Left without any clothes to wear, Horne had no choice but to maintain the [Army into One] state continuously.
The two wasted no time, setting off immediately under the cover of night.
His hideously monstrous, demonic appearance terrified the villagers so badly that none of them dared to cast even a single glance.
Not that Horne gave a single damn.
“I have already sent a formal report regarding your situation to the Master, but even if the Master accepts you, the other Hashira won’t easily come around.
After all, a demon collaborating with the Demon Slayer Corps is far too outrageous for them to stomach.”
Shinobu frowned with concern; she knew all too well the boundless hatred the other Hashira harbored toward demons, having felt it deeply herself.
Yet right now, she had genuinely acknowledged the demon—the man—standing right before her.
(If the other Hashira found out I was staking my very life to vouch for a demon, they wouldn’t believe a word of it, or they’d just demand I commit seppuku on the spot…)
Shinobu felt helpless, but Horne simply patted her shoulder reassuringly.
“Shinobu, there’s zero need to worry.
Just like you did, they will acknowledge me in due time.
My flesh may be demonic, but my soul remains human.
Besides, I tossed the detailed secrets of the Bright Red Nichirin Blades to your Master as a little sweetener.
As long as he wants Muzan dead, he’ll move heaven and earth to protect me.”
Horne’s unshakeable confidence managed to ease a fraction of Shinobu’s doubts.
“Next up is an all-out sprint.
Think you can keep pace with me?
You spent the whole day running around out there, and you haven’t rested since last night.
Can your body actually handle it?
Want me to carry you on my back?”
Horne sounded thoughtful enough, but his filthy ulterior motives were practically written across his face.
“You just want an excuse to grope me again, don’t you?”
Shinobu called him out instantly.
“Heh~ No need to say the quiet part out loud when it’s that obvious~”
His skin was as shameless and impervious as the armor of [Army into One].
However, Shinobu’s response actually caught Horne off guard this time.
“Fine by me.
I happen to be exhausted anyway, so I’ll let Mr.
Demon act as my personal steed for once.”
“Well, that’s a surprise.
Agreeing even while knowing I’m going to feel you up…
don’t tell me you’ve fallen for me, Shinobu?”
Shinobu flatly denied it.
“As if!
It’s merely a matter of trust.”
“Works for me.
Either way, I’m not missing out on a single opportunity to cop a feel.
Still, if I carry you like this, running at top speed is going to be pretty rough on you.”
With that, Horne dismissed the armor across his chest and head, revealing his lean, imposing, and hyper-muscular torso.
Exuding such raw, primal masculinity was enough to drive any woman wild, and Shinobu was no exception, even if she desperately hid it behind her poker face.
At this point, Shinobu could no longer bring herself to hate Horne as a demon; in her heart, he was a human man whose inner strength had thoroughly conquered her.
Horne hoisted Shinobu onto his back; through the conservative black fabric of her uniform, her plump, squishy tits pressed firmly against his broad, rock-hard back.
His hands cupped her thick, juicy thighs, marveling at how delightfully soft yet athletic and toned they felt in his grip.
Shinobu wrapped her slender arms tightly around his neck, sinking her entire body snugly against his back.
“Now, I’m going to strap you in tight.
Don’t freak out in a second.”
Thick, fibrous blood vessels surged out from Horne’s torso like muscular tentacles, coiling tightly around Shinobu’s body in an outrageously erotic shibari-style bind.
Using this living harness, he locked Shinobu securely against his spine.
“You truly are an utterly irredeemable pervert.”
Shinobu blushed fiercely in sheer exasperation, feeling the throbbing tendrils pressing shamelessly into all her sensitive, intimate crevices.
“Can you blame me when you’re this irresistible?
It’s decided: I’m making you my woman, the first addition to my grand harem!”
Hearing such brazen playboy nonsense, Shinobu felt a flash of disgust—yet beneath it lay a secret, fluttering thrill she couldn’t completely suppress.
“My, my.
To spout such trash with absolute pride…
Mr.
Demon really is a grade-A scumbag.”
“Scumbag or not, at least I’m still a man, aren’t I?”
Horne’s retort made Shinobu burst into a soft, genuine giggle.
“Fair enough~ Then from now on, I’ll just address you as Mr.
