Although Zenitsu was terrified in his heart, he still drew his Nichirin Blade and stood firmly beside Grandpa.
Watching the child's display of courage, the old man let out a long, heavy sigh.
His own disciple was unwilling to abandon him. If even the timid and cowardly Zenitsu could go this far, what was there for him, as a master, to be dissatisfied about?
At this moment, the old man's heart was filled with relief and pride.
He shook his head, his tone a mix of lament and deep sorrow:
"Zenitsu, you shouldn't have stayed here. At the very least, I could have bought you some time."
Though Zenitsu was trembling with fear, he spoke with unwavering determination:
"No matter what, I cannot abandon you, Grandpa! If there really is no hope today, then the worst that can happen is that I die here with you!
"I've lived a hard life since I was small, and all my money was scammed away. It was Big Brother who brought me to Peach Mountain, and it was you, Grandpa, who took me in. Without Grandpa and Big Brother, I am nothing!
"In this situation... just consider it my way of repaying you, Grandpa!"
Would you say this kid, Zenitsu, is a coward? He certainly is.
Would you say this kid, Zenitsu, is brave? He certainly is that, too.
All in all, the kid wasn't bad.
Looking at Zenitsu, who was terrified yet resolute, the old man sighed. Balancing on his one remaining good leg, he held his Nichirin Blade and faced off against Sekido and Karaku.
"Fine, fine. As things stand, I suppose you wouldn't have had much of a chance to escape anyway, Zenitsu.
"Grandpa has dragged you down this time. I am truly sorry."
"You didn't drag me down, Grandpa! I was the one willing to stay and accompany you!"
This master and disciple pair were truly remarkable.
Strictly speaking, it was Horitake who had dragged the grandfather and grandson into this. After all, Hantengu's initial goal was to use the old man and Zenitsu as hostages to threaten Horitake.
Yet, neither grandfather nor grandson held a single grudge against Horitake. They even faced death head-on, firm and composed.
With family like this, what more could one ask for?
Opposite them, Sekido had completely lost the patience to continue watching this family drama. He spoke with extreme irritability:
"Have you two had enough? Wouldn't it be better to just surrender? After I'm done using the two of you, if I'm in a good mood, I might just let you go."
Saying this, Sekido began to walk toward the old man.
Karaku seemed to feel he hadn't had enough fun yet. Looking at the advancing Sekido, he complained:
"Huh? It's over already? That's way too boring."
Although he found it dull, Karaku followed Sekido's pace, walking toward the old man and Zenitsu.
In that moment, the hearts of both grandfather and grandson leaped into their throats.
The old man's prosthetic leg was destroyed, and Zenitsu currently didn't have much combat power; the situation was truly critical.
In such a dire crisis, a similar thought rose simultaneously in the minds of both master and disciple:
If it really comes down to it, we would rather commit suicide than be captured by these demons!
If they were captured alive, they would be used to threaten Horitake. That would certainly cause huge trouble for him. It would be better to end their own lives first and cut off the demon's scheme!
Just as the two demon clones walked toward the old man and Zenitsu, ready to make their move, their expressions suddenly changed. They stiffened, freezing in place.
How could this be?
Because suddenly, both of them felt a wave of lethal danger!
They were clones—special clones of Hantengu at that. Aside from the sun, they feared nothing!
It was still a long time before sunrise. The only thing that could give them such a massive sense of threat and fatal danger was...
"Ah! Spare me, spare me! Help, help! Someone save me..."
From over there, the shrill, miserable wailing of an old creature begging for mercy suddenly rang out.
Sekido and Karaku turned pale with fright and hurriedly spun around to look.
That voice was... the sound of their main body begging for mercy!
Who was it?! Who had actually discovered their main body?!
If Hantengu's main body was beheaded, then everything would truly be over!
Hearing the voice, the two humans and the two demons looked toward the source.
Unnoticed by anyone, Horitake was standing there quietly. And beneath his right foot, he was stepping on something the size of a mouse—something that was constantly wailing and begging for mercy.
The two demon clones were terrified. The grandfather and grandson, however, were overjoyed.
"Horitake!?"
The moment they saw it was Horitake, the old man and Zenitsu couldn't help but cry out in surprise and delight.
Nothing is more thrilling than seeing a savior in a hopeless situation—especially when that savior is your closest family!
Although the old man was pleasantly surprised, he managed to remain relatively calm.
Zenitsu, however, could not stay calm at all. After all, the feeling he had now was like being hoisted from hell straight up to heaven!
The kid went limp right then and there. With a thud, he sat on the ground, and the Nichirin Blade he had been gripping fell with a clang.
Sitting on the ground, with snot and tears running down his face, he wailed loudly:
"Big Brother...
"Why are you here?
"What took you so long?
"Grandpa and I almost died...
"Big Brother, help!
"Big Brother, Grandpa and I were bullied! You have to take revenge for us!"
Zenitsu's mindset at this moment was like a little brother who had been bullied terribly outside. He could barely keep up a tough front before, but the moment he saw his Big Brother, he couldn't hold it back anymore and began to cry his eyes out, seeking comfort.
There was no helping it. Who asked this kid to be born with such a cowardly nature?
With one foot keeping the wailing, begging creature pinned down, Horitake looked at the weeping Zenitsu and couldn't help but reveal a smile of relief.
"Zenitsu, you did well today.
"Don't worry. I won't let this guy off the hook."
After speaking, Horitake looked at the old man standing on one leg and dispelled the heavy, despairing atmosphere with a teasing remark:
"Stinky old man, looks like you aren't dead yet."
The old man was incredibly relieved and happy, yet this stubborn little old man still let out a tsundere hmph:
"Hmph! It's not that easy to kill this old man!"
"Is that so? I clearly saw you looking pretty despairing just now."
The old man was disgruntled and cursed aloud:
"Stinky brat! That's enough! Do you enjoy watching this old man make a fool of himself that much?
"By the way! When did you get here? How did you know we were in danger? Or was it really just a coincidence that you happened to come back and run into this situation?"
Horitake shook his head.
"How can there be so many coincidences in this world? I used certain means to learn in advance that you and Zenitsu were going to suffer a disaster. I rushed here, traveling day and night, running all the way, and finally made it.
"I just arrived, actually.
"And, well, as soon as I arrived, I found something interesting."
As he spoke, Horitake bent down and grabbed the thing he had been stepping on with his hand.
The creature struggled even more violently.
From the moment he appeared, Sekido and Karaku hadn't dared to make a rash move.
But seeing Horitake's action now, they became incredibly nervous, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads.
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