On the wide street, Black Dragon Society members and Akiyama Clan members, dressed in two distinctly different outfits, confronted each other fiercely, and the air seemed to be filled with the smell of gunpowder.
The surrounding civilians quickly returned home to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Kamihara Tetsuya yawned; he knew there wouldn't be a fight. Such standoffs happened every now and then.
Both sides were vying for local interests, attempting to exert pressure on the other through this method.
It was just a matter of who would give in first.
"What's all the noise about?"
An old, authoritative voice rang out.
The Akiyama Clan members made way, and an old man leaning on a cane walked out. It was the Akiyama Clan head, and the people around him greeted him respectfully.
As Kamihara Tetsuya expected, the standoff between the two sides didn't last long.
With the appearance of the key figures from both sides, they would return to the negotiating table for a war of words.
After several hours, they ended up in a verbal stalemate, dispersed, and went home to their respective mothers.
"Get lost!"
As a Black Dragon Society member was leaving, he saw Akiyama Rinka blocking his way. A sinister smile appeared on his face, and he raised his thick hand, ready to strike her down.
Akiyama Rinka's pupils widened, and her small face turned pale.
The faces of the surrounding Akiyama Clan members changed, and they closed their eyes, unable to bear watching.
Whoosh!
A small stone shot out from an unknown direction, hitting the Black Dragon Society tough guy's palm.
The Black Dragon Society tough guy's eyes turned red, and he clutched his palm, wailing in pain. In an instant, his palm turned purplish-black and red, its terrifying appearance frightening the others.
The Black Dragon Society members were first enraged, then uncertain and alarmed. They quickly took the man and left dejectedly.
The Akiyama Clan members couldn't help but sigh in relief, but their faces remained worried. The Black Dragon Society's intentions were malicious, and each conflict was escalating. Everyone could see that this situation wouldn't last much longer.
This powder keg would explode sooner or later.
Akiyama Rinka picked up the small stone from the ground, her beautiful eyes searching her surroundings, feeling a warmth in her heart.
Kamihara Tetsuya retreated to the darkest corner of the room, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Akaza had killed someone in this small town, which would attract Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen, so he had to lay low.
Anyway, he was about to leave this small town soon. Before he left, helping the Akiyama Clan solve this problem would be a way to repay them for their care over the past half-month.
He was now a demon, and human morals and codes of conduct could no longer restrain him.
Let go of personal ethics and enjoy a free life!
Night fell, and dark clouds obscured the bright moonlight.
Many legends of demons persisted here, and few people went out at night. The small town fell into silence.
Kamihara Tetsuya regained his freedom. His figure, hidden in the darkness, moved swiftly through the streets.
"So fast."
The wind howled around him. Feeling his inhuman speed, Kamihara Tetsuya's face lit up with joy. If this were his previous life, even Usain Bolt would have to offer him a cigarette.
Black Dragon Society Headquarters.
More than a dozen burly men gathered in a spacious room, raising their glasses and drinking heartily.
"Boss, if it were up to me, we'd just get rid of that old man from the Akiyama Clan directly."
A burly man said viciously, three scars on his right cheek making him look terrifying.
As he spoke, he slammed a double-barreled shotgun onto the table, his murderous intent unconcealed.
The Middle-aged Man sitting at the head of the table frowned. He was John Deere, the president of the Black Dragon Society and an elite cadre of the Western Mafia, who had come to Japan to expand his business.
"This place isn't as simple as you think," John Deere shook his head.
In a direct clash of force, their rifles could easily wipe out a small family in a Japanese town.
But John Deere had heard ancient legends about this place, of demons and demon slayers intertwined for thousands of years.
It was said that the Akiyama Clan had intricate ties with demon slayers, which made John Deere somewhat apprehensive.
John Deere did not intend to make a move before clarifying the situation.
"There's nothing more to say about this matter. I'm going to rest now. You all should rest early too." John Deere put down his glass, stood up, and pushed open the door to leave.
The people remaining in the room exchanged glances. The burly man who had made the suggestion earlier scoffed, "John Deere, who was hailed as the 'Musketeer,' seems to be getting old."
John Deere had a formidable reputation within the Mafia, having once single-handedly infiltrated an enemy gang and killed seventeen people; he was a fierce warrior.
"Vic, why don't we..."
A monkey-faced young man next to him made a throat-slitting gesture, his face ferocious.
They were not good people; for those in the underworld, insubordination was a basic operation.
The scarred strong man's eyes flickered. Their goal was to turn this small town into their drug transit station, continuously transporting drugs from South America and the Golden Triangle.
Every day they delayed, the financial losses were immeasurable.
Yet, that old man John Deere dared not make a move against the Akiyama Clan.
"We'll tolerate him for a while longer, and then we'll kill everyone in the Akiyama Clan!" The scarred strong man pouted, secretly wary of John Deere.
"Too bad, you won't get the chance."
A cold voice echoed in the room, the reverberations making it impossible to pinpoint the source of the sound.
Bang!
A strange cold wind blew, and the light bulbs in the room shattered, plunging it into darkness.
"Who's there?"
The Black Dragon Society members in the room, like startled birds, stood up abruptly, uttering frightened cries.
Kamihara Tetsuya's figure appeared in the room, his eyes blood-red with two crimson tomoe, his cold face chilling the Black Dragon Society members to the bone.
"Fangs, blood-red eyes... could it be a demon?" The scarred strong man's eyes widened. He had heard John Deere mention it once.
He had always thought the other party was deliberately trying to scare him.
"I don't believe it!"
The scarred strong man picked up the double-barreled shotgun, aimed it at Kamihara Tetsuya's head, and pulled the trigger without hesitation. With a loud "bang," the bullet exited the barrel.
Bang!
Kamihara Tetsuya raised his right hand to block. The moment of impact, the bullet's powerful kinetic energy shattered his arm, sending flesh and blood flying, mixed with bone fragments.
The strong smell of blood permeated every corner of the room.
The next moment, under the gaze of the Black Dragon Society members, new flesh grew from Kamihara Tetsuya's arm, recovering at a visible speed.
"Not bad."
Kamihara Tetsuya murmured. He had, of course, deliberately allowed himself to be hit, wanting to test the demon's powerful regenerative ability.
The result was very satisfying; his arm, shattered, recovered in just five or six seconds.
Indeed, only sunlight and the nichirin blade in the hands of demon slayers could kill a demon.
Kamihara Tetsuya's lips curled into a cruel smile. Not dying didn't mean not feeling pain. The intense pain stimulated his brain, and a cold killing intent instantly erupted.
"Die!"
Kamihara Tetsuya charged into the weak, pitiful, and helpless flock like a hungry wolf, slaughtering the Black Dragon Society members in the room. Their screams echoed through the sky.
Blood Demon Art awakened: Soul Manipulation!