"Waaahh, my head~" Daki's head wailed like a child, while her body rolled around as if throwing a tantrum.
"There, there~ It's just a little decapitation, right? We can just put it back. Don't cry, you'll ruin your pretty face~" Even a grating voice could sound soothing, though its owner looked anything but gentle.
A skeletal, bare upper torso covered in pale scars, a grotesquely curved waist, tattered gray pants, and arms wrapped in crimson bandages over bulging muscles.
One gnarled claw gripped two blood-red sickles, while the other gently picked up Daki's head and placed it back on her neck.
In an instant, the severed wound began to heal.
BANG!
A deafening crash!
Beneath a mess of ragged, greenish hair, those murky yellow eyes glanced back.
The Demon's jagged teeth stretched into a grin, its dark facial spots wrinkling with the smile.
"Hey, Daki, that guy who cut off your head is getting back up. Oni-chan will make him pay, okay? No more crying~"
Daki gritted her teeth, wiping the tears from her beautiful face—now twisted into something vicious.
"Tear him apart!"
"Alright, alright, I promise~" The demon with the characters "Upper Rank" and "Five" engraved in his eyes replied dotingly.
He would never refuse any of Daki's requests, because they were one and the same—the twin Upper Rank Five.
He was the ugly older brother, and Daki was the foolish younger sister.
An older brother must take care of his sister, after all.
Upper Rank Five—Gyutaro—tightened his grip on the blood-red sickle once more.
BOOM!
Another deafening explosion!
Amid the collapsed ruins of the wooden brothel, a flash of green blade light flickered, followed by a path being forcibly carved through the chaotic wreckage.
Rip!
The tattered green kimono was torn away, and the makeup on his face was smeared with blood.
Shinichi held his Nichirin Blade in one hand while using a scrap of the kimono to roughly wipe his face with the other.
Instantly, most of the blood-stained makeup was wiped away, revealing Shinichi's true face—the cold-faced Forest Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, the nightmare of countless demons!
Tossing aside the kimono scrap, Shinichi lifted his eyelids, his heterochromatic eyes sizing up the two Upper Rank Demons not far ahead, especially the newly appeared Gyutaro.
"So, you're the real Upper Rank Five, aren't you? Then what's this female demon's role? A distraction or cannon fodder?" Shinichi raised his Nichirin Blade, pointing it at the two Upper Ranks.
Daki, the so-called "cannon fodder," wore an expression of fury, but Gyutaro didn't seem to care at all.
Instead, he leisurely scratched his grotesque face with his sharp claws, even as they tore open his skin and made blood flow freely.
"Tsk, little guy, normally I wouldn't mind chatting with a handsome Hashira like you before skinning you alive. But today, Daki is really angry, so I have no choice but to—"
Whoosh!
Before Gyutaro could finish, his figure vanished from sight.
"Kill you first~" Gyutaro's voice suddenly whispered in Shinichi's ear.
Shinichi's expression shifted slightly as he reacted swiftly, tilting his head and ducking just in time to evade a flash of crimson blade light.
Gripping his long Nichirin Blade with one hand, he counterattacked with a swift slash.
Clang!! Clang!! Clang...
A series of ear-piercing metallic clashes erupted as the red-green Nichirin Blade and the blood-red sickle collided dozens of times in the blink of an eye, stirring up a storm of sword energy that shredded everything in its vicinity.
"Onii-chan! Why are you taking so long!? I'm joining in too!!" Daki shrieked from the sidelines.
The ribbons on her back seemed to come alive once more as dozens of them surged forth, twisting and coiling as they lunged into the fray to help Gyutaro kill Shinichi.
But just then—
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
A serene voice rang out abruptly.
In that instant, it was as if lightning had descended from the heavens.
A pale streak of thunder flashed across the night sky, leaving behind divine retribution in the mortal world.
Rip! Rip! Rip!
Over a dozen ribbons were severed as the lightning passed.
Swish!
A not-so-tall figure clad in orange landed steadily to Daki's left.
Beneath his orange hair, Zenitsu's relatively delicate face remained expressionless, his eyes closed.
Upon closer inspection, one could even see tiny bubbles occasionally forming at the tip of his nose.
"You? Brat, I spare your life, and now you dare come here to die?" Daki immediately recognized Zenitsu, who had been lurking near her for several days.
However, Zenitsu had never mentioned he was alone.
"Yahaha! Ugly woman! Taste Inosuke-sama's blade! Beast Breathing, Second Fang: Slice 'n' Dice!"
"Flame Dance!"
Two figures attacked Daki simultaneously from front and rear.
"You! These insects! How dare you call me ugly? You'll all die!! Blood Demon Art: Entangling Silk Sea!" Veins bulged on Daki's forehead as she gnashed her teeth and roared.
The ribbons behind her expanded wildly at unprecedented speed, flooding toward Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Tanjiro who had just attacked.
Meanwhile, Shinichi was locked in fierce combat with Gyutaro.
Gyutaro moved with terrifying speed, his blood-red sickle leaving nothing but a storm of crimson afterimages in its wake.
"Kid! You're much stronger than those previous Hashiras we killed! None of them lasted this long!" Gyutaro grinned with blackened teeth, laughing maniacally.
Shinichi smirked coldly in response.
"And you're far more interesting than that disgusting goldfish hiding in an ugly pot!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Blood Demon Art: Rampant Arc Rampage!"
"Forest Breathing, Sixth Form: Hurricane Strike!"
Crimson slashes clashed violently against emerald-green ones, the tremendous collisions sounding like explosions.
For the moment, neither could gain the upper hand—Gyutaro's speed was unmatched, but Shinichi's defense was flawless.
As this stalemate continued, a tall figure suddenly leaped from the ruins of the brothel nearby.
Under the bright moonlight, glimpses of something shimmering could be seen on his body as he flashed through the air.
"The most dazzling hero always makes his entrance at the most critical moment!" Uzui Tengen wore a perfectly excited smile, the jeweled headband on his forehead reflecting the moonlight.
Each light step propelled him forward with lightning speed, yet made almost no sound.
Whoosh!
The twin Nichirin cleavers chained to his muscular arms spun wildly like a golden hurricane, while his free hand now held several black spheres.
"Sound Breathing, Second Form: Rotating Drum Beat!"
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