"Really, you're the only one!"
Hearing Kyojuro's answer, even Tamayo, who'd always been calm, was inevitably disappointed.
"Even if it's just me, I'll fulfill my duty as a Hashira and destroy all the evil demons in this world!"
Kyojuro said with conviction.
So unpretentious, hearty, and confident—he gave people no reason not to have confidence in him.
"Don't make destroying demons your personal duty..."
Tony interjected at this moment. "Although I don't know what happened in your original world, now they've come to this world and caused serious harm. We'll never sit idly by."
"Yes, exactly!"
Kyojuro's eyes were firm, and he said righteously, "To eliminate the evil demons in the world, even if I must burn up this body, I won't hesitate. Even if I can't do it alone, I must pass on the method of killing demons so the world has the means to fight against them."
Hearing this, Coulson's eyes lit up.
He took the last piece of his cheek from his companion and put it back on his face, then walked over with a smile. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Phil Coulson, and I belong to the Earth Security and Peace Organization 'S.H.I.E.L.D.'"
"An official organization of this world?"
Kyojuro looked at Coulson with a smile and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Our S.H.I.E.L.D. is an organization established to deal with various supernatural events on Earth. We need to eliminate any supernatural things in the world that threaten human beings. The demons this time are among them..."
Having said that, Coulson glanced around, pointed at the special forces who were picking up corpses, and continued, "But as you can see, they're all ordinary people. Without weapons that can fundamentally change people's combat power, when facing supernatural things like demons, they can often only fill the gap with their lives. If Mr. Kyojuro intends to pass on the method of dealing with demons in this world, why not..."
"No!"
Without waiting for Coulson to finish speaking, Kyojuro righteously refused.
He looked at the stunned crowd and replied, "I believe the S.H.I.E.L.D. fighters only participated with the awareness of dying for humanity's sake. But are those at the top power levels the same?
You're a government agency, an instrument of human power.
If any of your higher echelons fail to withstand temptation and fall, this institution with supernatural powers will become a threat to humanity."
"But... isn't that exactly why it should be controlled by public agencies?"
Coulson said somewhat uncertainly, "If even those who already have the highest power and wealth can't resist temptation and fall, won't ordinary people fall even more easily?"
"What can withstand temptation is will, not how much you already have..."
Kyojuro looked at Coulson seriously. "Our Demon Slayer Corps has existed for nearly a thousand years. Although there are some members who can't stand temptation and degenerate, on the whole, we've kept our hearts pure and remain committed to protecting humanity and destroying evil demons, without any selfishness!
If the method of eliminating demons is to be passed down, I'll also follow the rules and regulations of the Demon Slayer Corps to build a team, rather than handing the method to others—even public agencies of the government."
Coulson opened his mouth, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated.
He turned his head to look at Tony, casting his eyes for help, hoping the highly respected hero in the Flame Hashira's eyes could help with a few words.
But Tony pretended not to see it and turned his back.
Helpless, Coulson sighed. "...But what you're doing is illegal!"
Gathering wasn't illegal, but establishing private armed forces was.
Although this line was very blurry in the United States—basically every major capital group secretly raised several mercenary teams—on the surface, no one dared to do it blatantly.
"It's okay. Someone will help me with that!"
Kyojuro smiled heartily.
This surprised everyone.
From the previous conversation, they'd learned Kyojuro had only crossed over two days ago and had seen reports of recent cannibal cases on the big screen in Times Square, which made him suspect a demon was at work and launch an investigation.
In that case, could he have had time to meet big shots who'd help solve this kind of problem?
Had he met a con artist?
Out of concern for Kyojuro, Tony asked, "Can I ask who that person is?"
"It's a warm-hearted man named 'Quinn'!" Kyojuro replied without hesitation. "When I saw reports of cannibal cases and was wondering if there was a demon behind it, that man found me. He told me 'the intelligence that the cannibal cases were demons at work.' After that, he gave me a temporary ID and some money, and told me I could go to him for help if I had any difficulties."
Quinn again?
Although Kyojuro didn't describe the person's appearance in detail, the figure of the Asian youth naturally popped up in everyone's mind. Someone who could find travelers when they just arrived in this world, also called Quinn—they could only think of that person.
But why?
Why would he help a traveler who just arrived?
Did they know each other?
It didn't sound like it from the tone!
Coulson and Tony looked at each other, both seeing doubts in each other's eyes.
Whoosh!
Coulson took a deep breath and asked, "It might be rude to ask, but why would that Quinn help you? Did Mr. Kyojuro know him before?"
"Didn't I say? He's an enthusiastic person."
"..."
Looking at Kyojuro who took it for granted, both Coulson and Tony were speechless.
How naive was he to believe there were such enthusiastic people in this world?
Suddenly, Tony had a thought and continued asking, "I heard from Miss Tamayo that your Demon Slayer Corps uses breathing techniques to fight demons. That Quinn also knows something called 'Sun Breathing.' Is he also a member of the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"..."
Kyojuro didn't answer. He kept a hearty smile and looked ahead.
Just after everyone thought he wouldn't answer, Kyojuro suddenly said, "I don't know. I've never heard of Sun Breathing!"
"The Demon Slayer Corps has various breathing methods, but the most basic are only five types: Thunder, Flame, Wind, Water, and Stone. Other breathing methods are derived from these five. But I've never heard of Sun Breathing. It may be a breathing method created by a Hashira in history that hasn't been passed down!
Of course, it's also possible it's not the same as the Demon Slayer Corps' breathing methods."
So many?
Coulson and Tony were stunned, and at the same time deeply felt the Demon Slayer Corps' heritage... That was knowledge that could only be preserved over time, not something nouveau riche could suddenly create.
Character Notes:
Five Basic Breathing Styles - From: Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba)
Flame Breathing - Used by the Rengoku family Water Breathing - Most adaptive style, foundation for many derived forms Thunder Breathing - Focuses on speed and powerful single strikes Wind Breathing - Aggressive style with cutting techniques Stone Breathing - Defensive style emphasizing endurance and power All other breathing styles are derived from these five basic forms Sun Breathing is the original breathing style that all others derived from, but its existence has been lost to history in the Demon Slayer Corps