Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Izumi POV.
I could only stare in surprise at Taylor's unconscious body, which had a triumphant and foolish smile on its face.
"She just-" Mai asked, confused.
"I... have no idea," I said, completely bewildered, as I looked at Taylor.
She… she had just used Conqueror's Haki. There was no doubt about it. I had felt the full force of her will in that final instant. And whatever she had done, she had incapacitated Ant King. It was… strange. I just shook my head.
I crouched down to check on Taylor as my Round Deer emerged from the shadows. My shikigami bent down and placed its snout on Taylor's cheek, healing her. Her completely mangled arm regenerated quickly.
Then check her vital signs. Her aura had shattered; she just looked exhausted. And-
I paused, curious, as I stared at Taylor's neck. She wasn't wearing her mask, and her suit covered her neck, but I could see something that shouldn't be there. I took hold of the top hem and pulled it down slightly. My eyes widened.
A mark. Almost like a birthmark or a tattoo. And I recognized it immediately. I had a similar mark on my body. I could barely see more than a few lines on her neck because of the disguise, but I had no doubt.
A Demon Slayer Mark.
My eyes opened slightly. I bit my lip hard. I didn't even know it was possible to create a mark in this world. To awaken one, it was necessary to survive extremely dangerous conditions: a high heart rate and an equally high body temperature, to the point that could be fatal for many people.
That meant Taylor had reached her limit and tried to push past it, and she succeeded. Both the mark and her Conqueror's Haki were indications of that. A surge of pride welled up inside me as I looked at Taylor.
Although there was a little concern too. The mark… offers many advantages. Greater physical capabilities and improved endurance. But… there was also that small, yet very important detail: supposedly, all those who awakened the mark died before the age of 25.
I grimaced at that. My eyes darted around as I surveyed Taylor's entire body with a clear, unobstructed view of her mind. I could see every single one of Taylor's organs. I checked them one by one for any abnormalities. I was incredibly familiar with her organs. I'd watched them grow, strengthen, and take shape since she started training; I knew exactly what her entire body should look like.
I almost sighed with relief when I saw that everything was alright. I could see the last traces of some micro-tears and lacerations, but they were being healed by Round Deer without leaving a trace. I also couldn't see any visible deterioration, so nothing bad was happening inside her body. Even so, I would make sure Taylor received immediate treatment and all possible checkups.
"Izumi! There are still ants!" Mai said, waking me from my stupor. I just grunted and stood up.
"Daggers!" I said to Mai, and this time, Mai transformed. I sacrificed Rabbit Escape and thrust it toward Mai. The fragmented sword that was Thousand Demon Daggers appeared in my hands, then I swung it forward, and Mai began to multiply. Thousands upon thousands of sword fragments appeared all around me.
I imbued them all with Haki before launching them and beginning to mow down all the remaining ants in the nest, surprising the hunters. Fragments of my sword began to spin like a tornado of blades as they tore apart and mutilated all the remaining ants.
After a few seconds, I used my Observation Haki to see if any ants remained, and they were all outside. I took a deep breath. I ordered Mai to continue multiplying.
All the fragments moved around the nest, destroying every ant in their path before bursting out of the volcano and tearing apart the remaining ants. There weren't many left; most had gathered inside the nest due to Ant King's numerous screams and had been killed by the other S-rank ants.
Finally, I let out a weary sigh after sensing no one else on the entire island. The clone fragments dissolved into a pool of shadows and returned to me.
"Izumi!" "Skitter!" several people shouted as they approached us. My mind started racing. Should I... should I hide Ant King within my shadows? Pretend it was dead?
No… that was bad, very bad. This was broadcast internationally. If Taylor were to use Ant King in a fight in the future, it would be very easy to recognize. I was sure it wouldn't just be the Koreans who would raise a fuss about it.
Telling the truth… would be annoying, but… nothing that couldn't be fixed. Or at least, it would be the cleanest way to do it. The most visible way Taylor could use Ant King openly and publicly without any problems. As long as the Koreans don't force us to kill it, obviously. I just hoped it would be easy.
I swallowed audibly before nodding mentally. I sheathed my swords, including Mai's, before crouching beside Taylor and slipping my hand inside one of my sleeves to discreetly pull out my scroll. I quickly messaged Nezu; we really needed help with this. I was sure he was watching the broadcast, but more details would be necessary for him.
I finished sending the message just in time and placed my hand on Taylor's cheek to pretend before everyone else approached us.
"Yahallo!" I said cheerfully with a lazy smile as I looked up at them.
"You... you really did it." Huntress Ma said, sounding surprised. I stood up.
"I said I would." I said easily. Tawata stepped forward.
"Why the hell did you let her do that!?" Tawata growled furiously in front of me.
"Nothing happened, everything went well," I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"That was reckless," said Huntress Choi tensely.
