moment, and then continued the conversation.

"If you can capture them alive, then capture them alive; if you can't capture them alive, then kill them."

"Yes! Yes! Leave it to me! I will definitely complete the mission perfectly this time!"

Rakshasa waved his hand.

"Enough with the flattery. I don't want to hear your nice words; I only want to see your results. Get down to business, and remember, don't let me down this time."

"Yes!"

……

……

A nameless mountain adjacent to Kikyo Mountain, a cave—

"Hey! Have you searched that area yet?"

"Searched! Searched!"

"How's it going on your end? Any results?"

"no!"

"Watch out, everyone! There's a mud pit here!"

"Hmph! Hmph! Hmph hmph ahh ...

"It's so noisy! What are you yelling about?"

"Wasps! I've been stung by a wasp!"

……

Qingdeng strained his ears, listening intently to the sounds outside the cave.

After confirming that no one was approaching, he turned and went back into the depths of the cave.

When Qing Deng returned, he happened to see Sanako put down the medicine bottle in her hand. Her usually clean and fair hands were now covered with disgusting bloodstains.

"Tachibana-kun, you're back just in time. The treatment... is over."

"How is the situation?"

Qingdeng hurriedly asked.

"..."

Sanako remained silent.

Looking at the silent Sanako, Aoto felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

Under Qing Deng's unwavering gaze, Sanako finally spoke:

"Ruptured liver and spleen, excessive blood loss, bile leakage... To be honest, there's no cure for this kind of injury. Although I've done my best, but..."

At this point, Sanako paused, the words that had been welling up on her lips turning into a helpless sigh.

As Sanako finished speaking, the surroundings became quiet, as still as the deep sea at night, where even a white whale swimming by wouldn't cause a ripple.

Sanako lowered her head and remained silent.

The commander couldn't calm down and turned to look around.

Qingdeng clenched his fists.

The atmosphere was tense... I could feel the sounds gradually fading away from my surroundings.

In this extremely heavy world, the person who uttered the first words... was Onodera.

"Haha...hahaha..."

Laughter, brimming with carefree joy, broke the silence.

"As expected... I couldn't escape this calamity after all..."

After saying that, Onodera chuckled a few more times.

His relaxed tone and comfortable expression... were completely unlike the demeanor of someone who was about to die.

"Little girl... I'm sorry... my blood got your hands dirty..."

Upon hearing this, Sanako gently shook her head.

"It's alright. I am, after all, a half-doctor. As a doctor, I have no fear of blood."

"Hahaha...you really are...an extraordinary heroine..."

Onodera smiled as he adopted a gentle tone, as if chatting casually with a junior colleague.

"Although... I'm dying... thankfully... I still have a breath left... I can still speak... and I can continue the... unfinished topic from before..."

"I must complete my mission before... I descend to the Yellow Springs..."

Onodera's gaze, with its overwhelming presence, pierced straight at Aoto.

His eyes gleamed with a strong will.

Qing Deng was almost forced to speak by the sheer force of this shock:

"Mr. Onodera, why is the Shimizu clan so determined to hunt you down? Is it because your alliance with my father has been exposed?"

As soon as Qing Deng finished speaking, Onodera smiled slightly.

A calm yet proud smile.

"Hehehe... Yes... That's right... To end up like this, I guess I've died a glorious death... Hahaha..."

"Let me think... It was about four months after Tachibana Takayuki, Kitahara Ginzo, and I formed an alliance... After going through countless hardships... we finally found the workshop where the cursed drug was made..."

"This is... crucial evidence to prove that the Shimizu clan and the Fazhu Party manufactured and sold dangerous drugs."

"If this evidence is exposed... even if it doesn't immediately bring down the Shimizu clan and the Fazhu Party, it will still severely damage them..."