Chapter 236: What’s the Point of Running?

At the entrance to the village, an explosion boomed, shaking the earth.

Muzan’s eighteen whips drove into the ground all at once, sending cobblestones flying and kicking up a dense cloud of dust.

The dust was so thick it blinded everything around.

Faced with his own attack, Muzan frowned and raised an arm.

A whip lined with rows of teeth swept across the battlefield in a ferocious arc.

Like the blow of a gale, the smoke dispersed in an instant.

However, just as he’d expected, all that remained on the ground were rocks and cracks.

His prey had vanished....

Muzan looked in the direction the smell of blood was coming from.

Beneath the moonlight, two silhouettes were racing away at full speed, one to the left and one to the right, each carrying someone and fleeing in opposite directions.

"So they took the chance...." Muzan murmured, sinking into his thoughts.

Truth be told, at this point there was no sense in paying attention to those four.

They were already poisoned and wouldn’t stay alive for long.

The wisest option was to head immediately for Marcus, hold him off, and buy time for Kokushibo and Douma.

But...

By the time he got there, would Hantengu still be alive?

If he had to face Marcus alone...

A flicker of doubt crossed his eyes.

"Consider yourself lucky this time."

He cast a glance toward the mountain behind him and set off in pursuit of Mitsuri.

"Even if I can’t kill you this time, I’ll make you suffer!"

Wait for Mitsuri to die from the poison? That would be far too merciful.

What he wanted to show Marcus was something else: his woman turned into a corpse so thoroughly hacked apart that not even fitting the pieces together could put her back.

Far off, Mitsuri rode on Sanemi’s shoulder.

Her broken arm hung limp, and the pain drained the color from her face.

She stared at the back of Sanemi’s neck, coated in a mix of sweat and blood.

"S-Sanemi-san... put me down, please."

Sanemi slowed his pace and loosened his grip.

Mitsuri bit her lip and climbed down. The moment she touched the ground she took a false step and staggered, but she gritted her teeth to keep up with Sanemi’s running.

"Thank you so much...."

Facing into the wind, Mitsuri thanked him, embarrassed.

It was unheard of, letting herself get distracted in the middle of a clash against an enemy like that.

If Sanemi hadn’t seized that moment of Muzan’s hesitation to scoop her up and flee, she’d already be dead.

Sanemi didn’t stop, only glanced at her sidelong. "Pick up the pace, don’t stop."

Mitsuri lowered her gaze to her motionless arm, then to the entrance of the town visible in the distance.

"Is it really okay for us to run away like this?"

"Muzan’s not going to waste his time chasing after ordinary people."

Sanemi switched his katana to his other hand. His fist was trembling, but not from fear — it was because the poison was already seeping into his muscles, out of control.

"At first I figured the two Upper Ranks would tie Marcus up for a good while. I wasn’t holding out any hope he’d come save us; I just wanted to fight to the death to hold Muzan back..."

He glanced sidelong toward the mountain behind them, a ghastly smile on his face.

"But judging by Muzan’s reaction... Gyokko must’ve already been killed by Marcus."

"Heh. That brat’s gotten a whole lot stronger than before."

"Maybe when he kills Hantengu and comes this way, we’ll stand a chance if all five of us take on Muzan together."

"But..." Mitsuri’s voice grew fainter and fainter. "The poison in our bodies..."

"I know."

Sanemi cut her off with a smile that had nothing pleasant about it.

His face was covered in cuts oozing black blood, making him look terrifying.

"Even if we don’t last until he arrives, if we split up we can hold Muzan off a little longer. Whichever way he chases, the other side gets to live a bit more."

He shot Mitsuri a glance.

"The time we buy might be enough for Marcus to kill another Upper Rank. That way, at least... our deaths won’t be for nothing."

Hearing those words, Mitsuri’s eyes reflected a mix of sorrow and fear.

But before long she smiled too; a somewhat tragic smile.

"You’re right... it’s a lot better than dying for nothing."

Meanwhile, Obanai carried Tokito on his back, sprinting at full speed down another path.

Tokito’s severed leg hung limp and blood dripped without pause, leaving a trail of blood across the rooftops.

Tokito, on the verge of losing consciousness, came to from the rough jolting of the journey.

With a weak gaze, he felt his life slipping away, yet his tone of voice and his eyes kept the same composure as always.

"Iguro-dono... put me down. Then you’ll be able to run faster."

"Don’t even dream of it."

Obanai’s voice came out clenched between his teeth, so hoarse it barely sounded human.

"..."

Tokito sighed.

"I know perfectly well I won’t hold on another minute. Put me down and I can help you buy some time."

Obanai didn’t stop, but his pace grew slower.

"... And what makes you think I’m going to last long?"

As he said this he turned his face, and the moonlight struck it full-on.

Half his face was rotting, black veins pulsing, spreading from his ear to the socket of the opposite eye.

"Your body won’t answer you. Mine... my brain is starting to shut down."

Tokito kept silent for a few seconds.

"... Then why do we keep running?"

Obanai was suddenly stunned, and his steps slowed.

Yeah...

What’s the point of running?

After Muzan’s attack, if they hadn’t fled, they’d have died.

But now?

One of them had a body that wouldn’t respond, and the other’s brain was rotting.

Did fleeing still make any sense?

"Shall we fight?" Tokito’s serene voice came from his back.

"... Let’s fight!"

Obanai turned around, a savage smile beneath his bandages.

"Before I die, I want to cut him one more time."

"Then let’s go."

Without the slightest hesitation, Obanai broke into a run back the way they’d come.

As he went, he flipped Muichiro around and hauled him onto his back. He tore the cloth from his waist and lashed the two of them together tightly.

"I can barely see."

"I know. Kaburamaru and I will guide you."

"Good!"

"Did Muzan move? Which direction is he in now?"

"Ahead, to the left... He set off chasing Mitsuri."

Obanai’s heart clenched violently.

He ground his rotting gums together and let out a roar.

"Hold on tight."

With a single stomp, he shot off like an arrow, heading back the way he’d come.

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