Chapter 235: Fight
Gyomei stood firm, his massive frame unyielding as his prayer beads clicked softly in his hands. "And what of them?" he repeated, his unseeing eyes fixed in Alex's direction, who took a rest as if he owned the place. "Who are they, and why are they here?"
Hearing that it was my time to talk, I walked up from the shade of the tree and asked Yuki to remain there.
With a calm stride, I stepped forward, the faint rustle of the grass beneath my feet breaking the stillness. I clasped my hands behind my back, standing tall and composed. "Hello," I began with a small bow, "I am Alexander. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance... for the third time, apparently."
Sanemi rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath about arrogance.
"I will answer your question instead of Kagaya." I give a pause. "He has no idea what I or Yuki is. Am I right?"
Kagaya's serene smile didn't falter, though there was a flicker of intrigue in his expression. "You are correct, Alexander," he said, his voice calm and deliberate. "I do not fully understand you or your companion, Yuki. But my instincts tell me that to fight you would bring certain death—not just for me, but for everyone here. And my instincts," he added with a slight incline of his head, "are never wrong."
The collective intake of breath from the Hashira was almost audible. Even the ever-composed Gyomei seemed to hesitate, his head tilting slightly as if to process Kagaya's statement. The faint clicking of his prayer beads slowed but did not cease.
Sanemi was the first to break the silence, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "You're telling us this guy is so dangerous that even we couldn't take him? Are you joking, Master?" His voice was sharp, almost incredulous.
"I don't joke about matters of life and death, Sanemi," Kagaya replied calmly.