Chapter 64 So Are You Going to Eat This Tempura or Not

Leaving aside how Hojo Akitoki stepped into the Bone-Eating Well and subsequently returned to Inuyasha's world, to the eyes of Mitsuhide Akechi and the others, it was merely the work of a blinking eye.

However, for Hojo Akitoki himself, the person directly involved, he had spent a very, very long time in another world.

As Hojo Akitoki passed through the Bone-Eating Well and opened his eyes, a lush, verdant forest greeted his vision. Casually selecting a tree, he scaled it in a few nimble bounds and stood upon its crest, gazing far into the distance.

"Mountains? And down below the mountains..."

Carefully discerning his current location, he spotted utility poles at the foot of the mountain carrying a touch of the modern era. Among them walked pedestrians clad in traditional Japanese attire, intermingled with western-style clothing born from the invasion of Western culture, collectively known as *yofuku*.

"It seems I have arrived in the Civilization and Enlightenment period."

Roughly determining the timeline in his mind, Hojo Akitoki prepared to descend from the tree and head toward the nearby village or town to gain a deeper understanding of the era of the world he now inhabited.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound of rapid footsteps echoed from behind him, accompanied by the kind of voice that instantly betrayed its owner as an extraordinarily energetic and vibrant fellow.

"Hey, you in front! What kind of creature are you?"

"Seeing the King of the Mountain, why haven't you handed over the tribute you're carrying?!"

Even as the voice reached Hojo Akitoki's ears, the owner of that voice lunged fiercely toward him. Two blinding, cold flashes of light sliced through the air; had Hojo Akitoki not dodged swiftly, the pack strapped to his back would likely have fallen into the hands of the assailant wielding those jagged blades.

"This fellow is..."

Trouble yields to no effort. Looking at the newcomer, Hojo Akitoki felt that the goddess of fortune must surely be smiling upon him. He had just been wondering what world he had landed in, when—lo and behold—such an easily identifiable character presented himself right before his eyes.

Observing the pint-sized, foot-stamping, wildly irate figure opposite him, Hojo Akitoki instantly realized precisely where he was!

"You bastard!"

His surefire attack, which he had expected to succeed with absolute certainty, had completely missed its mark. The fellow wearing a wild boar's head mask stomped his feet in intense vexation. One had to know that for years he had reigned supreme over this mountain, and it had been a very, very long time since he had encountered someone he could not defeat.

"Hey!"

The blade in his hand vibrated as the boar-masked youth pointed his single sword directly at Hojo Akitoki. At that moment, the boar-masked youth recalled the words spoken a couple of days prior by the original owner of that blade. He vividly remembered that unlucky fellow saying that winning an arm-wrestling match against him was nothing, and snatching his sword away meant even less. After all, he himself was merely a low-ranking squad member with the lowest combat power.

Yet the Demon Slayer Corps was overflowing with formidable experts, including elite masters known as the Hashira!

At this thought, the boar-masked youth sized up Hojo Akitoki—who was returning his gaze in kind—lowered his stance, and emitted a low, rumbling beastly growl before charging.

"You must be one of the Demon Slayer Corps' Hashira, right?"

"If I defeat you, does that make me the strongest King of the World?"

"Oh?"

Hojo Akitoki smiled at these words, suddenly wishing to ask the opponent if he even knew what a true king was, or what the meaning of kingship entailed.

However, judging by his appearance, it seemed this boar-masked youth had not yet officially joined the Demon Slayer Corps.

With one hand resting on the hilt of Sirius at his waist—a blade that had been re-forged at the Swordsmith Village and further consecrated by Toki, Unkai, and the Black Witch Tsubaki—and his free hand casually stroking his chin, Hojo Akitoki felt that both this timing and this world were simply wonderful for him!

Indeed, the world Hojo Akitoki had stepped into was none other than the one known in his previous life as *Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba*, a world also jokingly referred to as the "Hashira Slayer."

As for the two major factions in this world—the Demon Slayer Corps led by Ubuyashiki Kagayaki, and the demons led by Muzan Kibutsuji, who had lived for a millennium and possessed an extreme terror of death—the former contained many talents whom Hojo Akitoki greatly admired, while the latter would serve as exceptionally handy whetstones to hone and elevate his own strength!

"Asshole, are you looking down on me?"

"You must be looking down on me, right?!"

Unbeknownst to Hojo Akitoki, who was lost in thought, the boar-masked youth glaring at him with hostile vigilance grew all the more furious.

