"Take her away now. It's time I handle my own business."
Swish!
Shinazugawa Sanemi briskly draped his white short-haori over his shoulders, his eyes burning with battle lust.
Behind him, several Wisteria House attendants nodded.
"Wind Hashira, please be careful."
"Upper Moon!" Unable to restrain himself any longer, Sanemi dashed dozens of meters ahead, charging madly towards the erupting battlefield.
Sanemi's presence here was part of Shinichi's plan.
If the Upper Moon's target had always been Koinatsu, Shinichi might have failed to intercept them within the red-light district.
In that case, Sanemi lying in wait would strike decisively.
However, Sanemi's expectations were in vain.
Compared to the beautiful courtesan, Upper Moon Five Daki was far more interested in killing a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Nichirin Blade clashed repeatedly against the ribbons, but Shinichi grew increasingly bewildered—not because Daki was overwhelmingly strong, but because... why was she so weak?
"Die, die, DIE!!" Daki snarled, her ribbons twisting and piercing under her control, wildly ravaging everything around Shinichi.
Forest Breathing surged through him, infusing every cell in his body with vibrant life force.
Shinichi's figure danced effortlessly through the storm of ribbon afterimages.
BOOM! CRASH! BANG!!
Daki's frenzied ribbons missed Shinichi entirely, instead reducing countless buildings between them to rubble.
The brothels, mostly wooden structures, couldn't withstand her strength.
Within moments, several brothels were shattered into fragments, debris flying in all directions.
Crack!
Kicking aside a massive wooden beam Daki hurled at him, Shinichi raised his blade and slashed horizontally.
"Forest Breathing First Form: Iron Birch Slash!"
BOOM!!
In an instant, the countless scattered debris before them was cleared away, only to be immediately obscured by even thicker clouds of dust.
However, in that brief moment, Shinichi had already locked onto the position of Daki, who stood motionless like a dumbstruck bird.
"If this is all you've got, then you can go straight to hell now! You're far worse than that disgusting, slimy goldfish!" Shinichi's gaze was sharp as lightning, his feet shifting back in an instant as his body bent low like a drawn bow.
"Damn it! Too much dust! You brat! Where are you hiding!?" Daki's head swiveled frantically as she roared, trying to locate Shinichi's figure.
Whoosh!
A chill ran down her back, and Daki instantly turned around while grinning viciously.
"Found you!"
So what if he was exposed?
A flicker of disdain flashed in Shinichi's eyes.
"Forest Breathing, Seventh Form: Soaring Wood Dragon—Slash!"
ROAR!!
Thick, verdant life force coiled around his red-green Nichirin blade, instantly forming a roaring divine dragon that surged toward Daki's neck with overwhelming killing intent.
"Dream on!!" Daki shrieked, her ribbons swiftly gathering before her, twisting into the shape of a skull.
"Blood Demon Art: Blood Obi Devour!"
SCREECH!!
The gaping ribbon skull collided head-on with the roaring emerald dragon.
"What!?" Daki's pale green vertical pupils widened in horror as her skull was instantly shredded into fragments.
SLASH!
A streak of crimson flashed—
THUD!
That beautiful demon head rolled onto the ground, Daki's expression still frozen in shock even as her neck was severed.
"What the hell!? Since when is a Demon Slayer Corps brat this strong!? Impossible! How could I lose so easily!?" Daki suddenly became hysterical, cursing Shinichi with venom.
Shinichi turned, blade in hand.
"Too weak. How did you even become Upper Rank Five? Did you sneakily change the number in your eye behind Muzan's back? Or has Muzan run out of demons, forcing him to make trash like you an Upper Moon?"
"SHUT UP!!"
At the mention of Muzan's name, Daki's voice rose several octaves, her tone frenzied.
"Muzan-sama! Muzan-sama adores me! He even encouraged me to do better! I—I will fight for Muzan-sama! Kill more Hashiras, earn more of his favor! That's right, that's exactly it!"
Her eyes brimmed with fanatical worship for Muzan.
Meanwhile, Shinichi frowned, watching as Daki's headless body crawled on the ground, groping around—searching for its missing head.
"Still alive after decapitation? No, something's off with this brain-dead demon!"
"Over here! This way, you idiot! I'm on your right!"
Daki's head lay sideways on the ground, berating her own headless body as it fumbled toward her.
Neither her head nor her body showed any signs of disintegration.
SWISH!
Seeing this, Shinichi couldn't wait any longer.
He lunged forward again, charging at Daki.
If cutting off her head didn't work, he'd just chop her to pieces—let's see if she survives that!
"Ahh! That damn brat's coming! Hurry up!" Daki noticed Shinichi rushing toward her, his Nichirin blade glowing emerald, and her voice grew even more frantic.
CRACK!
The brick path shattered under his feet as Shinichi raised his blade for another devastating strike.
"ONIIII-CHAAAN!"
Daki's severed head suddenly screamed.
Shinichi's Nichirin Blade remained unaffected, still aimed straight for Daki's decapitated head—but then, an unexpected change occurred!
The headless body of Daki, sprawled on the ground, suddenly had the plum blossom tattoo on its back writhe unnaturally.
Then, as if a monster were crawling out of the darkness, a grotesquely twisted figure gradually rose from the tattoo in a bizarre manner.
"Tsk tsk tsk, such a stubborn little thing. Wouldn't it have been easier to call for me sooner? Really, what am I going to do with you~" A weak, sickly voice abruptly sounded behind Shinichi.
A surge of danger followed instantly.
Without hesitation, Shinichi spun around and raised his blade to block.
CLANG!!
A metallic screech rang out as sparks erupted, striking Shinichi's face.
His Nichirin Blade was locked in place by a red sickle wrapped in flesh.
When he looked up, he met a pair of murky, yellowed eyes.
And within those eyes—just like Daki's—were engraved the characters: "Upper Moon" "Five."
"Hehe, what a handsome man. Even pretending to be a woman, you're so pretty… I'm almost jealous!" The Demon with the sickly yellow eyes bared its jagged, uneven fangs in a horrifying grin.
SWISH!
A blur—another blood-red sickle suddenly slashed upward from below, aiming straight for Shinichi.
His expression shifted slightly, but his body reacted instinctively.
His left hand immediately released the long Nichirin Blade, forcing him back several steps.
But in that moment, he seized the chance to draw the short Nichirin Blade hidden at his thigh, barely managing to block the surprise attack.
"Teehee, so quick!"
BAM!
BOOM!!
Shinichi had no time to defend against the Demon's sudden kick.
He was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing violently into a brothel and kicking up a storm of dust.
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