"That was stupid," Tawata grumbled again after the huntress Min translated into Japanese. I chuckled.
"That's what husbands are for. I made my vows to follow her through thick and thin. And through her idiotic ideas too." I said, completely serious, while nodding contentedly.
"As her husband, you're supposed to stop her from doing stupid things! Not make it happen! " Tawata retorted incredulously. I looked at her curiously.
"Oh... I didn't know you were married, so I don't know how that works, Huntress Tawata. You are, aren't you? " I said with a teasing smile. Tawata blushed slightly and gritted her teeth.
"Now, now, let's not fight," said Huntress Min with a warm, though somewhat strained, smile. "We'd better make sure Miss Skitter is completely healed first," she said gently. I just nodded.
"Her aura is broken and she fainted from exhaustion, but that's all. I've already healed all her problems with my summon," I said without hesitation. "But I wouldn't mind if someone with more experience checked her out," I added honestly. Huntress Min smiled and nodded.
"I'll do it, don't worry. It's the least I can do for her," added Huntress Min gently as she bent down to check on Taylor.
"Wait... this thing... is it still alive?" asked Huntress Tanaka, her face pale as she stared at Ant King's mutilated body. Everyone tensed and took a half-step back, assuming a fighting stance.
"Oh yes, don't worry. It's not a problem anymore," I said happily while clapping. "Now it's under Taylor's control! Her stupidity worked and she was able to take control! Now that mutant ant is part of Taylor! " I said without hesitation. I could see the cameraman staring at me, but I just looked at the camera and smiled broadly. "That means the threat has been neutralized, all the other monsters have been killed, and therefore, the raid on the Jeju S-Rank dungeon has been a complete success!" I announced happily.
"No, no, wait, we have to kill that thing," Izawa said, frowning. I just smiled broadly, though my smile didn't reach my eyes, and looked at Izawa, who shuddered violently. My shadows emerged before I grabbed what remained of Ant King and devoured it.
"She's neutralized. She won't escape my shadows. None of you have anything to worry about," I said with the same wide, terrifying smile, placing my hand on my swords. I didn't grip them, but they followed my movements. I could see more than one of you shudder slightly. Then I laughed heartily and clapped, breaking the tense atmosphere. "Now, why don't we call for them to come and pick us up and start the cleanup operation?" I said cheerfully, clapping my hands.
Everyone looked in my direction in disbelief, but I didn't move, I just kept smiling regardless of everything.
"Listen to him, we're withdrawing, we've completed the mission." Goto said, taking a step forward. Her gaze was fixed on me. I could see the sword I had given her in her hand, but she just kept looking at me before turning away.
I almost sighed. I hadn't seen if she'd actually joined the fight or not, but for the moment, there was no need to provoke any fighting. It was more important to take care of Taylor right now. Besides, I already had all the evidence I wanted about her conspiracy, so even without fighting, I could get Goto destroyed.
"Chairwoman Go's message: she wants us to return," said Huntress Ma seriously. Everyone exchanged tense glances before looking at me and sighed almost in unison.
"Let's go." Huntress Baek grunted with a sigh as she turned around.
I could only sigh. This was going to be really annoying. Then, after Huntress Min gave her the go-ahead, I carefully lifted Taylor into my arms and carried her away in a Princess Carry.
And apparently, none of them wanted to move through the nest, so they started to emerge through the enormous gash I'd made in the Hallasan volcano. I'd almost feel a little sorry for it, if I didn't know there were hundreds of earth quirks that could leave it just as it was before, or even better.
I lazily followed them with Taylor in my arms. Once we were outside, the groups split up while we waited for transportation. I simply put Taylor down, rested her head on my lap, and began playing with her hair.
I glanced sideways at both groups. They were truly different. While the Korean group seemed genuinely relieved and at ease, with soft, satisfied smiles about the cleanup of Jeju, Draw Sword was the complete opposite. They were all tense and nervous, practically shouting at each other if what they were discussing wasn't so secret. Finally, Tawata growled, shoved Kei aside with a furious expression, and walked toward me, followed by Hoshino.
"Miyamura, we need to talk about 'that,'" Tawata said without hesitation, moving as close as possible so the Koreans wouldn't hear us. I just hummed.
"Me? I have nothing to say." I shrugged. "My job was to keep everyone safe. My job is done. The rest is someone else's problem." I said easily. Tawata just sighed.
"Look, you intercepted Goto's flame, I understand, it was your job. But none of us really knew her and Matsumoto's plans. Not even Hoshino or Ishida, who were with her. If that message gets out, it will harm all of Draw Sword. All of Japan." Tawata said in frustration. Hoshino just grimaced.
"I really had no idea Goto-san was planning something like this. I find it... hard to believe. If it weren't for everyone else hearing it... I..." Hoshino said, shaking her head almost in pain. I just looked at them before sighing.