What did that "oh" mean?

Hojo Akitoki had simply uttered that single syllable of a word and then remained entirely silent. Having lived his whole life amidst mountain forests, the boar-masked youth felt that even he couldn't be treated like a fool. This condescending attitude of the other party was practically the equivalent of delivering successive, humiliating slaps across his face!

Without another word, the boar-masked youth resolved to unleash his true strength, to let Hojo Akitoki understand the majesty of the lord of the mountains. Conveniently, he would use this so-called Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps to test the Beast Breathing technique he had just recently created!

"Beast Breathing, First Fang: Pierce!"

Acting precisely like an overbearing wild boar rampaging through the wilderness, the boar-masked youth rushed forward gripping two swords in his hands. Upon closing the distance to an extremely tight range from Hojo Akitoki, he thrust both hands forward, his twin blades resembling the protruding tusks flanking a wild boar's mouth, the murderous blades appearing eager to impale Hojo Akitoki's body.

"Not bad."

Hojo Akitoki offered a word of praise. Ever since his battle with Yura of the Hair-Tangle, followed by his somewhat battered display against Sesshomaru's attacks, those two consecutive combat encounters with demons had nonetheless yielded considerable progress in his personal strength.

Had it been earlier, perhaps he wouldn't have faced the boar-masked youth's onslaught with such effortless grace and composure. But as the old saying goes, when a scholar parts ways for three days, one must look at him with entirely new eyes.

That was doubly true now that he had formally become the head of the Hojo clan, inheriting the vast accumulation of martial cultivation knowledge left behind by his predecessors, alongside the immortal cultivation techniques acquired from the Bonsai Immortal!

Attaining immortality in the short term was entirely out of the question, but elevating his strength to effortlessly handle a boar-masked youth who had yet to fully mature was an absolute certainty.

*Clang.*

Initiating with his customary quick-draw slash, Hojo Akitoki struck later yet arrived first. Despite the boar-masked youth's ferocious momentum and the advantage of initiative, Hojo Akitoki's blade was simply faster than his.

"What?!"

Shock registered on the face beneath the boar-mask. Never in his wildest dreams had the boar-masked youth imagined that his opponent could deflect his attack completely to the side with a single stroke of his sword!

Feeling the kinetic force transmitted through the clashing blades, the youth cursed inwardly with a mental *tch*, astounded to discover that his own physical strength actually fell short of this pretty boy's?

"How could I lose to you!"

Driven by an unyielding spirit and the wild nature nurtured by growing up in mountain forests, the boar-masked youth instantly regained his footing and slammed his foot viciously against the ground.

Propelled like an arrow released from a taut bowstring, his entire body vaulted instantly into mid-air right before Hojo Akitoki.

"Beast Breathing, Second Fang: Slice and Devour!"

Unadorned and entirely devoid of flashy tricks, his technique was thoroughly down-to-earth. Crossing his twin blades, the boar-masked youth delivered a heavy, powerful downward slash directly toward Hojo Akitoki's face.

"Useless."

Shaking his head, Hojo Akitoki still had the leisure to critique his opponent's attacking form. Fixing his gaze upon the boar-masked youth suspended in mid-air, he remarked briskly:

"If your speed and power cannot vastly surpass your opponent's, I advise you never to employ such straightforward techniques riddled with openings."

With that, Hojo Akitoki lifted his leg and kicked forward. Even before the boar-masked youth's blades could strike his body, Hojo Akitoki's foot connected heavily against the youth's unprotected, half-bare torso.

"Puhak!"

"Boom!"

The sheer might of that single kick caused the airborne boar-masked youth to spit a mouthful of blood. His flying body hurtled backward, nearly uprooting a giant tree that served to break his momentum.

"So strong!"

As his body slid down to the ground, the boar-masked youth struggled and shakily climbed back to his feet. Staring at Hojo Akitoki, who hadn't even a speck of dust clinging to his clothes, his competitive drive burned with an intensity he had never experienced before.

"Hehehehe."

A laugh bubbling with excitement escaped him, and he readied himself to fight once more.

Only...

"Want a bite?"

Deciding things had gone far enough, Hojo Akitoki lowered the pack from his back and extracted a piece of deep-fried delicacy meticulously prepared by the Tempura Immortal.

"Uh."

The youth's eyes darted back and forth between Hojo Akitoki and the food in his hand. After a long moment of hesitation, the boar-masked youth finally spoke up.

"Eat!"