radicalducati Page 20
Page 20
"Ryosuke-nii!"
"Ryosuke Yasui!!!"
Three shouts rang out simultaneously, and the three of them chased after the enemy.
Ryosuke kept walking and frantically waved to the back.
"Grandpa! Shota! Rika! I'm leaving! Mission is urgent! See you later!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Ryosuke disappeared around the bend in the winding mountain road.
"Ryosuke-nii! You idiot! You idiot! You idiot!"
Pear Blossom stomped her foot in annoyance, displaying the adorable capriciousness of a young girl.
Ryosuke stumbled and almost fell.
He could almost see Pear Blossom with puffed-out cheeks and red eyes, like a fluffy little cat whose tail had been stepped on.
This was even more terrifying than when he faced the nightmare head-on.
Ryosuke shrank his neck, his feet barely touching the ground, and he ran even faster.
I can't afford to mess with them, I'm outta here!
The tireless journey day and night temporarily put aside the awkward and embarrassing situation in Taoshan and her girlish feelings.
Following the guidance of the raven, Ryosuke traveled through the countryside and towns, searching for local hideouts.
Just then, a joyful shout suddenly rang out from the side and behind.
"Ryosuke-san?! Ryousuke-san!"
Ryosuke turned around at the sound and saw Akira Moriyama peeking out from behind the wall, waving vigorously at him.
Ryosuke stopped in his tracks, somewhat surprised.
This time, my teammate is actually this guy who always wins without lifting a finger.
Akira Moriyama jogged over, his tone excited.
"It really is you! That's great! I knew that back view looked familiar, and that black haori! I haven't seen you since Fujikasayama, I never expected to run into you here!"
"You've also received this mission?"
Ryosuke asked, his gaze habitually sweeping around.
The mission briefing was vague, only mentioning "suspected evil spirits appearing," without even mentioning casualties or missing persons.
Akira Moriyama nodded repeatedly, a look of distress and confusion on his face.
"I arrived three days ago, but I haven't found any trace of the evil spirit!"
“I have thoroughly searched the area inside and outside the county, and I can’t detect any ghostly presence at all.”
"And the locals all say no one has gone missing. It's really strange. This ghost... it's hiding too well, isn't it?"
Ryosuke didn't speak.
This matter is indeed strange in every way.
The ghosts vanished without a trace, and no one was injured or missing.
Everything seemed too normal, and the cover-up was too good.
Ryosuke deduced that this demon's Blood Demon Art was most likely a space-based technique similar to Kyogai and Nakime's.
Or perhaps it's like the ugly jade pot, capable of concealing itself and blending into objects.
But more than anything else, Ryosuke was curious about the boy in front of him.
The difficulty of Demon Slayer Corps missions is generally linked to the number and level of the members.
Ryosuke is now a Geng-level, which proves that Akira Moriyama...
Thinking of this, Ryosuke frowned slightly.
What level are you at now?
"Ah? Oh!"
Akira Moriyama smiled a little embarrassedly: "I've reached the Xin level."
"Level 1?!"
Ryosuke was somewhat surprised.
He was able to reach the Geng rank because he killed Fei Tou Man and several evil spirits, and also assisted Maki Juro in killing Meng E.
You know, Shota has fought his way through demons and he's only at the Sin rank!
And this guy in front of me, Fujishiyama, who just coasted through and had mediocre skills... he's actually reached the Sin rank?!
It's not only fast, it's outrageous.
"I didn't mean anything by it, I was just curious."
Ryosuke looked at Akira Moriyama with a questioning gaze: "How did you get promoted?"
Akira Moriyama looked even more embarrassed.
"Uh, hehe... I'm ashamed to say, it was all luck."
Akira Moriyama nodded vigorously, as if he had finally found someone to confide in.
"On my first mission, Kasugai said the target was an abandoned warehouse west of Osaka Castle, but I took the wrong turn and ended up in a mass grave south of the castle..."
"Guess what? The ghost is right there! And it's been hacked to pieces!"
"He desperately needed human flesh and blood to recover, and was digging up graves and eating dead people without paying attention to the time. He happened to be exposed to the rising sun, and half of his body was charred. He was rolling on the ground in pain!"
"I...I went over and finished him off..."
Ryosuke: o_0?
"The second time."
Looking back, Akira Moriyama seemed to find his own experiences quite unbelievable.
"The target was deep in the mountains and forests. I was chasing after it when I accidentally fell into a cave. There were children there who had been kidnapped by ghosts."
"By the time I came out with the child, everyone else had already finished the fight... I saved people and did a great service, so... I took all the credit..."
Ryosuke's lips began to twitch uncontrollably.
What incredible luck!
I risked my life to kill ghosts, and you gave up on both of your missions for nothing!
"One more time."
Akira Moriyama seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, talking non-stop.
"The raven pointed out the evil spirit by the river. When I arrived, the spirit somehow plunged into the rushing river, was swept away and crashed into a rock, smashing its head into a dent... I drew my sword and chopped it down."
He spread his hands, looking helpless.
"I completed a few tasks in a daze, accumulated some merits, and was promoted to the Xin rank."
The air was quiet for a few seconds.
Ryosuke sighed, feeling absurd and numb.
Although his appearance changed the course of the original story, allowing Shota and Akira Moriyama to survive.
But there's already a character with incredible luck in the original work, Murata!
And he's a water sponge too!
He was in the same cohort as Giyuu and Sabito!
So your Misty Mountain is a breeding ground for protagonists and chosen ones, huh?!
An absurd idea flashed through Ryosuke's mind.
Is it because kings don't meet, that Akira Moriyama's lucky buff in the original work failed at Fujikasaneyama?
That's so damn abstract!
Ryosuke couldn't help but think of Sabito and Makomo.
Those two geniuses who should have shone brightly, but withered away early because of the Hand Demon.
Now that the Hand Demon has been eliminated, their fates... should be completely different, right?
"Ryosuke-san?"
Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a while, Akira Moriyama called out softly.
Ryosuke snapped out of his reverie and changed the subject: "Oh, it's nothing, I was just thinking about something. How is Mr. Urokodaki?"
"Oh! Master is doing well! He recently took on a new little girl named Makomo, she's so cute."
When the topic turned to Mount Narrow Mist, Akira Moriyama's tone became lighter.
"Oh! That's right! I have three junior brothers, Sabito, Giyuu, and Murata. The first two are more talented than me and learn things incredibly fast!"
"Murata, although he's not very talented, is my closest friend and a very interesting person, hehe~"
They are supposed to participate in Fujikasane's final assessment next year.
Ryosuke made up his mind, and an idea instantly took shape.
Anyway, things aren't very peaceful in Momoyama lately, so he can go there to hide.
Ryosuke spoke up, trying to make it sound like a suggestion: "After this mission is over, I'd like to go to Mount Narrow Mist with you."
Akira Moriyama was taken aback.
"I would like to pay a visit to Mr. Urokodaki on behalf of my grandfather, Kuwashima Jigoro."
"Yeah!"
Upon hearing this, Akira Moriyama nodded hurriedly.
"The teacher mentioned you last time, saying that Fujishiyama owes a lot to you and he has always wanted to thank you in person, but he just hasn't had the time."
"Now that this mission is complete, we can go back together! Our teacher will be so happy to see you!"