"Insolence!"
"Where did this ruffian come from?!"
"Guards! Where are the guards?!"
"How did he get in?!"
After the stunned silence of Shinichi's entrance, the room erupted.
These were the nation's elite, men accustomed to deference and flattery.
The sheer audacity of this intrusion was an offense they could not comprehend, and their shock quickly curdled into outrage.
The high-ranking military officers, in particular, shot venomous looks toward the guards posted around the room.
Instantly, more than a dozen elite bodyguards—larger, tougher, and radiating a far more lethal aura than the security downstairs—emerged from the shadows, surrounding Shinichi with murderous intent.
One of them had already drawn a pistol, wrapping it in a handkerchief to muffle the sound, its black muzzle aimed coldly at Shinichi's chest.
Shinichi ignored them all.
His gaze was locked on the figure that had now appeared at the top of the balcony stairs.
He took a deep breath, and his voice, clear and sharp as a blade, cut through the angry din.
"Kamaro. Where is Chinatsu?"
The cold question echoed through the hall.
Many of the guests looked on in confusion.
Kamaro? Chinatsu? As in Ryukawa Chinatsu, the business magnate? What is happening?
The crisp sound of leather shoes on wooden stairs drew their attention.
The man Shinichi had named descended without haste, a bright, charming smile on his handsome face.
He looked for all the world like just another guest, even taking a moment to elegantly adjust the collar of his suit.
He looked down at the surrounded Shinichi as a cat would a mouse, his tone dripping with theatrical mockery.
"Ah, if it isn't the esteemed Forest Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. How rude of you, intruding on such an elegant affair… and carrying such a dangerous weapon." He gestured to the Nichirin blade in Shinichi's hand.
"You'll frighten the distinguished ladies and gentlemen."
With those few words, Kamaro masterfully painted Shinichi as a dangerous thug who had come to ruin their evening.
Just as he'd intended, the glares from the powerful men in the room grew even more hostile.
"Demon Slayer Corps? What is that, some illegal organization?"
"Who is this man? Is he an acquaintance of Kamaro-san?"
"I don't care who he is! Seize him!"
A few of the officials who did know of the Demon Slayer Corps exchanged flickering, uncertain glances.
If a Hashira was here confronting Kamaro, then that meant…
They quickly decided it was best not to get involved.
The threat of demons was a problem for commoners.
Besides, having accepted an invitation from Kamaro in the first place, how many of them were truly clean?
Shinichi's eyes were cold and devoid of emotion.
He looked at Kamaro's hypocritical face, then at the human elites who were either deceived or willingly corrupt.
He felt not a shred of hope for them.
"Kamaro," he said, his voice as frigid as a winter wind.
"I'm done wasting words. Hand over Chinatsu now, or I will cut you into a thousand pieces."
A faint green light began to glow from the hand gripping his sword as he gathered his power.
The bodyguards surrounding him couldn't see the light, but they felt the pressure—an invisible weight that made the sweat bead on their foreheads and their aim tremble.
"Oh?" Kamaro asked with great interest. "And if I let her go, will the mighty Forest Hashira grant me mercy?"
"No," Shinichi replied, his honesty brutal. "I will kill you anyway."
Kamaro actually chuckled at that.
Just then, the bruised and terrified waiter from the entrance rushed in, a group of uniformed policemen in tow.
He pointed a shaking finger at Shinichi.
"Inspector Sato, that's him! He's impersonating a Senior Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police and trying to disrupt the party!"
The middle-aged Inspector Sato shot a subtle, deferential glance at the powerful guests before fixing Shinichi with a furious glare.
"A lunatic impersonating an officer? Arrest him!" At his command, the policemen surged forward.
At the same time, a fat man in a general's uniform stepped forward.
"Arrest him? Why bother with such a madman?" he boomed. "Under military law, a threat like this should be executed on the spot!"
His declaration was met with murmurs of approval from the other officers.
Shinichi's gaze snapped to the general.
As he saw the man's face clearly, he recognized him as one of the officials Chinatsu had been investigating for corruption.
His pupils contracted.
"And there you have it," Kamaro said, spreading his hands in a gesture of mock helplessness as he looked down at Shinichi's grim face.
"Your dilemma. As a Hashira sworn to protect humanity, how exactly do you plan to kill me when I am surrounded by the very humans you are sworn to protect? I am, after all, one of them now."
He watched with keen interest, curious to see how the cornered hero would react.
He didn't notice the flicker of cold, hard light that was suddenly reflected in his own golden eyes.
"Hm?"
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