Hearing Horitake say this, Zenitsu couldn't help but click his tongue in shock.
A terrifying battle of that magnitude isn't considered a battle between the strong to Big Brother?!
Then, if a true powerhouse were to fight Big Brother, what kind of world-ending, apocalyptic scene would that be?!
Eek... I don't dare think about it! The more I think, the scarier it gets! The outside world is too dangerous; I'd better find a way to stay on Mount Momoyama with Gramps for the rest of my life.
Horitake didn't know that his terrifying battle had left a psychological shadow on Zenitsu's fragile young heart, making Zenitsu even more determined to follow the path of cowardice and survival.
At this moment, Jigoro raised the main body of Hantengu—the Coward—whom he was gripping tightly in his hand.
"This guy doesn't seem to be dead yet. What should we do?"
Taking the Coward from Jigoro's hand, Horitake examined the demon's current condition.
The Coward's mouth was wide open, and he looked utterly miserable. His face was covered in a mess of tears and snot, and drool dripped continuously from the corner of his mouth. Occasionally, his body would twitch, making him look like a pitiful creature not long for this world.
It was hard to tell if this appearance was an act or genuine.
Whether it was fake or real, Horitake didn't trust him much. After all, Hantengu was a veteran at playing the victim.
Zenitsu weakly chimed in at this point:
"Um... Big Brother, that guy in your hand... his condition was actually okay earlier. But right after you killed all those enemies, he suddenly turned into this."
"Oh, so that's how it is."
Horitake understood. In this case, Hantengu probably wasn't faking it.
Strictly speaking, Hantengu's five great clones were all parts of his own body.
Now that all five clones had been destroyed, the damage to Hantengu's main body must be extraordinary. It was no wonder he looked so wretched.
Jigoro looked at the Coward in Horitake's hand. Although old, the former Hashira was still filled with killing intent, his heroic spirit undiminished.
"Horitake, are you going to kill him?"
"Kill him, huh..." Horitake rubbed his chin, pondering for a long while. "This guy is Hantengu's main body. Killing him means Upper Moon Four of the Twelve Kizuki is completely removed from the list."
"Isn't that a good thing? The demons' power would be severely weakened."
"That is true, but there are exceptions to everything.
"Take this Hantengu, for example. Perhaps for our Demon Slayer Corps, a Hantengu captured alive is far more useful than a Hantengu slashed to death."
Saying this, Horitake looked up at Jigoro.
"In the history of the Demon Slayer Corps, has there ever been a precedent of an Upper Moon being captured alive?"
Shocked by Horitake's idea, Jigoro slowly shook his head.
"There has never been a precedent of capturing an Upper Moon. That breed of demon is too terrifyingly powerful. The Corps is fortunate enough just to kill them; capturing one alive is simply impossible!"
Horitake smiled with a hint of smugness.
"True, capturing one alive is simply impossible—but I am the exception."
Jigoro looked at Horitake with deep admiration and nodded.
"Yes, you are the exception.
"Your lightning possesses a restraining property that prevents healing, allowing you to easily capture demons alive.
"If you can capture ordinary demons, why couldn't you capture an Upper Moon?
"Perhaps it is truly as you say: a captured Upper Moon is far more useful than a dead one.
"Our Demon Slayer Corps might be able to extract a lot of critical intelligence from this Hantengu!"
Jigoro didn't seem to have recovered from his amazement yet.
"Horitake, I really didn't expect you to be able to go this far."
"It's nothing, just a spur-of-the-moment idea.
"And even if this Hantengu has no value, I don't intend to kill him right here and now.
"He is Upper Moon Four, after all. If he dies, Muzan will certainly be furious. Muzan will check Hantengu's memories from before his death, and through that, he will learn about the situation here at Mount Momoyama.
"If that happens, the three of us, master and apprentices, would be forced to leave our home.
"We might even be hunted endlessly by Muzan in the future, and we'd never have a peaceful day again."
Hearing Horitake's explanation, Jigoro nodded in deep agreement.
"That is indeed correct.
"Once Muzan learns of the situation here, we can't stay on Mount Momoyama. We'd have to leave our home and move elsewhere, and Muzan would definitely hunt us down like a madman.
"Horitake, you really thought this through thoroughly.
"Sure enough, capturing him is better than killing him."
Shaking the Hantengu in his hand, who was now limp as a dead dog, Horitake smiled at Jigoro and Zenitsu.
"Alright, let's not just stand around outside. Since the house is fine, let's go back first. It's been a thrilling night; we should get some rest."
Jigoro and Zenitsu, grandfather and grandson, agreed that Horitake was absolutely right.
With Zenitsu supporting Jigoro, the three of them returned to the house and lit the lamps.
The first thing they did upon returning wasn't dealing with Hantengu, but helping Jigoro.
Horitake and Zenitsu began rummaging through boxes and chests in the room.
"Old man, I remember there's a spare prosthetic leg for you at home. Why can't I find it now?"
Jigoro sat to the side, drank a mouthful of water to catch his breath, and began remotely commanding his two disciples.
"There is indeed a spare prosthetic, but it's not in that closet. It's in the other closet, stuffed right at the bottom. You'll have to dig deep to find it."
"Gramps, is it this closet?"
"Yes, yes, yes, that's the one. At the very bottom."
"Old man, you hid this kind of thing at the very bottom? It's so dark and gloomy down there, with no sunlight. You never take it out to air or maintain it? Aren't you afraid of termites?"
"Huh? Can termites grow on that sort of thing?"
"It's made of wood, of course it can get termites!
"Luckily, this closet is relatively dry and not damp at all. Otherwise, stuffed down that deep, nine times out of ten it would have termites."
After expending quite a bit of effort, Horitake pulled Jigoro's spare wooden leg from the bottom of the closet. He blew off the dust, wiped the surface, and handed it to Jigoro, who was sitting nearby.
"Try it out. You haven't used this one in years; I don't know if it still fits."
Jigoro began to attach the prosthetic to his severed leg.
Once attached, he stood up and took two steps, frowning slightly.
"It seems a bit ill-fitting... well, not exactly ill-fitting, but I'm just not used to it."
"It's normal not to be used to it; after all, you haven't used this leg in years.
"It can't be helped. It's the only spare left in the house. Old man, just make do with it for now. Tomorrow, or whenever I have time, I'll shave down some wood and craft you a new one."
Jigoro kicked his leg out a bit and nodded.
"I suppose that's all we can do."
With Jigoro's leg issue resolved, the next matter was dealing with Hantengu.
Horitake tossed the half-dead main body of Hantengu—the Coward—onto the table. The master and his two apprentices gathered around the table, staring down at him.
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