Scumbag.”
“Call me whatever you like.
So, what’s your answer?
Are you going to be my woman or what?”
Horne asked bluntly, cutting straight to the chase.
“Take a guess.”
“If I’m guessing, I’m betting you’re dying to say yes.”
“Wrong answer!
Who on earth would want to be a demon’s woman?!”
“So that means as long as I’m not a demon, you’re game.”
“I never said any such thing.”
As they bickered back and forth, Shinobu couldn’t help smiling from the bottom of her heart.
“Alright, playtime’s over.
Keep your mouth shut while we’re moving; it’s going to get bumpy, and I don’t want you biting your tongue off.”
“Then step on it!
Giddy up!”
Amidst playful teasing, Horne bolted forward, sprinting toward the Butterfly Mansion, headquarters of the Demon Slayer medical division.
At full sprint, Horne hit a staggering 70 km/h—fast as a prized thoroughbred—and possessing infinite demonic stamina, he could maintain peak velocity without breaking a sweat.
Slap on a pair of horse ears and a tail, and he’d be an authentic stallion.
Then again, credit where credit is due: a demon’s biological vessel was ridiculously convenient in more ways than one.
While Horne traversed the snowy night in the world of Demon Slayer…
Over in the JoJo universe, Old Joseph—Joseph Joestar—had arrived at top speed.
“OH!
Holly!
Are you alright?!
I caught the first flight out the second I got Jotaro’s phone call!”
Joseph tightly hugged his long-unseen daughter; seeing that she was unharmed immediately put his frantic heart at ease.
“By the way, where is Jotaro?”
Joseph asked, noticing his grandson wasn’t in the room.
“He’s out in the courtyard playing with his friend.”
Joseph’s eyebrows furrowed.
“Holly, what kind of friend are we talking about?”
“Horne is a few years older than Jotaro, but he’s a wonderful boy.”
Having zero clue where this mysterious friend came from, Joseph was on high alert.
At that moment, the dark-skinned man standing behind Joseph chimed in.
“Mr.
Joestar, let us go see for ourselves first.”
“You’re right, Avdol.”
When Holly guided Joseph and Avdol into the backyard, Horne in his [Army into One] form was locked in a brutal dogfight against Star Platinum.
By “flying,” it meant Horne was literally being sent flying through the air.
“As expected, taking Star Platinum head-on in a slugfest is pure suicide.”
Horne pushed himself back onto his feet once more.
As Jotaro grew increasingly proficient at wielding Star Platinum, paired with his razor-sharp instincts, cheap tricks ceased to work entirely.
Horne could no longer gain the slightest edge against Star Platinum; raw, overwhelming stats were just that terrifying.
“See?
Aren’t they having so much fun playing superhero dress-up?”
Unable to perceive Stands, Holly innocently assumed they were just horsing around.
Yet to Joseph and Avdol, who could see Stands crystal clear…
The spectacle was horrifying: a purple, close-range humanoid Stand was punching a man in pitch-black armor across the lawn with earth-shattering force.
Had Jotaro and Holly not been present, Joseph and Avdol would have struck without hesitation.
“Jotaro!
Horne!”
Holly’s cheerful shout brought the sparring match to an immediate halt.
Horne glanced over, taking in the muscular, towering white-haired patriarch and the dark-skinned, fortune-teller-attired powerhouse behind Holly.
“Yo.
Old Joseph, Avdoodoo, you guys finally made it.”
Horne’s casual familiarity left them completely bewildered.
“Old Joseph?”
“Avdoodoo?”
Evidently, both men were utterly baffled by the strange nicknames.
“Jonathan is JoJo the First, you, Joseph, are JoJo the Second, and Jotaro is the Fishmonger Jo.”
The so-called “Fishmonger Jo” scowled darkly, his expression souring instantly.
“And what about me?”
Avdol asked.
“Your full name is just a tongue-twister.
Say it fast enough, and it comes out as Avdoodoo.”
Avdol sighed in resignation, but petty monikers weren’t the priority.
“Then who are you?”
“Me?”
With that, Horne dismissed his armored helm, thumbing his own chest with a cocky, beaming grin.
“I am Horne.
My Stand is [One-Man Army].
I’m here to help you crush Dio and rewrite your fucking destiny!”