"Honestly, this is out of my control now," I told them both. "The conversation is in the hands of Director Nezu. He's the one who will decide what to do," I said simply. They both looked defeated. "Even so, I don't think his plans involved you from the start if you weren't participating, so I doubt you have anything to worry about. And I also doubt he would make all this public when it can be resolved internally. He's not going to throw away all of Japan's international relations over this. But... I'll talk to him. I can't promise anything," I said honestly. They both looked at me before simply sighing and nodding.
"I guess this is the best we're going to get," Tawata said with a tired sigh. "This is going to be a shitty show," she muttered. Hoshino could only nod. "Let's tell the others. We'll have to get ready," Tawata said simply before turning around and stopping. "And Miyamura... good job, and thank you," Tawata said simply before continuing to walk. I could see Hoshino giggle slightly; she nodded in my direction and then immediately followed Tawata. I chuckled.
"Is she alright?" Cha Hae -in asked worriedly after several minutes. The other Korean hunters also approached them. My hand didn't stop and continued playing with Taylor's hair.
"She is." I said honestly and looked at Huntress Min. She just smiled in defeat.
"I've already assured them she's fine, but they won't listen. They're worried about the girl; she made a good impression on them," said Huntress Min, shrugging. I chuckled as I looked at Taylor with pride.
"Taylor is fine. Or at least, she's stable for the moment. She still has to wake up; she... just awakened Conqueror's Haki, so she'll be really tired. I'll make sure she's checked out properly, but she shouldn't have any problems," I said honestly. The Korean hunters just sighed in relief and nodded.
"Good, I'm glad," said Huntress Cha with a smile. "She helped us a lot during the raid," Cha Hae- in said gently.
"She even saved my life," said Huntress Min. I could see her hand tremble slightly before she smiled gently. "I'm glad you're alright."
"Ha! That girl is really impressive! " said Huntress Ma, sounding more animated.
"She is," said Huntress Choi, adjusting her glasses. "Even though she does some stupid things," she added dryly. I smiled, amused.
"Yeah, I wonder where she got it from." I said, shaking my head as I looked at Taylor with concern.
"Ma, ma, ma. Women do stupid things all the time! It's good that she has a good husband to help and take care of her! She must be very grateful!" said Ma the huntress, bursting into laughter and slapping me on the back. I just smiled broadly.
"Oh, I'm the one who's grateful," I said humbly. Taylor wasn't in a position to defend herself, and I wasn't going to correct either of them.
"She gets her idiocy from you. Taylor's going to kill you when she finds out," Mai said playfully.
"Out of sight, out of mind. Or well, out of ears, and all that," I said playfully. Mai sighed inwardly.
I continued talking to the Koreans until the transport finally arrived. Two helicopters approached our position.
"Come with us, there are fewer of us, we can accommodate Skitter so she's comfortable for the trip," said huntress Baek, simply. I looked at Tawata, who was listening, and she nodded. She and the rest of Draw Sword, including a very quiet and distant Goto, boarded the second helicopter.
I just smiled as I climbed into the helicopter with Taylor in my arms. It was difficult to get her comfortably in the helicopter, but I made sure she was as comfortable as possible throughout the journey. Which, to my surprise, didn't stop at any of the ships that had been deployed; instead, it just kept going.
I just raised an eyebrow and looked straight ahead.
"We're going straight to Seoul," said Huntress Baek calmly. "There will be a thank-you ceremony and party to celebrate the successful Jeju raid. Draw Sword and you are invited. The other Japanese hunters will also be heading there." She added quickly. I just nodded.
The trip lasted an hour and a half at full speed. I couldn't help but look out the small window and was surprised to see crowds of people celebrating in the street while shouting in our direction.
Some set off fireworks, and they echoed everywhere.
"I see we're getting quite a welcome," said Huntress Ma, letting out a laugh. All the Koreans were looking out the windows with satisfied smiles. I could only smile back.
The whole journey was the same. People celebrating in the streets or on their rooftops; it was really lovely. Even so, the trip finally came to an end, and we landed on the helipad at the hunters' association building.
Luckily, we were at the top of the building, which meant there wouldn't be a crowd waiting for us as we descended—that was nice. Even so, I let the Korean hunters get off first and took my time with Taylor. I carefully carried her, cradled her in my arms, and stepped out of the helicopter.
I could see Chairwoman Go waiting for us, and I could also see Il-Hwan and Jinwoo behind her. To my surprise, a group of guards stepped forward and approached me.
"Izumi Miyamura, please cooperate with us. From this moment on, you are under preventive custody and must remain in confinement until further notice," one of the women said loudly. I just stared and blinked.
Oh holy cookie. I didn't see that coming. I can't believe I'm being arrested for the first time, and it wasn't even my fault. And the one who was at fault was unconscious. Mom was going to kill me.