Coulson felt the Demon Slayer Corps' heritage from Kyojuro's words, so he lost confidence in recruiting him into S.H.I.E.L.D.
After all, they had successful examples out there—why would he join an organization he didn't know about?
In fact, Coulson didn't really want to recruit Kyojuro.
As a qualified agent, he wasn't naive enough to trust people he'd just met, even if they'd just rescued them. There was a possibility of 'gaining trust' as a manipulation tactic.
But no matter what, Kyojuro's power was real.
Moreover, this power didn't require physical modification or mutation but could be mastered through training and learning... This was an irresistible temptation for anyone and any organization.
Once word spread that "the lone traveler 'Kyojuro Rengoku' has mastered a method of gaining superhuman powers only through training and learning," the armed forces of the entire world would focus on him.
This was true whether it was underground illegal forces or every country in the world.
Although Kyojuro's powerful strength seemed able to fend off all ill-intentioned people, it was easy to dodge an open attack but difficult to guard against hidden arrows.
Kyojuro was human. No matter how powerful he was, he had to eat, drink water, sleep, and go to the bathroom...
And as long as he was still human, there were countless weaknesses that could be targeted.
He was only one person. As long as his personal strength wasn't greater than organizational strength, actions against him wouldn't stop.
Human greed wouldn't retreat because of his powerful strength but would be like a hungry wild dog's hunger after seeing fresh food.
Coulson worried that this method of gaining great power would fall into the hands of ambitious groups seeking to use force for their own selfish interests. He also didn't want this man who was righteous and took responsibility for eradicating evil demons to suffer.
That's why he'd sent an invitation to Kyojuro to join S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. could provide him protection and help him achieve his ideals, and he could also make great contributions to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Whether publicly or privately, Coulson believed S.H.I.E.L.D. was the man's best place to belong.
Therefore, even if he felt the hope of successful recruitment was slim, he didn't intend to give up.
Whoosh~
Coulson took a deep breath and looked at the Flame Hashira sincerely. "Mr. Kyojuro, first of all, your identity as a dimensional traveler has been noticed by the world government.
Your power is so formidable and you have no past record, which itself is one of the factors causing social instability. We at S.H.I.E.L.D. have an obligation to supervise such people.
Secondly, if you want to establish private armed forces... Not to mention settling the opinions of the local government, maintaining an armed force costs considerable money.
As far as I know, although Quinn has modest assets, he can't support such expenses, and he has no contacts to settle the government's opinions."
"In this case, I can help!"
Tony suddenly spoke up.
Hearing this, everyone looked over in astonishment.
Coulson was even more frustrated: What do you mean? I already didn't have a high chance of recruiting, and now you're making trouble! This is too difficult!
Tony shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing else. He saved me, I'll repay him. If he needs help, this is just a trivial matter."
The truth, of course, wasn't as simple as he said.
Although Tony was grateful, he wouldn't normally repay like this.
The reason he offered to help was because he himself hoped there'd be an organization like the Demon Slayer Corps in this world.
To investigate demons, he'd discovered many truths hidden beneath the world's surface.
Vampire Empire, the Hand, Ghost Rider, Hell Devils...
In this world, it wasn't only terrorists and careerists who threatened human safety but also these extraordinary beings hidden in the dark. This world needed armed forces that could fight against these extraordinary creatures, belong to humanity, and fight only for humanity.
Of course, the premise was that these armed forces were really as noble as Tamayo and Kyojuro described.
Therefore, if in the end he really sponsored Kyojuro to establish a Demon Slayer Corps in this world, then he'd definitely intervene, strictly control the character and organizational rules of each member, and prevent it from becoming a tool for personal ambition.
"Thank you for your kindness, but it's still too early to talk about this. Establishing a Demon Slayer Corps is just an idea that came to my head. I haven't thought about the pros and cons and feasibility. The specifics are still waiting for me to ask Mr. Quinn and hear his opinion."
After answering Tony's question, Kyojuro turned to look at Coulson and said solemnly, "I don't object to your attitude toward me, but I won't stop acting because of your attitude. I have..."
Having said that, suddenly, a figure descended from the sky and fell in the distance, causing violent vibrations and roars like a cannonball.
Everyone heard the sound and looked—they saw a man with short pink hair, golden eyes, pale skin, and countless dark blue tattoos representing sinners.
The man's speed was so fast that everyone could barely see his figure.
The man's goal was very clear, pointing directly at Tamayo. There was no existence other than the target in his eyes. In the blink of an eye, he'd come to Tamayo and stretched out his right hand with bright red nails toward her.
And everyone, as if waking from a dream, hadn't recovered.
Seeing that the man was about to succeed, the man like the sun stepped forward.
"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"
Kyojuro moved fast in front of the man, and the blade in his hand was drawn from bottom to top. The move was so fierce the air distorted, as if the burning sun was rising in the night sky, blazing.
Shlick!
The fist was split in the middle, then the arm.
The man who'd appeared suddenly and launched a surprise attack without saying a word was blocked.
He wasn't eager to continue fighting. He stepped down lightly, retreated, and jumped a dozen meters away.
"Who!"
At that moment, everyone came to their senses, took up their weapons, and aimed at the attacker who'd suddenly appeared.
Then they saw the number in the man's golden eyes—Upper Rank Three!
It was an Upper Rank demon!
Everyone was horrified, feeling panic and fear in their hearts.
They'd almost been wiped out fighting Lower Rank Five before, and now here was Upper Rank Three. How could they possibly fight this?
Thud!
Kyojuro strode out and stood in front of everyone.
Everyone looked at that broad back, and their hearts settled down for no reason.
What were they afraid of?
Wasn't there a top expert who specialized in crusading against evil demons?
This Upper Rank Three had been cut as soon as he appeared. Even if his strength was greater than the previous Lower Rank demon, it would definitely be limited. He definitely wouldn't be Mr. Kyojuro's opponent.
They just needed to provide covering fire to help Mr. Kyojuro when he fought the demon.
Character Notes:
Akaza - From: Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) (the Upper Rank Three demon)
Upper Rank Three of the Twelve Kizuki Has short pink hair, golden eyes with "Upper Three" kanji Covered in dark blue tattoos representing criminal markings Specializes in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts Extremely fast and powerful Has a strong hatred for weakness and respects strength One of Muzan's most loyal demons FAR more powerful than any Lower Rank demon
Upper Ranks vs Lower Ranks - From: Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba)
The power gap between Upper and Lower Ranks is immense Each Upper Rank has killed numerous Hashira Lower Ranks can be defeated by a single Hashira Upper Ranks typically require multiple Hashira working together The six Upper Ranks have remained unchanged for over a century Upper Rank Three (Akaza) is particularly dangerous in close combat